The Unexpected

• Saturday, 12 March: Woke up early, snoozed; had free breakfast, went to beach, took surfing lesson with four others on nine foot softy boards, managed to stand a few times!; had lunch at the room, swam in the pool, computed, read book; went back to the beach, swam, sunned; grocery shopped for healthy dinner, got lots of fruit; hung out with English roommate for the evening.
• Sunday, 13 March: Up early, packed, breakfast; caught a cab with another girl heading to the airport; easy flight to Cairns; got a ride from Gilligan’s backpacker van from airport to the backpacker; got cheapest dorm room; walked around with Hina, Japanese girl I met on the bus; grocery shopped; to bed around 11pm, with music thumping; still thumping, but louder, at 2:30am.
• Monday, 14 March: Up early to pack and head to the piers; got on Osprey V and met two German girls who I hung out with much of the day; did intro dive, then certified dive with a guide; lots of snorkeling; great day on the boat and Great Barrier Reef; made myself dinner back at Gilligan’s; no thumpy music but a loud interruption at 1:30am by security.
• Tuesday, 15 March: Woke up feeling a cold attacking; went on Captain Matty’s Barefoot Tours Tabletop waterfall tour; gray day but many pretty waterfalls; very tired and feeling poorly most of the day; switched backpackers when we got back late in the evening; two nice English girls, Amy and Haley, in my $10, four-bed, quiet room.
• Wednesday, 16 March: Forced myself to stay in bed most of the day; went out only twice, to use free internet and find a new book to read at a used book store, and to eat free dinner at a nearby restaurant; to bed fairly early.
• Thursday, 17 March: Got up, packed and ate breakfast fairly early; checked out; used internet; caught airport shuttle to the airport, caught flight to Darwin, everything went smoothly; checked in to Chilli’s backpacker; wandered a bit around town and had a quiet evening, not feeling so hot; exchanged books at another hostel.
• Friday, 18 March: Skyped with parents; visited two Aboriginal art galleries; had a nice vegetarian lunch out; napped in the afternoon; helped roommate color her hair; soaked in the “spa,” a cool water jet tub at Chilli’s; another quiet day and evening.

The last few weeks have been a real mix of good and not so great, of sunny days and rainy days, and of experiences both exciting and dull. There are two particular “Oh!” moments that stand out, though, and that is what I’ll write about today.

THUMPS IN THE NIGHT

Gilligan’s, a backpacker in Cairns, had been mentioned to me by a girl I stayed with in Coolangatta, so it was where I went first thing upon arriving. I was able to snag a $17 per night ten-bed dorm, the cheapest they had, so I was happy. Having gotten up fairly early that morning, I decided to turn in early and was in bed by 10:30pm. Gilligan’s is not just a backpacker, but a club and a restaurant and a tour organizer. So I wasn’t surprised, then, when I could feel the bass from the club music reverberating through the floor. It was a bit shocking that, on the top bunk, I could feel the metal bars of my bed vibrating, but I was able to fall asleep around 11pm.

At two thirty in the morning, I woke up abruptly, sucking in my breath as some shock I couldn’t quite place. It took me several seconds of my brain repeating, “What the…?”, but then I understood what had awoken me: they’d turned up the volume, and the the bass, in the club, which turned out to be directly underneath this room. As I lay there somewhat dazed, I could feel my legs shaking in time with the beat. I had a bottle of water in the corner of my bed and I watched as it rippled constantly. Still half asleep, I thought, “Oh! Who needs that much bass?!” It may or may not surprise some of you to know that I fell back asleep after a few minutes.

BATS

Sometimes just walking around a neighborhood can be a fun way to explore. As I ambled towards the public library in Cairns’ downtown area, I came across a lovely huge tree, whose trunk seemed to made of twining and twisting roots. It was huge and turned out to really be two trees of the same kind of trunk, whose canopies had mixed and tangled, creating a huge umbrella of leaves. As I admired it, I became aware of the chirping and screeching of what I took to be birds, a huge cacophony of noise going on and on. As I followed the path of the trunk with my eyes, though, I realized that there were several large things hanging from the branches. No, not several: dozens, maybe hundreds! All of the sudden, I realized what they were and said out loud, “Oh! They’re bats!” And they were. Huge bats. Creepy, vampire-like bats. All these bundles of bodies, wings tightly wrapped about them, hung upside-down from the various branches of this huge, twisty tree. In the late afternoon light, they were clearly defined shapes once I knew what they were. I got the chills just watching them twitch and realizing that the shrill shrieks were theirs.

