Saturday, February 26, 2011

Just a Note to Any Readers Out There

 

Hey everyone… just want you to know that I’ve posted two new posts tonight, one from leaving New Zealand and one from just the other day, as I began my campervan-tour of Tasmania. Pictures are posted in the “Australia: Tastes of Tasmania” album to the left. I haven’t captioned my posted pictures yet, but will let you know when I do. Meanwhile, please don’t forget to scroll down and read the two newest blog posts!

Cheers from Cradle Mountain National Park!

--Z

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Three … Amigos?

Note: I can’t upload pictures at this time… I’ll let you know when I can and do!

  • Monday, 21 Feb: Woke up at 9:30am, got ready to meet with other hostel girls to bicycle around town; one of them came out at 10am and said they were all still in bed; Skyped with folks; caught up on e-mail; walked around town; met Joan (CSer from Holland) at the Information center as planned; booked a “basic” campervan for $60 per day; walked around town a bit more with Joan; went to library to use free internet; back to hostel, met Joan and Jordi (CSer from Spain) and went out for pizza together; on the way, encountered drunk man verbally abusing a simple girl, turned on us; called police, helped simple girl to get a ride home; continued on for pizza; walked back to hostel; asleep by 11pm.
  • Tuesday, 22 Feb: Woke up at 7:30am; took bus to Surrel?; met Aussie Dollar lady, Diane, who drove me to her home; filled out rental info, picked up the “basic” campervan which turned out to be awesome; drove back to Hobart, picked up Joan, my stuff and Jordi; drove down to Port Arthur saw Devil’s Kitchen, the Archway, the Blowhole, Tesserated Pavement and some nice views; visited the original penal colony site, sneaking past the ticket holders ($30 per person! no way!); walked around for a few hours; drove until Triabunna and parked near some other campers; made rice and chicken for dinner; all slept in the double bed in the camper, me in the middle.
  • Wednesday, 23 Feb: Woke up at 9:30am; had tea for breakfast, with granola bar, cheese wheel and banana, then added a piece of bread and an egg when the others cooked it up for themselves; drove to Freycinet National Park via a dirt road, saw many wallabys and pademelons; arrived Wineglass Bay carpark and started hike around 2pm; Jordi did Mt Amost first and then caught up with me and Joan along the Wineglass Bay/Hazard Beach hike (11km); gorgeous views and beaches! Around 7pm we drove north a bit to River and Rocks camper park (free!); cooked pasta with sauce and lots of veggies and tuna for dinner.

Jordi: 38-year-old Spaniard traveling for 18 months around the world. Quite fit, smiley but serious. Taking two years off from government job that gave him a two year minimum break! Polite, smart, ready for very active days. English-speaking skills could use a little work but he’s got enough to get by.

Joan: 24-year-old Dutch girl finishing a year in Australia by exploring Tasmania. Cheerful and self-assured, enjoys the beach almost as much as I do. Stylish and ready to party, hike or enjoy the views. Not ready to go home yet to start her Masters in Art, Media and Culture, but misses her seven siblings.

We met via Couchsurfing, of course, and decided to eat, sleep and travel together for eight days in a campervan, exploring all that Tasmania has to offer. I immediately made a stupid comment upon meeting Joan: “Holland… that’s the Czech Republic, right?” For some reason, instead of the Netherlands, I had Holland in my head as that country’s other name. Oy. Great first impression, eh? We all went out for cheap pizza the night before we left on our road trip, to get to know one another a bit. Couchsurfers are a trusting lot, aren’t they?

IMG_3623 We’re all independent travelers who have our own thoughts on how things should be done on everything, from dishes to cooking to driving to hiking. I can’t say we’re all bosom buddies but we seem to be getting along mostly pretty well. I’m too conciliatory and indecisive; Jordi’s too ready to ‘fix’ things (or direct us on how to fix it) to be the way he thinks they should be; and Joan takes her time with everything (getting ready in the morning, preparing for walks, etc) and has a comment about how to do everything better. Somehow we’re making it all work… just six more days to see Tasmania and we’re all up for it!

Yesterday we went down to Port Arthur, stopping at all the geological and natural wonders the drive there had to offer. Then we snuck into the historical penal colony area, went on a general tour and explored the horrible places, such as the sensory deprivation ward (the first instance of it’s use!). It was a long but very interesting day, after which we drove north a bit before finding a place to pull over and park where we saw other campervans. It turned out to be a free camper park!

IMG_3644Today we explored Wineglass Bay and the surrounding natural beauty. Wineglass bay is an amazing curved, white sand beach with sapphire blue waters lapping away at the shore. There’s a magnificent lookout that takes some huffing and puffing to reach, but it was well worth it, despite the small crowd there. When we first arrived at the beach after the descent from the IMG_3673 lookout, we were welcomed by a small, curious wallaby. It was too windy and cool to swim there, but Joan and I continued our walk to Hazard Beach,  which was absolutely deserted and, while not curved, just as beautiful. I swam in the cold waters there, which was refreshing and made me feel like I was in paradise. There were huge shells – mostly clam, oyster and spiral shells – scattered along the beach.

