I have been so fortunate to have traveled as much of the world as I have in my 23 years. And, because I've been to several countries, exploring three different continents (yep, still 4 more to go!!), I get asked lots of questions! But the question that I am indubitably asked the most is:
"How in the world do you afford to go so many places!?"
Well, just like we all wish there were a magic pill to weight loss, we all wish we had that one special tree growing in our very own backyard - you know, the one that money grows on?
*moment to daydream...*
Unfortunately, scientists have yet to graft the $$$ tree $$$, which means that we must resort to other means. Each time I travel, I learn new ways of saving as much money as I can! Which most often just means finding ways not to spend it... Because, in my mind, the more I save of the money I already have, the less time and energy I have to use up making more money!
Now, many of my "money saving" tactics might not sit well with you and your ideals of "proper travel." But, I am far from a proper traveler! Some of you might think, "That's brilliant! I am totally doing that the next time I go somewhere!!" Either way, this blog post is dedicated to things I've done during my travels in New Zealand to avoid making a massive dent (or gaping black hole...) in my bank account.
1.) Being lucky.
So much of my money saving has been because of luck. Luck with the people I meet, the places I visit, and just life in general. But, luck can only get you so far, so we won't dwell here...
2.) Being friendly to EVERYONE. (even if you're hungover or in grumpy mood, okay?)
It's just like the saying goes, "A little smile goes a long way."
3.) Hitchhiking.
I have yet to pay for any mode of transportation since I left Auckland. Safe hitchhiking comes with the territory though. NZ is known for being pretty safe for hitchhikers. Traveling to other countries? Hitchhiking might not be such a grand idea...
4.) Couchsurfing.
What an AWESOME way to meet locals and get a free place to sleep and shower! And, if you're lucky, you might get to do your laundry for free! And your host might even cook for ya - a huge and delicious bonus :-9
Go to www.couchsurfing.org to sign up!
Host, surf, or just meet for coffee :-)
5.) Working for accommodation.
This has got to be one of the coolest, money saving things I've been able to do in New Zealand! Depending on availability, you can clean at a hostel for just a couple hours a day and stay there for free! (Each hostel varies, but some let their workers use the laundry facilities for free (inexpensive ways to clean clothes to follow...) or use the internet for free (free internet ideas to follow too!).
6.) Free laundry ideas!
In NZ, it costs around $8 NZD to wash and dry one load of laundry. Crazy right? For my first month in NZ, I refused to pay for laundry. So, I washed my clothes by hand in the industrial sized sink and dried them on the washline outside. (A bit of elbow grease never hurt anyone, right?) Otherwise, like I said before, you might get lucky and get a couchsurfing host who will let you use their machine. As luck would have it (tactic #1!), the hostel that I am working at now gives their workers free laundry usage. Whoop whoop!! :-)
7.) Finding free internet.
Crazy thing about Kiwis - they charge exorbent amounts for their internet usage! Typically $6-8 NZD for one hour. It's highway robbery I tell ya... But, to get out of this, most libraries in NZ have free internet/wireless and even some McDonald's (although I have yet to find one that does...). Or, if you're like me, just land a winter job at an internet cafe and you get free internet access whenever you like! (Again, tactic #1...)
8.) Befriend people who know important people who know key people who can give you free stuff.
Eh, pretty self-explainatory. Refer to tactic #2 for help. :-)
So, yeah. That's about the jist of it!
Any questions? Comments? More money saving ideas??
Email - guavanna@gmail.com or comment below!
Happy cheap travels!
Anna xx
Saturday, May 22
Sunday, May 16
The Joys of Sledging and Impromptu Photoshoots!
After doing the infamous Tongariro Crossing nearly three weeks ago, I had an awesome couchsurfing stay in Rotorua (aka “RotoVegas” or “Sulfur City”) and, despite the rather rainy weather, was able to do lots of cool stuff in that stinky, eggy city!
First off, I was fed fresh trout 3 times in the first 24 hours of my stay with my two superb couchsurfing hosts, Daniel and Bheema. Daniel is originally from Germany and Bheema hails from South Africa. The two have been friends for over 10 years and are the creators behind the musical sounds of 'Skelm.' Daniel plays the guitar, harmonica, and ankle bells and Bheema plucks out the jams on his double bass. So, on my first night there, I received a personal concert from the talented duo! Very awesome.
Besides the fresh trout, I got to eat all the feijoas my heart desired! Feijoas are a NZ fruit, green on the outside and you eat them like you would a kiwifruit – sliced down the middle and scoop out the insides. Delish!
The Kaituna River in Rotorua is famous for it's whitewater rafting and sledging adventures! I had never heard of sledging before, so I figured I would give it a go! Basically, you have control of your own 'sledge' which is this partial raft thingy that you rest your chest on and grip the handlebars. You steer with your flippered feet and by turning your sledge with your upper body and hips. My group (in which I was the SOLE female...) maneuvered through rapids, rested in the eddies, and glided along the river. It was really fun but I was surprised by how much effort it took to propel and steer the sledge! We also got to “surf” the rapids with the sledge which rad as! Our photographer was close by at all times to take some good action shots of all the, well, action!
The time in the water went by quickly. I definitely could have played around in the water a bit longer, but I know I would have gotten tuckered out pretty quick! All in all though, a thrilling and super fun river ride!
On one of the non-rainy days, I decided to go on a tramp up and around Ruato Bay which is where I was staying at Daniel and Bheema's (about 25 km out of Rotorua). The first part of the tramp goes straight uphill, so it was a good workout. Most of it goes through the bush and is really lush, green, and beautiful. So quiet and remote in the bush as well. All I could hear was the tink, tink, slosh of my Sigg water bottle in my backpack.
The hike took me nearly 2 hours, and I ended up in this massive crater! So so cool. The trees just towered up on all sides and the whole inside of the crater was mostly long grass and small trees. What a good tramp with a really sweet finale!
Daniel and Bheema had a gig at the Rotorua Night Market so I got to tag along as their groupie! It was a beautiful night, and I was excited to see them perform, doing what they do best :-)
I was just standing there, enjoying the music, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. This guy, with a camera in hand, goes, “Hi! Are you busy at all by chance? I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing us a favor and being in a photo shoot?” I'm like, absolutely!!! Turns out, these guys, Dean and Mikel, are taking photographs for a BNZ (an NZ bank) advert! They had found a guy, Clay, to be their male model but he needed a “girl friend” to walk around the market and be couple-y with! So, I got to be the girl! It was so much fun!! Clay and I had to pretend to be a couple and the guys kept joking that they were really a match making company posing as photographers. Haha, nice ;-)
It was so interesting to be involved in the photoshoot! Every shot took a good amount of time to set up and then when they did snap the picture, we had to do everything veeerry slowly. But it was so much fun! The guys forked over money for Clay to buy me a bouquet of flowers and then later for us to get some baked goods from the market. I got a lemon cake and Clay got a raspberry cheesecake! MhmMM! Sooooo good! Awesome bonus for being the shoot's “talent.” :-D
We got to spend a good amount of time standing in front of Daniel and Bheema while they played music, so that was great. Listening to some awesome live music and being in a photoshoot! How completely random! Rotorua very much exceeded my expectations. In the most positive way!! But, it does smell...something I don't think I would ever really get used to if I lived there.
For my last day in Rotorua, Daniel and Bheema took me for a walk through the Redwoods. It was so nice! And then we all went to the local hot(cold) spot of Hot and Cold. It was so cool! It was a place where two river's merged - one is hot and the other is cold! Crazy cool! So, you could pick your temperature and move closer to one river or the other depending on your preference. So relaxing too :-)
Then, I was off to Taupo, the adventure capital of the North Island! I had gotten a cleaning job working for accommodation at a hostel in town, Blackcurrant Backpackers, so the plan was to stay and work for two weeks and then keep heading south.
