Northland wrap up

Kia Ora! Or hello, as New Zealanders would say in native Maori.

Today was another long but great day. It didn't start out that way. I was running late to my boat tour of the Bay of Islands, and the forecast was for rain. And it was cold. The boat operator gave us all a talking to about the weather: it's going to go from 20 to 30 knots, and there are already 1 to 2-foot swells near the "Hole in the Rock" -- literally a soft spot that was eroded away by waves over the years in the rock, and is now a hole. Boats try and pass through, but it's out to sea and a dodgy ride over to begin with in bad weather. Anyway, it wasn't looking like we'd eve make it out there given how rough the sea was supposed to be today. And yet, instead we not only made it out there in pretty good shape, and drove through the hole, but we also saw a family of four Orca on the way over! We watched the Orca, or "Killer Whales" as they are commonly termed, for about 40 minutes or so. It was awesome. One had a fin that was crinkled in multiple places, apparently by a boat at some point. New Zealand has the highest number of damaged Orca in the world. It also has the only Orca that feed on stingrays (they have to hunt in twos for it b/c the liver is poisonous to them, so they rip up the stingray between them and leave the liver alone). We toured around the islands for a few hours, and stopped to view a few of them, and got out at one to relax for a bit. On the way back I hopped off at Russell island, which has become quite posh in recent years, but was previously termed the "hellhole of the Pacific" because of all the prostitution and drunken debauchery going on there. The island is also known for it's share of historic turmoil. After the treaty of Whitangi was signed, the British put up a flag on the island. Local Maori chopped down the flagpole, and the Brits put it back up again. The Maori chopped it down again, the Brits put it back up again. They chopped it down again, and the Brits reinforced it with metal, and put it back up. It was chopped down yet, again, and well...eventually a new flag was put up with a coordinated diplomatic effort with the tribes. That flag was not chopped down. Oh yeah, the Maori also, during all this, burned the entire city to the ground at one point. Fascinating history...

Anyway, I hiked around the island -- it's amazing how many trails are just there. The Department of Conservation here really seems to have its shit together. I hiked up to the lookout and saw a view of the entire bay. Then walked over to Long Beach, put my feet in the water, and sat on the sand and ate some of my packed lunch. I'd forgotten to pack a fork or spoon, so I speared my bits of chicken from a can with my pocket knife, trying to not cut open my tongue. Fun. I got a ride with some locals back to the town center and checked out New Zealand's oldest church, then chilled a bit before heading back to Paihia by ferry.

Back in town it started to rain (the forecast was finally right after three days of saying it was raining each day). I dashed into a bar on the way for cover; music was wafting out of it and I'd wanted to check it out. A big group of locals had finished up a golf tournament and were enjoying live music karaoke-esque style, dancing away and hollering enthusiastically, while swaying beer pints. I ordered myself an ale, and chilled out a bit, watching the locals and chatting with a few of them who seemed a bit disquieted by my quietness amid all the ruckus. I was just tired after a long day, and reveling in the friendly, home-towny, down to earth ambiance. When the band stopped, I headed back into the drizzle and icy wind, and power walked back to my hostel. I boiled some hot water for soup, took a hot shower, then headed out with a group of three Aussies that I'd met the night before. The girls invited me to travel down South to Rotorua with them in their car, and I gladly agreed. Not only are they great company (we all happen to be the same age, or thereabouts -- and they too find the noisy teens an annoyance), but it will save me another night in Auckland and get me where I wanna go sooner. We're planning to make a pit stop at the Kauri forest to see the largest Kauri tree in the world. I'm very excited about that.

Ah, forgot to mention, the movie "Boy" was great. I recommend it. Not only is it a great comedic-tragic satire of New Zealand and Maori living, but it's well done too. Thankfully I'd learned all the Kiwi/Maori words and slang I needed to know literally that day. Lots of new terms, but they're all a lot of fun. Okay, well sorry for the somewhat bland entry here. My head is pounding -- as is the music outside my room door. I was hoping to perhaps get a night of good sleep before heading off tomorrow. We'll see about that.

Paihia

I've been on the go since I last updated, so much so that I've barely slept since then either. Though that's more the cause of the roughly 45 Danish teenagers that checked into my hostel yesterday -- and sang drunkenly into the night. I now completely and totally understand the true difference between 19 and 26. I feel old just writing that.