After Hazard Beach, we hiked along for almost two hours back to the carpark, completing the eleven kilometer hike with Jordi having joined us near the end. He had taken on a different hike before the Wineglass Bay and Hazard Beach circuit… whew!

We made it to a free campsite that previous campervan neighbors had mentioned, the River and Rocks campsi just north of Wineglass Bay, and cooked up a yummy meal of spaghetti and a very chunky sauce with capsicum (bell pepper to us Americans), mushrooms, corn, onion and tuna. It was pretty tasty after a good day’s hike! And even though the others didn’t want to, I insisted on doing the dishes in the dark so they’d be clean the next day. Who’d think that I, of all people, would do that?!

Six more days… hopefully we’ll all still be talking and smiling at the end!

--Z

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Left Behind

Note: More photos have been added from my last few days in Auckland to the album, “New Zealand: Coromandel, Auckland, Northland.”

  • Thursday, 17 Feb: Got started hitchhiking late in the morning from Taipa; got a ride pretty quickly from Stanley, an airport manager headed up to do some work at the Kaitaia airport; he dropped us off and offered to take us down to a branch off of the highway where we could get a ride to Kohukohu; very low-traffic intersection had us worried until Michael picked us up, a Kiwi communications contractor taking the summer off to kayak, fish and travel the country; rode with him to Kaiwi Lakes, where Alistair, our Couchsurfing host, picked us up; he drove us up a long beach (past a seal in the waves!) to his house on a dairy farm in the hills; smoked fish pie for dinner, pastry dessert.
  • Friday, 18 Feb: Hung around until after noon; hitched from Dargaville to Wharkworth with a guy who slightly creeped out both Maria and me, for no identifiable reason; then picked up by a guy visiting his brother in Auckland, who dropped us right at the corner of our next host’s street; Andy met us a few minutes later and we walked to his parent’s house, where he was housesitting; excellent dinner of ravioli and eggplant parmesan; out to Aaron’s (CSer) birthday party, out until 3am!
  • Saturday, 19 Feb: Slept in; met Andy’s friends from Spain; eventually went to Piha beach and spent the day there; tried surfing again, no success; back at Andy’s we made a huge feast; Maria and I walked to Mike’s (CSer) and hung out with him and his group of Couchsurfers; home at 2am.
  • Sunday, 20 Feb: Andy drove me to the bus stop at 3:15am; caught the 3:30am  bus to the airport; flew out at 6am, arrived Melbourne no problem, checked in and flew out on second flight to Hobart; caught a shuttle into town, found lunch and an internet cafe; wandered until I found “The Pickled Frog” backpacker; out for Indian food with three girls traveling together; held out until 9pm and then crashed.

The Pickled Frog backpacker is a welcoming, friendly place just off-center of Hobart’s downtown. It has several large and cozy social lounges and a couple dorms and single rooms. For the first time in over a week, I’m paying for my lodging and I couldn’t bring myself to pay double the minimum price so I’m in a dorm. Sitting here in one of the lounge-y areas, I find myself missing New Zealand.

IMG_3541 My last day in New Zealand was spent at Piha Beach, on the west coast. It was gorgeous and completely typical of New Zealand: black sand beach, beautifully blue waters lapping up the coast, surfers off in the distance and huge rock cliffs all around to explore. I took a try on Andy’s surfboard but didn’t manage to stand. Maria and I took a short tramp up the beach, clambering over tidal pools in the rocks, enjoying the sea life we encountered – starfish, tiny fish, crustaceans of all kinds – and walking in thigh-deep water to clamber through a beautiful arch in the rocks. The blue skies overhead just made the beaches wonders stand out even more. It was a good last day.

After seven weeks in New Zealand, it’s hard to pinpoint what affected me the most: the people, the adventures, the landscapes or the general feel of the country. All I know is that it’s been a wrenching day, with the feeling of leaving something important behind ever present.

Of course, I did actually leave some things behind. Several things, really: a camera case with some Ozzie cash, a credit card and camera memory cards, my travel towel, baby powder, and a new set of shampoo and conditioner and hair goo I bought just the night before leaving the country. It feels like a piece of me was left behind too, though, as cliché as that sounds. The people and culture are fascinating and open and friendly and I think I fell a bit in love with it all. New Zealand is a place I can see myself returning to, perhaps to find a job and live for awhile. Unfortunately, working holiday visas are only for the under-thirty crowd, so I’d need to be sponsored by an employer. In any case, I hope that today was not my last glimpse of the land of kiwis.

My plan from this day forward is to try not to plan too much, but already I’ve started deviating from that plan. I have four weeks in Australia, including Tasmania, before my flight for Bali departs from Darwin. And so, I am planning (ugh!) to spend a week-ish each in Tasmania, Sydney, Cairns and Darwin. This skips so much of a massive country, but I will just have to return another time. Depending on how I feel closer to 21 March and Bali, I will either spend a month in Bali before flying to Nepal or perhaps split that time between Bali and the Philippines. It depends too on airfares and weather and who I meet along the way.