Well, this past Friday, the 14th marked my two weeks, and I'm still here in Taupo! And this is because.....
* Drum Roll!! *
I got a job!! Wahoo! I was in Taupo for less then a week when I got hired as Store Supervisor for the internet cafe in town called “Cybershed.” It's really the perfect time for me to find work and settle down in one place for a while. I've traveled NZ for nearly 3 months so far and since the winter is coming, (and, yes, there is no denying that the winter is coming! It has gotten so cold at night!! The sun goes down and poof! brrrr!!! Time for hats and mittens...) I was hoping to work for a few months, make some money, and then continue my travels. So, the timing is excellent!
Cybershed is a really cool place to work too. The other staff are so friendly and easy to get on with, and I get to meet and greet loads of backpackers and locals coming in to use the internet, burn DVDs, make copies, etc. It's a pretty sweet job. And the free internet for myself is a nice perk as well! So, I am excited to have gotten the position and looking forward to bundling up for the winter season in Taupo, NZ!
Lake Taupo (this MASSIVE lake formed when a volcano exploded however many years ago…) is a big part of what makes Taupo so beautiful – with Mt. Tongariro as the backdrop, it's just a gorgeous site! Taupo is also home to the Huka Falls attraction, so on my first weekend here, I mountain biked to the falls with three of my staff mates! The trail was a bit tricky to navigate at times, mostly when it was super steep or going downhill with sandy and loose gravel. There were lots of times where I had to stop and walk my bike up the hills because they were so steep! But it was an awesome work out!
The falls were cool to see too. Loads of water! The jet boats go right up to the falls too, which was kinda cool to watch. We decided to take the road back to Taupo, but not before I fell for the second time that day onto my knee. Apparently, I don't have much respect for my left knee...haha, all scratched up and badly bruised from falling over two too many times! Ah well, as my friend says, “It gives character.” :-)
The other cool thing that has been going on in Taupo for the last 2 weeks has been the “Erupt Festival.” This is a 10 day festival focusing on local, national, and international talent in the arts – dance, music, theater, etc. I was hoping to see at least one show, but the tickets were kind of on the steep side – no good for a backpackers budget. But, working at the Blackcurrant Hostel really has it's perks! I received free tickets to 5 different events! Within the course of a 4 day weekend, I saw a theater production, a juggling/comedy act, a Maori dance performance, an outdoor concert featuring local musicians, and another comedy act! My very favorite one was the Maori dance performance. It is so cool to be able to see another culture's dance and musical chants. I was completely enraptured the entire time! It was very tribal and raw with lots of Maori speak and was definitely a powerful and wholly energetic performance. All thumbs way up!
It will be interesting to stay put in one place for a while. But, I feel really comfortable in Taupo. It's beautiful and has a nice, casual but steady pace to the lifestyle. Lots of fun restaurants and cafes for me to check out too! Big library, lots of walking tracks, and loads of adventure sports (like, skydiving!!) for me to pass the winter days with :-) So, bring on the winter! (I've already got my hot water bottle all ready to go ;-)
First off, I was fed fresh trout 3 times in the first 24 hours of my stay with my two superb couchsurfing hosts, Daniel and Bheema. Daniel is originally from Germany and Bheema hails from South Africa. The two have been friends for over 10 years and are the creators behind the musical sounds of 'Skelm.' Daniel plays the guitar, harmonica, and ankle bells and Bheema plucks out the jams on his double bass. So, on my first night there, I received a personal concert from the talented duo! Very awesome.
Besides the fresh trout, I got to eat all the feijoas my heart desired! Feijoas are a NZ fruit, green on the outside and you eat them like you would a kiwifruit – sliced down the middle and scoop out the insides. Delish!
The Kaituna River in Rotorua is famous for it's whitewater rafting and sledging adventures! I had never heard of sledging before, so I figured I would give it a go! Basically, you have control of your own 'sledge' which is this partial raft thingy that you rest your chest on and grip the handlebars. You steer with your flippered feet and by turning your sledge with your upper body and hips. My group (in which I was the SOLE female...) maneuvered through rapids, rested in the eddies, and glided along the river. It was really fun but I was surprised by how much effort it took to propel and steer the sledge! We also got to “surf” the rapids with the sledge which rad as! Our photographer was close by at all times to take some good action shots of all the, well, action!
The time in the water went by quickly. I definitely could have played around in the water a bit longer, but I know I would have gotten tuckered out pretty quick! All in all though, a thrilling and super fun river ride!
On one of the non-rainy days, I decided to go on a tramp up and around Ruato Bay which is where I was staying at Daniel and Bheema's (about 25 km out of Rotorua). The first part of the tramp goes straight uphill, so it was a good workout. Most of it goes through the bush and is really lush, green, and beautiful. So quiet and remote in the bush as well. All I could hear was the tink, tink, slosh of my Sigg water bottle in my backpack.
The hike took me nearly 2 hours, and I ended up in this massive crater! So so cool. The trees just towered up on all sides and the whole inside of the crater was mostly long grass and small trees. What a good tramp with a really sweet finale!
Daniel and Bheema had a gig at the Rotorua Night Market so I got to tag along as their groupie! It was a beautiful night, and I was excited to see them perform, doing what they do best :-)
I was just standing there, enjoying the music, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. This guy, with a camera in hand, goes, “Hi! Are you busy at all by chance? I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing us a favor and being in a photo shoot?” I'm like, absolutely!!! Turns out, these guys, Dean and Mikel, are taking photographs for a BNZ (an NZ bank) advert! They had found a guy, Clay, to be their male model but he needed a “girl friend” to walk around the market and be couple-y with! So, I got to be the girl! It was so much fun!! Clay and I had to pretend to be a couple and the guys kept joking that they were really a match making company posing as photographers. Haha, nice ;-)
It was so interesting to be involved in the photoshoot! Every shot took a good amount of time to set up and then when they did snap the picture, we had to do everything veeerry slowly. But it was so much fun! The guys forked over money for Clay to buy me a bouquet of flowers and then later for us to get some baked goods from the market. I got a lemon cake and Clay got a raspberry cheesecake! MhmMM! Sooooo good! Awesome bonus for being the shoot's “talent.” :-D
We got to spend a good amount of time standing in front of Daniel and Bheema while they played music, so that was great. Listening to some awesome live music and being in a photoshoot! How completely random! Rotorua very much exceeded my expectations. In the most positive way!! But, it does smell...something I don't think I would ever really get used to if I lived there.
For my last day in Rotorua, Daniel and Bheema took me for a walk through the Redwoods. It was so nice! And then we all went to the local hot(cold) spot of Hot and Cold. It was so cool! It was a place where two river's merged - one is hot and the other is cold! Crazy cool! So, you could pick your temperature and move closer to one river or the other depending on your preference. So relaxing too :-)
Then, I was off to Taupo, the adventure capital of the North Island! I had gotten a cleaning job working for accommodation at a hostel in town, Blackcurrant Backpackers, so the plan was to stay and work for two weeks and then keep heading south.
Well, this past Friday, the 14th marked my two weeks, and I'm still here in Taupo! And this is because.....
* Drum Roll!! *
I got a job!! Wahoo! I was in Taupo for less then a week when I got hired as Store Supervisor for the internet cafe in town called “Cybershed.” It's really the perfect time for me to find work and settle down in one place for a while. I've traveled NZ for nearly 3 months so far and since the winter is coming, (and, yes, there is no denying that the winter is coming! It has gotten so cold at night!! The sun goes down and poof! brrrr!!! Time for hats and mittens...) I was hoping to work for a few months, make some money, and then continue my travels. So, the timing is excellent!
