The name itself should prepare you for what you are about to drive. A 150km stretch of inland highway (part sealed, part gravel) with ZERO gas stations. When you leave Taumaranui there is a sign that has the picture of a gas pump with an 'x' through it. 150km written underneath.
If you blink and happen to miss this sign, have a happy drive!!
We set out on the road around 5pm. Maybe not the best idea, maybe not the worst. We definitely didn't want to spend another night in Taumaranui. We have seen the highlights and after our big hike, we wanted to get a move on our trip. It's difficult because by 6.30pm you are in total darkness. It feels late, yet its still so early. But driving the roads in New Zealand isn't something you should do at night unless you have spent maybe a bit more daylight hours driving.
We initially wanted to do the coast highway, but didn't have time to get to New Plymouth that night if we chose that route. It's a longer treck, and at night, it loses any sense of scenery. You lose the ocean waves crashing into the rocks under the cliff you are driving on. So we took our pleasant old english friend's advice and drove the forgotten hwy #43. Our initial plan was to get to a cafe somewhere on the road, a quaint place our Tamaranui friend suggested. But she didn't know where it was on the road, so we had no idea how far we would be driving.
On the New Zealand map, it would seem that there were a few larger towns en route to a city named Stratford (just outside of New Plymouth). But once you get there, you quickly realize that 'larger town' on this forgotten hwy and the actual fact that the hwy is named so should be information enough to stay clear at night.
We had about an hour of good light for the drive. I'm the only one driving of course - poor Brent still hasn't completed ye olde graduated licensing. So it's all on me. Thank goodness I love to drive. And in the country, driving on the left isn't so bad.
Driving on THIS road, different story.
It all started out nice. Smooth rolling hills, beautiful farm land, the occasional goat bouncing along the road's ditch, the Whanganui River swiftly moving alongside the highway. It was nice. Peaceful.
Add the mixture, our dear car who was acting up only a few hours earlier, and a sincere concern on our parts that SHIII just might not make it all the way to New Plymouth to see a doctor and then bring on the elements that are both beautiful, daunting and just plain enerving and we have our white knuckled drive to our current location.
The smooth rolling hills quickly became larger mountainous cliffs creating canopies over the roadway. Dangerous canopies of land slips. Eroded ground that had been pomelled by heavy rain over the last few weeks, and you get incredible obstacles on the road. And that's just on the side along the cliff providing you with landslides. On the other side of your car, you would have a sheer cliff drop down to a rocky abyss or a river. And that side of the road was crumbling apart and creating sink holes along the hwy.
No kidding, like the worst of both 'cliff' worlds rolled up into one road - for FOUR HOURS!!! Then it started to rain. I thought we were going to die. You were puttering along up extremely windy uphill roads, turning corners so slow as most corners concealed massive land slips that took out an entire lane of the two-lane road. And with Huntington acting up, I was almost worried to drive too slow or he might stall again or just stop working all together.
We took note of every house we passed. Just to know how far we would have to walk should our car decide to stop working.
One lane bridges every few kilometers. Livestock all over the roadways - with no indication of where they might be coming from. You would be in the middle of a mountain road, and boom - goat, or boom - three sheep. But no farms nearby. It was strange. Most of the time you only saw the animals when you were already passed them. They would be eating grass in a ditch and suddenly decide to cross the road right after your car drove past.
Four hours.
Then Brent got cold. I got cold. Our defroster doesn't work. Haha, more ghettoness, but we knew this when we bought it. You have to blast the A/C on the defroster/foot setting. Well, this got to be too much at one point, so Brent decided to warm us up by blasting a bit of heat on the 'face' setting for a few moments before tending to the windows again.
Big mistake on our part. We lost control of our defrost/foot setting from that point on.
So here we are, turning the roads, crawling practically on this ridiculous road, Brent now holding the control to force the defroster to work. Fog setting in, rain slightly dissipating, passing towns that literally consist of 2-3 houses, feeling like this is never going to end.
We finally spotted the cafe. We stopped for a moment in their carpark area, then decided if we're going to be driving in these conditions again in the morning it's going to suck - might as well just go all the way. Again, it's still early in the day. Despite the darkness (seriously - the only reason I don't enjoy the winter has to be the lack of daylight hours).
Our eyes are set on Stratford. Maybe we'll stop there. The map indicates it might be a bustling town. But when you get there, again, there isn't much to the town that doesn't make you want to drive that extra 3/4 hours to just get to New Plymouth.
We booted it from Stratford to New Plymouth. Finally able to attain and maintain a speed of 100km/hr. Which by the way is the speed limit on those terrible windy mountain roads that are both washing away and being taken over by the landslides. 100km/hr!!! Who would seriously drive that???
Mt. Taranaki is lost in the night sky. But we drive around the national park along our way.
The first thing I noticed about being in New Plymouth is that I had grown accoustomed to driving in the smaller towns. There are some strange rules of the road in New Zealand that I can't quite explain. So I had to get back into city mode. But I was also getting pretty tired at this point from the long drive.
It was just after 9.15pm when we finally stopped at a Quality Inn hotel near the city centre. It's always fun to try and find hotels in new cities. Or even try to figure out where you are. We are AA members (which is like CAA) - and they give you like a million maps when you sign up with their service. Only problem is that the maps are terrible. They lack detailed road information - even the inner city maps. They name the main roads, and sometimes only indicate the side roads without their names. And a lot of times, especially outside the main cities - they don't indicate ALL the roads. They might only map out the sealed roads. It's insane. Useless, half the time, useless.
It was too late to sign into a hostel that night, so we were lucky with this hotel. We managed to get an Executive suite for under 80$. And it was beautiful. Huge and luxurious - and not 'Bog Inn' type luxurious...just really nice!!
After long trecks we like to grab a high calorie meal before settling into our "hostel meal plan" of budget food we pick up at the local grocery store. Our eyes were set on this place called Burger Wisconsin. Open 5pm to late. (what does that even mean??) We got there at 9.45pm. Apparently, too late.
Closed.
Bummers.
So instead, we chose a more classy Pizza Hut double pizza combo that we could chow down in front of the tele and save some for a big lunch tomorrow.
Delicious.
The Seaspray House.
We set out early the next day to sign into the hostel. A gorgeous sea side home with exceptionally large rooms. Our room has an additional wardrobe room. It's incredible. We spoke to our hostess about any local mechanics she would recommend, so we could have SHIII looked after that afternoon. Walked through map information with her and set on our way.
This city is wonderful. It's on the Tasman Sea and it's so close to Mt. Taranaki. Only one real mountain I suppose, but it's still amazing. Mind you, to this day, we still haven't actually seen the mountain. It's been too cloudy. I think I got a glimpse of it on our first day - but that's all it was, a small glimpse. We look forward to getting to the park, so we can actually see the mountain. :)
We dropped off Sir Huntington and set out on their main strip to discover the city. The city offers a lot of great galleries and museums, all free of charge. So if it's raining a bit too hard, you can always find a warm place to enjoy.
It took a few hours, but we finally got a call from the local mechanic. Basically, they did NOTHING. Originally, they told us they would see if they would be able to run a diagnostics test on our car to see what the problem is - but weren't sure if they had the right parts to do one on a KIA. What they didn't tell us after we left is IF they discovered they could do a diagnostics test on our car or not. That's what we wanted - and instead they puttered away at who knows what and slapped us with a bill just shy of $200 for NOTHING!!!
I can't even explain how frustrating that was. We still had no information about our car and this place just dicked us around.
We just left and headed to the KIA dealership to speak to them directly. We thought we could trust a recommended mechanic - but I don't think I'll go that route again (unless I personally know the mechanic) - I just say speak to the dealers' mechanics directly.
The KIA service manager, Terry, was AMAZING. He ran a diagnostic test on our car FREE OF CHARGE (we didn't ask him to not charge us), he looked at what he could do and when they figured it was an electrical problem, sent us to their electrical guy so we could be taken care of. He is this wonderful man. His son is currently travelling in Ontario - and I think maybe we might have reminded him of his son (around the same age). But he treated us so well. We explained that we got dicked around by the other mechanic, and only wanted the problem looked after. He was so happy to help us.
The next day we set out in the early morning to see the electrical crew. After several hours of walking back and forth from the city, we finally got a call from the shop saying that it wasn't an electrical problem and that we would have to go back to KIA, as it might all be mechanical.
So back we went to the shop to bring Huntington to the KIA guys. I swear, we started to feel that we were reliving Hamilton all over again. We spent a stupid amount of time trying to purchase a car, and now here we are trying to fix the stupid thing.
Back to Terry we go. He took us in and sent us into town with one of his helpers, so we didn't have to wait around in the area for the car (cause there really isn't much to do in that area, and we had already killed our entire morning trying to make the most of that area). So we tried to distract ourselves, but really just wanted to hear our phone ring. At this point we know that a gear is slipping in our speedo. Which is affecting everything. The car is stalling now more then ever, the computer is confused and sending mixed messages to the spedometer and the rest of the car. But now we wait to see if its the gear box on top of the transmission (cheaper fix) or INSIDE the transmission (probably not worth the money!).
We spoke to Terry half past four. Right before they closed shop. He didn't want to tell us over the phone.
Not a good sign. That can't be a good sign.
Matthem came back to pick us up and I sat there anxiously awaiting the news.
"Give it to me straight doc", I said once I saw Terry. He smiled. Maybe the news isn't so bad?
They have to replace a gearbox, but they still don't know which one is the problem. We all think it's the top one - which has the computer sensor inside. BUT we can't know for sure until you replace that one and drive it around.
Probably the hardest job for a mechanic is not knowing what the problem is. Sometimes you have to try one thing to rule it out. They didn't have a spare part to put on our car to test it out, so we decided to take the financial hit and have him order the part (which will be in on Tuesday/Wednesday - in time for our return from our first hike up Mt. Taranaki). At the same time, we're just going to get the dang car serviced (it's like 13,000km overdue - says the odometer which might be very wrong). Terry has done so much for us - because once again he didn't charge us a dime for looking at our car. AND he fixed our demister and showed us how to fix it if it sticks again.
Amazing. So wonderful. So we want to bless him and his shop with all the work we need done. We're still irritated by the other mechanic cause that's $200 we'll never see again - for work that never happened. But we truly feel that we have been blessed by Terry over the last few days as he has been watching over our car. And you just feel that you can trust him.
I told the woman at our hostel about the mechanic she recommended and I suggested this alternate location - because I feel that this man is not out for the money. Which is important - especially for foreigners who backpack through the country.
So many trips to the car doctor later, we might have solved Sir Huntington's flu. Sadly, we're going to push him to the mountain as the part won't be in for a few days. He can sit at the carpark for a few nights while we tramp through the country side. :)
We'll be in New Plymouth two more times. We return on Tuesday or Wednesday (if there is bad weather on the mountain) to spend a few nights resting up for our 6 day hike around the mountain, and once again just after that long hike. The lovely hostesses at the Seaspray House are going to look after our extra gear while we are away - keeping it safely out of harms way. DOC carparks are notorious for car theft.
Kiwi Observations - 1st edition. Small things I feel like noting since our arrival. Brent saw the ocean for the first time two days ago - with a beautiful view of the Tasman Sea. He still hasn't seen a real mountain up close and personal. Or at least to this point, Mt. Pureora is as big as it gets for him. We have met some amazing people in the hostels we have been staying at - including our first Canadian last night at the Seaspray. It's amazing to meet so many other people who are also out on this lifetime adventure. A lot of Germans and British people. Not really anyone who is out to do the trails like we are. They all think it's pretty sweet though. I can't say enough how dangerous it is for pedestrians here. Actually, I'm more fearful for the pedestrians in other countries that kiwis rent cars in. They have ZERO regard for people. They will drive right into you at all cost - its the laziest driving I have ever witnessed. Even if they have a stop sign, they will do all that they can to get in your way so they can go first. Scary! Fruit & Veggies in supermarkets are super expensive - thank goodness for canned fruit and frozen veggies. Gas is dropping (yay) - it now sits at 197.9/litre. I don't think I'll ever complain about gas back home again. We have been paying 202.9 since we got the car. The only good thing is that it is consistent everywhere you go. None of this yoyo pricing that we get in Toronto. Walking in the woods without predatory animals is priceless. It's just you and the birds here. Amazing. We quickly found a store chain called the warehouse - like a Walmart but cleaner. Then we found a grocery store called Pak & Save - kind of costco like in style, but with shoppers that make you FEEL like you are in a Walmart on Christmas Eve (yuck!).
I think that's all for now. We set off early morning to hike Mt. Taranaki's
Pouakaki Range. We'll be back in New Plymouth on Tuesday or Wednesday to eat yummy greasy food and get Sir Huntington III in for his operation.
Good times are being had here in New Zealand.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
The Luxurious Bog Inn
One of many observations I have of New Zealand is that there are not a lot of big towns. Towns. Not cities - I'm not even asking for that much - just towns. You hit a 'bigger' dot on a map and expect a bit more then a cluster of 10 houses and a local grocery place. So travelling between cities can be challenging for a backpacker - you have to stock up on the right gear/food ahead of time or forego some much needed supplies.
Tamaranui. One of the bigger towns. It has an i-site. The starting ground for most people looking to do the Whanganui Great Walk - which is actually a canoe journey down the river.