Farewell to New Zealand. I’ll be back.

Hello to Australia. Show me whatcha got!

IMG_3556

--Z

Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Big E: E for Eleven

Pictures from this post will soon be put in the “New Zealand: Coromandel, Auckland, Northland” album. The ones I already put in are captioned now!

  • Friday, 11 Feb: Awoke in Nomai’s place to find Nomai and the twins gone; packed up, left a thank you note, headed into town; spent a few hours at the library using internet; hitchhiked to Paiha, got picked up pretty quick; had picnic lunch and went to beach; swam out to a boat and got invited to sail around and spend the night on the boat by Paul, owner of Shalom Alec; bought food for dinner and rowed stuff over on dinghy; sailed to Roberton Island (Big E) and anchored for the night.
  • Saturday, 12 Feb: Swam to Roberton Island, explored, swam back to boat; sailed around in Bay of Islands, saw dolphins, swam around, basked in the sun; got dropped off in the afternoon in Russell; ate lunch in a cafe; took ferry over to Paihia; hitchhiked to Kaeo with Maori lady whose sister recently joined Couchsurfing and who is a traveler herself; and got picked up by our Couchsurfing host, Ben, twenty minutes later; spent the night at his house and had a huge barbecue of lamb, sausage, corn, potato and salad.
  • Sunday, 13 Feb: Slept in! Went to the beach, tried surfing on my own; went to another beach with Ben, watched Maria learn to kitesurf, did a bit more swimming at surfing attempts myself; went fishing, caught tons of snapper (mine was biggest!); got back to Ben’s, cooked up fish two different ways and feasted until midnight.
  • Monday, 14 Feb: Slept in again; puttered around until 1pm, doing laundry and internet stuff, then headed for Kaitaia and wandered around town for lunch and grocery shopping; then to a beach for kitesurfing (Ben) and kitesurfing lessons (Maria) and lazing about on the beach (me and Bob); back home around 8pm, Bob, Maria and I cooked dinner: salad, fish two ways, and spinach and cheese ravioli in alfredo sauce; feast; slept on couch because Bob was bitching about it.
  • Tuesday, 15 Feb: Up around 7:30am; ravioli for breakfast; waited for a ride to Taipa from Ben, then Maria and I hitchhiked north; first with a big freight truck, nice Maori driver who took us as far as Kaitaia; next with a honeymooning couple doing a day trip to Cape Reinga; spent the day with them at the Cape and at a beach, then back to Taipa; called Mike, a couchsurfer who had offered to host us, and got picked up twenty minutes later; more beach time, failed attempt at surfing, meeting a couple of kitesurfers we’d met a few days ago on the beach; back to Mike’s place for a barbecue and party.
  • Wednesday, 16 Feb: Slept in; watched hangover; went to Taipa and grocery shopped; made homemade pasta and shaped gnocchi to cook later for dinner; went to a lake and out on a boat, watched others wakeboard; cooked dinner, watched “Once Were Warriors” and to bed by midnight.

 

It’s been a fun five days since meeting Bob and Maria and deciding to travel north with them. A kindly woman named Nomai heard us talking about sleeping in the park while we were eating at her cafe in Kawakawa, chatted with us for a moment and then told us,

“You’re not sleeping in the park. You’re coming home with me. First we’ll pick up my twins and then I’ll take you home.” As we waited for her to finish up at work, cleaning up and closing down and refusing to allow us to help, we noticed a wood-carved statue in front of the shop next door. I started admiring some of the work through the window, and soon Woremai came out to chat, a Maori man with long, curly and unruly hair and a perpetual expression of helpless, cheerful confusion on his face. He taught us that there are several kinds of greenstone found in New Zealand and just two other countries in the world; that much of the greenstone sold to tourists is actually jade from China; and that one can really find what they love to do, like him: crafts with stone and wood. He offered us each a chip of true New Zealand greenstone as a gift. Mine is still in my pocket, awaiting inspiration and materials to be turned into a necklace.

After waking up on Nomai’s couches Friday morning, the three of us packed up, went into town for breakfast and internet time, and made our way northwards. We managed to catch a ride after only a few minutes of holding our thumbs out and were taken up to Paihia, a beachy touristy town on the Bay of Islands. We immediately had lunch (an odd mix of granola bars, nutella on bread, fruit and pita with hummus) and then headed for a beach. After swimming for a bit, Maria declared that she wanted to be on a boat and, to aid this desire, she would swim out to one of the many anchored boats in the bay to see if they’d let her on. This she did, and I trailed along after her while Bob chatted with some guys on the beach. No one was home at the sailboat we visited so we swam back to shore to join Bob. Awhile later, Maria clapped her hands and strode back into the water, pointing at the now occupied sailboat. This time I stayed behind and Bob swam with her.

