New Zealand

new address

2009-05-20T14:34:00.000+12:00

42 Dolma St
Methven, NZ
7730

#29 Franz Josef Glacier

2009-05-17T20:06:00.007+12:00

The next stop was Franz Josef. For the second time that day we went on an unexpected helicopter ride. We flew up onto the glacier for a three hour hike.

Landing

Into the ice cave

Not the best place to feel claustrophobic

In the cave we had to tread through some deep ice puddles. Here our model demonstrates with his ice axe just how deep the puddles could be.

Climbing out

This was an incredible day!

#28 West Coast

2009-05-17T19:03:00.005+12:00

After leaving Hanmer it was time for a road trip. We started off down the west coast.

Another traffic incident involving farm animals.

We stopped to pet this beautiful horse.

We were near a helipad where scenic flights took off into the mountains and over a glacier. Someone from the company approached us and offered us a deal to join the next tour. We kept saying no, but the guy must have thought we were trying to bargain because he kept dropping the price. It ended being an offer I couldn't pass up so we hopped in the chopper.

Stunning views

#27 Hanmer Springs

2009-05-17T18:44:00.007+12:00

After Kaikoura I stayed in Hanmer Springs for six weeks. It's a small alpine village about one and a half hours northwest of Christchurch.

The town is surrounded by mountains which are great for hiking.

We went up into the mountains every time it snowed.

#26 Kaikoura (Dolphins)

2009-03-31T10:19:00.007+13:00

Good morning, Kaikoura

I swam with dusky dolphins in Kaikoura. This particular breed are known for their acrobatics. We found a large pod and hopped in. Looking down into the water I could see them swimming beneath me 4 layers deep. They dart by super fast and come really close. We weren't allowed to touch them because they are completely wild, but they were so close they were within reach. Then they would take off and everyone would climb back on the boat and we'd go find some more and jump in again. We did this 5 or 6 times. When you're in the water, they are more likely to come check you out if you dive under the water and make sounds into your snorkel. We were pretty much supposed to act like dolphins. After swimming we watched them for a while from the bow. It may have been the most pictures I've ever taken in one sitting. There were hundreds of them all around the boat. They were going wild, jumping around like wild banshees and doing somersaults. Sometimes a group would jump together in perfect unison. It was like a dolphin circus. Swimming with them and watching them was absolutely magical. I can't get the videos to upload but I will try later.

Faster than a speeding dolphin

Synchronized swimming

#25 Kaikoura (Mt Fyffe)

2009-03-31T09:36:00.006+13:00

I worked a few nights at the best restaurant in town, The Green Dolphin. The first night I worked I met Christina. She's from CA, imagine that. The second night I went to work after doing the peninsula walk and told Christina I wanted to go up to the top of Mt Fyffe. She said she had been wanting to go, so we decided to go the next morning. The walk was gruelling. It was relentlessly steep and took us nearly five hours to get to the top (1600m). Eight hours round trip.

Hi, Christina!

The peninsula behind me is where I walked the day before. Kaikoura is at the base of the peninsula, on the left side.

At the summit I took 360° photos

Check out these big orange mushrooms!
That snack wasn't a good idea.

We got stuck in a traffic jam on the way home. Typical.

#24 Kaikoura (Peninsula)

2009-03-30T21:50:00.013+13:00

Are you serious?

The drive down to Kaikoura was a windy one. The coastline seems even more rugged when waves are crashing onto the rocks.

Kaikoura sunrise.

From photos I've seen, the mountains are even more stunning when snow-capped. I'm looking forward to winter.

I went to the point where the seal colony is. It was low tide so I walked across the rocks instead of on the road, because it's more fun. I didn't realize I was already there until I stepped up on to a rock and was about to jump down when I was barked at by a large, grumpy seal. I took off running the opposite direction. I hadn't seen him and would have hopped down right next to him.

Here's your sign:

10 meters? Try 2 feet. And who would try to move a seal?

The king admiring his kingdom. I just want to stick a crown on him. Made of seaweed and puau shells and little fish bones.

Kaikoura is at the base of a high cliff peninsula, which I walked around.

I just could not get enough of these cows.

For you, Aunt Kim.

I would like to say that I walked down there and back up, but I would be lying.

Nobody move!

Gotta love the New Zealand bridges. "Maximum load 1 person."