Just two hours later, as I was walking back to Gilligan’s, I looked up and saw a trail of bats flying by, their dark, hooked wings, furry big bodies and little feet trailing after all visible against the darkening sky. On and on the stream went, with chitterings and shrieks accompanying the creepy sight. I hurried on my way, feeling slightly apprehensive as I glanced occasionally up at the sky to see the gliding bodies soaring past. I gave a good dramatic shudder.

--Z

Eighth Floor Ruminations

Note: No new pictures yet… but check back in the “Australia: Up the East Coast” album periodically because that’s where I’ll put pictures until I get to Cairns (Sunday).

• Thursday, 10 March: Went to the beach and alternately swam and tanned for a few hours; did 3.8km loop hike around peninsula head up to Byron Bay Lighthouse, stopping to watch dolphins and surfers along the way; lunch at the lighthouse, met Canadian and Australian couples and chatted; ventured back to Aquarius backpacker and showered, rested, ate lunch; wandered around town; realized that I’d lost my spare 4-Gig camera memory card; retraced previous day’s steps to see if I could find it, no luck; mood turned sour; had “free” dinner at backpacker and met a few girls to play trivia with, which cheered me up; flirted with a couple stupid Australian boys; went to bed feeling mildly better.
• Friday, 11 March: Had breakfast out, poached eggs and toast, fruit salad with yoghurt and muesli, yum!; checked out, bought cheap bus ticket and waited around until the bus came; two hour trip to Tweed Heads, which is just a few minutes walk from Coolangatta, where a travel organizer at Aquarius recommended a slightly upscale backpacker; after wandering a bit, I found it and was pleasantly surprised; all-girl’s six-bed dorm room very nice, huge balcony looking out on clear blue ocean beach; met a few roommates, ate lunch, went to the beach with one of them; a few hours later we came back and spent the evening chilling out in the common area, computing and chatting. Mood much improved.

Amazing how a little distance can help improve one’s mood, isn’t it? This morning, I was disgruntled still at the loss of a few items in Byron Bay: my sunglasses, which I’d managed to forget about wearing when swimming in the ocean; and a four Gig spare memory card for my camera, which I’ve been carrying around in my pocket for months and planned to put somewhere safe… soon. As I' did yesterday, I retraced my steps from the past few days and asked at every establishment I’d been in whether they’d found it. No luck.

Once on the $11 bus to Tweed Heads, however, I felt like I could breathe. Byron Bay was just not the right place for me and whatever dark clouds I’d gathered around me from the beginnings of my trip north just wouldn’t be scattered while I was there. Amongst the young party crowd at the Aquarius (the backpacker I stayed at) and the trendy surfer crowd streaming through the rest of town, I couldn’t seem to feel comfortable. I stuck my nose into the pages of my book and rarely came up for air. Even the beach didn’t cheer me up, which is saying quite a bit!

Having chosen the bus to Tweed Heads was just the first of several decisions I made today that improved my situation and mood. The travel desk lady at Aquarius had told me that the best bus for me would be a $24 bus to Coolangatta, which is the town where my flight leaves from on Sunday. Luckily, I recalled that at the travel information center in town, there had been a sign for an $11 bus to Tweed Heads. I looked at a map and found that the two were walking distance from each other, so I ignored the Aquarius lady. Ding, point for me!

Another decision that turned out to be a very good one was to, oddly, listen to the Aquarius lady when it came to backpacker recommendations in Coolangatta. Brochure in hand, I toted all my gear plus a bag of food up one street and, when I realized that the street I wanted was parallel, back down the correct street. I was about to give up on the Kommune Beach Resort and Club when suddenly, there it was in front of me. It looked a bit posh and doubtfully I went inside, asked the price, and decided to splurge by paying $5 more per night than usual. The decision to look for, and then pay for, a spot in a six-bed girl’s dorm at Kommune parted those dark clouds. I got a room on the eighth floor, facing the beautiful beach just meters from the back door of the place. Although three bunk beds are crammed into what should be a small guest bedroom, the rest of the place is great. Basically, it’s a converted hotel room, complete with a kitchen (but weirdly incomplete because there’s no stove, microwave or toaster; there is a fridge, though), bathroom, washer and living room area. Oh, and a lovely balcony on which I can (and did) sit and gaze out at the water.

