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
Note: I can’t upload pictures at this time… I’ll let you know when I can and do!
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?
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!
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
Note: More photos have been added from my last few days in Auckland to the album, “New Zealand: Coromandel, Auckland, Northland.”
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.
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!
--Z
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!
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.
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 
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 
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!
--Z
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!
owner 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. 
traffic 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. 
Hahei, 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! 
drove 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. 
and 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. 
went 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. 
and 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. 
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
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!
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 
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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 spaghetti
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 
The day of the crossing started early: Sunday morning everyone was up and eating 
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 
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.
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.
---
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 
Time to take on the world again, a few experiences and many friends richer. Time to fly.
--Z