#23 Adios, isla norte

2009-03-30T19:32:00.006+13:00

I spent a couple days in Wellington, which is a really great city. Reminds me a bit of San Francisco. Much better than Auckland. I didn't take a lot of pictures, because I spent most of the time in the museum. Te Papa is a fantastic museum. I learned about volcanoes. And moas, the big birds similar to ostriches that are now extinct. NZ used to be bird land. The only animals native to NZ are a bunch of birds and just 3 species of mammals, all of which are bats. And if you think about it, bats are kind of like birds anyway. I guess it was too far away for non-flying animals to swim. Or jump. At some point someone introduced sheep though. There are 40 million sheep here, 10x the amount of people. No one thought to bring over snakes or bears or mountain lions so there are none here.

I met up with my friend, Courtney, and realized the last time we'd seen each other was 3 years ago in Santa Barbara. This is us outside of Mac's Brewery in Wellington Harbor. That's me there on the left.

And this is me being a tiger.

From Wellington I took the 3 hour ferry ride to the south island. It was stormy, to say the least.

The boat was rockin and rollin. The frames hanging on the wall were swaying back and forth. Then the ship turned and the pictures started leaning forward then slamming back into the wall. I don't get sea sick, so it was kind of fun. But lots of other people were getting sick, so it kind of wasn't fun.

When we got to the bays leading into the south island it was calm and beautiful.

The ferry arrives into Picton.

And now I'm on the south island, yay!

#22 Rotorua

2009-03-30T18:18:00.006+13:00

The last day trip I took on the north island was to Rotorua. Some friends were going paddling on the Kaituna River and Lawrance said he could get his hands on a double kayak and take me down the rapids. As much fun as it is being the shuttle bunny, as I am known, I had been wanting to go down the Kaituna since I first learned of the existence of the Topo Duo. I had been down the waterfall once before while rafting - the 7 meter one we flipped on.

Would you trust them to get you down that?
I was nervous about the boat flipping and being stuck under water, but we did some practice rolls up by the floodgates and I was surprised at how quickly Lawrance could roll us back over. We would be under for only a moment and he would flip us upright, almost as soon as we had gone over. We did that a few times and after that I was sweet to go.

Now I understand why these guys are so addicted to paddling waterfalls. It is really fun. And all I had to do was sit in the front and paddle when I was told to and Lawrance did all the work. The smaller falls had more of an impact because the boat we were in was pretty heavy and the water slams into the person sitting up front. We actually didn't even flip on the waterfall. So glad I got to do it.

After the river it was time for some serious action, so we went to the luge tracks.

Gentlemen, start your engines.

Of course it turned into a race and everyone was running each other off the road. I took some of the corners on two wheels and lost to Simon because he cheated and pulled on my brakes when I was passing him. Not that I didn't do the same.

We went way faster than this guy.

The lifts to get back up were painfully slow. We could have walked faster. And we couldn't take our helmets off.

View of Lake Rotorua from the lift.

View of the lake #2. Work it.

Aw.

#21 Hawke's Bay II

2009-03-19T11:58:00.008+13:00

I went back to Hawke's Bay for a concert that I got tickets for back in January. Simon and I both got work off and I booked a campsite because it's cheaper and more fun to camp anyway. Once the day came it was pouring rain, naturally. The campsite was completely flooded so we found some elevated ground under two big pine trees. It took a while to set up the tent, not only because of the rain but because the wind kept blowing it away. I tried to get gumboots at The Warehouse, but not a single pair was left! Jerks.

We put on as much rain gear as possible and brought a tarp to use as a canopy.
Other concert-goers were much more experienced than us and had an entire shelter set up involving umbrellas, chairs, and tarps. The show was at a winery, so I picked up a bottle of wine and we ate cheese and crackers under the leaky tarp.

Knock knock.

When the show started we stopped trying to stay dry (we had failed anyway) and stood in the rain to watch. I have never been so soaking wet for so long at one time. When we got back to camp the inside of the tent was still dry. Amazing.

It was supposed to storm through Sunday, but the rain stopped sometime in the night and Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day. We met Lawrance and went to the aquarium, where I saw my first kiwi, which was way cooler than I thought I would be. They are funny birds. They don't seem too bright. They dig for bugs. Then run back and forth. Then dig, run, dig, run. No wonder they're endangered.

Lawrance & Simon being their charming selves. They, too, will be endangered soon for the same reasons as the kiwi.

Coast of Cape Kidnappers.

Trees living on the edge

Say hello to my little friend

At the point of the cape there is a gannett bird colony, which is why most people walk out there. But the walk got boring and I'm not into birds anyway, so we turned back early. I took off my shoes for the last part of the walk and proceeded to immediately step on a wasp stinger.

My new weight loss program.

#20 Northland & Raglan

2009-03-17T13:49:00.017+13:00

In February Marketa and I took a trip up to Northland, which is the northern part of the north island - it's in the north, just north of everything else. And there's a lot of water around but also some land, so it is called Northland. It was the first area of NZ to be settled by Europeans.