While not a decision, a third factor which has helped me blow those dark clouds into oblivion is that my roommates are mature, friendly and NOT partiers… at least, not for the time being. So far I have met an English girl, a French girl and a Canadian girl. I think that’s all of us, though I could be wrong.

Anyway, I’m feeling immensely better than when I last wrote, which is such a relief. Reflecting, I can find many reasons for my funk which lasted for quite awhile, although there were brief reprieves:

1. Traveling might be wearing me out. I list this one first not because I think it’s most likely, but because it scares me the most. Honestly, I’m not ready to go home yet. But I always keep in mind that this “year of travel” doesn’t have to be a year. It can end whenever I want… and stretch as long as I have the desire (and funds) to continue. There’s so much more I want to see: Bali is beckoning, a cultural and exotic island paradise; Nepal with its treks and complete change of atmosphere, food and locale; Israel where I’ll meet my parents; Turkey with its beauty and mysteriousness; and beyond. Anyway, in my heart I don’t want this adventure to be over yet. Sometimes I worry, though, that mentally and maybe even physically, I won’t be able to last.

2. Restlessness from not having any responsibilities. To some, this will sound silly, but given the fact that I’ve had a job and mission for the past eight years to throw myself into, and that for the past five months I’ve had absolutely no responsibilities besides ensuring the correct visas for whatever country I was in or going to, well… I think it’s understandable. Also, at various times throughout my travels different mediums have made me realize that I could do so much to help people if I just found the right field to throw myself into. The poverty and corruption in Cambodia; the natural disasters in Thailand and New Zealand; even the badly made film about land disputes in Latin America made me feel mad and then confused as to how I could contribute. So part of this restlessness, I’m sure, stems from the fact that I want to find my next purpose, or calling, or drive in life. Teaching English as a foreign language in some foreign country would be great for me; but I want to feel like what I do next is great for other people.

3. Budget concerns. Australia ain’t cheap, at least not for me, at the moment. The US dollar is worth less than the Australian dollar and to me, Australia’s prices for everyday things is incredibly high: two eggs and toast, $12; fresh bananas, $9.99 per kilogram; books, $28 for paperbacks; and so on. Of course, I’m running through touristy towns. But even traveling up the east coast has emptied my bank account a bit. I figure for my three weeks on mainland Australia I will have spent as much as my six weeks on both islands in New Zealand. And while overall, I’m still staying below my planned budget for this trip, it hurts when I spend over $600 purely on internal travel in Australia (airline tickets, bus tickets, petrol, etc).

4. Realization of bad planning, weather-wise. Originally I’d envisioned getting to Eastern Europe around June/July timeframe, spending two weeks apiece in several countries before heading to Western Europe. I now realize that two weeks per country is ridiculous, but am reluctant to delete any countries from my list. This would be all right, if autumn and then winter didn’t follow summer. As it stands, my itinerary is fairly fixed for the next few months: end of March to mid-April, Bali; mid-April to mid-May, Nepal; mid-May to mid- or end of June, Israel. I have struck Egypt from the itinerary for obvious reasons. So after Israel, I’ll head to Turkey, assuming I’ll spend the month of July there. Next up were Romania, Hungary, Austria and the Netherlands, but if I give each a month, that takes me well into winter (November). Even if I plan only three weeks apiece, that’s October. And I’m not interested in spending winter in someplace cold. What to do? I’m considering possibilities like southern Italy, where I may be able to visit and stay with Maria, whom I met in New Zealand. Or perhaps head directly to Spain and stay in Andalusia, the southern part, which reputedly stays warm. I’ve even toyed with the idea of heading back to Asia and visiting Laos and spending more time in Thailand. In any case, I anticipate that my travels will last later than originally anticipated (Oct 2011).