IMG_3347 Half an hour later, they were rowing back to shore in a dinghy, full of laughter and glee: Paul, owner of the sailboat, had invited the three of us to come aboard, sail around the bay and spend the night on his boat. First Bob and Maria did a bit of shopping and then we wrapped our packs in plastic and rowed back out to the boat. Paul, a beer-bellied, wild-bearded and gruff-voiced guy, watched silently as we clambered aboard. He then offered us each a beer and told us to make ourselves comfortable. For the next twenty-four hours, we helped sail or motor around the bay, watched the stars after we anchored in a bay of a small island, and swam in beautifully blue and clear waters. I named our island “The Big E: E for Eleven,” because in Paul’s navigational book that was the number that went with it’s description. “The Big E” seemed a much better name than Roberton Island…  We swam to “The Big E” and climbed to it’s highest lookout point, collected shells for necklaces and swam back to the boat. There were dolphins in nearby waters, playing alongside tour boats motoring past.

Paul dropped us off at the pier in Russell, where we had lunch and then caught a ferry back to Paihia, where we stuck out our thumbs again and caught a ride with a Maori woman  whose younger sister had recently joined Couchsurfing. She brought us to a bridge near Mangonui, where we were soon picked up by IMG_3379our host, Ben, a quiet, cheerful blonde guy. We went to his house, which looked out over Doubtless Bay and had such man-toys as boats, off-roading vans, big screen tvs, computers, kites and kiteboards, windsurfing equipment and so much more. During our three days with Ben we went fishing and brought home a cooler-full of snapper (I caught the largest one!), visited several beaches with surfboards and kiteboards, cooked up tons of fish and in general lived it up.

Maria and I decided to head north so Ben dropped us off at a good spot on the highway and within thirty minutes, we were riding in a huge freight truck with a talkative Maori driver who dropped us in Kaitaia. Another fifteen minutes and we were in the car of a honeymooning Kiwi couple on a day trip to Cape Reinga. We were with them until late afternoon, visiting the Cape and then a nearby pristine, white-sanded beach with crystal IMG_3495 clear, aquamarine waters. They dropped us off in Taipa several hours later, where we bought a few things at the superette, ate a slap-dash lunch, and waited for Mike, our Taipa Couchsurfing host, to pick us up. When he arrived, he brought Elodie with him, a French couchsurfer-turned-girlfriend, and we all went to a nearby beach. I attempted to surf on his board but the waves knocked me over before I could make much of an effort to stand, so I clambered out and sunned for a bit.

For the next two nights we beached and slept in and barbecued and made fresh pasta (Maria’s and my ‘thank you’). Now we’re on our way to another host’s place in Dargaville, on the west coast of Northland. We already caught one short ride with a guy who works at the Kaitaia airport and who offered to come get us and take us a bit south. Woo!

The only negative during this week of travel was my interaction with Bob. The first day or two was fine, but when he didn’t get anywhere with Maria, he started taking out his frustration on me. He seemed to think I was purposely blocking him getting to Maria, when any moron could tell that she wasn’t romantically interested in him. It got to the point where whatever I said, he would mock or react negatively to it, and it was really irritating. I was thoroughly relieved when he decided to head south from Ben’s. He put a real damper on my mood and made me feel completely left out when he would talk to Maria and make plans with her as if I weren’t sitting two feet away. (“So Maria, you and I will make dinner tonight?”) It’s amazing how immature a guy can get,isn’t it? While almost everything Maria did or said was gold to him, he did spend two straight hours pouting one day when Ben gave Maria a kitesurfing lesson and there was “nothing for [him] to do.” We were at a gorgeous beach and had surfboards to play with, but because he wasn’t in the mood for the beach, he refused to talk to anybody and hid in the van with his iPod. He also refused to help set up the kites when asked. In any case, good riddance to him and his negative vibe! (Maria didn’t seem too sorry to see him go either!)

On to new adventures!

IMG_3409

--Z

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Adventuring to Exhaustion

Note: Pictures from this post and the past week can be found in the album titled, “New Zealand: Coromandel Peninsula, Auckland, Northland.” As of this post, I haven’t captioned the pictures… but I will as soon as possible!