We spent a night here before heading out to Pureora Forest Park. We stayed at a Holiday Park just outside of town, where we met a lovely older couple looking after the place. We avoided tenting it for the night due to the amount of wind and rain we have been getting (it's really hard to air out your gear if it gets wet) - so we stayed in a cozy cabin (just basic).
Another thing to note about New Zealand is that (so far) none of the houses/buildings/cabins have heating built into the infrastructure. They all use either electric blankets for sleeping or portable heaters. Our cabin had a heater - but it only really works for like 2 hours before overheating and shutting down for the remainder of the night. So you either have a toasty evening or a warm morning. Not both. :)
The couple looking after the holiday park were wonderful and held onto our excess belongings while we left town to hike the Pureora Forest Park 3 day tramp.
We were told to take the scenic drive to the park, but no one could tell us which direction it was. So we skirted around the park on the south side to come up on the east part. It was a long drive through hilly areas. On the highways, there are a number of park areas you can pull off the road to picnic at which offer incredible views. We pulled over at one point and were able to enjoy Lake Taupo and a mountain range in the distance (not the Tongariro National Park mountains - more rolling hill mountains (1100m and under)). It was quite nice. We were even able to spot a few wild pigs. That prompted me to stop and try to get them out of the bush for a photograph. Mind you, after several attempts at coaxing the piggies out of the woods, Brent and I were only able to capture the rump of the caramel pig. :)
Sir Huntington III. Oh car. One week old at the time and acting funny. Not what you want to contend with. So our possessed speedometer (they call them speedos here, so mind my writing if I go back and forth), which jumps around everywhere and clocks you in at 80km/hr when you're actually rounding 115km/hr (according to a mechanic) decided to stop working all together on this day. Literally, we were driving at 0 km/hr for roughly 40kms. At which point in time the odometer also stops to climb. SO - our car, which is currently just over 170,000kms - is actually QUITE older than this.
We didn't think much about it and just kept driving. Although, the car started to show signs of struggle up hills at low speeds. Note taken.
Pureora Forest Park. A very strange park. We drove through the park on logging roads, which kind of threw us considering that we thought it was a preserved park. Pine and fir trees lined the gravel road - not very kiwi like. The outskirts of the park houses mostly trees that are used for logging, and most of them are not native to the country. There was a forest protest in the 1970s to stop the deforestation of the native trees in this forest park that was a success. The government stepped in with the conservation to protect the remaining native forest, which makes up what the park is today.
But you still have to drive through the logging areas, which makes the forest park look quite barren and unwelcoming. At one point, it looks more like a desert in Arizona with the clearcutting then a beautiful lush environment.
The first night we spent at a DOC cabin just outside the park so that we could get an early start on our hiking in the morning. This enabled us to have a full kitchen to cook with in the evening and the following morning (bonus). We decided to spend our first day walking to what the park describes as 'Points of Interest'. Not so interesting. No offense Pureora...but we tried to find beauty in the burried forest - which was almost impossible to separate from the actual forest, an old steam hauler and tractor, only deserted around the 1950s - so not so historic, and probably the better point of interest was the forest viewing tower sitting 12 m above the ground (not above the tree level). That was neat - but not worth the hike through the logging roads.
It's quite unfortunate to see how desolate the logging has made this forest. :(
We spent the night playing cards - as camping folks should. :)
The morning came. We packed up our stuff, took Huntington for a little drive before parking him and deserting him for the duration of our time on the trail.
As usual, it was very wet. Actually, we can't complain - the weather in Waitomo was beautiful and clear. I'd rather be hiking in the bush in the rain then spending time in the cities/towns in the rain. In the bush, we're in full gear - gaiters, rain pants, rain coat. It's either that or pure misery.
The walk was supposed to take 1.5 hours to the summit of Mt. Pureora and an additional 2 hours to the Bog Inn Hut. The first stop on our tramp. Again - the timing of these hikes is off. We spoke to the DOC people at the information centre at the head of the park the day before and they claimed that the timing of the trails in Pureora take into account the average backpacker with gear.
Still, we are not convinced. It took us 5 1/2 hours to make the first hut that day. It was a really wet and steep hike. The climb up to the mountain top was strange because it is also a shared walking track - which means it's easier to hike. They literally put in stairs to get you through the steeper parts. There are some points where you are trudging up mud hills when you wonder why the parts you're fighting through weren't considered for the simpler option.
Mt. Pureora - the tallest mountain of the King Country sitting at 1165m high. The view - well, cloudy. We're not having much luck on mountain peaks yet. We couldn't see anything. But apparently, on a clear day, you can see the mountains of Tongariro National Park and Lake Taupo as well as Mt. Taranaki. Amazing.
In our heads. We can only dream of the view.
There must have been a lot of rainfall recently as the hike down the southern side of the mountain was trecherous and slick. There were slips everywhere and bogs all around us. Deep pockets of murky water with mud flooring that end up being MUCH deeper then you think.
I was having a blast hoping through the area - we have the right gear on, so getting wet and muddy isn't too bad. Plus, with our trecking poles, you can foresee where the mud is really deep. Brent wasn't having as much fun - for some reason, he just didn't like getting his feet dipped too far into the mud or water. I was very amused by his annoyance. :) You can sometimes forget that you are in full gear and able to battle the elements, no matter what may come.
The hut couldn't come quick enough. We came upon the luxurious Bog Inn around 4pm that day. Our first hut. Fantastic. And of course, we were alone, as no one really trecks through these parts during the winter.
Or so you would think. We had the unfortunate pleasure of spending our first experience in a hut that had been used by hunters. Now - I'm not offending you hunters out there - I have many friends who are hunters and are much tidier then these gents were (you can read the Visitor log - that's why I know they were men). Backpackers work on a "Leave No Trace" mentality, you pack in and pack out EVERYTHING. But our lovely hut predecessors were wonderful enough to leave us with clusters of food all over the hut.
Clusters of food + unmaned hut (it was over a month prior to our visit that the hut had been used) = buffet for local animals.
The place was a disaster. Rat feces everywhere - like EVERYWHERE. Potatoes rolling around the floors and counters, snacked on by forest dwellers who have figured out how to get into the hut, OLD MILK left in a half emptied container, Sugar bags ripped open and enjoyed. Just gross. But a hut none the less, and we were happy to be staying at the luxurious chateau.
Dinner. We were so excited for dinner. Especially after failing to make the hut the first hike and needing to ration our water (which meant foregoing a cooked meal). We had everything. Our stove, daylight, firewood, matches....
Waterproof matches.
In waterproof cases.
So protected and sheltered.
So un-strikable.
Oh my goodness. Don't ever underestimate the waterproof match - and don't ONLY carry water proof matches. So this is what I did wrong. We took the matches out of the boxes and put them in our cases - way back in Auckland. Haven't needed them yet. And if we HAD reached the first hut, we would have already found this out. You then take the box that the matches are in and you MUST rip off the striking element and BRING it with you. Otherwise, your matches will NOT work. Because I get paranoid about strange things spontaneously combusting in my bag, I didn't want us to put the striking element in our waterproof cases with the matches. That to me sounds logical.
Unfortunately, we have no idea where I did put them. :(
We tried everything. For over an hour and a half. We pulled everything we had out of our bags, used every surface from plastic to glass to every piece of wood and metal in the hut and around. Nothing would let us strike up a flame. Then we resorted to searching everywhere for ONE single match possibly left behind by a friendly hunter/backpacker. We even looked in the outhouse.
Nothing.
So once again, no warm meal, no fire, no candle light.
Yay wind up lantern and flashlight. My brother picked out the best flashlight for us - this thing lasts soooo long!!!
Night fell quickly - especially since we wasted all our time on figuring out the matches. It was getting colder, and we really were soaked this night as rain fell down our coats and dampened our fleece sleeves. When we tramp through the woods and it rains, we usually opt to not wear our hoods because you loose peripheral vision. Although today we did hike with our hoods for a part of the treck because it was hailing!!!
We curled up on the cleanest mat we could find and set up our sleeping bags and decided to play cards by wind up light until it got late enough to fall asleep. Snacking on delicious crackers and cheese and the mother earth granola bars we have grown to love.
Rustling.
It started slow. It was sporatic. Then way too frequent.
The residents of the Bog Inn were not very happy to see that someone had come in for a visit. We were the foreigners.
Gnawing away at the floor, on the potatoes I kicked out of the hut through the holes in the floor (that I then covered with firewood to keep out our dear friends), gnawing away at the canvas bag outside the hut door filled with previous hut goers rubbish. The rats of the forest came out to play.
All night long.
I couldn't sleep. I was just waiting for them to come inside and start gnawing on our gear.
They sounded like they were INSIDE. Brent and I each took turns flashing the light around the room to see if they managed to make their way inside the blockades we set up.
All night. They gnawed. On everything. When the rain rolled in mid night, the squeeking sounds stopped. I slept for a bit while I could, only to be woken up again by more gnawing and rustling.
The morning came. We feared there would be thundershowers. That was the only weather information we could get from the DOC prior to our ascent. The option was to sit the day out in the hut and head down the next day if the thunderstorms were too severe. After the night we spent, that was no longer an option.
The next leg of the hike on the 3 day tramp is an 8.5 hour treck to another hut. We decided not to follow through with the whole tramp due to the fact that we only have about 8.5 hours of daylight and we knew the timing of the hike would be incorrect for our pack weights. So we headed back out. We thought we would be able to take a different trail out to the road, but it would leave us probably 20some kms away from Sir Huntington.
Up Mt. Pureora we went - and again, no view. The walk today was better. It was drier on the south side, maybe muddier on the north side.
We didn't stop enough for water and snacks on this day. Probably why I got a little dizzy. Probably why I cocked my knee when I stumbled. Probably why I then tripped on a tree root and injured my left hand even more.
We'll do better next time.
Seeing the car is like heaven - we must admit. You just see trees and don't know too much about how much further you have to attain the clearing. We weren't relying on our GPS for this small tramp. So when you finally get a glimpse of that colour - it's like this big relief because you can offload the weight on your back.
Our backpacks, weight still unknown, were rather heavy on this tramp. Once again, we will be revisiting our gear and repacking to shed as much as possible as we get ready for longer tramps.
Cleaning off and packing up the car takes time. You're tired, you just want to stretch and eat. We didn't hurry. Probably turned out for the best in our situation.
We started on the road again to head back to Tamaranui to pick up our gear and then start on a coastal journey to New Plymouth. Sir Huntington, already misbehaving with the speedometer and stuff, started 'huffing' up the roads once again. It was a jerky ride that wasn't ending. The Overdrive button had turned on the day before - but I can't actually control it (that button was never working). We drove over a hill and suddenly the car just died. We continued coasting, so Brent didn't notice right away. I saw the engine light and thought "oh hell". Then I noticed the oil light and thought I had done something to the car by driving it with the stupid O/D light flashing. Then I noticed the parking brake light on. I looked over.
My parking brake isn't activated?
All the lights on the dashboard came on. The engine failed. Before rolling down the hill and getting stuck at the bottom (the road climbed back up steeply after the drop), I just turned off the car and popped the hood.
I don't know cars. I don't know what I'm looking for. I just looked in every cap I could open (except the radiator cap - I know you're not supposed to open that one). No sign of anything special. Brent didn't know what to do either. Lucky for us our AA membership includes up to 6 free towings anywhere (and we can even asked to be towed to any city of our choosing and our AA+ membership allows us 3 free nights in any hotel up to $120/night -- pretty sweet eh? All for like $100).
Along comes the DOC. Puttering down the trail in their newer, much nicer, 4x4 Truck. The woman stepped out of the car and laughed. "I thought you two would be in a hut tonight". She checked us into the cabin two night prior. She came to look at our car with her partner. None of us noticed anything with the car. They let us know they would follow us back to the road to make sure we were okay. It was the first time Huntington stalled.
That was nice of them. 12kms down the road we waved them good bye as they turned into the visitor centre and we continued on unmarked roads. We haven't had good maps to follow on this trip - so it's a lot of guessing where you're going. I guess it adds to the adventure. But one wrong road could set you off a good hour's drive (yuck).
We were worried that Huntington was only behaving with the DOC behind us. We got to Tamaranui as quickly as we could. Luckily with no trouble.
Now it was up to us to decide if we try to get to New Plymouth today or wait it out until tomorrow. No one in town could really help us if the car had a big problem - there were no KIA dealerships there. And it's not the most popular car in the country - although you do see them in the bigger cities.
After the wet hiking we had been doing, the ratty hut, and the fact that we have already explored the town of Tamaranui, we really wanted to set out on the road to get closer to the National Parks - and closer to the real tramping we came here to do.
Tamaranui. One of the bigger towns. It has an i-site. The starting ground for most people looking to do the Whanganui Great Walk - which is actually a canoe journey down the river.
We spent a night here before heading out to Pureora Forest Park. We stayed at a Holiday Park just outside of town, where we met a lovely older couple looking after the place. We avoided tenting it for the night due to the amount of wind and rain we have been getting (it's really hard to air out your gear if it gets wet) - so we stayed in a cozy cabin (just basic).
Another thing to note about New Zealand is that (so far) none of the houses/buildings/cabins have heating built into the infrastructure. They all use either electric blankets for sleeping or portable heaters. Our cabin had a heater - but it only really works for like 2 hours before overheating and shutting down for the remainder of the night. So you either have a toasty evening or a warm morning. Not both. :)
The couple looking after the holiday park were wonderful and held onto our excess belongings while we left town to hike the Pureora Forest Park 3 day tramp.