We first went to Paihia, a really cute little beach town which serves as the gateway to the Bay of Islands. Marketa and I rented two kayaks to paddle out to some of the nearby islands. The beach was covered in paua shells (aka abalone).
I took lots of pictures of shells. Marketa practiced her strokes for Huka Falls.

I thought my grandma had paid me a surprise visit, but it wasn't her.

That night we had a romantic dinner complete with wine, candlelight, and the best seafood I've had in a long time. Unfortunately the wine didn't have exactly the effect I had hoped for and instead of hitting up the beach bars we went to sleep.

The next day we took a cruise through the bay and saw lots of dolphins.

We came to Motuarohia Island, which has two lagoons, and went snorkeling. I found an octopus, so that made my day.

It's fair to say that the water was pretty clear.
Then we walked up to the highest point on the island to see the gorgeous views.

We drove west across the peninsula and came to the twin towns of Opononi & Omapere. There was a huge sand dune across the bay. We wanted to slide down the thing but the sand was hot and we were feeling lazy about getting a ferry across.
The beach was so beautiful that we stayed there all day swimming and laying around. I couldn't believe there was hardly anybody there.

There were plenty of cool rocks to keep me busy for hours.

We took a second trip to Raglan, a renowned surf town on the west coast. It was an overcast day, but still wonderfully humid.

On the drive back we stopped by Bridal Veil Falls for some refreshments and to look at the waterfall.

New Zealand countryside.

I pulled over several times to get pictures of the sunset.

Moving soon

2009-02-22T11:36:00.002+13:00

Thank you to everyone for sending packages and cards, it's been fun getting international mail. I'm going to be heading down to the south island in a couple weeks, so my Taupo address will no longer be available. I will post my new address as soon as I get one. I should probably decide on what town I'm going to...

#19 Tongariro Crossing

2009-02-02T10:44:00.014+13:00

The 12 mile trek across Mt Tongariro takes about 7 hours. It's a one-way walk and has been called New Zealand's best one day hike. The views are incredible.

Me, Marketa & Deborah. We weren't the first group to finish, but we were definitely the best-looking.

It is recommended that you bring 2 litres of water. Deborah packed 6L and a camelback. That bag must have been half her weight. Not to mention all the food we brought. Including a wheel of brie. I like the way she thinks. We were the best-looking and had the best snacks. Deborah ended up dumping 4L of water out at the top.

What not to wear:

Lots of uphill. Looking back at the aptly named Devil's Staircase:

Irresistible rock to climb

Everywhere you turned there was a spectacular view

We got really excited when we saw this, and the sights only got better:

Blue Lake

Definitely blue

Mt Ngauruhoe. Between the 3 of us we probably took 500 pictures of this mountain. Seriously.

360 degree views

First glimpse of the Red Crater

I felt like I was on another planet.

The Red Crater & Mt Ngauruhoe

The Emerald Lakes. Another 500 photos.

My favorite color

Hoodlums

Mt Ruapehu still holding onto some patches of snow in the background, Mt Ngauruhoe, Red Crater

I was looking forward to the downhill part of the walk after feeling the burn uphill. But the downhill ended up being more painful than the uphill. It took forever. Just when we thought we were almost to the bottom, a sign told us we had another two hours to go. Not easy on the knees.

Lake Rotoaira, with massive Lake Taupo behind it

We reached the only sheltered part of the crossing, the beech forest

By this point, even Deborah was tired

All three of us fell asleep on the bus ride back to Taupo. Once we got back into town, we got some burgers then went straight to Mulligan's (where else?).

By then it was debatable whether or not we were still the most attractive trio in NZ. At least Marketa held it together.

Alpine crossing + 3 ciders = Jenna is delirious

View of the mountains from Taupo

This hike was so amazing that I want to come back and do it again in winter, when everything is covered in snow. Vanessa? Lisa? Yeah?

#18 Mohaka River Rafting

2009-01-23T14:53:00.012+13:00

The Mohaka River runs from source to sea, meaning it flows uninterrupted by dams from the Kaweka Range to Hawke's Bay.

Would you trust this guide?

Me neither.

For our first stop we went into a cave that was forged by miners searching for precious minerals (copper?). We walked single file into the cave, which went maybe 35 ft deep, then we turned around and walked out. It made me claustrophobic. Undisputed highlight of the trip.

Back to rafting.

Many moons ago the river carved spectacular gorges through the landscape. The obvious result being great cliff jumping territory. Seashells can be seen in some of the rock, a reminder that it was once part of the ocean floor.

Move it or lose it, oompla loompas.