  • Thursday, 3 Feb: Woke up, repacked, cooked breakfast, checked out; Greg,  IMG_3131owner of the backpacker, recommended I check Davy’s Rentals for well-priced rental cars; they gave me a two-door manual Toyota for $40/day, all inclusive, no mileage limit; took off for Coromandel Town, stopping along the way whenever something looked nice; rode a privately-owned and built train to a high point with tremendous vies; ate at vegetarian cafe; stayed in backpacker.
  • Friday, 4 Feb: Drove up to north end of Coromandel Peninsula; couldn’t drive all  the way to Jackson Bay because of dips and flooding due to previous week’s weather; beautiful remote views; not much IMG_3172traffic but those I passed waved or smiled; drove back south then took 309 Road across to Whitianga, stopping to see huge Kauri tree grove and a waterfall; in Whitianga, checked in to On the Beach Backpackers; walked to town for info and groceries; booked kayak tour and windsurfing lesson for next day; watched movie with other backpackers, loaned my car to someone to go to grocery store; slept in dorm.
  • Saturday, 5 Feb: Up early, checked out, packed up, drove to wharf and parked; took ferry across (five minutes) to pickup point on Hahei side; three hour  kayak trip to Cathedral Cove, gorgeous water, nice guide, three other two-person kayaks; swam in crystal clear waters; coffee on the beach; back at IMG_3193Hahei, got a ride from kayak partner to the wharf; took ferry back, had lunch nearby, then drove north to Brophy Beach; older woman taught me to windsurf, one hour lesson; fell a lot but lots of fun!; next stop, Hot Water Beach, where I dug a hole to soak in thermally heated water and then ran to jump into the cool ocean; then drove to Purangi, a winery with many fruit liquours; met Danny the bartender who topped up all my tastings; had pizza, a G&T and more tastings of hard ciders; ended up staying overnight at the winery, not able to drive and it got late!
  • Sunday, 6 Feb: Up VERY early due to loud  cicadas and sunshine in my face; IMG_3237drove slowly back to Thames, returned the car, booked a ticket to Auckland; texted Thomas who said I could couchsurf at his place; uneventful bus ride, explored city center of Auckland a bit before taking a public bus to Pukatani, suburb where Thomas lives; no one answered door, took a nap on his lawn; finally snuck into house and found Thomas napping; watched tv series “The Cape,” relaxed, ate in.
  • Monday, 7 Feb: Slept in a bit; took bus into town, walked to Auckland Museum  IMG_3251and spent a few hours there; then walked through The Domain, hilly woodsy area; back to Thomas’ house in late afternoon; went to see “Green Hornet” in 3D with local Couchsurfing crowd (terrible movie!); met Helena and Meren, two young German girls new to CS, and re-met others from the Crossing; out for a quick drink after, then back to Thomas’ to sleep.
  • Tuesday, 8 Feb: Slept in again, hightailed it to Vera’s, a Couchsurfer who had  posted about going hiking west of Auckland; with her and Stephy (German Couchsurfer), IMG_3259went to Waitakere, which was closed, then to Karamatura; hiked 7.7 kilometers through hills and ridges, beautiful views at the top, nice waterfall stop; once back in Auckland, treated myself to a banana shake and decided to extend NZ stay by ten days ($80 cost); bussed back to Thomas’; we then went to Mike’s, another Couchsurfer’s, for get-together, met up with others from the crossing and some new folks; back to Thomas’ to sleep.
  • Wednesday, 9 Feb: Woke up exhausted; spent the morning hanging out with Thomas, then went back to sleep for a few hours; when I woke up, German  girls from movie night were there and we all chatted and helped them clean up their car so they could sell it; eventually I packed up and caught a ride with them to the city center; met up with Misty, Couchsurfer I met at the Crossing IMG_3264and again at the Auckland library, at a pub; Tyler also came (another CSer from the Crossing); we wandered around and got fish and chips for dinner; then Misty and I went to her apartment to drop off my bags, clean up and head to CS Drinks Night at the wharf; hung out there until past midnight, socializing and meeting or re-meeting people; got keys from Misty and headed back to her apartment, crashed to sleep immediately.
  • Thursday, 10 Feb: Misty came back at 6:30am with Bob, another CSer, who slept on the floor; all up at 9:30am when Misty had to leave for work; Bob and I headed for downtown to do errands, eat, wake up; got my hair relaxed and met IMG_3280 nice Korean folks at the beauty salon; Bob and I met at library, where I also ran into Gary (from the Crossing); we all hung out and did internet stuff (free wi-fi) until Maria showed up; Maria is a CSer who responded to a post I made about heading north to explore; Bob, Maria and I decided to bus up to Kawakawa together, Gary stayed in Auckland (already saw Northland and needed work); rush around to get Maria’s stuff, buy tickets, meet at bus station; spent a little time with Gary catching sun in a park; late afternoon bus to Kawakawa; walked through main street, settled on small cafe for lamb roast; eventually a woman who worked there offered us a place to sleep when she heard we were planning on sleeping in the park; Nomai and her twins Amber and Aaliyah welcomed us to their home and their couches!

 

I’m on a bus to Kawakawa. Across the aisle from me are Bob and Maria. Bob is 28, from Virgina and interested in working for six months in New Zealand. I met him at 6:30am this morning, when he and my host, MIsty, returned from a crazy night out. Misty had offered him a place to sleep in her tiny flat, so while she and I slept on the bed, he crashed on the floor. At 9:30am, Misty had to go to work, so Bob and I stumbled blearily out in the Auckland city center. Maria is a 25 year old Italian girl who is traveling on a budget in New Zealand. I met her at 1:30pm this afternoon, after she sent me a message on the Couchsurfing website responding to my post about wanting to travel north with someone.