5. Things getting lost or broken. I’ve been quite bad about this lately. Since New Zealand, I’ve lost about a dozen things and broken at least two. I have a habit of rushing and whenever that happens, I forget something. Time to slow down, think about things and take stock. And actually, this probably isn’t a reason for my mood… it’s probably a result. In any case, hopefully I can take things a little more slowly and keep my mind clear so that I don’t have to buy new things (which leads to worries in #3).

Anyway, regarding the dark clouds, I’m sure they’ll visit me again for these or new reasons. Hopefully I’ll have the sense and the ability to simply move, or sleep, or treat myself to something nice, in order to help dispel them and remember that I AM on an adventure of my own choosing. And therefore, I should do whatever I need to in order to enjoy my time and not fret.

Someone remind me of that next time I write glum posts, ok?!

--Z

Out of Place in Byron Bay

Note: I have captioned the pictures in “Australia: Sydney and Surrounds,” and uploaded and captioned the pictures in “Australia: Up the East Coast.”

• Wednesday, 9 March: Borrowed a boogie board and went to beach in the morning; spent a few hours alternately sunbathing, reading and swimming; dark clouds sent me back to hostel; showered, had lunch, drank a hard cider, read; wandered around town; attended afternoon session of Byron Bay Film Festival, viewing three Latin American pieces, 2 shorts and one hour-long; bought Great Barrier Reef day trip; had “free” dinner at backpacker; chilled out for the evening.

Byron Bay is a party and surf scene. While the people at my backpacker are nice, with several Japanese girls in my dorm room, I know that it’s not really the right place for me. I’ve heard there’s an artsy place nearby, where they have didgeridoo lessons amongst other perks, and even though it’ll be $14 more expensive I may check it out for tomorrow night.

Today was a lazy day for me. I think I’m fighting something off, maybe the cold which started creeping up on me in Sydney. I feel tired and lackadaisical, with a slight headache threatening a various parts of the day. The bar downstairs is blaring music and the DJ is screaming bingo numbers into his microphone. I’m going to be that annoying girl who goes to bed at 9pm in a ten bed dorm, but oh well.

One of the things I managed to get myself to today was an afternoon session of the Byron Bay Film Festival. I saw four Latin American films, of which the first three were cute and enjoyable, and the fourth serious. First there was "Manual Practico Del Amigo Imaginario,” a twenty-minute film about a twenty-something guy who has an imaginary friend. It was well done, including bits where his imaginary friend Captain Kiloton speaks at a convention of unemployed imaginary friends.

The second film was a little too cutesy for me, about a guy who sees a mermaid and becomes enraptured by her, turning from being a failed drug runner to a world champion swimmer. The ending was very predictable. The third, “El Cortejo,” was a lovely love story about a gravedigger and the flower-bringing widower. Very sweet.

Finally, there was the hour long film, “Land,” about the land development of Nicaragua. The Americans portrayed were greedy and evil, or cow-pokey, or a bit crazy. I would have enjoyed the film if it had been more chronological. It tried to be a documentary but, like Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story,” it never coalesced and seemed to follow a string of thoughts linear only in the mind of the authors and directors.

I realize that this blog entry is a bit scattered. It’s a bit indicative of my mood (varied, but tired), I suppose… perhaps tomorrow will bring better weather, better health and possibly a surfing lesson, if I decide to splurge!

--Z

Cackling Madmen

Note: When I can upload them, the photos from Sydney will be found in the album to the right titled, “Australia: Sydney and Surrounds.” Photos from my trip north to (and including) Byron Bay will be found in “Australia: Up to Byron Bay.” Warning: They won’t be captioned yet!