#17 Hawke's Bay

2009-01-23T14:14:00.006+13:00

The charming seaside town of Napier.

Napier was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and was rebuilt almost entirely in art deco style. I didn't get pictures of the downtown area, but I'm going back soon. It's only 2.5 hours from Taupo.

Statue of Pania

The red blossomed tree in the background is a Pōhutukawa, aka New Zealand Christmas Tree. The flowers are in full bloom in late December.

That night I went to Black Barn Winery to see the movie Death at a Funeral (funny!). The winery has an open air theater with terrace seating.

The next day I went to Hawke's bay to do a wine tasting bicycle tour. This was super fun, but it would have been better if I hadn't been by myself (what a loser!).

I soon realized that, somewhere between the red wine and the darkness, I had lost my camera at the movie the night before. I was so mad at myself that I couldn't enjoy myself anymore. The weather had turned rainy anyway, so I left a day early. I drove home in tears like big baby. A couple weeks later the winery found my camera and mailed it to me (thank you, Black Barn Winery!) As a token of my thanks, I'm going back for a concert next month to spend more money.

#16 untitled

2009-01-23T14:05:00.003+13:00

#15 Parasailing

2009-01-23T13:59:00.003+13:00

Lake Taupo

#14 Riversdale Beach

2009-01-16T09:24:00.014+13:00

NYE sunset

First sunrise of 2009

Happy New Year

#13 Whanganui Bay

2008-12-11T12:56:00.012+13:00

Simon and I went to do some climbing at Whanganui Bay, on the west side of Lake Taupo. Yet another beautiful bay with crystal clear water and hardly another person around.

The climb was called Tibia. It's a 3-pitch, 50 meter, grade 16 climb, and don't touch the bones.

Hey, Simon, what do they mean by don't touch the bones? (Is this climbing jargon?)
You'll see.
Ok...

Whekenui, the main cliffs.

The rock tower in front is the climb. It is actually free standing from the rest of the cliff, and most of the climb was up the space in between the two walls.

Base of the climb.

Once you start climbing, you move into the crack almost immediately. As I made my way up, I looked over into the crack and saw a human skull. A Maori skeleton. There were tibia bones next to the skull, which must be how the climb got its name. So that's what they mean by don't touch the bones.

My first job was to wear a backpack that contained our shoes for the hike back down. Which was only fair considering Simon was wearing all of the climbing gear. I failed at job number 1. I couldn't fit into the crack with the bag on. Was it that second bowl of cereal I had at breakfast? The front of my body was almost entirely in the crack, but I couldn't get in between the walls because I couldn't turn sideways with the bag on. I was stuck. Plan B. There were boulders wedged in between the walls that made nice resting spots. It was cool standing on these rocks knowing they were suspended in mid-air. I tried to hurl the bag onto one of the rocks above me. No can do. Too high. Time to lower a rope and pulley the bag up.

Here I'm holding myself up with my knees on the front wall with nothing below me. Awesome.

View from the top of the first pitch.

The second pitch was going to be harder. I inferred this from Simon's comments as he went up. The route required you to come out of the crack and climb the open face before re-entering the crack on the other side. The face wasn't an extremely difficult climb, but with a 100+ foot drop behind me it suddenly became very scary. I was supposed to put my right foot in the hold in the center of the rock, then hold myself with my arms and do a foot change to stick my left foot in the hold. HAHAHA. Seriously? Can't I just stretch across to the crack on the other side of the face then go up from there? That seemed much easier. Simon said he didn't think I could reach it. I was on the other side before he finished his sentence. Foot change avoided. But I didn't know how to get myself up from here. Luckily I was given some expert advice from my guide:

I was finally close to the top. Then I remembered my second job: to pull out the holds Simon placed as he went up. I had missed a cam and a nut below me. Meaning I had to go back down and get them. I was less than pleased about this, to say the least. Are you freaking kidding me right now?! Can you lower me down? No. Can I climb down and rest at the bottom first? No. I found myself once again wedged between the walls holding myself up with my knees.

Lake view from the top of the second pitch.

The final stage of the climb looked hard from where I was standing. There was a narrow crack running up the front wall without many holds on either side.
Fortunately, Simon said crack climbing was his favorite thing. Then I realized he was being sarcastic. Should I be worried? The other option was to bridge the walls, as in putting one foot on each wall and going up that way. So wait, which of these is supposed to be easier?

This climb wasn't easy, even for Simon. But I knew he would make it (like he had a choice).

Naturally I assumed he was going to pull me up, because the climb would be too hard for me and he was supposed to meet his mates to go kayaking on the Kaituna falls. Then he told me I was on belay and could start climbing when ready. What?