Three strangers, we decided to bus north together to Kawakawa, which is near the Bay of Islands. We’re all interested in seeing Northland and have heard great things about the area; we are hoping to find somewhere to sleep when we arrive at 7:30pm, but are all open to sleeping on a beach somewhere too.

The last week has been an interesting mix of spur-of-the-moment, plans, changes of plans and changes of heart. On Tuesday I decided that I was not at all excited about leaving New Zealand for Australia, and so I went online and paid $80 to change my departure date. I hope ten days is enough…

Thomas was a lovely host. His house looks out over a beautiful bay. Thomas himself was friendly, easy going, slow paced and informative. He was also intensely affectionate, which was good for me: hugs and Maori greetings had me laughing and feeling as though we’d known each other for years and years. We had a lot of great conversations and, as we were both exhausted from the past week, had a lot of lazy time together doing nothing but chatting, laughing and pondering our lives. I admit to being a bit smitten by this gentle giant of a guy.

Misty, by contrast, was a ball of energy and brazenness, a refreshing and slightly intimidating woman ready to go, go, go! Having neared my exhaustion collapse point, I couldn’t possibly keep up, but she forgave me and handed over the keys to her apartment. Her humor, frankness and thoughts on all subjects were fun to relate with.

Auckland itself is a fun city, although a bit of a jolt after South Island’s farmlands and small towns, and Coromandel’s remote feel. The museum was fascinating, holding thousands of Maori artifacts, but for me hard to wander about in; it didn’t seem to have a path, or recommended, sensible way of taking in each section. It was all just there. The parks and gardens, however, were restful and beautiful. There seems to be quite a lot going on in Auckland on a daily basis. Almost everyone I met, even just for a quick chat on the street, was friendly and ready to help if needed. The exception to this was the busdriver crowd, who seemed overworked, underpaid and quite unfriendly. Or perhaps I’ve just gotten used to the small-town feel and am not ready to be back in the city!

Waiting to see what happens is a good policy for me. There are times when I feel myself stressing out: when will so-and-so call to confirm plans? where am I sleeping tonight? what should I do now? When that happens, I remind myself that it will all work out and that worrying, stressing, tightening up, will accomplish nothing.

And it’s true. I’m on a bus with strangers and I’m not worried in the least about where we’re sleeping tonight. It’ll all work out. And it’s gonna be a great adventure!

--Z

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Camping, Tramping, Swimming, Flying

Note: Pictures from this post can be viewed in the album titled, “New Zealand: 6-Day CS Weekend.” My skydiving pictures can be found by going to www.nzone.biz, then clicking on the “Daily Photos” link, then entering this code (cut and paste it): NZRO102018886714. You should then click on “View Your eStory.” It’s a slow load but the best I can do until I can save the pictures into Picasa! Enjoy!

  • Friday, 28 Jan: Packed bags, cleaned guest room, got a ride into town with Jane and Craig, said good-bye at the bus stop; waited one hour for slightly late bus; met two nice older women, sisters, at the stop and chatted with them; four hours to Taupo; at i-Site, met another girl who was going to the same backpacker (A+); got a ride to the campsite from A+ employee; only one small group of couchsurfers there: Catherine (Gisborne), Franko (Chile) and Gino (Malaysia); Cathy welcomed me with a hug, offered me a spot in her tent, which I helped set up; we went to visit Johanna, an older CSer who lives in Turangi; grocery shopped; more people flowed in as night fell; huge crowd, of over 100 couchsurfers! Cooked huge batch of spaghetti for dinner; to bed at 11:30pm; rained all night!
  • Saturday, 29 Jan: Hiked around lake Rotopaunamu (~2 hours); visited hot springs, Taupo and a huge dam; almost went skydiving, canceled due to winds; dinner of steak, salad, garlic bread, mushrooms: yum! To bed around midnight.
  • Sunday, 30 Jan: Up very early; made lunches for five people, packed bag and hopped in the car; Tongariro Crossing hike, 19.5 km, mix of weather between cool, sunny, windy; feet killed by the end; went to hot pool to soak, not hot enough; ate fish and chips on the way back to camp.
  • Monday, 31 Jan: Packed everything up; drove to Huka Falls, then Taupo for lunch; drove to Kerosene Creek to soak in a hot river and falls; then to Rotorua to visit the thermal park; group split from there, with fifteen of us staying in town; Domino’s for dinner; all ended up at Gabriel’s, a local couchsurfer; chill evening of music, cards, chatting, laughing; slept on air mattress with a German and an Australian; all in one big rec room.
  • Tuesday, 1 Feb: Awoke with everyone else; granola bar and orange for breakfast; caught a ride into town center with group going white water rafting; signed up at i-Site for skydiving; walked down to lake, ate lunch, soaked in sun; NZone van picked me up and took me to the airfield, where I signed paperwork, met my tandem dive partner Paul and cameraman Tony, suited up and waited for the plane; skydived from 12,000 feet and didn’t come down from it for hours; briefly visited Rotorua Museum; met up with rafters and hung out for awhile downtown; went to Gabriel’s friends house for a BBQ; slept for a few hours at Gabriel’s.
  • Wednesday, 2 Feb: Up at 5am, piled into Thomas’s car with three others, headed for Thames; stopped at Kauaeranga Valley to take ice cold swim, jumped off rocks; had breakfast with everyone in Thames; visited i-Site, decided to stay the day and night to relax; checked into a mixed dorm backpacker, did laundry, grocery shopped, went to library for free wi-fi and caught up; watched a little tv, took a walk and finally went to sleep around 10pm.