Cybershed is a really cool place to work too. The other staff are so friendly and easy to get on with, and I get to meet and greet loads of backpackers and locals coming in to use the internet, burn DVDs, make copies, etc. It's a pretty sweet job. And the free internet for myself is a nice perk as well! So, I am excited to have gotten the position and looking forward to bundling up for the winter season in Taupo, NZ!
Lake Taupo (this MASSIVE lake formed when a volcano exploded however many years ago…) is a big part of what makes Taupo so beautiful – with Mt. Tongariro as the backdrop, it's just a gorgeous site! Taupo is also home to the Huka Falls attraction, so on my first weekend here, I mountain biked to the falls with three of my staff mates! The trail was a bit tricky to navigate at times, mostly when it was super steep or going downhill with sandy and loose gravel. There were lots of times where I had to stop and walk my bike up the hills because they were so steep! But it was an awesome work out!
The falls were cool to see too. Loads of water! The jet boats go right up to the falls too, which was kinda cool to watch. We decided to take the road back to Taupo, but not before I fell for the second time that day onto my knee. Apparently, I don't have much respect for my left knee...haha, all scratched up and badly bruised from falling over two too many times! Ah well, as my friend says, “It gives character.” :-)
The other cool thing that has been going on in Taupo for the last 2 weeks has been the “Erupt Festival.” This is a 10 day festival focusing on local, national, and international talent in the arts – dance, music, theater, etc. I was hoping to see at least one show, but the tickets were kind of on the steep side – no good for a backpackers budget. But, working at the Blackcurrant Hostel really has it's perks! I received free tickets to 5 different events! Within the course of a 4 day weekend, I saw a theater production, a juggling/comedy act, a Maori dance performance, an outdoor concert featuring local musicians, and another comedy act! My very favorite one was the Maori dance performance. It is so cool to be able to see another culture's dance and musical chants. I was completely enraptured the entire time! It was very tribal and raw with lots of Maori speak and was definitely a powerful and wholly energetic performance. All thumbs way up!
It will be interesting to stay put in one place for a while. But, I feel really comfortable in Taupo. It's beautiful and has a nice, casual but steady pace to the lifestyle. Lots of fun restaurants and cafes for me to check out too! Big library, lots of walking tracks, and loads of adventure sports (like, skydiving!!) for me to pass the winter days with :-) So, bring on the winter! (I've already got my hot water bottle all ready to go ;-)
Saturday, April 24
The Ladies and the Tramp
Saturday, April 24th – The day to conquer the Tongariro Crossing.
Well, the hike was awesome. All 19.4 km of it! The steep parts were definitely a challenge, and breaks were a must. But the views? - spectacular!
The first part of the hike had us walking along rocky, volcanic stone, past a creak, and by one waterfall. Then, at the second hut, we all took a break and gazed up at the steep climb we were all about to conquer. The climb was mostly stairs which made it much easier (but, there were people RUNNING up the mountain – they must have been completely insane...) Once we got up higher, we were in the clouds! So, the views were obstructed sometimes, but only for short spurts until the clouds cleared. It was kind of cool actually. I was hot going up, but once we reached the first plateau and took a break to wait for the others, I had to put a jacket on cause of the wind and cooler altitude. The girl leading the pack had apparently been doing this particular hike since she was 6 months old! She said her uncle was a volcanologist so he would come up to the mountain to take samples and her parents would come along and bring her with. Cool, eh?
I realized that Mt. Ngauruhoe, which was the first mountain we could see, was the famous mountain they used in Lord of the Rings – Mt. Doom! Good ol' LTR :-)
Then, we walked through this barren, empty part of the crossing called the South Crater, but it was still cool because there were clouds sweeping across the top and at the very base of the land. Then, up another steep climb where you could see for miles and miles. This climb was a bit trickier because of the loose gravel and volcanic rock that slid under your feet. Once we reached the top of the second majorly steep climb (and thankfully, there were only two steep climbs...) we were practically going to be blown off the side of the mountain! It was so windy!! And, we all agreed that it kind of looked like the moon at the very top (or, at least what we imagined the top of the moon would look like). Jen and I climbed to the next highest peak since we wouldn't have enough time to hike all the way to the summit of Mt. Tongariro (which is actually not part of the Tongariro Crossing, just a side trip) and had a stunning view of the bluish/green lakes between the mountains. But, the higher we got, the windier it was so we went back down to find the group and eat our lunch.
Jen and I got to talking and I found out that she is a Health Promoter as well! How cool is that!? It was so fun talking to someone else who knows what Health Promotion is!
On our way to meet everyone else, we passed the Red Crater which looks exactly like it sounds – a MASSIVE red crater! Really cool looking – kind of like how I would imagine hell to look...dark, red, and ominous. We had to practically slide down the next part to reach the Emerald Lakes where our group was waiting. The terrain was soft and sandy and easy to lose your footing on.
When we reach the group we pulled out the celebratory mini bottle of bubbly and each took a sip to celebrate our climb to the top of the mountain!! Woohoo!!
Being near the Emerald Lakes you could smell the sulphur. Stinky!! But it was so beautiful that it was definitely worth the smell. The Blue Lake was next after passing through the Central Crater which was more of the same barren desert look. Still super windy and cold too! I was glad to have my jacket, hat, and mittens with me!
* Side Note – if you ever plan to do this trip, by all means, do not wear blue jeans, jean shorts, or flip flops. There is unprepared tramping, but there is also just stupid tramping. And yes, we did see people wearing all of the above on the hike. They are almost crazier than the ones running up the mountain... *
The tramp was downhill from there. Beautiful views of Lake Taupo as well. The trail became zigzaggy on the way down which we were convinced was completely unnecessary and was only done to prolong the amount of time it took to get to the next hut (aka. toilet!!). We passed by Hot Springs which were unfortunately on private land so we couldn't take advantage of a good hot soak. It also started misting, but not too terribly – just enough for us to enjoy a lovely rainbow. We really had gotten lucky with the weather. Some days, they close the Crossing completely because of wind, rain, or snow. Otherwise, you just have to face whatever elements come your way. And we got the good elements!
The final part of the track was through bush. I felt my legs on auto-pilot towards the end. But, I was feeling really good for the most part and had so enjoyed the hike and the ladies that I had done the hike with! It was the perfect group and the perfect pace. A great day of tramping!!
We were all tuckered out waiting at the carpark for our shuttle to pick us up. I used the most fowl toilet I have ever used in my life – seriously, it was AWFUL. Took pictures in front of the Tongariro Crossing sign and then hopped the bus and dozed the whole way back to the hostel.
The shower at the hostel was amazing. Everything was amazing. Dinner was bean burritos with loads of veggies and avacado and cheese and wedges to boot! Then an evening of mint dark chocolate, wine, and Cranium. It was so much fun! And then the movie “Weekend at Bernie's” before bedtime. What a fantastic day.
Well, the hike was awesome. All 19.4 km of it! The steep parts were definitely a challenge, and breaks were a must. But the views? - spectacular!
The first part of the hike had us walking along rocky, volcanic stone, past a creak, and by one waterfall. Then, at the second hut, we all took a break and gazed up at the steep climb we were all about to conquer. The climb was mostly stairs which made it much easier (but, there were people RUNNING up the mountain – they must have been completely insane...) Once we got up higher, we were in the clouds! So, the views were obstructed sometimes, but only for short spurts until the clouds cleared. It was kind of cool actually. I was hot going up, but once we reached the first plateau and took a break to wait for the others, I had to put a jacket on cause of the wind and cooler altitude. The girl leading the pack had apparently been doing this particular hike since she was 6 months old! She said her uncle was a volcanologist so he would come up to the mountain to take samples and her parents would come along and bring her with. Cool, eh?