This was hard. I tried climbing the front wall, then straddling the two walls. I tried my back against the wall, then one foot on each wall. Then with my feet parallel, then a lunge position. You get the picture. It was easier (though more painful) to wedge my foot straight into the crack. Then it would get stuck in there and I couldn't pull it out.

Simon had placed holds on both walls, and he placed them really well. I could barely climb the thing without having to worry about pulling out holds, and I probably couldn't have pulled them out with two feet on the ground. There was one cam that I really couldn't get, and Simon was trying to explain how to use this other tool thing I had to help release it. I didn't get it. So he said look up here and I'll demonstrate. The he dropped one of the things he was holding. Oops.

After I made it up, Simon had to belay down to retrieve the holds I couldn't get out and the nut he dropped. Unfortunately the nut fell through a crack all the way to the bottom, and I somehow broke one of the cams.

While he was down there, my job from the top of the rock was to sit down, not touch anything, and not move. He thought I would fall off the cliff. He literally had me hooked up to a bolt on an 18 inch leash. There wasn't much to do since I wasn't allowed to move, so I took pictures.

Simon took this picture on the way back up again. This it what you see just before you reach the top.

To get back down, we had to jump the opening to get to the other side. It was dark by the time we made it down to the beach. There was a full moon and food in the car and since we hadn't eaten in probably 10 or 11 hours, we had a picnic. We cooled down the beer bottles in the lake and ate crackers and brie on the beach. It was a great day.

#12 Deep Thoughts

2008-11-25T12:00:00.006+13:00

I've been spending a lot of quality time at work lately. There is a convention going on and they have a gigantic tent set up outside for dinner. We have to cart all of the silverware, dishes, linens, bar items, etc back and forth from the main kitchen on these dodgy trolleys. When you roll them across unpaved asphalt and grass the dishes make a great rattling sound. This gets even more fun after dark, because there isn't much light out there and the grass if full of potholes. Oh and it was raining.

At one point I was trying to get a trolley full of plates and glasses through a doorway when one of the wheels pops off. So I'm lifting the thing while William is trying to put the wheel back on and the handle pops off. Pure comedy. Later, William pushed me around through the back hallways of the kitchen. The trolleys move much faster on linoleum. This was the highlight of my day.

Then we rolled a trolley full of glass water jugs over to the bar. Naturally, this ended up being the trolley with the loose wheel. I went into the bar and heard a familiar sound. (You know the one. You hear it occasionally at restaurants. Sometimes people clap. Why do they do that? Idiots.) Ah, the distinct sound of crashing glass. Broken jugs everywhere. Sidenote: The reason we were taking the stuff to the bar is because the dishwasher in the main kitchen broke. So we put 300 wine glasses, 300 water glasses, and all the bar glasses though the bar's mini washer. Did I mention it was raining?

Earlier, back in the tent, there were 4 of us standing in the corner near the makeshift bar. This woman walks up, grabs a bottle of wine, and quickly takes off toward her table, trying to be all sneaky-like. Seriously? Did she really just try to steal a bottle of Merlot right in front of us? Sarah and I look at each other because we both saw it. After some debating, we decide (I decide) that Sarah should be the one to go up to her and ask her to sign for the wine. Unbelievable. At the end of the night we all enjoyed ice cream from one of their booths. So there.

Now here are some pictures from a sunset at the lake, on a night when I wasn't working.

Reminds me of Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey.

#11 Coromandel

2008-11-20T02:32:00.020+13:00

I took a trip to the northern central area of the north island, know as the Coromandel Peninsula. The first day I got there it was pouring all day, but the rain cleared by sunset.

Near the town of Coromandel there is a pottery workshop that operates a train ride through the hillside. The tracks follow a narrow path, and the engineer would often hop off the train and switch us into reverse. We would back up onto another track and zig zag up the hill.

No one wants to sit by me. I'm smiling to hold back tears.

All that rain keeps the place pretty lush.

The tracks were surrounded by clay pottery and sculptures.

The train took us to this building, called the Eyefull Tower.

Great Barrier Island from the tower.

I drove from the town of Coromandel, which is on the west coast, across the peninsula to the eastern side.

Hot Water Beach

Looking left and right.

Obviously the beach was overcrowded so I left for Hahei.

The second I arrived there was a sudden downpour. Perfect timing. I got back in the car for 5 minutes and it started to let up. I began the 45 minuted trek down the cliff to get to the beach. By the time I stepped onto the beach it was sunny. I got down to my bathing suit and it started raining again...but then the sun came out again. Typical NZ weather.

If I were a stump, this is the spot I would pick too. Good choice, stump.