We were told to take the scenic drive to the park, but no one could tell us which direction it was. So we skirted around the park on the south side to come up on the east part. It was a long drive through hilly areas. On the highways, there are a number of park areas you can pull off the road to picnic at which offer incredible views. We pulled over at one point and were able to enjoy Lake Taupo and a mountain range in the distance (not the Tongariro National Park mountains - more rolling hill mountains (1100m and under)). It was quite nice. We were even able to spot a few wild pigs. That prompted me to stop and try to get them out of the bush for a photograph. Mind you, after several attempts at coaxing the piggies out of the woods, Brent and I were only able to capture the rump of the caramel pig. :)
Sir Huntington III. Oh car. One week old at the time and acting funny. Not what you want to contend with. So our possessed speedometer (they call them speedos here, so mind my writing if I go back and forth), which jumps around everywhere and clocks you in at 80km/hr when you're actually rounding 115km/hr (according to a mechanic) decided to stop working all together on this day. Literally, we were driving at 0 km/hr for roughly 40kms. At which point in time the odometer also stops to climb. SO - our car, which is currently just over 170,000kms - is actually QUITE older than this.
We didn't think much about it and just kept driving. Although, the car started to show signs of struggle up hills at low speeds. Note taken.
Pureora Forest Park. A very strange park. We drove through the park on logging roads, which kind of threw us considering that we thought it was a preserved park. Pine and fir trees lined the gravel road - not very kiwi like. The outskirts of the park houses mostly trees that are used for logging, and most of them are not native to the country. There was a forest protest in the 1970s to stop the deforestation of the native trees in this forest park that was a success. The government stepped in with the conservation to protect the remaining native forest, which makes up what the park is today.
But you still have to drive through the logging areas, which makes the forest park look quite barren and unwelcoming. At one point, it looks more like a desert in Arizona with the clearcutting then a beautiful lush environment.
The first night we spent at a DOC cabin just outside the park so that we could get an early start on our hiking in the morning. This enabled us to have a full kitchen to cook with in the evening and the following morning (bonus). We decided to spend our first day walking to what the park describes as 'Points of Interest'. Not so interesting. No offense Pureora...but we tried to find beauty in the burried forest - which was almost impossible to separate from the actual forest, an old steam hauler and tractor, only deserted around the 1950s - so not so historic, and probably the better point of interest was the forest viewing tower sitting 12 m above the ground (not above the tree level). That was neat - but not worth the hike through the logging roads.
It's quite unfortunate to see how desolate the logging has made this forest. :(
We spent the night playing cards - as camping folks should. :)
The morning came. We packed up our stuff, took Huntington for a little drive before parking him and deserting him for the duration of our time on the trail.
As usual, it was very wet. Actually, we can't complain - the weather in Waitomo was beautiful and clear. I'd rather be hiking in the bush in the rain then spending time in the cities/towns in the rain. In the bush, we're in full gear - gaiters, rain pants, rain coat. It's either that or pure misery.
The walk was supposed to take 1.5 hours to the summit of Mt. Pureora and an additional 2 hours to the Bog Inn Hut. The first stop on our tramp. Again - the timing of these hikes is off. We spoke to the DOC people at the information centre at the head of the park the day before and they claimed that the timing of the trails in Pureora take into account the average backpacker with gear.
Still, we are not convinced. It took us 5 1/2 hours to make the first hut that day. It was a really wet and steep hike. The climb up to the mountain top was strange because it is also a shared walking track - which means it's easier to hike. They literally put in stairs to get you through the steeper parts. There are some points where you are trudging up mud hills when you wonder why the parts you're fighting through weren't considered for the simpler option.
Mt. Pureora - the tallest mountain of the King Country sitting at 1165m high. The view - well, cloudy. We're not having much luck on mountain peaks yet. We couldn't see anything. But apparently, on a clear day, you can see the mountains of Tongariro National Park and Lake Taupo as well as Mt. Taranaki. Amazing.
In our heads. We can only dream of the view.
There must have been a lot of rainfall recently as the hike down the southern side of the mountain was trecherous and slick. There were slips everywhere and bogs all around us. Deep pockets of murky water with mud flooring that end up being MUCH deeper then you think.
I was having a blast hoping through the area - we have the right gear on, so getting wet and muddy isn't too bad. Plus, with our trecking poles, you can foresee where the mud is really deep. Brent wasn't having as much fun - for some reason, he just didn't like getting his feet dipped too far into the mud or water. I was very amused by his annoyance. :) You can sometimes forget that you are in full gear and able to battle the elements, no matter what may come.
The hut couldn't come quick enough. We came upon the luxurious Bog Inn around 4pm that day. Our first hut. Fantastic. And of course, we were alone, as no one really trecks through these parts during the winter.
Or so you would think. We had the unfortunate pleasure of spending our first experience in a hut that had been used by hunters. Now - I'm not offending you hunters out there - I have many friends who are hunters and are much tidier then these gents were (you can read the Visitor log - that's why I know they were men). Backpackers work on a "Leave No Trace" mentality, you pack in and pack out EVERYTHING. But our lovely hut predecessors were wonderful enough to leave us with clusters of food all over the hut.
Clusters of food + unmaned hut (it was over a month prior to our visit that the hut had been used) = buffet for local animals.
The place was a disaster. Rat feces everywhere - like EVERYWHERE. Potatoes rolling around the floors and counters, snacked on by forest dwellers who have figured out how to get into the hut, OLD MILK left in a half emptied container, Sugar bags ripped open and enjoyed. Just gross. But a hut none the less, and we were happy to be staying at the luxurious chateau.
Dinner. We were so excited for dinner. Especially after failing to make the hut the first hike and needing to ration our water (which meant foregoing a cooked meal). We had everything. Our stove, daylight, firewood, matches....
Waterproof matches.
In waterproof cases.
So protected and sheltered.
So un-strikable.
Oh my goodness. Don't ever underestimate the waterproof match - and don't ONLY carry water proof matches. So this is what I did wrong. We took the matches out of the boxes and put them in our cases - way back in Auckland. Haven't needed them yet. And if we HAD reached the first hut, we would have already found this out. You then take the box that the matches are in and you MUST rip off the striking element and BRING it with you. Otherwise, your matches will NOT work. Because I get paranoid about strange things spontaneously combusting in my bag, I didn't want us to put the striking element in our waterproof cases with the matches. That to me sounds logical.
Unfortunately, we have no idea where I did put them. :(
We tried everything. For over an hour and a half. We pulled everything we had out of our bags, used every surface from plastic to glass to every piece of wood and metal in the hut and around. Nothing would let us strike up a flame. Then we resorted to searching everywhere for ONE single match possibly left behind by a friendly hunter/backpacker. We even looked in the outhouse.
Nothing.
So once again, no warm meal, no fire, no candle light.
Yay wind up lantern and flashlight. My brother picked out the best flashlight for us - this thing lasts soooo long!!!
Night fell quickly - especially since we wasted all our time on figuring out the matches. It was getting colder, and we really were soaked this night as rain fell down our coats and dampened our fleece sleeves. When we tramp through the woods and it rains, we usually opt to not wear our hoods because you loose peripheral vision. Although today we did hike with our hoods for a part of the treck because it was hailing!!!
We curled up on the cleanest mat we could find and set up our sleeping bags and decided to play cards by wind up light until it got late enough to fall asleep. Snacking on delicious crackers and cheese and the mother earth granola bars we have grown to love.
Rustling.
It started slow. It was sporatic. Then way too frequent.
The residents of the Bog Inn were not very happy to see that someone had come in for a visit. We were the foreigners.
Gnawing away at the floor, on the potatoes I kicked out of the hut through the holes in the floor (that I then covered with firewood to keep out our dear friends), gnawing away at the canvas bag outside the hut door filled with previous hut goers rubbish. The rats of the forest came out to play.
All night long.
I couldn't sleep. I was just waiting for them to come inside and start gnawing on our gear.
They sounded like they were INSIDE. Brent and I each took turns flashing the light around the room to see if they managed to make their way inside the blockades we set up.
All night. They gnawed. On everything. When the rain rolled in mid night, the squeeking sounds stopped. I slept for a bit while I could, only to be woken up again by more gnawing and rustling.
The morning came. We feared there would be thundershowers. That was the only weather information we could get from the DOC prior to our ascent. The option was to sit the day out in the hut and head down the next day if the thunderstorms were too severe. After the night we spent, that was no longer an option.
The next leg of the hike on the 3 day tramp is an 8.5 hour treck to another hut. We decided not to follow through with the whole tramp due to the fact that we only have about 8.5 hours of daylight and we knew the timing of the hike would be incorrect for our pack weights. So we headed back out. We thought we would be able to take a different trail out to the road, but it would leave us probably 20some kms away from Sir Huntington.
Up Mt. Pureora we went - and again, no view. The walk today was better. It was drier on the south side, maybe muddier on the north side.
We didn't stop enough for water and snacks on this day. Probably why I got a little dizzy. Probably why I cocked my knee when I stumbled. Probably why I then tripped on a tree root and injured my left hand even more.
We'll do better next time.
Seeing the car is like heaven - we must admit. You just see trees and don't know too much about how much further you have to attain the clearing. We weren't relying on our GPS for this small tramp. So when you finally get a glimpse of that colour - it's like this big relief because you can offload the weight on your back.
Our backpacks, weight still unknown, were rather heavy on this tramp. Once again, we will be revisiting our gear and repacking to shed as much as possible as we get ready for longer tramps.
Cleaning off and packing up the car takes time. You're tired, you just want to stretch and eat. We didn't hurry. Probably turned out for the best in our situation.
We started on the road again to head back to Tamaranui to pick up our gear and then start on a coastal journey to New Plymouth. Sir Huntington, already misbehaving with the speedometer and stuff, started 'huffing' up the roads once again. It was a jerky ride that wasn't ending. The Overdrive button had turned on the day before - but I can't actually control it (that button was never working). We drove over a hill and suddenly the car just died. We continued coasting, so Brent didn't notice right away. I saw the engine light and thought "oh hell". Then I noticed the oil light and thought I had done something to the car by driving it with the stupid O/D light flashing. Then I noticed the parking brake light on. I looked over.
My parking brake isn't activated?
All the lights on the dashboard came on. The engine failed. Before rolling down the hill and getting stuck at the bottom (the road climbed back up steeply after the drop), I just turned off the car and popped the hood.
I don't know cars. I don't know what I'm looking for. I just looked in every cap I could open (except the radiator cap - I know you're not supposed to open that one). No sign of anything special. Brent didn't know what to do either. Lucky for us our AA membership includes up to 6 free towings anywhere (and we can even asked to be towed to any city of our choosing and our AA+ membership allows us 3 free nights in any hotel up to $120/night -- pretty sweet eh? All for like $100).
Along comes the DOC. Puttering down the trail in their newer, much nicer, 4x4 Truck. The woman stepped out of the car and laughed. "I thought you two would be in a hut tonight". She checked us into the cabin two night prior. She came to look at our car with her partner. None of us noticed anything with the car. They let us know they would follow us back to the road to make sure we were okay. It was the first time Huntington stalled.
That was nice of them. 12kms down the road we waved them good bye as they turned into the visitor centre and we continued on unmarked roads. We haven't had good maps to follow on this trip - so it's a lot of guessing where you're going. I guess it adds to the adventure. But one wrong road could set you off a good hour's drive (yuck).
We were worried that Huntington was only behaving with the DOC behind us. We got to Tamaranui as quickly as we could. Luckily with no trouble.
Now it was up to us to decide if we try to get to New Plymouth today or wait it out until tomorrow. No one in town could really help us if the car had a big problem - there were no KIA dealerships there. And it's not the most popular car in the country - although you do see them in the bigger cities.
After the wet hiking we had been doing, the ratty hut, and the fact that we have already explored the town of Tamaranui, we really wanted to set out on the road to get closer to the National Parks - and closer to the real tramping we came here to do.
warm tang & chocolate, the new zealand dating scene
We were leaving the isite the last time we blogged. In Waitomo. A small town that thrives off of the caving industry. I don't remember how many caves are in the area but its somewhere greater than 600.
An ambulance rushed by at full speed, heading in the direction of a cluster of caves. We both had a moment to think about a possible injury that might have occured on one of the caving adventures down the road. It wasn't until the next day that we found out a young british backpacker had been in a terrible quad bike accident and fallen to her death. It was horrible to see the headlines. So sensationalized. A reflection more so on the tourism industry, and less about the life lost. May her family find peace in this time - I cannot imagine what they must be feeling.
We did not go on a quad bike adventure, we chose the dangling abseiling/caving/rafting/glow worm combo tour. Rap, Raft & Rock. The lowest cost tour, with the smallest groups and the best trip indeed. You get a little bit of everything, and it's so personal.
At first, we thought we would be doing the trip alone with our tour guide Allan. A burly scottish fellow who has been doing tour trips in New Zealand for over four years. He was fiesty and hilarious. At the very last minute, a car full of three girls pulled up and they all signed on to the same adventure. It was now five of us. It was the greatest time.