So a quick recap here on what I've done since I arrived into town. Paihia is a beautiful small town on the northeast coast of New Zealand located in the Bay of Islands. The place is picturesque. All of Northland is, but then, apparently it's nothing compared to the south. I have no idea what that will be like. Every second I've been here I have felt like I was looking at a postcard. When I rode the bus over and around the north I was annoyed that we couldn't stop and take pictures, but then I realized we would never have been able to reach our destination. The New Zealand landscapes have forever spoiled me.

While here I'm staying at the alleged first 5-star hostel (oxymoron?) in New Zealand. It's "5-star" I think by it's own rating system, but otherwise still quite nice for a dorm. On my first day here, I took a bike out for a ride along the coast and visited the Whaitangi Treaty Grounds, where the Maori tribes requested British law and order be brought to their country. Actually, this was to deal with the drunken foreign sailors and traders. Though the birth of this country is still quite unbelievable to me. Request the UK's presence? Maori tribes are given rights and not killed off? They got a flag? Wow. I and another fellow traveler surmised that history went down the way it did likely because New Zealand is just so damn far away. To actually war against the locals (who had sought to acquire guns), would require more men, at a much greater distance from home...not to mention longer supply lines. That said, this is all guesswork, my knowledge of New Zealand history is scant. For dinner a group got together for a barbecue. I ended up speaking with a very interesting Austrian couple named Harold and Helga and we hit it off. Sadly they were only in town for one night, but we had multiple interesting discussions about travel, budgeting, and (scarily) dive-operator negligence in Cairns, Australia. Apparently a couple years ago an American couple were forgotten at the reef, and they drowned. The couple had another two friends who went diving in Indonesia (I believe), and their friends (also a couple) went out with a solo boatman who was drunk or high or both. He decided to leave. They came up and saw no boat. They were in the water for 16 hours swimming to keep warm, and only sheer dumb luck allowed them to survive when the current pushed them to shore. Needless to say, I'll be very careful selecting my dive operator when diving.

Yesterday I was feeling a tad healthier and not continuously hacking up a mucous-laden lung. So I went on a 10-kilometer hike to the Haruru Falls. Oh, two things of note before I forget. One, burn time here is six or seven minutes, so sunblock is a must. Two, this place is heavenly for an avid bird watcher, or even casual one. (Wasted on me.) Anyway, as I was saying, Haruru Falls. The hike there is pretty simple, and I just locked my bike at the trailhead. I love how once you get to the falls there are no guardrails or anything to keep you from falling in to your (possible) death. Seriously. I think people should know the risks they take when they go outdoors and be responsible, or deal with the consequences.

This morning I was up at 6 a.m. (well, really up most of the night because of the noise) to go on a trip out to Cape Reinga, which is the northern tip of New Zealand where the west coast's Tasman Sea meets the east coast's Pacific Ocean. The shallower, sandy-bottomed sea is a light blue, and the ocean a deeper green. It is a spectacular backdrop to the green rolling hills, dwarf plants and white lighthouse. But before we got there, our bus drove 45 miles along "90-mile beach," spraying water up along both sides, and nearly driving into the sea a couple times. We had to race up the coast to beat the rising tide, which is especially dodgy at a particular bluff. We saw the remains of a car door buried and rusted in the sand. Bus driver: "They should have taken the bus."

We stopped along the way and turned in to these huge sand dunes. We took out boogie boards, hiked up to the top and rode down the dunes. It was a bit of a touristy trick, but a ton of fun. The hike up was tough in the sand, but worth it. It made me remember the last time I was hiking up dunes in Merzouga, Morocco (well, just outside Merzouga actually, the road ends in the desert). I was also coughing up a lung from a cold I'd caught on my journey in. I blame the planes (or the hostels) -- big box of flying germs mixed together from all over the world. Anyway, I flew down thrice. Awesome.

The stop at the Cape was by far the best part of the journey though. The mixing of the two bodies of water is supposed to symbolize the mixing of spirit and living world, and the area is believed to be sacred. Many people travel to Cape Reinga to memorialize a loved one who has died, to say a prayer for them, and then speak to them -- to tell them the things they never had a chance to say (good and bad). Our bus driver, Barry, was a funny and fun guide along the trip, but here he turned somber.

"I had a son, once," he told us.