I have been taking a lot of fern photographs. They just never get old.

It's not every day you see pine trees and ferns growing together. Unless you're in New Zealand.

Cathedral Cove.

Tree growing out the top of the archway. So cool!

Super close-up of the sand.

Gemstone Bay, around the corner from Cathedral Cove. I want to come back and go snorkeling here. Anyone want to join me?

At low tide I went back to Hot Water Beach. There is a hot spring right on the shoreline. You can hire a spade (rent a shovel) and dig a hole to make your own hot pool.

There was this old man who kept waiting for me to dig, then he would come over and touch the water and tell me it wasn't hot. So I would move over and start another hole and he would do the same thing. I started throwing the scooped mud in his direction.

That's deep enough. I'm done.

Made friends with a few Americans, some of the first I've met. I let them join my pool in exchange for beer. Everybody wins.

#10 The Neighborhood

2008-11-14T01:36:00.006+13:00

This was my first day on the lake shore. I am very excited.

The top of my street.

Trail through the woods behind my house.

The neighbors are nice. They keep to themselves.

Craters of the Moon, Taupo's thermal park.

Hot mud bath, anyone?

#9 Mountains

2008-11-12T00:07:00.019+13:00

There is a beautiful view of the mountains from Whakaipo Bay, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots. The mountains are one hour south of Taupo.

The peaks are three active volcanoes. They were cast as Mt Doom in Lord of the Rings. It rained the day before I took this picture. The mountains weren't nearly as snow capped a few days earlier.

The plateau-topped peak on the right is Mt Tongariro. There is a day trek across the mountain called Tongariro Crossing. I'll be doing that one soon. Mt Ngauruhoe has the classic conical shape that comes to mind when you think of a volcano. It was one of the world's most active volcanoes in the 20th century, but hasn't erupted since 1975. Mt Ruapehu is the dominant of the trio and is home to New Zealand's largest ski field. It's last major eruption was in 1995, followed by smaller eruptions in 2006/07. Ruapehu is currently at a level 1 warning (the highest alert), but it has been since 1997.

On our visit to Ruapehu we went to Whakapapa, the ski field on the northern slope.

Simon was going to the mountain to scope it out for a climbing assessment he has there. It will qualify him to be a climbing guide. I got to do some climbing while he tested his anchors on me. Lucky for me they held. I give him a pass.

I hope you know what you're doing with those carabiners.

Mead's Wall, where we climbed.

View from the top of the wall, looking toward Ngauruhoe.

The snowmelt creates a lot of waterfalls around Tongariro National Park. Summer is coming.

Heading back to Taupo.

In New Zealand it is legal to have an open container in your car. I'm not driving, remember the passenger is on the left.

#8 Caves

2008-11-09T13:23:00.014+13:00

After getting worked on the Kaituna, Allison and I tried our luck in Waitomo. Waitomo is known for its extensive underground system of glow worm caves. We did a black water rafting tour, which entails floating through the caves on inner tubes. We went into the Ruakuri cave, which is 1.6 km long.

Glow worms don't actually exist, that's just a euphemism. The creatures aren't worms, but immature flies. And they don't glow, but their feces do. In other words, we were admiring fluorescent maggot shit. But we can stick with glow worms.

I've never had an experience like this. Just being underground in a cave was awesome, but floating down the river on an inner tube with glow worms on the ceiling made it even more extraordinary. We held on to each other's tubes and turned off our head lamps to get a better view of the glow worms. It was so incredibly dark you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face.

Allison & I were the only homosexual couple.

Practicing.

More practicing. This is how we got down the waterfall in the cave. Nothing like the Kaituna waterfall. I was actually good at this as you can see.

Not our actual tour, but this is exactly what it looked like.

Our group in the cave.

Peacocks wandered the parking lot.

More pictures from around Waitomo.

Everything is green. Even rocks.

Allision admiring (talking to?) a koru, the spiral at the end of a fern.

I love this picture.

The end.

#7 Rafting

2008-11-09T12:42:00.004+13:00

Mary, my roommate from SB, told me that her best friend was coming to NZ on vacation from Austin. Her name is Allison and she stayed with me for a few days. We drove to Rotorua to go white water rafting on the Kaituna river. The river is surrounded by high rock walls and lush tropical plants. The scenery was incredible. It felt like we were going through the rainforest. The trip was classified as a grade 5 and included a 7 meter waterfall.

Our boat flipped while going down the waterfall. (I think it was just one of those weeks. A couple days before I had gone mountain biking and crashed into a tree.) I got stuck under the raft and that was really scary. It was the closest I've ever come to feeling like I would drown. Overall the trip was super fun. There is some grade 3 rafting near Taupo that is a much longer ride. It lasts for a few hours as opposed to the Kaituna trip which was only 45 min. I definitely want to go on the longer rafting trip.