This, so far, has been the only 'touristy' thing we have signed up to do. We don't foresee doing too many touristy things (aside from learning how to surf on the east coast and maybe sledging), but this was well worth the time. Plus, we needed to spend a few days of recovery after our last hike (to rest our aching bodies).
Six of us set out. Simone, an Australian, Danielle & Amanda - two American girls from Orange County, Brent and myself and our guide.
The road that leads to the cave owned by Rap, Raft & Rock is rough!!! You would not want to be taking your own vehicle down this windy farm road at the speeds Allan took the company van. It was all part of the adventure.
You arrive at two large cargo boxes, a tub of water, a covered rain boot area hosting a large collection of white galloshes, and an enclosed shelter with barely two rooms and two showers. Our oasis of caving preparation.
"Get into your bathing suits".
It's winter. What?
So cold. We all line up in our bathing suits and socks and await receipt of our wetsuits. I always thought that wetsuits were warm. And maybe they are a lot warmer than not having them on, but when it's really chilly outside and the wetsuit you have to squeeze into is already wet, you are freezing and very uncomfortable.
The dressing stage was entertaining. You have the coverall wetsuit, follwed by the jacket, then colourful (you can pick your prefered colour between dijon, faded pink, red or brown) over pants to protect the wetsuit, rubber boots, the harness to save your life and the lovely helmet covered with electrical gadgets to ensure you have light down below.
I couldn't smell that day - woke up a little stuffy - and man, was that ever a life saver. Apparently, what we were wearing -- not the nicest thing to smell. :) I wonder why. Could be the cave, could be the fact that you are without bathroom for 5 hours after putting on the suit (maybe one too many people couldn't make it...), who knows.
We continued to drive down the windy road to come upon a grotto with rope attached the fence.
Side story - the most adorable newborn sheep had been deserted by its mother and was bah'ng so loudly for attention. The two orange county girls were biologists and went to see the sheep. The moment they picked him up, he quieted right down. He just wanted love. It was so wonderful. Sadly, we did have to leave the sheep and pay attention to our training. He didn't make it easy. Once we put down the sheep, it started to follow us and kept bah'ng for more attention while Allan was trying to explain safety procedures. :)
We did a 'training abseil' down a hill with this thingamajig that is attached to our harness that is there to save our lives. This one girl couldn't figure out the thingamajig and clipped in and when she stepped down the hill and put pressure on the clip, it flew open.
"Oops, I'm dead", she exclaimed (note - we are standing on a hill, and in no way are in danger).
I think it was our nerves, but Danielle and I just started laughing. To a point of having tears in our eyes. Cause if it was that easy to unclip going down the actual abseil, WOW...that would be scary.
I inverted her thingamajig for her so that it wouldn't snap open like that anymore.
We all passed the test and moved on to the platform. A 27m abseil. I was last - how I ended up there, I don't know, but it SUCKED. I should have been in the middle. Ugh. One by one, they all left me, as Allan continued to make cracks at our fears and at the rolls in our bellies caused by the outfits we were wearing (four girls on the trip - why would you make fun of our rolls!). When it came to my turn, I didn't even want to go near the edge to have my harnessed clipped in. I had no choice, so instead, I didn't look down. Although, I did get a quick glimpse of the four helmets already down at the bottom. :(
Abseiling is easy - you look on the horizon, so as long as you don't think about the height thing, you're fine. What sucks in abseiling is if you weigh nothing. I was in at 48kg at the office (you are weighed in to start - cause they need to know who to watch out for in the bigger rapids), and apparently at that weight, you can't be smoothly abseilled into the cave. I had to feed my own line - so it was kind of a jerky ride. But I made it. :)
Your boots have holes on the bottom, so the moment you touch the underground river, water rushes up your feet. So cold. I was the last to adjust.
The trip was so interesting. You each get a tube and walk along the river on the side the guide tells you to follow (sometimes you have to cross the rapids, in which case he stands in the middle of the river in case you are swept away - the water is STRONG!), cross over two-wired bridges, cling to the rock side as you make your way down the cave. We spent some time learning about glow worms in the dark (basically cave maggots who cannot shed their poo - so their bums light up due to the gases mixing - amazing!), climbed through some muddy hills/caves (bonus - if you are small, you fit quite comfortably through these crevices), climbed through dark cave areas, until you meet the river again.
Then we black water rafted. Tubbing down a river in a cave with your headlights off. Down rapids. You are told not to worry if you fall out of the tube, and that someone will catch you on the other side should something happen to you. But what they don't tell you is how deep the water is. I was the only one on the trip who couldn't swim, and was also a concern with the rapids. They didn't want to lose me in the river. :)
I got it in my head that if I didn't go down each rapid facing down the river, I would flip out of my tube and run into problems. So, I decided, since we are already bumping into the walls, I might as well spin myself around to face the direction of the water if the opportunity arises.
Bad idea.
The rock surfaces are sometimes super sharp. I hit a rock face rather hard at one point and gashed open my left hand. (it's slowly healing - but the internal bruising is pretty intense) But it did keep me on my tube. :) Brent fell out. Heh heh. The other thing they tell you is that you can't sink your butt too far into your tube or you might come into contact with rocks. I think Brent was adjusting himself (for fear of being too butt heavy in the tube's centre), and fell right out as he came across a rapid. :)
He's fine. Only one other girl fell out of her tube, and they all made it safely back in. :)
At the end of our tubing adventure (they stop you before you hit a 7m high waterfall), we pulled over to the side for a surprise snack. Warm tang and dairy milk chocolate. I can't explain how wonderful this was. A really good sugar boost to get our energy up for the upcoming trudge up river. It was Allan's way of 'wooing' the girls. :) Ah, the new zealand dating scene. How romantic. Pooey maggots, warm tang and chocolate.
But do try warm tang on a cold day.
We trudged our way up the rapids we just tubbed down, squeezed through yet another tight spot, found a cave weta and the long legged cave spiders, then found our way to the cave's opening, where a 20m rock climb awaited.
It was great.
At the top of the hill, we found our dear baby lamb friend once again. It was hiding behind a rock, bah'ng loudly again. It was heartbreaking. Night was falling quickly. Danielle and I took the baby lamb up the hill towards a herd of sheep in hopes that they might come and take him in. He was sooo tiny, weighing under a pound. So soft. So wonderful. The lamb I always wanted to own in New Zealand, and I couldn't take it home. :( It was heartbreaking.
I don't think the other sheep took him in. Allan said that if he found him the next day, he would try to take it in and find it a good home.
Back to the cargo boxes to shed our caving gear, watch Allan stir wetsuit stew in the tub, and each jumping into the hot showers - so necessary considering how much colder it was leaving the cave in the dark.
A warm cup of soup and a screening of our tour photos awaited us at the office.
:)
All in all, it was a lovely time. We spent that night at the hostel (right next door to the office) and planned our next leg of the trip.
Early in the morning, we checked out and head back to Otarahanga (which had delicious burgers to offer us the night we first arrived - mmm hawaiin burgers!!!) to visit the farmers market and buy a heep of fresh organic fruit for under 5$!!! Fruits and veggies are ridiculously priced in NZ - so it was a wonderful change to pay so little for such delicious fruit. We also tried our first taste of Tip Top New Zealand ice cream. I had goody goody gumdrops and hokey pokey ice cream, Brent had cookies and cream & chocolate (not so adventurous). :)
Brent's first attempt was a failure, as three or four licks in - he dropped his ice cream on the ground. Poor ice cream.
Don't worry - he got another serving. It was only $1.80 for two large scoops.
On the road again, to Taumaranui. Oh, how we'll miss the mooing cows from Waitomo.
An ambulance rushed by at full speed, heading in the direction of a cluster of caves. We both had a moment to think about a possible injury that might have occured on one of the caving adventures down the road. It wasn't until the next day that we found out a young british backpacker had been in a terrible quad bike accident and fallen to her death. It was horrible to see the headlines. So sensationalized. A reflection more so on the tourism industry, and less about the life lost. May her family find peace in this time - I cannot imagine what they must be feeling.
We did not go on a quad bike adventure, we chose the dangling abseiling/caving/rafting/glow worm combo tour. Rap, Raft & Rock. The lowest cost tour, with the smallest groups and the best trip indeed. You get a little bit of everything, and it's so personal.
At first, we thought we would be doing the trip alone with our tour guide Allan. A burly scottish fellow who has been doing tour trips in New Zealand for over four years. He was fiesty and hilarious. At the very last minute, a car full of three girls pulled up and they all signed on to the same adventure. It was now five of us. It was the greatest time.
This, so far, has been the only 'touristy' thing we have signed up to do. We don't foresee doing too many touristy things (aside from learning how to surf on the east coast and maybe sledging), but this was well worth the time. Plus, we needed to spend a few days of recovery after our last hike (to rest our aching bodies).
Six of us set out. Simone, an Australian, Danielle & Amanda - two American girls from Orange County, Brent and myself and our guide.
The road that leads to the cave owned by Rap, Raft & Rock is rough!!! You would not want to be taking your own vehicle down this windy farm road at the speeds Allan took the company van. It was all part of the adventure.
You arrive at two large cargo boxes, a tub of water, a covered rain boot area hosting a large collection of white galloshes, and an enclosed shelter with barely two rooms and two showers. Our oasis of caving preparation.
"Get into your bathing suits".
It's winter. What?
So cold. We all line up in our bathing suits and socks and await receipt of our wetsuits. I always thought that wetsuits were warm. And maybe they are a lot warmer than not having them on, but when it's really chilly outside and the wetsuit you have to squeeze into is already wet, you are freezing and very uncomfortable.
The dressing stage was entertaining. You have the coverall wetsuit, follwed by the jacket, then colourful (you can pick your prefered colour between dijon, faded pink, red or brown) over pants to protect the wetsuit, rubber boots, the harness to save your life and the lovely helmet covered with electrical gadgets to ensure you have light down below.
I couldn't smell that day - woke up a little stuffy - and man, was that ever a life saver. Apparently, what we were wearing -- not the nicest thing to smell. :) I wonder why. Could be the cave, could be the fact that you are without bathroom for 5 hours after putting on the suit (maybe one too many people couldn't make it...), who knows.
We continued to drive down the windy road to come upon a grotto with rope attached the fence.
Side story - the most adorable newborn sheep had been deserted by its mother and was bah'ng so loudly for attention. The two orange county girls were biologists and went to see the sheep. The moment they picked him up, he quieted right down. He just wanted love. It was so wonderful. Sadly, we did have to leave the sheep and pay attention to our training. He didn't make it easy. Once we put down the sheep, it started to follow us and kept bah'ng for more attention while Allan was trying to explain safety procedures. :)
We did a 'training abseil' down a hill with this thingamajig that is attached to our harness that is there to save our lives. This one girl couldn't figure out the thingamajig and clipped in and when she stepped down the hill and put pressure on the clip, it flew open.
"Oops, I'm dead", she exclaimed (note - we are standing on a hill, and in no way are in danger).
I think it was our nerves, but Danielle and I just started laughing. To a point of having tears in our eyes. Cause if it was that easy to unclip going down the actual abseil, WOW...that would be scary.
I inverted her thingamajig for her so that it wouldn't snap open like that anymore.
We all passed the test and moved on to the platform. A 27m abseil. I was last - how I ended up there, I don't know, but it SUCKED. I should have been in the middle. Ugh. One by one, they all left me, as Allan continued to make cracks at our fears and at the rolls in our bellies caused by the outfits we were wearing (four girls on the trip - why would you make fun of our rolls!). When it came to my turn, I didn't even want to go near the edge to have my harnessed clipped in. I had no choice, so instead, I didn't look down. Although, I did get a quick glimpse of the four helmets already down at the bottom. :(
Abseiling is easy - you look on the horizon, so as long as you don't think about the height thing, you're fine. What sucks in abseiling is if you weigh nothing. I was in at 48kg at the office (you are weighed in to start - cause they need to know who to watch out for in the bigger rapids), and apparently at that weight, you can't be smoothly abseilled into the cave. I had to feed my own line - so it was kind of a jerky ride. But I made it. :)
Your boots have holes on the bottom, so the moment you touch the underground river, water rushes up your feet. So cold. I was the last to adjust.
The trip was so interesting. You each get a tube and walk along the river on the side the guide tells you to follow (sometimes you have to cross the rapids, in which case he stands in the middle of the river in case you are swept away - the water is STRONG!), cross over two-wired bridges, cling to the rock side as you make your way down the cave. We spent some time learning about glow worms in the dark (basically cave maggots who cannot shed their poo - so their bums light up due to the gases mixing - amazing!), climbed through some muddy hills/caves (bonus - if you are small, you fit quite comfortably through these crevices), climbed through dark cave areas, until you meet the river again.
Then we black water rafted. Tubbing down a river in a cave with your headlights off. Down rapids. You are told not to worry if you fall out of the tube, and that someone will catch you on the other side should something happen to you. But what they don't tell you is how deep the water is. I was the only one on the trip who couldn't swim, and was also a concern with the rapids. They didn't want to lose me in the river. :)
I got it in my head that if I didn't go down each rapid facing down the river, I would flip out of my tube and run into problems. So, I decided, since we are already bumping into the walls, I might as well spin myself around to face the direction of the water if the opportunity arises.
Bad idea.