In 1983, his 6-year old boy was hit by a car while Barry was driving tours up north. Barry was alerted and flew to Hamilton to see his boy who was still alive. Barry was with him all night, but in the morning the boy was dead. For 12 years Barry told us he was a mess, his relationships ruined... he felt guilty, as if he had been a bad father. His mother, who was his best friend, passed on in that time too. Barry's aunt, trying to get him to join in more family activities, invited him to Cape Reinga. When they got there Barry's aunt said a formal goodbye and prayer for her sister, Barry's mom. Then told Barry to say some words about his son. After, the two sat and sobbed for some time. Four days later Barry said he had a lucid dream about his son (and he never has dreams). They were together, and he was able to hug and kiss him, cuddle him, and even smell him. When he woke up, he felt like he could finally let go, and finally move on.

"Since that day, every day is a new day for me," Barry told us.

It makes me think of a saying someone posted on Facebook the other day: "Every day may not be good, but there is good in every day." I am thankful to have so many goods in my day.

At the end of the day we had a torrent of good eats. Passion-fruit ice cream (with real passion fruit seeds in it!)...and the alleged best fish and chips in New Zealand (well, they say the galaxy). They really were spectacular. And yes, I'd post pictures but net here is charged by traffic. Sorry, when I get to a good connection, I'll provide some visual stimuli.

Well, it was quite a couple days. Tomorrow is my last day here, and I'm planning to go on a tour of the actual bay, via boat and everything. But, well, the forecast is for rain, so we'll see. In New Zealand people commonly say there are four seasons in one day. It is very changeable, and most people dismiss the forecast anyway. For example, yesterday I checked the AccuWeather update here and it said it was currently raining, while outside was clear and sunny. Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes. Back to Auckland for a night Sunday, the heading south.

Off now to watch a New Zealand film, I believe it's titled "Boy"...will try not to fall asleep.

Adios for now.

Northland ponderings

Up north in Paihia, in the Bay of Islands. It is absolutely stunning here. And though this is the warmest area of the country traditionally, it's a bit chilly (biting winds). Even so, the sky is blue, the air clear, and the clouds look like they were painted in place by still-drying oils.

I've noticed that many of the backpackers here are closer to my age, late 20s, early 30s. Well, maybe not most (too early to say), but a great deal if not so. It's funny but a  topic of conversation that comes up here constantly among travelers is how expensive Australia is these days, what with the Aussie dollar worth more than the USD for the first time since 1989 (working on memory here). Though I've saved money and budgeted for this trip (and am valiantly trying to remain within budget), the worries about money, saving and finding a job among young people here is infectious. I feel like I've never subsisted on less food than I have thus far here. Such a strange experience. Of course, it's only a couple days in, and this hostel cough hasn't helped. But yeah, interesting days. Even so, New Zealand tourism is up, overtaking the dairy industry as the country's biggest export industry, according to numbers released today by the government's tourism industry association. That's very evident, as are numbers that show rising business confidence and expectations of hiring -- there doesn't seem to be much sign among locals (and perhaps I just haven't seen this yet) of the Recession. I'm sure tourism has helped. Also, the fact that service-industry individuals such as servers in a restaurant receive a living wage here. Anyway, enough of that for now. I'll write more of my day tomorrow.

Odds and ends

After much agonizing about how I will travel through New Zealand, I opted for a bus pass. Given the fact that I wanted to spend less than two months here, and am interested in pure travel, it seemed the best deal. Lots of people come through for longer stays and get "working holiday visas" for those under 30. They do odd jobs working a vineyards, backbreaking work as fruit pickers, or under-employ themselves as hostel housekeepers, among other common jobs. Then they split up their time between working and traveling, renting cars, or buying them in some cases. It's an interesting prospect, and can be potentially cheaper than a bus pass on a budget...or potentially much more expensive. Anyway, after examining the possibility for multiple viewpoints, I went for a promotion bus pass that (not coincidentally) expired today. I get unlimited travel for a year (perhaps I'll come back), and can go through the north and south island for a tidy sum of $499 NZ. It's a lot of money, and it will bite into my daily budget quite a bit. But thus far I've been under budget by about $10-15 a day (yes, early still), so we'll see. And so, I leave tomorrow at about 6 a.m. to catch my first bus up north. I'm headed to Paihia, the beautiful Bay of Islands area. A Couchsurfer lady there named Kate (who is a local reporter) said I could stay at her place, so hopefully we can meet up. She was even so kind as to say she'd leave the key out for me b/c she won't be back til after 6 p.m. Wow. Anyway, finding a way over there will be another matter entirely, so we shall see.