I realized that Mt. Ngauruhoe, which was the first mountain we could see, was the famous mountain they used in Lord of the Rings – Mt. Doom! Good ol' LTR :-)
Then, we walked through this barren, empty part of the crossing called the South Crater, but it was still cool because there were clouds sweeping across the top and at the very base of the land. Then, up another steep climb where you could see for miles and miles. This climb was a bit trickier because of the loose gravel and volcanic rock that slid under your feet. Once we reached the top of the second majorly steep climb (and thankfully, there were only two steep climbs...) we were practically going to be blown off the side of the mountain! It was so windy!! And, we all agreed that it kind of looked like the moon at the very top (or, at least what we imagined the top of the moon would look like). Jen and I climbed to the next highest peak since we wouldn't have enough time to hike all the way to the summit of Mt. Tongariro (which is actually not part of the Tongariro Crossing, just a side trip) and had a stunning view of the bluish/green lakes between the mountains. But, the higher we got, the windier it was so we went back down to find the group and eat our lunch.
Jen and I got to talking and I found out that she is a Health Promoter as well! How cool is that!? It was so fun talking to someone else who knows what Health Promotion is!
On our way to meet everyone else, we passed the Red Crater which looks exactly like it sounds – a MASSIVE red crater! Really cool looking – kind of like how I would imagine hell to look...dark, red, and ominous. We had to practically slide down the next part to reach the Emerald Lakes where our group was waiting. The terrain was soft and sandy and easy to lose your footing on.
When we reach the group we pulled out the celebratory mini bottle of bubbly and each took a sip to celebrate our climb to the top of the mountain!! Woohoo!!
Being near the Emerald Lakes you could smell the sulphur. Stinky!! But it was so beautiful that it was definitely worth the smell. The Blue Lake was next after passing through the Central Crater which was more of the same barren desert look. Still super windy and cold too! I was glad to have my jacket, hat, and mittens with me!
* Side Note – if you ever plan to do this trip, by all means, do not wear blue jeans, jean shorts, or flip flops. There is unprepared tramping, but there is also just stupid tramping. And yes, we did see people wearing all of the above on the hike. They are almost crazier than the ones running up the mountain... *
The tramp was downhill from there. Beautiful views of Lake Taupo as well. The trail became zigzaggy on the way down which we were convinced was completely unnecessary and was only done to prolong the amount of time it took to get to the next hut (aka. toilet!!). We passed by Hot Springs which were unfortunately on private land so we couldn't take advantage of a good hot soak. It also started misting, but not too terribly – just enough for us to enjoy a lovely rainbow. We really had gotten lucky with the weather. Some days, they close the Crossing completely because of wind, rain, or snow. Otherwise, you just have to face whatever elements come your way. And we got the good elements!
The final part of the track was through bush. I felt my legs on auto-pilot towards the end. But, I was feeling really good for the most part and had so enjoyed the hike and the ladies that I had done the hike with! It was the perfect group and the perfect pace. A great day of tramping!!
We were all tuckered out waiting at the carpark for our shuttle to pick us up. I used the most fowl toilet I have ever used in my life – seriously, it was AWFUL. Took pictures in front of the Tongariro Crossing sign and then hopped the bus and dozed the whole way back to the hostel.
The shower at the hostel was amazing. Everything was amazing. Dinner was bean burritos with loads of veggies and avacado and cheese and wedges to boot! Then an evening of mint dark chocolate, wine, and Cranium. It was so much fun! And then the movie “Weekend at Bernie's” before bedtime. What a fantastic day.
Friday, April 23
An Escape at Solscape
Solscape, the hostel that I am wwoofing at, just has this awesome chill vibe going on all over the place – as does the whole town of Raglan. It's beautiful, to say the least. The mountains, harbor, ocean, and beaches are just breath taking. But the laidback atmosphere of Solscape and Raglan just make it one of those places where you can find yourself wanting to stick around for longer than you originally planned to. I'm so happy that I decided to stay for longer. And, even though it's a surfing town, I feel like there is still so much to do to be out and active on the water and around the area. Kayaking, biking, walks on the beach...it's everywhere. And this is something that I definitely value in a place where I want to live. Natural beauty, relaxed environment, and not too touristy. Actually, I think that I came to Raglan at the perfect time. Still great weather, but during the change over of the seasons so there are way less people around. Which is totally my style.
I decided to take Andre's kayak out on the harbor again. This time I went the other direction and went straight into the sun. But, that's where the Pancake Rocks were so I wanted to check those out! It was a bit rougher on the water than the other day, but it was still great being out on the water. I really enjoy kayaking – it's so peaceful and calming to me. I biked back up toward Solscape and hit the lookout spot right at sunset. Perfect timing! So, I chilled out and enjoyed the beautiful sky and sea.
Andre invited me and four friends to go wake boarding behind his boat one day! Katie (another Wisconsinite that I met in NZ) and I went tubing first off and just had a blast! I thought my arms were going to fall off...haha. Andre was brutal! But it was so much fun. And neither of us fell off! Woohoo! the boys (Chris and Karl) went next – Lubos played the paparazzi and used his gynormous camera to take photos. So, Katie and I hung out on the beach with the two other CS (couchsurfing) Chillian girls that were staying with Andre.
It was a perfect day outside too. Just slightly cloudy be lots of sun. I went in the boat to take pictures of Lubos wakeboarding. He was great at it! Plus, it was way fun for me to try out his sweet camera :-) The lens on that thing!! So awesome.
I tried wake boarding after the other boys went and was able to get up most of the time, but had a hard time staying up – the footstraps on Lubos' kite board were too big so my feet didn't feel very secure. But, it was way fun nonetheless! Boy, are my arms going to be sore tomorrow.... We all got to watch the sunset before we packed ourselves into the Lubos' van. The sunsets here are just incredible. I don't think I could ever get sick of them.
The weather changed over a bit later that week. I was sleeping in my tent and felt a drop of water on my face. Turns out, my tent isn't exactly rain proof...bummer! So, I spent a half hour locating all the roof leaks (five...) and placing a piece of already partly damp clothing underneath each. Then, I figured it would be a good idea to bring my electronic stuff into the station house, just in case the rain was relentless and soaked my tent. So, I threw on my blue poncho and ducked into the SH. I sprawled out on the SH sofa in my sleeping bag listening to music on my iPod. Needless to say, it was a comfy spot (and DRY!) but with people coming in and out after about 6 am to make breakfast, it wasn't exactly the most quiet spot to be snoozing...
I finally got to try out surfing!! A fellow friend and wwoofer, Karl, agreed to give me a surf lesson so all I had to do was rent a board and a wet suit. Surfing was really fun – although, I was terrible! Haha, but just my first day...things can only go uphill from here right? ;-) I could barely keep my balance on the board to just paddle. But, when Katie showed up at the beach later, she informed me that I probably picked one of the worst days to try out surfing for the first time because the waves were so messy. So, at least it was supposed to be hard and it wasn't all just me!
We played around in the waves for about 2 hours. It was just fun being out in the water and paddle around a bit! I didn't realize how tired I was until the very end. My legs and arms were just like jello! And then we had to make the climb from the beach back up to Solscape...20 minutes uphill. Not exactly something to look forward to after 2 hours of surfing! But, phew, we made it. :-)
One of the evenings at Solscape was filled with loads of people chopping, cutting, and dicing vegetables and whatever else in the kitchen for...drum roll... PIZZA!! And not just any pizza, but clay oven pizza. MmmMM! I was in charge of chopping the garlic, peppers, and whatever else was needed. It was really fun with all the hustle and bustle in the kitchen. There were three different groups who all decided to do pizza night on the same night. So, we just ended up doing one BIG communal pizza night! There were so many pizzas too! Holy wow!! And it was amazing!! Veggies and chewy thin crust. Sooo good. I was stuffed to the brim! And Chris even made a PB and Nutella pizza too for dessert :-9 What a great end to the deliciousness that was...pizza night!