The rock surfaces are sometimes super sharp. I hit a rock face rather hard at one point and gashed open my left hand. (it's slowly healing - but the internal bruising is pretty intense) But it did keep me on my tube. :) Brent fell out. Heh heh. The other thing they tell you is that you can't sink your butt too far into your tube or you might come into contact with rocks. I think Brent was adjusting himself (for fear of being too butt heavy in the tube's centre), and fell right out as he came across a rapid. :)
He's fine. Only one other girl fell out of her tube, and they all made it safely back in. :)
At the end of our tubing adventure (they stop you before you hit a 7m high waterfall), we pulled over to the side for a surprise snack. Warm tang and dairy milk chocolate. I can't explain how wonderful this was. A really good sugar boost to get our energy up for the upcoming trudge up river. It was Allan's way of 'wooing' the girls. :) Ah, the new zealand dating scene. How romantic. Pooey maggots, warm tang and chocolate.
But do try warm tang on a cold day.
We trudged our way up the rapids we just tubbed down, squeezed through yet another tight spot, found a cave weta and the long legged cave spiders, then found our way to the cave's opening, where a 20m rock climb awaited.
It was great.
At the top of the hill, we found our dear baby lamb friend once again. It was hiding behind a rock, bah'ng loudly again. It was heartbreaking. Night was falling quickly. Danielle and I took the baby lamb up the hill towards a herd of sheep in hopes that they might come and take him in. He was sooo tiny, weighing under a pound. So soft. So wonderful. The lamb I always wanted to own in New Zealand, and I couldn't take it home. :( It was heartbreaking.
I don't think the other sheep took him in. Allan said that if he found him the next day, he would try to take it in and find it a good home.
Back to the cargo boxes to shed our caving gear, watch Allan stir wetsuit stew in the tub, and each jumping into the hot showers - so necessary considering how much colder it was leaving the cave in the dark.
A warm cup of soup and a screening of our tour photos awaited us at the office.
:)
All in all, it was a lovely time. We spent that night at the hostel (right next door to the office) and planned our next leg of the trip.
Early in the morning, we checked out and head back to Otarahanga (which had delicious burgers to offer us the night we first arrived - mmm hawaiin burgers!!!) to visit the farmers market and buy a heep of fresh organic fruit for under 5$!!! Fruits and veggies are ridiculously priced in NZ - so it was a wonderful change to pay so little for such delicious fruit. We also tried our first taste of Tip Top New Zealand ice cream. I had goody goody gumdrops and hokey pokey ice cream, Brent had cookies and cream & chocolate (not so adventurous). :)
Brent's first attempt was a failure, as three or four licks in - he dropped his ice cream on the ground. Poor ice cream.
Don't worry - he got another serving. It was only $1.80 for two large scoops.
On the road again, to Taumaranui. Oh, how we'll miss the mooing cows from Waitomo.
Friday, August 8, 2008
the real kiwi experience
The wind was fierce. I sat on the ledge of the rock gripping the bolted chain in one hand and praying for a break in the wind.
I had been dreading this moment all night long.
Speedwalkers with no packs on must of timed out the routes on the DOC trails here in New Zealand. We got to the upper car park of the Pirongia Forest Park (part II - Mt. Karioi was in a smaller area of the Pirongia Forest Park). Our eyes were set on the prize - Mt. Pirongia. Today would be our first track with full packs on. We still don't know how much they weigh, but they are much easier to handle then previous attempts.
We tried to find the lodge warden before setting up the trail, only to lock up our extra luggage in a safe place before leaving our car for the night (car theft is RAMPANT in New Zealand - never a good idea to leave your items inside the car, especially in DOC parking lots where people expect you to be gone for a few nights). She was nowhere to be seen. Luckily, Brent and I were able to speak to two DOC workers taking a lunch break nearby.
We were the only people around. Mt. Karioi was the same. Not a sole around, its not the busy tramping season yet.
The DOC people offered us some information about the treck. Information that we would only later on understand once we reached the summit of the first mountain. It was almost 1pm. The trail information states that the first peak would take 2hrs, the second an additional 30mins, and Mt. Pirongia 1.5 hrs on top of that.
Who times these things?
We got our bags ready, locked up the remainder of our things in the trunk and were off by 1.30pm. We had at least 4 hours of daylight before the sun would set behind the mountain chain. There is a DOC hut near the summit that we will camp at tonight, with running water, so we decided to only bring two water bottles full of H2O. Brent asked if we should bring our tent. I said we should, only on account of a possible theft situation. So we did. Probably the best decision we made that day.
It seemed like such an easy treck. Thank goodness - cause it was tiring with our bags. Our trecking poles helped out a lot. Two hours into the treck, you start to realize you don't even notice the weight anymore. At that point we were also just anxious to reach the first summit.
Two and a half hours in, a clearing. A peak perhaps? Nobody would know, there is no indication.
We didn't use our GPS on this track as we didn't have a topographic map of the area. We didn't have any information to put into our GPS. We relied solely on the small pamphlet that shows a rough sketch of the Pirongia Forest Park and the orange trail markers that mark the route.
At certain points, they are life savers.
It was getting darker. When you get deeper into the forest, the umbrella ferns cast only shadow on the trails. The path was rougher, steeper, more of a rock/tree root climbing experience then anything. One at a time we trudged up a hill, then passed up the poles and the next would attempt the climb. The route was deceiving. It started off steady, then forced steep climbs. No information pamphlet tells you this stuff.
I've got to say - best thigh master in the world. Carrying about 30lbs on your back and climbing up these steep embankments. :)
Then there was THAT tree. We reached a point in the route, very close to sunset, where everything ended. There were no trail markers anywhere. We were getting nervous. At least an hour from the last clearing. Probably only 30mins left of daylight. I took off my pack and started to push through the bush areas in three directions to try and find any indication of a marked trail. I felt so much lighter without my bag, so I quickly climbed up and down different obstacles.
You've got to be kidding me.
A tree growing off the side of the mountain, barely allowing a safe passageway for any human to climb onto and over a large drop off area (don't let go of your bag or its gone for good) to the next part of the path is our only way up. A stupid orange arrow is on the other side.
So we passed our bags up one at a time and each climbed up to the next part of the trail.
We're wasting time. The sun is gone now. Only evening light is guiding us now.
We quickly put our packs back on (which, I must inform you, does take a bit of time - there is a science behind these packs) and rushed up the route.
Rocks. Everywhere.
We must be near the summit. I turned a corner, climbed up a few more stones and met my ultimate nightmare.
A chain bolted into the rocks. A guide to help climbers up the steep rock climb. Not a friendly rock climb I might add.
We're hungry at this point. Dehydrated (because we didn't want to stop anymore - we had to make the summit by nightfall). Tired as crap (the bags are heavy). I just cried.
I HATE heights. I love being up in the mountains and would climb any cliff at any time, but the moment you add a trust in a human contraption, I'm toast. I don't like bridges so much, I don't like look outs that you walk onto (like at Bridel Veil falls). I trust things if it's natural. But at that moment, I didn't want to trust a bolted down chain.
We're back heavy. Our centre of balance is not the same. And now we have no choice but to climb up to reach the summit and get to the hut for the night.
It was a steep climb at points. Worse, the rocks jet outward and made climbing up with a pack daunting at times. You had to swing out in certain places, so that your pack would clear a rock. I think I cried the whole way up. I hated every moment of it. But Brent was amazing just making sure I was encouraged enough to keep going.
There's one thing about me that is strange. No matter how scared I am of a situation, I will push through if I have to. And I won't think anything of it. I had to push everything that we were living out of my mind. If you slipped and fell or let go of the chain, you were falling down a sheer rock cliff below the path. A part of the mountain we didn't have to climb up. A drop we didn't want to experience.
At the top of the bolted chain path, was a sign. The summit.
Wharauroa. 820m above sea level.
This can't be happening.
Brent makes it up the cliff. He doesn't really understand what's going on. I'm worried. He quickly checks the map.
It's only the first summit. The walk that should have taken 2hrs, has taken us 4hrs. We thought we were walking at a decent pace.
I scurry down another part of the trail and find another sign.
Grey Road Carpark --> 2-3 hrs
<-- Mt Pirongia 2-3 hrs
We didn't make it. We have at least another 2-3 hrs to the hut. The sun is gone.
We kept walking. We didn't make it far. It was dark now, very dark. I leapt down one steep embarkment. That's when Brent got stuck. He cleared a ledge, but his pack didn't. What were we doing? A completely delirious decision - to keep walking. This track wasn't an easy walk up in the summit area. It was steep both up and down, it was rocky and it required a lot of climbing. You couldn't do this in the dark.
We went back to the carpark sign. And did the only thing we could. Set up our tent and wait out the night. We heard that the weather would be bad the next day. We were worried.
Worse, we now had to ration our water. We had only finished one bottle of water, so we decided to keep the other bottle for the climb down. The hut had running water, so we thought we would be okay. (it's not until later in the night that we both thought about collecting rain water, but neither of us acted on the idea unfortunately) Because we were rationing our water, we also didn't have dinner that night. It's a 'just add water' backcountry meal - but it was better to save the water for drinking.
We prayed for the weather to hold out as we set up our tent area. A safe little crevice near a sign that was far from the cliff and the trail heads. All trails lead downward. There was little room to set up a tent on flat ground. Our tent was larger then the crevice we found - but made do with what we could. It was the safest spot.
I didn't sleep very much that night. The wind was violent. Especially on the summit. The rain battered down on our tent so hard. I thought the fly would be blown away. I prayed all night long that the weather would break in the morning. Just enough to get back down that cliff.
The wind never let up. But the rain did break for a few hours that morning. I just wanted to go.
We packed up our stuff and tore down camp as quickly as possible. Everything was wet and muddy. The trail is very muddy, only to get worse today after the night rain.
My knees were shaking. I didn't want to go back down that trail. Climbing up the cliff was one thing, but climbing back down is completely different. But silly Brent dropped a glove the day before, and we had to go on a rescue mission to find it. Otherwise we could have gone down an alternate path and somehow found a way back to our car once we got on the ground. My fear of climbing the rock cliff made me very mad at Brent. It was his fault I had to do this again. Stupid glove.
It took us a while to climb down the cliff side. We took a break every time the wind started to beat down on us. It was a violent wind. The view was spectacular. The breaks weren't wasted on worrying about the climb down. I just sat and enjoyed the view. Mind you, I didn't let go of the chain. :)
Once we got past the cliff (yay!!) and that darn tree/drop area, we just booted it back to the car. It felt quicker going back. All you could hear was the wind rushing by the tops of the trees and a few creeking tree trunks and birds. It was quiet and peaceful. And nobody was around. Just us. We took a few moments to appreciate how beautiful it truly was. The sun breaking through the tree tops, glistening in the silver ferns, the rain dripping off the leaves.
Rain doesn't phase us anymore. You just know you're going to be wet all the time. I don't wear my hood when we're climbing the trails. I'd rather have my peripheral vision. Brent keeps praising his jacket. His first time speaking to someone at MEC about Goretex coats, we ended up with a salesman who was addament about him buying a lower grade coat. "You don't need goretex" the sales guy said. We didn't listen to him. We were there to buy the higher end jacket - because we needed them. Brent's happy he never listened to that guy. :) We're dry every day.
A rock face bit my coat a little bit on the climb down the cliff. That sucked, but it's goretex that leads into a pocket. No great loss.
We were so happy to see Sir Huntington III. We cleaned off our muddy boots and gaiters, and were on our way.
We are now in Waitomo. Staying at the Rap, Raft & Rock backpackers lodge. We're in a dorm style room, paying as a double - so we have two extra beds that are currently housing our wet tent and clothes. :) We're airing them all out as we speak.
Today, a caving adventure. I have a feeling it will just be Brent and myself on the adventure. Should be a lot of fun. Our muscles are soar. We're going to be tramping pros by the end of this trip.
Next stop, Pureora Forst Park and a 4 day treck - this time IN HUTS!!! :)
Love to everyone. And super BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR PRAYERS. They have definitely been felt and are keeping us going!!
xo
I had been dreading this moment all night long.
Speedwalkers with no packs on must of timed out the routes on the DOC trails here in New Zealand. We got to the upper car park of the Pirongia Forest Park (part II - Mt. Karioi was in a smaller area of the Pirongia Forest Park). Our eyes were set on the prize - Mt. Pirongia. Today would be our first track with full packs on. We still don't know how much they weigh, but they are much easier to handle then previous attempts.
We tried to find the lodge warden before setting up the trail, only to lock up our extra luggage in a safe place before leaving our car for the night (car theft is RAMPANT in New Zealand - never a good idea to leave your items inside the car, especially in DOC parking lots where people expect you to be gone for a few nights). She was nowhere to be seen. Luckily, Brent and I were able to speak to two DOC workers taking a lunch break nearby.
We were the only people around. Mt. Karioi was the same. Not a sole around, its not the busy tramping season yet.
The DOC people offered us some information about the treck. Information that we would only later on understand once we reached the summit of the first mountain. It was almost 1pm. The trail information states that the first peak would take 2hrs, the second an additional 30mins, and Mt. Pirongia 1.5 hrs on top of that.
Who times these things?
We got our bags ready, locked up the remainder of our things in the trunk and were off by 1.30pm. We had at least 4 hours of daylight before the sun would set behind the mountain chain. There is a DOC hut near the summit that we will camp at tonight, with running water, so we decided to only bring two water bottles full of H2O. Brent asked if we should bring our tent. I said we should, only on account of a possible theft situation. So we did. Probably the best decision we made that day.