#6 Around Taupo

2008-11-07T01:44:00.002+13:00

On the lake shore looking toward Acacia Bay. One of those houses is where I live.

This duck wants me to take him to subway. They eat for free. And they all want Sun Chips! Swans get a discount.

Huka Falls. looking upriver. Then toward the falls.

Hot Springs.

Kayaking on the Waikato. View of bungy platform from the river.

Whakaipo Bay.

Video 1: Riding on the kayak rack.

Video 2: Chasing sheep.

There's a place on the river where a continuous wave is formed when the water level is just right. Fun for paddlers.

#5 Kayaking & Bungy Jumping

2008-10-28T03:50:00.004+13:00

Wednesday night I went swimming at the hot pools. The spot merges with the Waikato River, so there is a mixture of really hot water from the springs and cold river water. Taupo is full of natural hot springs and geysers because it has so much volcanic and geothermal activity. Lake Taupo fills a crater formed from a gigantic eruption 26,000 years ago. The lake is so big Singapore would fit in it.

I made friends with a local kayak guide, Simon. Thursday he showed me around Taupo. First we went to Huka Falls, which is located just off the road that I take from my house to work. He has kayaked down the falls, which is just crazy (and not exactly legal) but obviously he knows what he's doing on a kayak.

Simon has a friend at the bungy jump and he said we should go see if we could jump. Apparently I agreed to this the night before, but I’d had a few beers and only vaguely remembered talking about bungy jumping. But I wasn’t about to pass up a free jump. I was really nervous beforehand. The whole process was so quick. They strapped us in and the next second we were standing on the edge of the platform. The guy counted down from 3 and then we just fell forward. No jumping involved, really. Halfway down the initial freefall I said, "This isn't that bad." Then I said, “Oh this is awesome.” You can actually hear me say the last part in the video.

On Friday I got to come along on a kayak trip that Simon that guiding. We went out on the lake and paddled to some Maori carvings that were done 30 years ago. Monday I got to go kayaking again, but this time on the Waikato River. It’s a whole different experience on moving water. I tried learning to maneuver across the current and turn while in it. Very tricky. There were a few times I thought I was going to flip over. If I did, I was supposed to lean forward with my paddle along side the kayak and hold my breath and wait for Simon to come tip me back over. Sounds like fun. I went with plan A: don’t tip over. After the lesson, Simon told me that he was surprised I didn’t flip because most people do their first time on the river. Funny he didn’t mention that until afterward.

Photos of the carvings trip:

Part of the Waikato River where I learned about eddy turns & ferry glides:

#4 Getting Settled

2008-10-28T01:29:00.002+13:00

I got to Taupo last Friday and started work Saturday. I work at the Wairakei Bayview Resort, about 15 minutes from my house. I work in the fine dining restaurant but will also be working at the house bar. Last night I worked a wedding reception and was there from 1:30pm until 2am. But it was worth it because I got to take home 3 bottles of wine. I'm adjusting to staying up late.

Photo with my co-workers Georgina & William at the Pavilion. Great people to work with. As most of you know, I have an issue with getting sweaty really easily. The tie does not help this situation. Especially when mopping. Whoever invented the tie should be shot.

On Thursday I got a car and moved into my room soon after. I love the place where I'm renting. It's a beautiful house that was designed by the owner and built about 5 years ago. The owner/my roommate's name is Jimmy. He and his friend have a boat and go wakeboarding a lot in the summer. He distills his own vodka in the laundry room. I think this just might work out.

1) My sweet ride

2) Home sweet home

3) Kitchen area

4) Looking out from kitchen

5) Note the hot tub

6) View from deck

7) My bathroom

Jimmy has 2 cats, Layne & Mila. They are my new best friends. Both are very affectionate. I love having animals around. An hour after I moved in, they brought me a welcome present. A dead rat. So thoughtful.

1) Don't even try to look innocent.

2) Oh Layne, you shouldn't have! No, really, don't do that.

3) Mila sitting on my lap right now.

#3 Leaving Auckland

2008-10-28T01:06:00.001+13:00

I spent my last couple of days in Auckland at the domain museum, art gallery, maritime museum, and the zoo. Cool, huh?

1) The elephant said to tell you hi

2) Baby joey

3) Moments before the attack...

4) Luckily he was friendly. He just wanted to dance really.

5) Adios, Auckland

Operator

2008-10-14T23:01:00.000+13:00

To answer some questions I've been getting, here is how to call me:
Dial 011-64-021-275-0170. That is a lot of numbers.