After two full weeks of wwoofing at Solscape, it was time for me to move on. I was invited to join a group of 9 other kiwi women and hike the famous Tongariro Crossing on Saturday, April 24th! This tramp is 19.4 km long and typically takes people 7-8 hours to complete. But it's rated as one of top day hikes in the entire world! Definitely a must-do during my time in New Zealand.
I decided to take Andre's kayak out on the harbor again. This time I went the other direction and went straight into the sun. But, that's where the Pancake Rocks were so I wanted to check those out! It was a bit rougher on the water than the other day, but it was still great being out on the water. I really enjoy kayaking – it's so peaceful and calming to me. I biked back up toward Solscape and hit the lookout spot right at sunset. Perfect timing! So, I chilled out and enjoyed the beautiful sky and sea.
Andre invited me and four friends to go wake boarding behind his boat one day! Katie (another Wisconsinite that I met in NZ) and I went tubing first off and just had a blast! I thought my arms were going to fall off...haha. Andre was brutal! But it was so much fun. And neither of us fell off! Woohoo! the boys (Chris and Karl) went next – Lubos played the paparazzi and used his gynormous camera to take photos. So, Katie and I hung out on the beach with the two other CS (couchsurfing) Chillian girls that were staying with Andre.
It was a perfect day outside too. Just slightly cloudy be lots of sun. I went in the boat to take pictures of Lubos wakeboarding. He was great at it! Plus, it was way fun for me to try out his sweet camera :-) The lens on that thing!! So awesome.
I tried wake boarding after the other boys went and was able to get up most of the time, but had a hard time staying up – the footstraps on Lubos' kite board were too big so my feet didn't feel very secure. But, it was way fun nonetheless! Boy, are my arms going to be sore tomorrow.... We all got to watch the sunset before we packed ourselves into the Lubos' van. The sunsets here are just incredible. I don't think I could ever get sick of them.
The weather changed over a bit later that week. I was sleeping in my tent and felt a drop of water on my face. Turns out, my tent isn't exactly rain proof...bummer! So, I spent a half hour locating all the roof leaks (five...) and placing a piece of already partly damp clothing underneath each. Then, I figured it would be a good idea to bring my electronic stuff into the station house, just in case the rain was relentless and soaked my tent. So, I threw on my blue poncho and ducked into the SH. I sprawled out on the SH sofa in my sleeping bag listening to music on my iPod. Needless to say, it was a comfy spot (and DRY!) but with people coming in and out after about 6 am to make breakfast, it wasn't exactly the most quiet spot to be snoozing...
I finally got to try out surfing!! A fellow friend and wwoofer, Karl, agreed to give me a surf lesson so all I had to do was rent a board and a wet suit. Surfing was really fun – although, I was terrible! Haha, but just my first day...things can only go uphill from here right? ;-) I could barely keep my balance on the board to just paddle. But, when Katie showed up at the beach later, she informed me that I probably picked one of the worst days to try out surfing for the first time because the waves were so messy. So, at least it was supposed to be hard and it wasn't all just me!
We played around in the waves for about 2 hours. It was just fun being out in the water and paddle around a bit! I didn't realize how tired I was until the very end. My legs and arms were just like jello! And then we had to make the climb from the beach back up to Solscape...20 minutes uphill. Not exactly something to look forward to after 2 hours of surfing! But, phew, we made it. :-)
One of the evenings at Solscape was filled with loads of people chopping, cutting, and dicing vegetables and whatever else in the kitchen for...drum roll... PIZZA!! And not just any pizza, but clay oven pizza. MmmMM! I was in charge of chopping the garlic, peppers, and whatever else was needed. It was really fun with all the hustle and bustle in the kitchen. There were three different groups who all decided to do pizza night on the same night. So, we just ended up doing one BIG communal pizza night! There were so many pizzas too! Holy wow!! And it was amazing!! Veggies and chewy thin crust. Sooo good. I was stuffed to the brim! And Chris even made a PB and Nutella pizza too for dessert :-9 What a great end to the deliciousness that was...pizza night!
After two full weeks of wwoofing at Solscape, it was time for me to move on. I was invited to join a group of 9 other kiwi women and hike the famous Tongariro Crossing on Saturday, April 24th! This tramp is 19.4 km long and typically takes people 7-8 hours to complete. But it's rated as one of top day hikes in the entire world! Definitely a must-do during my time in New Zealand.
Thursday, April 8
Cruising the Coromandel on Easter Weekend
I arrived in Raglan last Wednesday where I met my couchsurfing host, Andre. For those of you who have never heard of “Couchsurfing,” it's something that I was introduced to several years ago and is a budget travelers dream!! Couchsurfing is an online network where people create profiles of themselves and advertise their “couch” or whichever sleeping surface (air mattress, bed, floor mat, hammock... ;-) ) they have available. So, when I decided to come to Raglan, I typed “Raglan” in the search box and Andre's profile amongst other Raglaners pop up. After checking out people's profiles (and viewing their references – just one of the “safety” mechanisms that CS has created), you can message them and let them know the dates that you are looking to “surf their couch.” If they are available and willing to host you, they write back and Tada! you have a free place to stay and a chance to meet a local in the area. I totally recommend Couchsurfing – and you don't even need to be a traveler to do it! Lots of people go on an just enjoy hosting other travelers – if you don't get the opportunity to travel much, it's a great way to bring other cultures to you. I give Couchsurfing two huge thumbs UP! Check it out at “www.couchsurfing.org”
Andre took myself and another couchsurfer, Stephanie from France, to the Te Toto Gorge on the outskirts of Raglan. There was a gorgeous lookout over the ocean with a stunning view of the Raglan Harbor. The gorge was really beautiful with incredibly steep cliffs, black rocky beaches and lots of greenery. So pretty!!
We drove back down to the beach – more black sand but since the sun was beginning to set, it wasn't scorching on the feet! So, I ditched my sandals at the stairs and walked barefoot – one of the many things on my “What makes me happy” list :-)
We walked along the beach for quite a while. With the sun setting it got quite a bit cooler. but we watched a few jetskis playing in the water and dipped our toes in the tide pools of the beach. There were tide pools everywhere! There were even the cliché bongo drummers on the beach to serenade us :-)
When we got back to the car, the sky was starting to turn this brilliant pinkish/orange color. So, we zoomed back to the lookout over the beach and enjoyed the setting of the firey orange ball. How peacefully stunning.
The next day, Andre invited me to go on a road trip with him to the Coromandel Peninsula for the Easter weekend. I hadn't thought I would be able to make it to the east coast/Bay of Plenty area while I was in the North Island, so I was stoked that he was willing to let me tag along! We drove to Thames on Friday and I met Andre's mum, brother, brother's girlfriend, sister and niece. Andre's mum had the idea to go to the Square Kauri tree in Tapu which was about 40 minutes north of Thames. It was in the middle of this windy, gravel road and just had this small sign next to the trail entrance. It only took about 10 minutes to get to the tree, and it was actually square...well, as square as a tree can grow!
We went to the Saturday morning market in town. A mix between arts and crafts and farmers goods! I found my first souvenir – a really cool pair of earring that were carved out of wood – one earring was the shape of the North Island and the other earring was the South Island! They had my name written all over them :-)
Andre and I spent Easter Sunday in Tauranga with a group of his close friends. Andre went on a morning mission and picked up fresh hot crossed buns for breakfast (which are a huge thing in NZ!). Then, the whole lot of us went to the National Jazz Festival in downtown Tauranga and spent the afternoon listening to sweet jazz music by the river. It was a lovely Sunday, but I missed doing the tradition “Easter things” that I would have done at home – coloring eggs and easter eggs hunts. I even missed going to the Easter Saturday mass and singing all the beautiful Easter songs at church. It just didn't feel like Easter without family and easter eggs. But, we all enjoyed the sunny, warm weather and lively music.