It seemed like such an easy treck. Thank goodness - cause it was tiring with our bags. Our trecking poles helped out a lot. Two hours into the treck, you start to realize you don't even notice the weight anymore. At that point we were also just anxious to reach the first summit.
Two and a half hours in, a clearing. A peak perhaps? Nobody would know, there is no indication.
We didn't use our GPS on this track as we didn't have a topographic map of the area. We didn't have any information to put into our GPS. We relied solely on the small pamphlet that shows a rough sketch of the Pirongia Forest Park and the orange trail markers that mark the route.
At certain points, they are life savers.
It was getting darker. When you get deeper into the forest, the umbrella ferns cast only shadow on the trails. The path was rougher, steeper, more of a rock/tree root climbing experience then anything. One at a time we trudged up a hill, then passed up the poles and the next would attempt the climb. The route was deceiving. It started off steady, then forced steep climbs. No information pamphlet tells you this stuff.
I've got to say - best thigh master in the world. Carrying about 30lbs on your back and climbing up these steep embankments. :)
Then there was THAT tree. We reached a point in the route, very close to sunset, where everything ended. There were no trail markers anywhere. We were getting nervous. At least an hour from the last clearing. Probably only 30mins left of daylight. I took off my pack and started to push through the bush areas in three directions to try and find any indication of a marked trail. I felt so much lighter without my bag, so I quickly climbed up and down different obstacles.
You've got to be kidding me.
A tree growing off the side of the mountain, barely allowing a safe passageway for any human to climb onto and over a large drop off area (don't let go of your bag or its gone for good) to the next part of the path is our only way up. A stupid orange arrow is on the other side.
So we passed our bags up one at a time and each climbed up to the next part of the trail.
We're wasting time. The sun is gone now. Only evening light is guiding us now.
We quickly put our packs back on (which, I must inform you, does take a bit of time - there is a science behind these packs) and rushed up the route.
Rocks. Everywhere.
We must be near the summit. I turned a corner, climbed up a few more stones and met my ultimate nightmare.
A chain bolted into the rocks. A guide to help climbers up the steep rock climb. Not a friendly rock climb I might add.
We're hungry at this point. Dehydrated (because we didn't want to stop anymore - we had to make the summit by nightfall). Tired as crap (the bags are heavy). I just cried.
I HATE heights. I love being up in the mountains and would climb any cliff at any time, but the moment you add a trust in a human contraption, I'm toast. I don't like bridges so much, I don't like look outs that you walk onto (like at Bridel Veil falls). I trust things if it's natural. But at that moment, I didn't want to trust a bolted down chain.
We're back heavy. Our centre of balance is not the same. And now we have no choice but to climb up to reach the summit and get to the hut for the night.
It was a steep climb at points. Worse, the rocks jet outward and made climbing up with a pack daunting at times. You had to swing out in certain places, so that your pack would clear a rock. I think I cried the whole way up. I hated every moment of it. But Brent was amazing just making sure I was encouraged enough to keep going.
There's one thing about me that is strange. No matter how scared I am of a situation, I will push through if I have to. And I won't think anything of it. I had to push everything that we were living out of my mind. If you slipped and fell or let go of the chain, you were falling down a sheer rock cliff below the path. A part of the mountain we didn't have to climb up. A drop we didn't want to experience.
At the top of the bolted chain path, was a sign. The summit.
Wharauroa. 820m above sea level.
This can't be happening.
Brent makes it up the cliff. He doesn't really understand what's going on. I'm worried. He quickly checks the map.
It's only the first summit. The walk that should have taken 2hrs, has taken us 4hrs. We thought we were walking at a decent pace.
I scurry down another part of the trail and find another sign.
Grey Road Carpark --> 2-3 hrs
<-- Mt Pirongia 2-3 hrs
We didn't make it. We have at least another 2-3 hrs to the hut. The sun is gone.
We kept walking. We didn't make it far. It was dark now, very dark. I leapt down one steep embarkment. That's when Brent got stuck. He cleared a ledge, but his pack didn't. What were we doing? A completely delirious decision - to keep walking. This track wasn't an easy walk up in the summit area. It was steep both up and down, it was rocky and it required a lot of climbing. You couldn't do this in the dark.
We went back to the carpark sign. And did the only thing we could. Set up our tent and wait out the night. We heard that the weather would be bad the next day. We were worried.
Worse, we now had to ration our water. We had only finished one bottle of water, so we decided to keep the other bottle for the climb down. The hut had running water, so we thought we would be okay. (it's not until later in the night that we both thought about collecting rain water, but neither of us acted on the idea unfortunately) Because we were rationing our water, we also didn't have dinner that night. It's a 'just add water' backcountry meal - but it was better to save the water for drinking.
We prayed for the weather to hold out as we set up our tent area. A safe little crevice near a sign that was far from the cliff and the trail heads. All trails lead downward. There was little room to set up a tent on flat ground. Our tent was larger then the crevice we found - but made do with what we could. It was the safest spot.
I didn't sleep very much that night. The wind was violent. Especially on the summit. The rain battered down on our tent so hard. I thought the fly would be blown away. I prayed all night long that the weather would break in the morning. Just enough to get back down that cliff.
The wind never let up. But the rain did break for a few hours that morning. I just wanted to go.
We packed up our stuff and tore down camp as quickly as possible. Everything was wet and muddy. The trail is very muddy, only to get worse today after the night rain.
My knees were shaking. I didn't want to go back down that trail. Climbing up the cliff was one thing, but climbing back down is completely different. But silly Brent dropped a glove the day before, and we had to go on a rescue mission to find it. Otherwise we could have gone down an alternate path and somehow found a way back to our car once we got on the ground. My fear of climbing the rock cliff made me very mad at Brent. It was his fault I had to do this again. Stupid glove.
It took us a while to climb down the cliff side. We took a break every time the wind started to beat down on us. It was a violent wind. The view was spectacular. The breaks weren't wasted on worrying about the climb down. I just sat and enjoyed the view. Mind you, I didn't let go of the chain. :)
Once we got past the cliff (yay!!) and that darn tree/drop area, we just booted it back to the car. It felt quicker going back. All you could hear was the wind rushing by the tops of the trees and a few creeking tree trunks and birds. It was quiet and peaceful. And nobody was around. Just us. We took a few moments to appreciate how beautiful it truly was. The sun breaking through the tree tops, glistening in the silver ferns, the rain dripping off the leaves.
Rain doesn't phase us anymore. You just know you're going to be wet all the time. I don't wear my hood when we're climbing the trails. I'd rather have my peripheral vision. Brent keeps praising his jacket. His first time speaking to someone at MEC about Goretex coats, we ended up with a salesman who was addament about him buying a lower grade coat. "You don't need goretex" the sales guy said. We didn't listen to him. We were there to buy the higher end jacket - because we needed them. Brent's happy he never listened to that guy. :) We're dry every day.
A rock face bit my coat a little bit on the climb down the cliff. That sucked, but it's goretex that leads into a pocket. No great loss.
We were so happy to see Sir Huntington III. We cleaned off our muddy boots and gaiters, and were on our way.
We are now in Waitomo. Staying at the Rap, Raft & Rock backpackers lodge. We're in a dorm style room, paying as a double - so we have two extra beds that are currently housing our wet tent and clothes. :) We're airing them all out as we speak.
Today, a caving adventure. I have a feeling it will just be Brent and myself on the adventure. Should be a lot of fun. Our muscles are soar. We're going to be tramping pros by the end of this trip.
Next stop, Pureora Forst Park and a 4 day treck - this time IN HUTS!!! :)
Love to everyone. And super BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR PRAYERS. They have definitely been felt and are keeping us going!!
xo
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
And then there were four.
Sir Huntington III.
We introduced Claude to the new member of our troop once we got on the road. On the wrong side of the road none the less. It's really strange to drive on the left side of the road. New Zealand is like England with their roads - round abouts everywhere!! They also have very strange regulations at intersections, but I get to learn all about them over the next year.
We bought a car. A 1999 Kia Mentor. Wine red colour. Scratched to hell. Dented a bunch. And once we got on the open road, we realized, it is a car with the most GHETTO spedometer. Once you get past 60km/hr - the spedometer's gage fluctuates up and down about 10kms/hr. Wow. I never knew how fast we were going on the open road (highways).
Mom, Dad - don't worry. It's all good. :)
Our new friend. The car. And it probably is the best thing we could have done (aside from actually walking the entire country). We will now spend the next year seeing the country. That first day of walking - neither of us enjoyed. You were so busy working at the actual trecking (cause it was so heavy) that you didn't find a single moment to enjoy the environment. True, not the best environment between Auckland and Manakau, but still. What would have happened later in the trip? We couldn't even imagine what it would have been like to add food weight to our packs!!!
Instead, we will drive to the cities/towns and get ourselves out to the parks so that we can walk the tracks with lighter packs (hopefully around 20lbs each). Enjoy the country. See the country. Not kill ourselves.
I read that exhaustion can lead to hypothermia. Picture it more in a mountain setting with little ol' me packing out with 50lbs on my back. I would die.
Better to live and see the country, no? :)
We drove to Raglan last night. I didn't really like the thought of driving on the left side of the road, on winding roads, while the sun was setting, but we did it. And without detailed maps to help guide us, we ended up at a great backpacker lodge on the water front. Raglan backpackers and waterfront lodge. Great little hostel that hosts about 15 rooms, open courtyard in the centre, a beautiful view of Mt. Karioi across an inlet of water. Beautiful.
We ate at a local fish and chips shop last night. Yum. I can't remember the fish we ordered, but it was so nice to eat protein. :) The great thing about hostels is that there are communal kitchens - so we were able to buy food and cook it in Hamilton, and are doing the same here in Raglan. Comforts of home almost.
Today we decided to stay an extra night in Raglan so that we could sort out our junk and enjoy a nice day trip. We went to Bridal Veil Falls in the morning - a 55m high waterfall that is nestled in the forest. The DOC has created a trail that allows you to walk right down the bottom with an unobstructed platform. It was beautiful.
I couldn't walk to the edge of the top look out (don't worry - that was fenced in). It jet out over the falls and let you see the rushing water from an amazing point of view. So I sent Brent to take the pictures. He's braver then me. :)
We spent the afternoon hunting for the right roads to lead us to Pirongia Forest Park. The road ends at a farmer's field. The first part of the tracks leads you through a working farm. We spoke to the farm lady before setting out on the trails. "Just turn right once you get to the cows, and you'll be on your way", she says joyfully.
You literally walk right beside sheep (well they run away, but you could touch them if you snuck up behind them) and through herds of cows to get to the mountain path.
We were a little hesitant around the cows. They just stop and stare at you. I didn't trust them to not charge at us. They didn't, but they could have.
I kept touching the fence wires as I walked along. I don't advise anyone else do that - they are electrified. I was reminded every single time I was zapped. Not so pleasant.
The walk to the peak of Mt. Karioi is through dense bush and tropical like forest. Maybe we just think its tropical as its mostly fern and palm trees. Its surreal. Tramping in the winter is probably not advisable, and not only because of the constant rain - but more so because of the amount of water that does fall and what it does to the ground. Parts of the trail were sinking mud puddles. Thick, wet and slick. Walking up hill on steep inclines, you didn't know how you were going to get down once you had to turn around.
Then came the ladders drilled into the rock at the top of the peak. Personally, not a fan of the ladders. Add to that the fact that they are drilled into rock and that stepping off of the ladder was petrifying as the rock steps were slick and one wrong move would send you tumbling down a few boulders, and when the clouds would clear, you could see how high up the mountain you were.
The view was beautiful, but short lived. Another stormy cloud rolled through - literally right through us as it was rolling over the mountain top. We only saw the beautiful view on the first ladder going up. At the top, it was foggy and raining.
One peak conquered. Pirongia Forest Park was a nice start.
The route back to Raglan took us on some bumpy gravel roads that probably hurt SHIII a little too much. The car looks more like it's been mud bogging then anything else.
Magali - you will laugh when you see this car. I thought of you when we bought it!!
Dinner at the hostel. A bag of candy from the local store. Pizza night is underway for all the backpackers.
Tomorrow, we're off on a new adventure.
Buying the car saved the trip. We'll be able to see more of the country and have access to some beautiful remote areas that the buses don't frequent.
A new type of trip. With all the tramping in the parks that I wanted to do. A new found freedom. We're excited for new ideas - like work that we will be able to do - fruit picking and working on a sheep farm in the spring!!! We are going to learn how to sheer sheep!!!
No more blistered hips.
Open roads ahead.
We introduced Claude to the new member of our troop once we got on the road. On the wrong side of the road none the less. It's really strange to drive on the left side of the road. New Zealand is like England with their roads - round abouts everywhere!! They also have very strange regulations at intersections, but I get to learn all about them over the next year.
We bought a car. A 1999 Kia Mentor. Wine red colour. Scratched to hell. Dented a bunch. And once we got on the open road, we realized, it is a car with the most GHETTO spedometer. Once you get past 60km/hr - the spedometer's gage fluctuates up and down about 10kms/hr. Wow. I never knew how fast we were going on the open road (highways).