The mobile phone contracts here are awful. Literally 30 minutes a month. Ha! You mean 3000? 300? No, 30. But I don't get charged for any incoming calls. It won't even use my minutes. So if you want to talk, dial away.

#2 Auckland's Islands

2008-10-13T22:04:00.001+13:00

Sunday I went to Waiheke. It is an island made up of beautiful beaches and 32 wineries. Does it get any better? After the scenic tour, it was obviously wine time. Most people sign up for a wine tour, but I had a public bus pass and figured I could make my way around. The first place I went was Goldwater Estate. There were 4 Americans inside the tasting room. They were like, Where did you come from? Cause I just came walking down the hill out of nowhere. I told them I just, you know, took the bus over. People don't do that? So we got to talking, and they were some of the nicest people I've ever met, anywhere. One of the couples lives in Auckland. The husband is CEO of AIG New Zealand. They told me the next bus didn't come for an hour and were so kind to offer me a ride to the next winery on their van tour.

The second vineyard, Mudbrick, was even more beautiful than the first. The views were spectacular. My new friends invited me to lunch! The food was so delicious. We had olives, scallops, tomato & fennel soup, turbot (fish), lamb, and some side dishes. The conversation was great. Considering the company I was with, along with the view, the wine, & the meal itself, I have to say it was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had.

1) One of the many bays on Waiheke Island.

2) Launching made easy. I want one.

3) Onetangi Beach. Name translates to "funeral beach" because there was a massacre when natives inhabited the island. An alternate interpretation is "weeping sands beach." Right. I'm gonna go with A. Also, one of top 10 beaches in the world for clearest water. After the blood dissolved?

4-6) Vineyards. Do I have to spell everything out for you?

7) View from dining area at Mudbrick.

8) My new friends! Debbie, Dave, Kat, & Bob.

9) Boat ride back. I'm drunk. Behind me is Rangitoto, which I climb the next day.

Monday I went to another island, Rangitoto. It was formed from a volcanic eruption only 600 years ago. Put itself on the map, just like that. In 1860 the British bought the island from the native Maori people for £15. It's so sad how much the Maori have been taken advantage of in recent history. In the 30s there were 101 vacation homes, known as baches here (short for bachelor). During WWII the island was used as a lookout. The hike to the top was worth the view.

1) View of Auckland from the boat.

2) Rangitoto Summit.

3) Summit facing Auckland.

On my way down from the summit I went to see lava caves. A trail marker outside the first cave had an arrow pointing directly at the cave's entrance. You're supposed to actually go in there? It looked pretty dark. I could see a patch of light at the opposite end of the cave. It wasn't very deep. But it looked really dark in there. I don't believe in monsters. And I hadn't seen too many spiderwebs on the island; there were just some cobwebs on the outside of the cave. And I could combat this problem easily by swinging my arm out in front of me as I walked. Genius! Luckily I didn't think about ghosts, or else I probably would have turned around. So the only real danger was if I were to fall & roll my ankle on the uneven lava path and be stuck in there. That would be a serious problem. I idled for a couple minutes. Then I went it (sorry, mom). It was scary. On the other side was the entrance to a second cave. This one was completely dark and looked spookier than the first. There was no way I was going to step foot in there. I bought a flashlight when I got back, because I should have already had one with me in the first place.

1) Lotsa lava.

2) Can't believe I went in there.

3) The other end, looking back at the entrance.

4) Cave #2. I don't think so.

That evening I went to the top of the Sky Tower. I went just before sunset, so I could see it in daylight and at night. Great views. What a surprise! All the other scenery has been awful.

Here's a video from the top of the volcano.

Finally, a video of Queen Street on the block by my hostel.

#1 Arrival

2008-10-11T16:09:00.001+13:00

The trip in was not so great. But Auckalnd is friendly. It's very eclectic, with lots of Asian influence. Which is good because there are lots of sushi places around and I like sushi. It's pretty chilly here, raining off and on. I walked all around the city today and did some shopping. As in I bought a rain jacket. Tomorrow it should be sunny and I'm going to go to the top of the SkyTower, which offers a view of the whole city. I walked down to the harbor today and there are several cruises available. There are three islands you can go to, which I want to do in the next couple days. Tonight I think I'll go to one of the pubs nearby. Maybe make some friends? If not, I'm going to be doing a lot of blogging.

I got a NZ phone number if you need to reach me. Or if you're drunk and want to chat. 021-275-0170 (country code is 64).

Photo 1: Auckland town hall & skytower.

Photo 2: Street scene.

Photot 3: In case you forgot what I look like. I'm sitting on the bed in my five-star hotel.