On Monday, I drove for my first time in NZ! It was actually really simple but I kept hitting the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal cause they are switched on the NZ cars. But, it was fun to be behind the wheel again :-)
I drove myself to Mt. Maunganui (aka. “The Mount”) and made the hike up to the summit (only getting a bit turned around twice...). I climbed up the steep side of the mountain – like seriously steep!!! I couldn't get over the fact that there were people RUNNING up the damn mountain! Holy hell!! Ambitious buggers...I thought they were crazy – yet seriously jealous that they could do it without passing out...or dying. I spent a while on the summit, playing around with my camera timer and soaking in the beautiful view. I could see all of Mt. Maunganui and Tauranga. It was so big!! So many houses and water and mountains in the distance. Quite a lovely view.
We were back in Raglan by Monday night – and the first thing I had to do was...boil an egg!! I was determined to color an Easter egg – tis the season! Andre had markers and pulled out a NZ flag so I could copy it on my egg :-) It turned out really cool!! Just a day late is all...No bother, better late then never.
I went out in the drizzle of Raglan on Tuesday and walked all the way to Manu Bay. As I was crossing a bridge, I started talking with this Maori guy, Shannon. He and his mates were diving for mussels and oysters! He asked if I wanted to try one, and and I thought I might as well try it! So, he had his friend throw one up, cracked it open, and said, “Just slurp it...shhlup!” Ugh!! It looked pretty gross...and I kept trying to drain the saltwater off (apparently I was supposed to leave the “juice” - whoops!) Anyway, I slurped and ate the whole thing! It was really salty and, well...pretty disgusting. Haha, probably won't be eating raw oysters again any time soon.
I finally made my way up to Solscape Eco-Retreat (a hostel and camp ground in Raglan). They had an opening for a female worker to do cleaning for accommodation, so I start on Friday! I took a browse around the grounds - it was pretty cool! Their dorms are recycled old train cabs! And they have tipis and lots of tents around too, Sweet spot with an awesome view of the ocean. I am excited to be back in the hostel atmosphere. So, looks like I'll be hanging out in Raglan till the 23rd of April. Plenty of time to get some good tramping, swimming, surfing, and kayaking in!! Raglan is just an awesome place to be – I am definitely glad to be spending more time here.
Yesterday, I took out Andre's kayak and kayaked around the Raglan Harbor. It was so quiet and peaceful! The harbor is huge too – I kayaked around for about 3 hours and still only got to about 1/6 of the harbor. Andre's going to let me take out his kayak while I'm staying at Solscape too! So, I'll definitely be taking advantage of that.
Well, time for me to pack up my stuff and head over to Solscape. Goodbye internet and mattress – hello communal kitchen and tent living!! :-)
Andre took myself and another couchsurfer, Stephanie from France, to the Te Toto Gorge on the outskirts of Raglan. There was a gorgeous lookout over the ocean with a stunning view of the Raglan Harbor. The gorge was really beautiful with incredibly steep cliffs, black rocky beaches and lots of greenery. So pretty!!
We drove back down to the beach – more black sand but since the sun was beginning to set, it wasn't scorching on the feet! So, I ditched my sandals at the stairs and walked barefoot – one of the many things on my “What makes me happy” list :-)
We walked along the beach for quite a while. With the sun setting it got quite a bit cooler. but we watched a few jetskis playing in the water and dipped our toes in the tide pools of the beach. There were tide pools everywhere! There were even the cliché bongo drummers on the beach to serenade us :-)
When we got back to the car, the sky was starting to turn this brilliant pinkish/orange color. So, we zoomed back to the lookout over the beach and enjoyed the setting of the firey orange ball. How peacefully stunning.
The next day, Andre invited me to go on a road trip with him to the Coromandel Peninsula for the Easter weekend. I hadn't thought I would be able to make it to the east coast/Bay of Plenty area while I was in the North Island, so I was stoked that he was willing to let me tag along! We drove to Thames on Friday and I met Andre's mum, brother, brother's girlfriend, sister and niece. Andre's mum had the idea to go to the Square Kauri tree in Tapu which was about 40 minutes north of Thames. It was in the middle of this windy, gravel road and just had this small sign next to the trail entrance. It only took about 10 minutes to get to the tree, and it was actually square...well, as square as a tree can grow!
We went to the Saturday morning market in town. A mix between arts and crafts and farmers goods! I found my first souvenir – a really cool pair of earring that were carved out of wood – one earring was the shape of the North Island and the other earring was the South Island! They had my name written all over them :-)
Andre and I spent Easter Sunday in Tauranga with a group of his close friends. Andre went on a morning mission and picked up fresh hot crossed buns for breakfast (which are a huge thing in NZ!). Then, the whole lot of us went to the National Jazz Festival in downtown Tauranga and spent the afternoon listening to sweet jazz music by the river. It was a lovely Sunday, but I missed doing the tradition “Easter things” that I would have done at home – coloring eggs and easter eggs hunts. I even missed going to the Easter Saturday mass and singing all the beautiful Easter songs at church. It just didn't feel like Easter without family and easter eggs. But, we all enjoyed the sunny, warm weather and lively music.
On Monday, I drove for my first time in NZ! It was actually really simple but I kept hitting the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal cause they are switched on the NZ cars. But, it was fun to be behind the wheel again :-)
I drove myself to Mt. Maunganui (aka. “The Mount”) and made the hike up to the summit (only getting a bit turned around twice...). I climbed up the steep side of the mountain – like seriously steep!!! I couldn't get over the fact that there were people RUNNING up the damn mountain! Holy hell!! Ambitious buggers...I thought they were crazy – yet seriously jealous that they could do it without passing out...or dying. I spent a while on the summit, playing around with my camera timer and soaking in the beautiful view. I could see all of Mt. Maunganui and Tauranga. It was so big!! So many houses and water and mountains in the distance. Quite a lovely view.
We were back in Raglan by Monday night – and the first thing I had to do was...boil an egg!! I was determined to color an Easter egg – tis the season! Andre had markers and pulled out a NZ flag so I could copy it on my egg :-) It turned out really cool!! Just a day late is all...No bother, better late then never.
I went out in the drizzle of Raglan on Tuesday and walked all the way to Manu Bay. As I was crossing a bridge, I started talking with this Maori guy, Shannon. He and his mates were diving for mussels and oysters! He asked if I wanted to try one, and and I thought I might as well try it! So, he had his friend throw one up, cracked it open, and said, “Just slurp it...shhlup!” Ugh!! It looked pretty gross...and I kept trying to drain the saltwater off (apparently I was supposed to leave the “juice” - whoops!) Anyway, I slurped and ate the whole thing! It was really salty and, well...pretty disgusting. Haha, probably won't be eating raw oysters again any time soon.
I finally made my way up to Solscape Eco-Retreat (a hostel and camp ground in Raglan). They had an opening for a female worker to do cleaning for accommodation, so I start on Friday! I took a browse around the grounds - it was pretty cool! Their dorms are recycled old train cabs! And they have tipis and lots of tents around too, Sweet spot with an awesome view of the ocean. I am excited to be back in the hostel atmosphere. So, looks like I'll be hanging out in Raglan till the 23rd of April. Plenty of time to get some good tramping, swimming, surfing, and kayaking in!! Raglan is just an awesome place to be – I am definitely glad to be spending more time here.
Yesterday, I took out Andre's kayak and kayaked around the Raglan Harbor. It was so quiet and peaceful! The harbor is huge too – I kayaked around for about 3 hours and still only got to about 1/6 of the harbor. Andre's going to let me take out his kayak while I'm staying at Solscape too! So, I'll definitely be taking advantage of that.