Mom, Dad - don't worry. It's all good. :)
Our new friend. The car. And it probably is the best thing we could have done (aside from actually walking the entire country). We will now spend the next year seeing the country. That first day of walking - neither of us enjoyed. You were so busy working at the actual trecking (cause it was so heavy) that you didn't find a single moment to enjoy the environment. True, not the best environment between Auckland and Manakau, but still. What would have happened later in the trip? We couldn't even imagine what it would have been like to add food weight to our packs!!!
Instead, we will drive to the cities/towns and get ourselves out to the parks so that we can walk the tracks with lighter packs (hopefully around 20lbs each). Enjoy the country. See the country. Not kill ourselves.
I read that exhaustion can lead to hypothermia. Picture it more in a mountain setting with little ol' me packing out with 50lbs on my back. I would die.
Better to live and see the country, no? :)
We drove to Raglan last night. I didn't really like the thought of driving on the left side of the road, on winding roads, while the sun was setting, but we did it. And without detailed maps to help guide us, we ended up at a great backpacker lodge on the water front. Raglan backpackers and waterfront lodge. Great little hostel that hosts about 15 rooms, open courtyard in the centre, a beautiful view of Mt. Karioi across an inlet of water. Beautiful.
We ate at a local fish and chips shop last night. Yum. I can't remember the fish we ordered, but it was so nice to eat protein. :) The great thing about hostels is that there are communal kitchens - so we were able to buy food and cook it in Hamilton, and are doing the same here in Raglan. Comforts of home almost.
Today we decided to stay an extra night in Raglan so that we could sort out our junk and enjoy a nice day trip. We went to Bridal Veil Falls in the morning - a 55m high waterfall that is nestled in the forest. The DOC has created a trail that allows you to walk right down the bottom with an unobstructed platform. It was beautiful.
I couldn't walk to the edge of the top look out (don't worry - that was fenced in). It jet out over the falls and let you see the rushing water from an amazing point of view. So I sent Brent to take the pictures. He's braver then me. :)
We spent the afternoon hunting for the right roads to lead us to Pirongia Forest Park. The road ends at a farmer's field. The first part of the tracks leads you through a working farm. We spoke to the farm lady before setting out on the trails. "Just turn right once you get to the cows, and you'll be on your way", she says joyfully.
You literally walk right beside sheep (well they run away, but you could touch them if you snuck up behind them) and through herds of cows to get to the mountain path.
We were a little hesitant around the cows. They just stop and stare at you. I didn't trust them to not charge at us. They didn't, but they could have.
I kept touching the fence wires as I walked along. I don't advise anyone else do that - they are electrified. I was reminded every single time I was zapped. Not so pleasant.
The walk to the peak of Mt. Karioi is through dense bush and tropical like forest. Maybe we just think its tropical as its mostly fern and palm trees. Its surreal. Tramping in the winter is probably not advisable, and not only because of the constant rain - but more so because of the amount of water that does fall and what it does to the ground. Parts of the trail were sinking mud puddles. Thick, wet and slick. Walking up hill on steep inclines, you didn't know how you were going to get down once you had to turn around.
Then came the ladders drilled into the rock at the top of the peak. Personally, not a fan of the ladders. Add to that the fact that they are drilled into rock and that stepping off of the ladder was petrifying as the rock steps were slick and one wrong move would send you tumbling down a few boulders, and when the clouds would clear, you could see how high up the mountain you were.
The view was beautiful, but short lived. Another stormy cloud rolled through - literally right through us as it was rolling over the mountain top. We only saw the beautiful view on the first ladder going up. At the top, it was foggy and raining.
One peak conquered. Pirongia Forest Park was a nice start.
The route back to Raglan took us on some bumpy gravel roads that probably hurt SHIII a little too much. The car looks more like it's been mud bogging then anything else.
Magali - you will laugh when you see this car. I thought of you when we bought it!!
Dinner at the hostel. A bag of candy from the local store. Pizza night is underway for all the backpackers.
Tomorrow, we're off on a new adventure.
Buying the car saved the trip. We'll be able to see more of the country and have access to some beautiful remote areas that the buses don't frequent.
A new type of trip. With all the tramping in the parks that I wanted to do. A new found freedom. We're excited for new ideas - like work that we will be able to do - fruit picking and working on a sheep farm in the spring!!! We are going to learn how to sheer sheep!!!
No more blistered hips.
Open roads ahead.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Rain drops keep falling on our Heads
It was straight out of the movie, "Do the Right Thing". And I hate that movie.
Walking down the Great South Road out of Auckland, we came across a group of five local Maori teenagers. Bored probably. Watching over their neighbourhood in more ways then one. One of the boys stood holding a beat up silver ghetto blaster, music blarring from the speakers as loud as it could be, hauling it around with one free hand as they all sit on the street bench listening to the beats and surveying the neighbourhood.
The Otahuhu street gang from the Great South Road.
They found an interest in us. Probably because we stuck out like a sore thumb. The two of us, weighted down by way too much weight, drapping over our trecking poles, huffing down the street. Dehydrated, exhausted. Two caucasians walking with our Goretex rain gear, gaiters, Brent's wearing his Ray Ban sunglasses and his Tilley hat which barely covers his red buff.
Ultimate gacked out backpackers meet local street gang. Probably not the best street to walk down that day.
Let's just say that the Otahuhu street gang doesn't like it when you come through their neighbourhood. We were walking targets. They started following us asking about where we were from. I didn't really enjoy the feeling I was getting from them. I was already exhausted at this point in time. All they had to do was blow on our packs and we would have fallen over. They stayed on us down the street. Lucky for us their colour of preference was BLUE. They quickly noticed Brent was not supporting the local colour. They didn't enjoy that so much.
They let us know. Informing us that the next time we walked through these parts, it was best to wear the proper colour.
Don't worry, we won't be walking through here anymore.
One of the guys was decent. He was wondering why we would walk their country and asked if we were okay for money. The other guys wanted to know if we had money. Their interest was less in our well being. The biggest guy sucker punched Brent a little bit too hard, then they let us be. We didn't pay any attention to their intimidation, and that was probably the only thing that got us past this area.
Our walk from Auckland was not what I would call picturesque. We decided to follow the Great South Road from the city. It is the longest road from Auckland (that isn't a highway). We thought it was the best idea since this road would get us close to Hamilton before we would have to rely on side roads that turn in every direction. What a map doesn't show you is what areas you will be walking through and what kind of reputation they may have. So, the great south road is NOT an ideal road to take - and if you are planning to travel through Auckland to Hamilton, stick to the highway!
Today's post is brought to you from Hamilton. Very happy to say we are leaving today. Another three days in one city. It's too much for us. We want to see the country, and today we set out for Raglan and the west coast.
Much has happened since we last posted. Needless to say, it's been a very rough first week in New Zealand. "Discouraging" would be the best word for our start from Auckland. "Failure" is another word that comes to mind. Something that has been running through my head off and on since arriving in Manakau City. Phone cards are a cheap way to call home for advice. :) And it's comforting to know that even half way around the world, your parents can encourage you when you think you have fallen into deep pits of mud.
Today has been 80% sunny, and only 20% rainy. Rain actually doesn't bother us too much. We paid premium for our Goretex coats - and they are worth at least 10x the price. :) The storms roll into the cities one right after the other. It's been a wet winter the Kiwis say. Funny enough, when we left Toronto, I was beginning to think it was a wet summer. I actually expect the weather to be this way in New Zealand. Every day you see the sun, every day you see the rain. It comes hard and fast sometimes without much warning. The wind zips in and takes you by surprise. But just as quickly, it all settles down, and the sun breaks through the clouds. It's funny to think this is winter for this part of the world.
Walking down the Great South Road out of Auckland, we came across a group of five local Maori teenagers. Bored probably. Watching over their neighbourhood in more ways then one. One of the boys stood holding a beat up silver ghetto blaster, music blarring from the speakers as loud as it could be, hauling it around with one free hand as they all sit on the street bench listening to the beats and surveying the neighbourhood.
The Otahuhu street gang from the Great South Road.
They found an interest in us. Probably because we stuck out like a sore thumb. The two of us, weighted down by way too much weight, drapping over our trecking poles, huffing down the street. Dehydrated, exhausted. Two caucasians walking with our Goretex rain gear, gaiters, Brent's wearing his Ray Ban sunglasses and his Tilley hat which barely covers his red buff.
Ultimate gacked out backpackers meet local street gang. Probably not the best street to walk down that day.
Let's just say that the Otahuhu street gang doesn't like it when you come through their neighbourhood. We were walking targets. They started following us asking about where we were from. I didn't really enjoy the feeling I was getting from them. I was already exhausted at this point in time. All they had to do was blow on our packs and we would have fallen over. They stayed on us down the street. Lucky for us their colour of preference was BLUE. They quickly noticed Brent was not supporting the local colour. They didn't enjoy that so much.
They let us know. Informing us that the next time we walked through these parts, it was best to wear the proper colour.
Don't worry, we won't be walking through here anymore.
One of the guys was decent. He was wondering why we would walk their country and asked if we were okay for money. The other guys wanted to know if we had money. Their interest was less in our well being. The biggest guy sucker punched Brent a little bit too hard, then they let us be. We didn't pay any attention to their intimidation, and that was probably the only thing that got us past this area.
Our walk from Auckland was not what I would call picturesque. We decided to follow the Great South Road from the city. It is the longest road from Auckland (that isn't a highway). We thought it was the best idea since this road would get us close to Hamilton before we would have to rely on side roads that turn in every direction. What a map doesn't show you is what areas you will be walking through and what kind of reputation they may have. So, the great south road is NOT an ideal road to take - and if you are planning to travel through Auckland to Hamilton, stick to the highway!
Today's post is brought to you from Hamilton. Very happy to say we are leaving today. Another three days in one city. It's too much for us. We want to see the country, and today we set out for Raglan and the west coast.
Much has happened since we last posted. Needless to say, it's been a very rough first week in New Zealand. "Discouraging" would be the best word for our start from Auckland. "Failure" is another word that comes to mind. Something that has been running through my head off and on since arriving in Manakau City. Phone cards are a cheap way to call home for advice. :) And it's comforting to know that even half way around the world, your parents can encourage you when you think you have fallen into deep pits of mud.
Today has been 80% sunny, and only 20% rainy. Rain actually doesn't bother us too much. We paid premium for our Goretex coats - and they are worth at least 10x the price. :) The storms roll into the cities one right after the other. It's been a wet winter the Kiwis say. Funny enough, when we left Toronto, I was beginning to think it was a wet summer. I actually expect the weather to be this way in New Zealand. Every day you see the sun, every day you see the rain. It comes hard and fast sometimes without much warning. The wind zips in and takes you by surprise. But just as quickly, it all settles down, and the sun breaks through the clouds. It's funny to think this is winter for this part of the world.
Recap. The first week has not been fully enjoyable. Three long days in Auckland. We were tired by 5pm each night. The first night in town, we fell asleep sitting on a bench in a Domino's Pizza waiting for our dinner (cheap dinner that went far!!). A group of American tourists let us know that we missed our order. To be fair, we woke up around 2am on the plane that morning - NZ time. We were exhausted. But it seemed to be every night we were tired by early evening. There wasn't much going on in the city either, so that didn't help. We thought about checking out "The Dark Knight", but the movie cost $23 / person. Uhhhhh.....
As I mentioned earlier, neither of us truly enjoyed Auckland so much. It is probably a wonderful place in the summer - but I would imagine it's nicer on the islands around Auckland. Which are pricey to ferry out to. Three nights was too long.
We set out on the 1st of August. It took us two hours until I finally broke and we went to a Post Shop to downsize our packs again. We had shipped one load of items home to my parents(opening the safety deposit box here is WAY too pricey - as opposed to Canadian prices). We shipped our duffle bag ahead to Hamilton. And this time we sorted through both of our packs to ship ahead another 13lbs. Neither of us know how much our packs weighed then or even how much they weigh now. I think I was carrying somewhere between 45lbs-50lbs (I should be carrying 30!!!) and Brent might have been somewhere around 60lbs-65lbs (he should be around 50-55). It was too much.
Even after downsizing our packs at the post shop, we were defeated. We had exhausted our bodies and from this point on fought through the first day of hiking. Passing through Otahuhu, stopping for dinner and then trying to make our way to Manakau City for the night. The original goal was Papakura. We weren't even close by four o'clock. When we happened upon another 'rough' patch on the road, neither of us could fathom going any further. All we wanted to do was find a taxi cab to get us to an accomodation for the night. And we couldn't find a payphone that accepted coins - only cards. Something we didn't have. Ugh.
We walked over to a Cheesecake shop around the corner to use their phone. Brent spoke to the owner who said he could call a cab for us. At the same time a scottish woman walked into the store to pick up a cake for the evening and when the shop owner asked for her opinion about places to stay in the area, she offered to drive us down the street to an inn for the night. An invitation we couldn't refuse.
We spent the night in a run down Quality Inn. Most of the night in tears of defeat. It was a terrible night. Our bodies were in ruin. No training could have prepared us for this walk. We were carrying too much weight. We never would have been able to prepare for the scale of our bags.
Blisters, our feet were spared. Brent's hips however, suffered deep blistering. It still looks like someone took a lash and crossed both of his hips with a violent strike. My hips were bruised. Our legs are only now healed from the long treck.