 

Looking out the window as the volcanic and geothermal landscape below receded, I blinked when Paul, my skydive instructor, shouted in my ear.

“Do me a favor, baby, and scoot your ass back as far as you can.” I did as I was told, wiggling backwards along the floor so that I was wedged firmly between his legs. He began fiddling with clasps and buckles, pulling me more snugly against him.

No, this wasn’t some kind of kinky hookup. This was my first time skydiving.

Tony, the cameraman, was sitting facing me, legs awkwardly folded so as not to kick me. He held out his wristwatch to me and pointed at it: “10,500” showed on it and I understood that this was our elevation. Paul, meanwhile, tugged me back even further so that our connected harnesses were snug. He reached around my waist and tugged a few straps a bit tighter, had me try on my skull cap and protective eye gear, then pointed out the window of the door – just a foot from my face - to point out some landmarks of the Rotorua scenery spread out below us: volcanoes, lakes, ocean, thermal areas, small towns.

We were all seated on the floor of a small single-prop plane. There were five of us, including another jumper and his strapped-on instructor. We took up most of the room in IMG_3104the plane. I pondered for a moment, deciding that I didn’t feel an ounce of nervousness or fear. Ever since that morning, when I had woken up on the floor of a stranger’s house, noticed the beautiful weather, cloudless skies and calm winds, and decided that today I would jump out of a plane, I had felt only excitement and a sense of adventurous anticipation. It was one of many spur-of-the-moment decisions I’d made during that long weekend.

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The previous Friday, I had arrived in Turangi on a bus, planning to join the crowd of Couchsurfers planning to do the Tongariro Crossing. There was to be camping, BBQing, exploring of the region and general social fun. I had no tent or sleeping bag, but had decided to just show up and find somewhere to sleep. I showed up at the designated backpacker early in the afternoon to find that only three other surfers were there, setting up a single large tent. I went over and said hello, upon which Catherine, a native New Zealander, gave me a hug, greeted me and introduced herself and Franco, from Chile, and Jeno, from Malaysia. Within minutes I was invited to stay in their tent and was busy helping erect the thing and stake it down.

By that evening, we had gone to visit the lone Couchsurfer hostess in Turangi, Johanna, an older Dutch woman full of friendliness, food offerings and ideas for the weekend. We had also gone grocery shopping, buying food for dinner (fancy spaghettiIMG_2916, salad, etc) and lunches for the next few days (sandwich materials), along with drinks for those who wanted them. People from around the world trickled into the campsite all day and all night, pitching tents or asking around for a sleeping spot. By 10pm, the living area of the backpacker was crammed full with the international crowd, everyone introducing themselves and meeting everyone else. Kirin, the organizer of the event, made his announcements and talked us through how the weekend would go. Because the weather was forecasted to be rainy and windy the next day, we delayed doing the Tongariro Crossing and decided to do a local hike and visit Taupo instead.

On Saturday morning, after a night of torrential and constant rain, soggy campers made breakfasts and prepared for the day. My best estimate was that there were about a hundred of us at the backpacker in tents and rooms, and another thirty or forty at Johanna’s or another Couchsurfer’s bach (vacation cabin) and around town. Carpooling IMG_2887 was a major event, and things moved slowly, but eventually we got to XXXX Lake. I was especially unprepared, having somehow thought we were visiting a lake and a town, when in reality we were doing a two-hour hike and then going to Taupo for lunch and a few short walks, swimming and sight-seeing. I had on my Teva’s and a t-shirt, with no jacket. Our hike started off wet and chilly, so I was worried, but after awhile we warmed up and the rain stopped. Some brave souls went into the water, even! After the hike, we headed for Taupo and lunch. For the rest of the day we visited rivers and waterfalls and a hot water area next to the Waitau River – a wonderfully warm nook next to a refreshingly cold, high current river. That night, we barbecued.

The day of the crossing started early: Sunday morning everyone was up and eating IMG_2963breakfast and making lunch, in their cars and ready to go by about 7:30am. The hike itself  was a long 19.4 kilometers through old volcanic craters, rugged and rocky landscapes, beautiful lakes of various hues, a lush valley on the way down and a woodsy area at the very end. Throughout the day our group stretched before and behind me, a long line of like-minded travelers enjoying a new experience and each other’s company. We stopped several times, once to learn part of a Haka dance taught by a Maori Couchsurfer, IMG_2987another time to regroup and take a picture. We ran into a small band of costumed hikers who had styrofoam swords, a ring, capes and wigs.