Well, time for me to pack up my stuff and head over to Solscape. Goodbye internet and mattress – hello communal kitchen and tent living!! :-)
Tuesday, March 30
Hot Air Balloons, hott night life, and a hot bike ride
I've had a great week hanging out in the Waikato region of the North Island! And tomorrow, I am off to Raglan to check out the surfing conditions and get myself up and out on a board! I'm totally pumped dude!! ;-)
I hitch hiked with a guy that I met (Nicholas from France!) for nearly all of the 7 and a half hour trip from Paihia down to Hamilton. The hitching went without a hitch – we got super lucky to be picked up in Whangarei (about 2 hours south of Paihia) by a guy who was driving right to Hamilton! He was a super sweetheart and even dropped me off right at my friend Paul's doorstep – which was a HUGE relief considering the downpour that Hamilton was getting at 8:30pm Wednesday evening... Hamilton, is a nice, fairly large inland city but it has a difficult time keeping up with the “ooos and ahhhs” of the coastal and mountainous parts of the country. It boasts an excellent nightlife, is famous for it's hot air balloons, and is home to the University of Waikato. All of which I got to experience in person!!
I had met a guy, Paul (originally from Ohio but lived in Idaho completing his undergraduate degree) when I was in Paihia. He had mentioned that he had a flat in Hamilton, so when I decided to leave Paihia and head south to Rotorua, I discovered that I would go straight through Hamilton. Needless to say, I sent out an unofficial couchsurfing message to Paul and decided to make a stop in Hamilton before heading farther south. In retrospect, it was an excellent decision :-)
Paul was a fabulous tour guide, showing me all the hotspots of Hamilton. One of my favorites being a cafe where we proceeded to attempt to order NZ's version of the “All American Breakfast.” Our order consisted of French Toast and bacon (Meal #1), Big Breakfast (sausage, bacon, 2 eggs, toast,tomato) (Meal #2), and The Spinach Omelette (Meal #3). Oh, and two chai latte's please! How obvious do you think we made it that we were Americans??
We also walked around the Uni of Waikato campus. It was fun to see all the students milling about with their backpacks and books and espressos. Makes me start to miss the university life...but only a little ;-) Not nearly ready to go back quite yet!
I got a chance to meet some of Paul's friends when we went out for appetizers and drinks on Friday night. He had met Dan through couchsurfing and via Dan met Ra, and Glenn as well. Since Paul was flying out the next morning, this was the farewell party. To make it even more special, there was a parade in his honour! Well, the fact that it was the weekend of the Waikatoo Hot Air Balloon festival might have had something to do with it... But it was still cool to see all the kids with balloon animals and watch gas ignited flames shooting out the top of the hot air balloon baskets floats. It was quite the celebration! The rest of the night was loads of fun – we went to bar where they had several pool tables AND a sweet live band WITH a dance floor! Add a foosball table and I would have been completely and utterly in my nightlife element :-)
Saturday was the big Waikato Hot Air Balloon festival! I found out that Hamilton has really good weather conditions for flying HABs so the city kind of made it their “thing.” Which is awesome, because the festival only happens once a year, and I just happened to be in Hamilton at exactly the right time! I met up with Dan and Marea who I had met the night before. We met up with a larger group at the festival grounds and had just an awesome evening. A delicious picnic, a HAB light show, and, at the very end, fireworks!! It felt just like the Fourth of July at Carson Park – plus a couple thousand persons. I loved it!
After Paul left, I was invited to stay at Ra's house, one of the women I had met on Friday. She lives about 30 minutes south of Hamilton near a town called Te Awamutu. Yesterday, I decided to make it my mission to find my way to Hamilton and bike all the way back to Te Awamutu (oh yeah, Paul had bought a bike and ended up giving it to me – but, it had been left at his place in Hamilton, so decided it would be a fun adventure to go pick it up!) I ended up hitch hiking to Hamilton with this really awesome Austria traveler, Chris. He even went out of his way to bring me right to Paul's flat. Man the people here are awesome.
The bike ride back to Te Awamutu was highly successful. But not for lack of a sore bum...35 km on a not-so-cushy bike seat made for an interesting ride. But, I never once got lost, which was awesome considering my iffy directions...
Today, I biked into Te Awamutu and spent the afternoon at the Rose Garden – taking lots of close-up flower photos and breathing in the magnificent smell of rose petals. The weather has been perfect since Friday...not too hot and always sunny. It was a lovely day :-)
I hitch hiked with a guy that I met (Nicholas from France!) for nearly all of the 7 and a half hour trip from Paihia down to Hamilton. The hitching went without a hitch – we got super lucky to be picked up in Whangarei (about 2 hours south of Paihia) by a guy who was driving right to Hamilton! He was a super sweetheart and even dropped me off right at my friend Paul's doorstep – which was a HUGE relief considering the downpour that Hamilton was getting at 8:30pm Wednesday evening... Hamilton, is a nice, fairly large inland city but it has a difficult time keeping up with the “ooos and ahhhs” of the coastal and mountainous parts of the country. It boasts an excellent nightlife, is famous for it's hot air balloons, and is home to the University of Waikato. All of which I got to experience in person!!
I had met a guy, Paul (originally from Ohio but lived in Idaho completing his undergraduate degree) when I was in Paihia. He had mentioned that he had a flat in Hamilton, so when I decided to leave Paihia and head south to Rotorua, I discovered that I would go straight through Hamilton. Needless to say, I sent out an unofficial couchsurfing message to Paul and decided to make a stop in Hamilton before heading farther south. In retrospect, it was an excellent decision :-)
Paul was a fabulous tour guide, showing me all the hotspots of Hamilton. One of my favorites being a cafe where we proceeded to attempt to order NZ's version of the “All American Breakfast.” Our order consisted of French Toast and bacon (Meal #1), Big Breakfast (sausage, bacon, 2 eggs, toast,tomato) (Meal #2), and The Spinach Omelette (Meal #3). Oh, and two chai latte's please! How obvious do you think we made it that we were Americans??
We also walked around the Uni of Waikato campus. It was fun to see all the students milling about with their backpacks and books and espressos. Makes me start to miss the university life...but only a little ;-) Not nearly ready to go back quite yet!
I got a chance to meet some of Paul's friends when we went out for appetizers and drinks on Friday night. He had met Dan through couchsurfing and via Dan met Ra, and Glenn as well. Since Paul was flying out the next morning, this was the farewell party. To make it even more special, there was a parade in his honour! Well, the fact that it was the weekend of the Waikatoo Hot Air Balloon festival might have had something to do with it... But it was still cool to see all the kids with balloon animals and watch gas ignited flames shooting out the top of the hot air balloon baskets floats. It was quite the celebration! The rest of the night was loads of fun – we went to bar where they had several pool tables AND a sweet live band WITH a dance floor! Add a foosball table and I would have been completely and utterly in my nightlife element :-)
Saturday was the big Waikato Hot Air Balloon festival! I found out that Hamilton has really good weather conditions for flying HABs so the city kind of made it their “thing.” Which is awesome, because the festival only happens once a year, and I just happened to be in Hamilton at exactly the right time! I met up with Dan and Marea who I had met the night before. We met up with a larger group at the festival grounds and had just an awesome evening. A delicious picnic, a HAB light show, and, at the very end, fireworks!! It felt just like the Fourth of July at Carson Park – plus a couple thousand persons. I loved it!
After Paul left, I was invited to stay at Ra's house, one of the women I had met on Friday. She lives about 30 minutes south of Hamilton near a town called Te Awamutu. Yesterday, I decided to make it my mission to find my way to Hamilton and bike all the way back to Te Awamutu (oh yeah, Paul had bought a bike and ended up giving it to me – but, it had been left at his place in Hamilton, so decided it would be a fun adventure to go pick it up!) I ended up hitch hiking to Hamilton with this really awesome Austria traveler, Chris. He even went out of his way to bring me right to Paul's flat. Man the people here are awesome.