What would happen of our mission. To walk the country. It took me a long time to come to terms with our situation. If we didn't have people pocketed throughout the country able to hold some of our gear for long periods of time, we couldn't do this mission. We couldn't carry everything that we needed to do the trip safely through the four seasons, through the different parts of the country (alpine included). It was too much weight.
I felt like a failure. Stepping into the scottish woman's car was bittersweet. I lasted a day. It was painful. My soul still hurts from that decision. Everything I had planned and prepared for. Gone.
The next day we made the last part of the treck to the Manakau City bus terminal and decided to catch a bus to Hamilton to wait for our mail packages. People honking their horns at the sight of us on the sidewalk trekking away. A local Maori gentleman stopping us to ask what our poles were for - wanting to shake our hands and welcome us to his country. Everyone we spoke to in manakau seemed really impressed that we had walked from downtown Auckland to this point. I guess something to make us feel a bit better inside. The bus ride was quiet. Rolling hills of farm land, the real New Zealand that I dreamt of was finally showing itself. Along with flooded farmlands, devastated by the storms that have passed through the entire country recently. The damage was everywhere. The rivers are swollen, apparently worse then they could have been, but they opened waterways from two nearby lakes. Overwhelming the lower farm lands.
Hamilton.
A city south of Auckland. A hub for some travellers, as it is easy to access Raglan, Taupo, Waitamo, Rotorua and other places so quickly. But honestly, there is nothing to this city. It was a great change from Auckland. More peaceful. We spent three nights (again too many!!!) waiting for our mail to show up and figure out what we would do next. Personally, I felt like the trip was ruined. I didn't know how to rethink what I had wanted to do for so long. I couldn't see the logical alternative to walking the country. I was feeling blah. J's backpackers. They offered a free pick up from the bus terminal, so we logically picked them for a place to stay. We couldn't walk anymore.
Quaint and cozy. Friendly. And by the river. We walked into town the first evening. Trying to clear our minds of all the emotions we were going through. The river swollen over the footpaths nearby. It was impressive to see the damage done by all the rain. It rains every day, but not as bad as it must have before we arrived.
We thought about renting a car for part of the trip. We could drive to the parks and do the tracks and spend nights in the huts in the mountains. But that wasn't practical. Renting a vehicle outside of Auckland was very expensive. In Auckland, it's more competitive, so the rates are unbelievably cheap. We spoke to our hostel hostess Fiona, and she suggested we look into buying a car. Her mom's late husband used to work at a place in town that likes to help out backpackers. It was an option we had to ponder. But with rental prices the way they were, it wasn't hard to think about buying a car over renting.
We spent our time in Hamilton shopping. For a fourth friend for our trip. Not how we envisioned our trip at all. Spending days at a time in city centres running around in circles.
Car shopping. What is this? What are we doing? Is this really happening?
The good, the bad, the ugly. Luckily, I have gone through the process of shopping for a used car before, so we weren't going into it blindly. Cheap is what we wanted. Reliable was important. Working was crucial. White smoke shaky cars - they were no good. And people were trying to sell them.
How it works here is when a person comes in to buy a car, they usually come with a trade in. The dealership either keeps the trade in on the lot (they usually sell quickly) or sends it to the auction to make their money back.
We saw all sorts of cars. Even one that had a new ignition installed. It had been stolen previously, and people were using screw drivers to drive it around. Rough. And they wanted $3000 for it.
That was Hamilton. Car shopping. Getting to know the downtown core. Way too much. Enjoying the backpacker lifestyle while meeting people in the hostel.
Everything that happened, happened for a reason. I don't know where we're headed next.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Spaghetti on toast
Two things I've noticed right away from being here only three short days. Kiwis eat very strange food and crossing the street is VERY DANGEROUS.
First - the food. Brent and I decided to have a big breakfast yesterday. Thinking that Auckland, being an English colony, would be big on breakfast, we thought it would be a simple task. Not so. It took us the better part of an hour and a bit to find one place in the central part of Auckland (the downtown core). Their breakfast options are quite simple - which was good for Brent who just wanted a generic "big breakfast", but not so good if you like omellettes. Looking at the menu you begin to wonder what meal they are serving or what time of day it is. You can order toast or even a toasted sandwich with your choice of toppings. The first topping on the list, of course, is spaghetti. Cause what else would I want to put on toasted bread? We must be missing something in Canada. I didn't order it - but was very curious about what the excitement was.
Second - walking the streets here feels dangerous. Maybe it was tiredness the first day - but what's the reason for day 2 & 3?? Look RIGHT then LEFT. I keep saying it out loud for Brent and myself, especially after I almost stepped in front of a turning vehicle. Oh, and even when the pedestrian light is on, drivers will turn into you if they wish. It is not a very pedestrian friendly road system. Being in the downtown part of the city helps a bit, because Auckland has the pedestrian light where you can go in any direction. I feel safe there. :)
Auckland. I can't say we've spent a good amount of time in the city being 'touristy'. We have been busy planning and prepping our trip. Speaking to the DOC (which didnt' offer much help as their office was flooded out, so we must wait until we get to Hamilton), setting up our bank account, picking up the last bit of our gear, planning our routes and trying to find the right maps (impossible mission - unbeknowst to us), and downsizing our ridiculous packs. We have been reviewing our gear and getting rid of as much of it as possible. Shipping the 'extra' gear home to be tended after by my parents. (sorry mom & dad - more stuff!!) :)
We looked into renting a safety deposit box here, but the prices are ridiculous. You can get a box in Canada for under 100$. Here, the lowest we found was $337.50. So gear goes home instead of waiting for us to return in 11 months.
Our backpacks close properly now - which is a good thing, but Brent's not happy with how his weight is sitting just yet, and my pack is still too heavy. We're going to try something else tonight in hopes of finding the right solution for our needs. We start the 11month+ trecking tomorrow.
The first leg of our trip is slightly disappointing. Street walking to Hamilton - 129kms away. I think it took a toll on us emotionally. There are no tracks/trails in the area at all. No camping for a few hundred kms, and the DOC huts are only on the tracks which are in the parks and surrounding areas - again still quite far away. We thought that the Te Araroa trail would offer information between Auckland and Hamilton - but that part of the trail has not been formed yet. So we start on the streets. Not picturesque and quite rough to walk (road walking can take its toll after a while). We regroup in Hamilton and figure out our path from that point on.
This is a slight set back for us too in terms of camping. There are no options, so we're either motel'n this leg or staying in hostels (if they are available). We'll keep you posted on our achievements. :)
The flight over to Auckland was great. Brent's first time flying - and both rides were smooth. Kind of annoyed that Air Canada changed our seat from window to the middle of the plane, but Brent preferred it since it was his first flight. The AC staff were really sour. It's like they hated their jobs. Worst - we were told we would get a meal on our plane - and for 22$ we probably could have bought plastic pizzas, carrot sticks and two drinks. Ew? So Anna's candy package helped tide us over until Vancouver. We split a personal pan pizza at the airport waiting for our connection flight, then ate on the plane. It was a fight to stay awake just to eat. It was probably 2am for us (Ontario time) when we had dinner. Slept for about 5-6 hours - which is good, cause for the last two nights before the trip, there was very little sleeping to be had. Spent the rest of the time watching movies and discovering all that Air New Zealand had to offer. It was a great flight, great crew, great food (except for the pesto chicken dinner i almost ate). We had our window seats in a great location behind the Left wing. It was unfortunate that we spent all but a 1/2 hr of the flight in the dark.
We're staying at the Quadrant hotel, a hip place right near the downtown core. We flew in right after a horrible weather system hit the entire country. There is mass flooding everywhere. The northland and the east coast of the North Island have flooded roadways, saw tornadoes, and are having a hard time drying out as more rain pounds down on the country. It was rainy the first day we were here. Yesterday, the showers came and went, what I would expect from Auckland. Today, so far, clear blue skies.
We are going to do the coast to coast walk today. Hopefully we are able to find a grocery store and a binn inn to make scroggin'. At the moment, we're just trying to figure out what to do with our package to send home.
That's it for now. Day 3 in New Zealand. Not much exciting to report. (There was that crazy 80's lady that hugged us on our first dayAuckland - an action that was filmed by a small crew - maybe for some local show that we'll never see.) At the moment, Auckland is not where we want to be right now. It simply feels like a very expensive version of Toronto, with more hills and a smaller tower. We both think 3 days was too many. The ocean is beautiful, we just haven't had the time to enjoy it just yet.
Once we get on the road I think we'll both feel a lot better. And once we get past Hamilton and can start camping, we'll feel amazing!! :)
Talk to you from Hamilton.
First - the food. Brent and I decided to have a big breakfast yesterday. Thinking that Auckland, being an English colony, would be big on breakfast, we thought it would be a simple task. Not so. It took us the better part of an hour and a bit to find one place in the central part of Auckland (the downtown core). Their breakfast options are quite simple - which was good for Brent who just wanted a generic "big breakfast", but not so good if you like omellettes. Looking at the menu you begin to wonder what meal they are serving or what time of day it is. You can order toast or even a toasted sandwich with your choice of toppings. The first topping on the list, of course, is spaghetti. Cause what else would I want to put on toasted bread? We must be missing something in Canada. I didn't order it - but was very curious about what the excitement was.
Second - walking the streets here feels dangerous. Maybe it was tiredness the first day - but what's the reason for day 2 & 3?? Look RIGHT then LEFT. I keep saying it out loud for Brent and myself, especially after I almost stepped in front of a turning vehicle. Oh, and even when the pedestrian light is on, drivers will turn into you if they wish. It is not a very pedestrian friendly road system. Being in the downtown part of the city helps a bit, because Auckland has the pedestrian light where you can go in any direction. I feel safe there. :)
Auckland. I can't say we've spent a good amount of time in the city being 'touristy'. We have been busy planning and prepping our trip. Speaking to the DOC (which didnt' offer much help as their office was flooded out, so we must wait until we get to Hamilton), setting up our bank account, picking up the last bit of our gear, planning our routes and trying to find the right maps (impossible mission - unbeknowst to us), and downsizing our ridiculous packs. We have been reviewing our gear and getting rid of as much of it as possible. Shipping the 'extra' gear home to be tended after by my parents. (sorry mom & dad - more stuff!!) :)
We looked into renting a safety deposit box here, but the prices are ridiculous. You can get a box in Canada for under 100$. Here, the lowest we found was $337.50. So gear goes home instead of waiting for us to return in 11 months.
Our backpacks close properly now - which is a good thing, but Brent's not happy with how his weight is sitting just yet, and my pack is still too heavy. We're going to try something else tonight in hopes of finding the right solution for our needs. We start the 11month+ trecking tomorrow.
The first leg of our trip is slightly disappointing. Street walking to Hamilton - 129kms away. I think it took a toll on us emotionally. There are no tracks/trails in the area at all. No camping for a few hundred kms, and the DOC huts are only on the tracks which are in the parks and surrounding areas - again still quite far away. We thought that the Te Araroa trail would offer information between Auckland and Hamilton - but that part of the trail has not been formed yet. So we start on the streets. Not picturesque and quite rough to walk (road walking can take its toll after a while). We regroup in Hamilton and figure out our path from that point on.
This is a slight set back for us too in terms of camping. There are no options, so we're either motel'n this leg or staying in hostels (if they are available). We'll keep you posted on our achievements. :)
The flight over to Auckland was great. Brent's first time flying - and both rides were smooth. Kind of annoyed that Air Canada changed our seat from window to the middle of the plane, but Brent preferred it since it was his first flight. The AC staff were really sour. It's like they hated their jobs. Worst - we were told we would get a meal on our plane - and for 22$ we probably could have bought plastic pizzas, carrot sticks and two drinks. Ew? So Anna's candy package helped tide us over until Vancouver. We split a personal pan pizza at the airport waiting for our connection flight, then ate on the plane. It was a fight to stay awake just to eat. It was probably 2am for us (Ontario time) when we had dinner. Slept for about 5-6 hours - which is good, cause for the last two nights before the trip, there was very little sleeping to be had. Spent the rest of the time watching movies and discovering all that Air New Zealand had to offer. It was a great flight, great crew, great food (except for the pesto chicken dinner i almost ate). We had our window seats in a great location behind the Left wing. It was unfortunate that we spent all but a 1/2 hr of the flight in the dark.
We're staying at the Quadrant hotel, a hip place right near the downtown core. We flew in right after a horrible weather system hit the entire country. There is mass flooding everywhere. The northland and the east coast of the North Island have flooded roadways, saw tornadoes, and are having a hard time drying out as more rain pounds down on the country. It was rainy the first day we were here. Yesterday, the showers came and went, what I would expect from Auckland. Today, so far, clear blue skies.
We are going to do the coast to coast walk today. Hopefully we are able to find a grocery store and a binn inn to make scroggin'. At the moment, we're just trying to figure out what to do with our package to send home.
That's it for now. Day 3 in New Zealand. Not much exciting to report. (There was that crazy 80's lady that hugged us on our first dayAuckland - an action that was filmed by a small crew - maybe for some local show that we'll never see.) At the moment, Auckland is not where we want to be right now. It simply feels like a very expensive version of Toronto, with more hills and a smaller tower. We both think 3 days was too many. The ocean is beautiful, we just haven't had the time to enjoy it just yet.
Once we get on the road I think we'll both feel a lot better. And once we get past Hamilton and can start camping, we'll feel amazing!! :)
Talk to you from Hamilton.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