I was exhausted by the end of the seven hours of hiking, my feet throbbing in my not-quite-right boots. It was a relief to sit in the hot pool where we all carpooled to afterwards. I admit to pigging out on fish and chips that night, and perhaps a bottle of hard cider before falling dead asleep in the tent alongside the others.

The next day there were groans heard across the campsite as people clambered to their sore legs and crammed tired feet into shoes. Checkout time was 10am and the backpacker management was probably very glad to see us go. Our numbers dwindled as cars departed IMG_3082 for homes across the country, getting back to family and work and responsibilities. Still, many of us carpooled to Rotorua, taking in some sights along the way such as bubbling mud pools, waterfalls and thermal parks. Up until then, I had been catching rides with Catherine, but now she had to go back to Gisborne, taking Franco with her. I decided I would stay in Rotorua for the night and found that Maia, an Australian street performer, was thinking of doing the same.

We were hoping someone would give us a ride into the center of town and sure enough, Thomas, the Maori who had attempted teaching us the Haka, had space for two in his car. Two vans and Thomas drove into town and we separated into small groups to find dinners. I had pizza with Buffy, a Canadian guitar player; Stig, a Scottish furniture maker; Max, a German mountain biker; and Maia. When the three vehicles regrouped, the name Gabriel started to float around. Several people had arranged to sleep at this Brazilian Couchsurfer’s home, there in Rotorua. Thomas had an uncle in the area, as well, at whose home five of us could crash. This was where Maia and I decided we’d go. There were fifteen of us total and we decided to all head to Gabriel’s to hang out before heading our separate ways.

IMG_3098 It was a wonderfully long night of relaxing. Gabriel’s fantastic house had a huge rec room that fit all fifteen of us comfortably. We had brought drinks and snacks, guitars and cards, and international personalities that guaranteed a fun night. Buffy started playing the guitar and singing. Soon Stig joined, then Gabriel, and a drum floated around for different people to tap beats upon. One girl took out plastic globes that lit up at the end of ropes and did a brief but dizzying performance for us. A dozen different conversations buzzed and one group played a made-up card game involving making animal sounds.

On Tuesday morning, I awoke on an air mattress next to a German guy. As we all groggily got ready for the day, which for many included a river rafting trip, I noticed the weather, the stillness of the wind, the clarity of the air.

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It was Tuesday afternoon and Paul was yelling in my ear again.

“Twelve thousand feet, baby! Swing your legs out the door!” The door whose window I’d been gazing out had been slid back. It was only about a foot away and with a scoot of my body, now firmly attached to Paul’s, my legs were dangling out. The wind whipped me in the face and I took a deep breath. No fear, only the realization that I was really doing this was in my mind. Tony, who had slipped out the door before me and was hanging on to the side of the plane, suddenly let go and waved at me.

In the next instant, I was falling.

As a kid, I always dreamt about flying. I would jump off the top bunk and crash into furniture, swing out of trees and land in a heap. I took flying lessons in high school. None of these compared to the joy of actually flying that I felt as Paul aimed us head first towards the ground, eventually leveling us out so that I was belly-flopping towards the world. There was no sickening gut wrench, which surprised me. It was just me and the air. Well, ok, and Paul strapped to my back, but I didn’t notice him at all.

Forty-five seconds after falling out of the plane, during which I waved and cheered and smiled at Tony and his helmet-mounted camera, there was a jerk and my legs suddenly swung downward. The chute had been pulled and we leisurely floated through the air. It was stunning: for once, I wasn’t looking at the sky stretching from horizon to horizon; I was looking at the earth spread from one side to the other. For the rest of our descent, I was free to look around and take everything in. Paul shouted for me to take the handles of the parachute and showed me how to turn and swing us about. I yanked down the left side and we spiraled. When he took back the reigns, he maneuvered so that we spiraled even more sickeningly, swinging around so that our bodies were parallel to the ground.

My landing was not the most graceful in the world, but I didn’t fall over or break a leg, so I was happy. And the first thought I had upon standing still?

“I want to do it again. Now.”

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For the rest of the day I was on an adrenaline high, feeling powerful and wanting to do something to show. I met up with the river rafters and we all went to Gabriel’s friends IMG_3116 house for a barbecue which lasted until the wee morning hours. I found a chance to share some knowledge as the stars came out, crisp and twinkling. An English guy, Gary, turned out to be a stargazer and thinker, so we had a wonderfully long conversation about stars and myths, cultures and fire. After a few hours snooze back at Gabriel’s, Thomas’s carful of Couchsurfers departed at 5am. Three hours drive, a cliff jump and swim in a mountain pool, and a meat pie breakfast later, I bid farewell to the final remnants of my Couchsurfing weekend. They had dropped me in Thames as a detour on their way to Auckland and, for the first time, I felt absolutely confident and not the least bit anxious about being on my own again.

Time to take on the world again, a few experiences and many friends richer. Time to fly.

--Z