• Wednesday, 2 March: Slept in, yay! Had a slow morning showering, eating breakfast, computing, separating dirty laundry from clean; went to the Chatswood mall with Maya, got a few essentials from Target, including a bikini and some licorice; back to Maya’s place; relaxed the evening away on my own; met Maya’s mother and watched Millionaire Matchmaker with her.
• Thursday, 3 March: Hitched a ride with Maya on her way to work; walked from her bar (just north of bridge) through Clarke Park’s gardens and met strange but helpful guy to find my way out; meandered to the Sydney Bridge, aka “The Coathanger”; met Joan there and walked with her through The Rocks and the Sydney Opera House; went to Sydney library for internet and lunch; visited NSW Art Museum; wandered back towards bridge via the Royal Botanical Gardens; met Maya at a rooftop bar in The Rocks; went to Argyle Bar for amazing cocktails; had seafood mixer and pizza dinner out; briefly visited historic building with below-floor city model; took train back to Maya’s.
•   Friday, 4 March: Got a ride with Maya to Balmoral, got coffee and sat on beach and chatted for awhile; then she dropped me at another beach and I hiked along to Manly beach, stopping at various deserted beaches along the way; made it to Manly, crowded but fun feel; had Turkish wrap for a mid-day meal; eventually caught ferry back to Sydney Harbour; met Maya and went with her and her busker earnings to a bank; wandered across town and another harbour to the Sydney CS gathering; met many interesting and fun people; took bus back to Maya’s around 1am.
• Saturday, 5 March: Gray day; went to Italian neighborhood with Maya; wandered on my own; had a canoli and tea for breakfast; expensive risotto, so-so, with wine that made my cold come back; caught a bus to Glebe, visited bookstore and bought “Alaska,” and went to a “funk market",” bought two wallets; eventually made my way back to Maya’s; lazed away the evening, missing Mardi Gras because of cold/flu feeling overwhelming my energy.
• Sunday, 6 March: Woke up grumpy; too gray to do Bondi to Coogee walk as planned; went to the mall; spent entire day in Chatswood being grumpy; ended evening feeling better when I bought plane tickets, made plans and got a call from needaride.com.au guy.
• Monday, 7 March: Said good-bye to Maya and parents; visited Chatswood mall again, dropped hard drive at techie’s, bought USB storage drive, and a few essentials; took broken drive back to Maya’s and computed until Pascal called to meet me at the mall; packed up and walked; got in van with Pascal and motored all day; got pulled over and breathalyzed; parked in free parking area for the night.
• Tuesday, 8 March: Quick breakfast at nearby cafe, then motored all the way up to Byron Bay; gray day, not very beach-y but hot when we got to Byron; checked in to Aquarius; went to beach and read book; got “free” dinner at backpacker; chilled out.

Decompression time in Sydney was massively productive. I did many (but not all) of the touristy things to do there: hike to Manly (superb, although Manly was too crowded for me), check. Walk across the Sydney Bridge, check. View the Sydney Opera House from many viewpoints, check. Visit the New South Wales Museum of Art, check. Explore the Royal Botanical Gardens, check. Take a ferry to Sydney Harbor, check. Sleep, eat, drink, do laundry, socialize and even party a little, check. Have good days and bad, double check.

Maya was a wonderful host, just as I’d remembered her from the Tongariro Crossing, and subsequent adventures, in New Zealand.

Maya: 24-year-old Australian slightly shorter than me; trombone busker by day, bartender cum Bingo-caller by… well, night and other days. Funky, funny, loves to tell stories of her travels adventuring around the world. Personable and self-proclaimed late bloomer just recently interested in being a girl. All around awesome chick.

When she could, she showed me around and told me some of the Australian or Sydney lore she knew about. Her parents were friendly and helpful and very welcoming. This was a comfortable and easy Couchsurf where I could relax and totally waste away a day or two if I wanted. And I did. My five days in Sydney were just lazy enough and just touristy enough to give me a break!

Next up, my first try at hitching a ride via the Internet.

Have you ever heard the sound of a kookaburra? It’s a kind of bird in Australia which is utterly maddening to hear, especially when there are a lot of them talking to each other. At times they sound like small shrieking children, at times like cackling madmen. When Pascal and I pulled over to enjoy a beach view and some pasta for dinner, we parked under some beautiful trees and set out the camp chairs. As we waited for the water to boil, birds swooped into the branches over our heads and began … cackling like madmen. There were at least four or five going at once and it made me laugh and then cringe, then laugh again. The raucous noise is truly disturbing!

Pascal Kern: 22-year-old Australian-Swiss party boy. Short, stocky smoker with longish hair pushed back. Both ears pierced and studded with thick black rings, wonderful eyes girls everywhere swoon for. Most of the way through a visit to his birth country in which he has driven the east coast north then south three times. Recently single. Posted an ad on www.needaride.com.au for people to join him and help defray costs of a drive up to Byron Bay.