The bike ride back to Te Awamutu was highly successful. But not for lack of a sore bum...35 km on a not-so-cushy bike seat made for an interesting ride. But, I never once got lost, which was awesome considering my iffy directions...
Today, I biked into Te Awamutu and spent the afternoon at the Rose Garden – taking lots of close-up flower photos and breathing in the magnificent smell of rose petals. The weather has been perfect since Friday...not too hot and always sunny. It was a lovely day :-)
Tuesday, March 23
It's time for a change of scenery - leaving Paihia!
Well, tomorrow I leave Paihia! I've been here for over a month now! Hard to believe...time sure flies when you're having fun :-)
I still have been spending much of my time meeting new people around the hostel and spending time on the beach during the day and playing pool in the bars at night. I have a fun little family to hangout with at the hostel and around the town. It's great!!
Last week, I decided it was time for me to kayak to Russell! So, I hopped in Little Red Ruby and away I went! Dan (the Coastal Kayaker guy) let me use a dry sack for my camera and stuff which was definitely needed.
The kayak there went great! I was worried my back would start to hurt, but I did fine. Davina and I had talked earlier about swimming to Russell, but after kayaking through the middle of the bay, it was definitely something that I think would have been a poor decision on both our parts. Kayaking was most definitely the way to go.
I pulled the kayak up on the Russell beach and decided to do some exploring of the town. I wandered around the streets – it's really quite a quaint little town. Cute, but extremely small with lots of older people walking about. Russell was actually the first capital of NZ. Interesting, eh?
I hike up the hill to the lookout point called Flagstaff. It was a beautiful view of the bay and the city of Russell. There was this really cool sundial at the top with a mosaic of all the islands and towns in the Bay of Islands. Really neat! I took lots of pictures :-)
Another big happening during the last couple weeks...I had a job trial/interview on board “The Rock” overnight cruise boat. It sounded like a really incredible opportunity – working on a boat, leading night kayaking, snorkeling, and fishing for a 22 hours cruise. Sounds ideal, right? Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. I ended up working for 22 hours in a 27 hour period (the five hours I didn't work, I was sleeping on the boat...) Not that I mind doing hard work, but it really wasn't that much fun...the staff was overworked and anxious all the time and the owner was really demeaning and not very welcoming. It was a definite deal breaker when I found out that I would only get paid $50 per cruise (which comes out to about $2/hr!) Hmmm, I am all about not making a lot of money when the experience is awesome, fun, and laidback – but a combo of hardly any money and a no-fun atmosphere? Eh, not so into that...so, I said, adious after my trial and got the heck off that boat!
There were a few good aspects about the cruise though. Like, I got to see about 6 dolphins swimming and playing next to the boat. That was really cool! And, we got to hike up to a beautiful lookout on this picturesque beach and see a stunning view of the Bay of Islands. Thank goodness for those moments...it saved the experience from being totally bad ;-)
And, of course, it was St. Patty's Day last week as well!! The whole hostel was in a festive mood. We had a BBQ and dressed in our best green outfits. Hugo and Paula took the cake with the best outfits of the night! We all had a great time dancing and taking a crazy number of pictures. It was a very happy St. Patty's day indeed! :-D
This past weekend I went to a local rugby match of some kiwi guys that I had met in Paihia! I had just about zero clue as to what was going on in the game...just lots of scrums and pulling down of shorts and lifting up guys by their shorts...it's quite an intense, but also kind of silly, game. I had about as much interest in rugby as I do in American Football...which, is not much. But, Davina, Megan, and I enjoyed our time checking out the cute rugby players socializing throughout the game :-) Pretty much the same thing I would do at a game back in the states!
I ALMOST went skydiving yesterday!! I made my appointment and walked all the way down there with my friend Matt, but when we got there, they said it was too windy to jump. What a bummer! I had totally gotten myself all psyched up and everything. Ah well, just knowing that I'm here for another 11 months makes it alright – I've got loads of time to do all that fun stuff :-)
Alright now everyone...it's time for me to hear some updates from you! I love hearing about what you are all up to. Send a note to guavanna@gmail.com. Hear from you soon!
I still have been spending much of my time meeting new people around the hostel and spending time on the beach during the day and playing pool in the bars at night. I have a fun little family to hangout with at the hostel and around the town. It's great!!
Last week, I decided it was time for me to kayak to Russell! So, I hopped in Little Red Ruby and away I went! Dan (the Coastal Kayaker guy) let me use a dry sack for my camera and stuff which was definitely needed.
The kayak there went great! I was worried my back would start to hurt, but I did fine. Davina and I had talked earlier about swimming to Russell, but after kayaking through the middle of the bay, it was definitely something that I think would have been a poor decision on both our parts. Kayaking was most definitely the way to go.
I pulled the kayak up on the Russell beach and decided to do some exploring of the town. I wandered around the streets – it's really quite a quaint little town. Cute, but extremely small with lots of older people walking about. Russell was actually the first capital of NZ. Interesting, eh?
I hike up the hill to the lookout point called Flagstaff. It was a beautiful view of the bay and the city of Russell. There was this really cool sundial at the top with a mosaic of all the islands and towns in the Bay of Islands. Really neat! I took lots of pictures :-)
Another big happening during the last couple weeks...I had a job trial/interview on board “The Rock” overnight cruise boat. It sounded like a really incredible opportunity – working on a boat, leading night kayaking, snorkeling, and fishing for a 22 hours cruise. Sounds ideal, right? Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. I ended up working for 22 hours in a 27 hour period (the five hours I didn't work, I was sleeping on the boat...) Not that I mind doing hard work, but it really wasn't that much fun...the staff was overworked and anxious all the time and the owner was really demeaning and not very welcoming. It was a definite deal breaker when I found out that I would only get paid $50 per cruise (which comes out to about $2/hr!) Hmmm, I am all about not making a lot of money when the experience is awesome, fun, and laidback – but a combo of hardly any money and a no-fun atmosphere? Eh, not so into that...so, I said, adious after my trial and got the heck off that boat!
There were a few good aspects about the cruise though. Like, I got to see about 6 dolphins swimming and playing next to the boat. That was really cool! And, we got to hike up to a beautiful lookout on this picturesque beach and see a stunning view of the Bay of Islands. Thank goodness for those moments...it saved the experience from being totally bad ;-)
And, of course, it was St. Patty's Day last week as well!! The whole hostel was in a festive mood. We had a BBQ and dressed in our best green outfits. Hugo and Paula took the cake with the best outfits of the night! We all had a great time dancing and taking a crazy number of pictures. It was a very happy St. Patty's day indeed! :-D
This past weekend I went to a local rugby match of some kiwi guys that I had met in Paihia! I had just about zero clue as to what was going on in the game...just lots of scrums and pulling down of shorts and lifting up guys by their shorts...it's quite an intense, but also kind of silly, game. I had about as much interest in rugby as I do in American Football...which, is not much. But, Davina, Megan, and I enjoyed our time checking out the cute rugby players socializing throughout the game :-) Pretty much the same thing I would do at a game back in the states!
I ALMOST went skydiving yesterday!! I made my appointment and walked all the way down there with my friend Matt, but when we got there, they said it was too windy to jump. What a bummer! I had totally gotten myself all psyched up and everything. Ah well, just knowing that I'm here for another 11 months makes it alright – I've got loads of time to do all that fun stuff :-)
Alright now everyone...it's time for me to hear some updates from you! I love hearing about what you are all up to. Send a note to guavanna@gmail.com. Hear from you soon!
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