The last two days did not go at all as I had envisioned. From one e-mail and one phone conversation with Pascal, I foresaw a four to five day, leisurely drive up the east coast, stopping at beaches, sunning, relaxing. I expected cheap, as I understood that Pascal just wanted help with petrol. Oh, and I’d expected a campervan. In the end, we arrived at Byron Bay approximately twenty-seven hours after we’d left Sydney. In the end, I spent $160 Australian and less than two days in the van. We got along all right, but Pascal’s plans changed hours after we left Sydney and I didn’t see a single place on the way that I’d hoped to see. The campervan? A cleared out Ford van with a mattress in the back.

My own fault, really. I should learn from this to clarify, specify and confirm expectations and plans before getting into a van. We parted on decent terms, and he even gave me a sleeping bag and all the food we had shared the cost for.

Now I’m in Byron Bay and not really sure what’s next. I expect to stay here for a few days and nights, maybe do a short hike up to the lighthouse, enjoy the beautiful beach, and possibly take a surfing lesson or two. Then it’ll take a bus ride up to Surfer’s Paradise, where I’ll catch a plane on Sunday to Cairns. I’m sending out Couch requests now…

--Z

Tastes of Tasmania

Note: I’ve added the last of my Tasmania pictures to the album, “Australia: Tastes of Tasmania” and am working on captioning all the pictures there.

• Thursday, 24 Feb: Up at 8am; cooked breakfast and got out of the camping area by 10:30am; Joan did Mt. Amos walk while Jordi and I lazed at the van; drove to east coast to see a lighthouse; drove up to Apsley State Park and did a walk to the gorge, swimming in fresh, cold water; drove to St. Helen’s in the rainy dusk, passing the town and finding a campsite to hunker down at, heating up instant soups for dinner.
• Friday, 25 Feb: Up at 7:30am and fed and clothed and leaving by 9:30am; headed for the Bay of Fires and started the day with a beautiful meander around the Gardens lookout, which sported powder-white sand and gorgeous cerulean waters, boulders and orange algae; next stop was Cozy Corner campsite, which we’d heard mentioned several times; this led us to the beach area there, where we spent over an hour each wandering our own ways; I clambered over rocks, waded in crystal clear waters and daydreamed; then drove to another hiking point, but I only did a short walk before reading and taking a nap; took free hot showers in St. Helen’s; drove to Columba Falls, short twenty minute walk through rainforest; drove to Scotsdale and parked in free campervan lot; loud party nearby, shrieking karaoke.
• Saturday, 26 Feb: Drove to Launceston, found info center and library; internet for an hour (bought Melb-Syd ticket!) and then back to van to find a parking ticket (we hadn’t paid the meter); went to Cataract Gorge and hiked around; Jordie went swimmning, Joan and I had a cafe snack and wandered around; paid parking ticket, went grocery shopping, headed for Cradle Mountain; once there, did three quick hikes: Pencil Pine and Knyvet Falls, King Billy Walk and Enchanged Walk; parked near the tavern; had a drink and played trivia; eventually drove to visitor’s center and parked there for the night.
• Sunday, 27 Feb: Got up, fed ourselves, made lunches and took off for the free Cradle Mountain shuttle; condescending lady ranger advised against doing the summit hike; Jordie got off one stop early, which Joan and I discovered when we got off at the Dove Lake stop; decided to hike to Marion’s Lookout since clouds ringed Cradle summit; from there, hiked to summit and back; then did part of Face Track, skinny-dipped in Lake Willis; and did part of the Dove Lake walk back to the car park; met Jordie back at the van; decided to drive to Queenstown, where we parked in front of a church, cooked dinner and slept.
• Monday, 28 Feb: Drove to Lake St. Claire, stopping at Nelson Falls and the Gordon River suspension bridge on the way; hiked with Joan along the Larmairremener tabelti, an Aboriginal culture walk, as well as Platypus Bay (didn’t see any) before stopping to sun, read and eat lunch on a small beach; walked back to van to relax.
• Tuesday, 1 Mar: Drizzling when we woke up; drove to Wild Things Wildlife Sanctuary but it was closed; then to Hobart; went up to the top of Mt. Wellington, where it was snowing; halfway down, some gorgeous views; cleaned the campervan, dropped everyone off at their hostels and drove up to Sorrel to return it; went to library, internetted, got a ride to the airport; easy flight to Sydney; met Maya at the airport and stayed at her place.

 

For the past eight days, I’ve been motoring around Tasmania and taking in its landscapes, critters and beaches. It’s been an amazing time! The most awe-inspiring place for me was the Bay of Fires, where the beach behind Cozy Corner campsite made my jaw drop and my eyes tear up: Pure white sand beach with crystal clear waters crashing upon it in energy-filled waves. Huge smoothed boulders covered with fiery orange algae provided a place to scramble and seat oneself to better take in the paradise-blue waters. The sky was blue and the air was cool but not cold. And all around was silent save the wind, the waves and the birds. It was all so close, so accessible, that you couldn’t help but feel that you were in a dream. Seriously, it made my heart skip a few beats.

Cradle Mountain was pretty incredible as well, and while the ascent to its summit was slightly terrifying, since there was no path except for the occasionally placed pole as you clambered up the tumbledown boulders wedged one against the other, the three hundred sixty degree views at the top were well worth the fear and effort. Especially pleasing, for me, was Dove Lake, which glistened in the sun invitingly. Even so, it was Willis Lake that I swam in, and with no bathing suit in my bag it meant going in as nature intended. Luckily, no other hikers were about, so I enjoyed the freezing waters in all my glory. Nothing quite so refreshing and revitalizing after a hard day’s treck!

A few things really struck me as I traveled the highways from place to place. First, the amount of road kill was astounding. Now and then we’d see a wombat waddling across the road or into the bushes, or spot a wallaby or near-cousin bouncing along, but for the most part, the animals we saw were dead on the roadside. It was incredibly sad. While Tasmania exudes a wild and untouched feel, this display of human destruction is fairly saddening.

Second, the landscapes as you drive really do exude that wild Australian feel. Before I got to Tasmania, I could not have told you what I expected; however, driving through the mountains and along scrub-lined highways, I felt that it was exactly as I’d thought. It just felt rough and untamed and the landscape was full of dry trees, scrub bushes, fern-like shrubs and wind-blown grasses. Every time I took in the scenery going by, I felt satisfied and fulfilled with the Tasmanian aura. Yes, I actually thought to myself, This is feels Tasmanian, exactly how anyone who’s never seen it would expect.

Third, it’s a real pleasure to travel via campervan, although difficult when everyone is from a different country, has been traveling on their own for a long time and is fiercely independent. Jordie, Joan and I managed to get along, although on our last day, Jordie  wouldn’t speak to either of us for a long while, for reasons we couldn’t quite fathom. Perhaps it was just a bad day, but I took his stubborn silence to be displeasure at me insisting upon visiting a wildlife sanctuary that he wasn’t interested in seeing. It was closed, to my disappointment, meaning that I didn’t see a Tasmanian Devil, something I really hoped to see while I was here. In any case, the three of us continued to clash in small ways during the entire eight days, although for the most part we remained on speaking and joking terms. I suppose you can’t be bosom buddies with everyone you meet and travel with, but I wish that we’d all been able to communicate a bit better and make the trip a little easier. I do hope to try campervan travel again during my travels, or perhaps once I’m back in the United States. It’s nice to feel self-contained and sufficient, to be able to sleep or cook anywhere you can drive. And it sure did wonders for the budget! I figure that for my time in Tasmania, including two nights in a hostel in Hobart, I spent about $40 AUD per day, which includes absolutely everything: food, lodging, transportation (rental and gas), activities, internet time and drinks.

My small Taste of Tasmania tour was, ultimately, a success. I really got a feel for the island and could certainly see coming back. If that does happen, I can guarantee that I’ll be renting a campervan again!

--Z

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

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?

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!

Today 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 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

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.

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!

--Z

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.

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 our 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 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!

--Z

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,  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.
• 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 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.
• 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 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!
• Sunday, 6 Feb: Up VERY early due to loud  cicadas and sunshine in my face; 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.
• Monday, 7 Feb: Slept in a bit; took bus into town, walked to Auckland Museum  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.
• 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), 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.
• 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 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.
• 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 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