Oof, this hostel cold is kicking my butt. Gonna try and call it an early night. Beautiful days here right now. I'm not sure what the connectivity will be like once I get out of Auckland. Internet here is not that great, quite expensive, and always an add-on fee (for example at a hostel). Some areas supposedly offer free wifi, but it's very very limited if it actually exists. Lots of people head to the local libraries, which allow a session or two of free Internet (15 minutes) to individuals, but it's allegedly very very slow. The country seems to take its time adopting technology, from what little I have seen, and people tell me that Kiwis generally like that fact. I suppose it goes hand-in-hand with being into all things environment and the outdoors.

Adios for now. Hope to write again soon.

Slowing down (or trying)...

Life in New Zealand goes by at a much slower pace. With nearly 4.5 million people in the entire country (and roughly a quarter here in Auckland -- it's largest city), it enjoys a relatively incredibly low crime rate and a single traffic jam in the city can take up many minutes of news time. It's quaint in a very cool way. I mean, a sweet old lady was serving free tea and coffee in the airport baggage claim area, and she actually looked a bit put out when everyone hurried past her (I stopped). Anyway, I'm trying to reconcile myself to the pace -- though jet-lag and a lovely hostel cold (think kennel cough for humans) are helping a lot.

People here think it's kind of funny that I came over with little in the way of travel plans and no real solid time-frame either. In an effort to slow down and figure out what exactly I want to do here, and how, I've been taking my time in Auckland. Lots of people hustle right out, but I'll get to that in a couple days. Meanwhile, I am loving the vibe here: quite multicultural, small town, a nice efficient bus system, and lots of great travelers/trampers/local adventurers. It's also great to be in a place that doesn't seem as hard hit by the recession, where servers are paid a livable wage, and where you can walk freely and do most anything without too much worry of something bad happening to you. I guess I am also a still bit starved for civilization (and I do say that in partial jest).

Yesterday I walked up to the top of Mt. Eden or Maungawhau, which is actually the highest volcano on the Auckland isthmus, and one of roughly 50 or so there. It has supposedly an equivalent view of all of Auckland as Sky Tower, without the jutting gleams of metal from the surrounding cityscape and the $28 NZ price tag. It's a lovely little walk, though some called it a hike. And the view from above is amazing -- One Tree Hill, all the islands, Sky Tower of course, the bridge, the harbor...And while you're up there, you're also at the top of a giant crater, which is pretty surreal. Actually Auckland itself is essentially active volcanic field, but the last one erupted some 600 or so years ago, so all is good. (Of course, Christchurch recently had its earthquakes, and a pretty large aftershock a couple weeks ago, so one can never underestimate the elements.).

Today was relatively chill. I met up with a local traveler who is studying Occupational Therapy at the university here. Ahmed is a 21-year-old Saudi who will flip nearly every Saudi stereotype out there on its head. We walked around the city and enjoyed the beautiful weather they have been having since I got here. Highs of 68 degrees or so, a very strong sun, and cooler nights at about 57 degrees or so. Somewhat chilly for me in the shade, but allegedly perfect for the Kiwis, who endured a pretty bad storm before I arrived. More to come later, but I've got to get some shut eye.

My kind of place

After a shower, a hot meal and some sleep, I finally feel a bit human again. Out my window is a beautiful storybook view of a cozy neighborhood and I can see the sun burning off the clouds over Auckland's city center. New Zealand is beautiful. I've forgotten what it's like to travel in a country where English is the main language, and where you can drink the water. New Zealand is amazing, and very green. As soon as I arrived it felt a bit like home. Only two other places in the world have felt like that to me off the bat. Of course, I do have a strange tendency to randomly pick places that throw me into my comfort zone. When I stayed in Dubai, I somehow managed to choose the one neighborhood and singular hotel known to be the mini-Iran of the place. Many Iranians even owned hotel rooms where I stayed because they were there so often. When I arrived in New Zealand, I took a bus into Mt. Eden -- the neighborhood I'm staying at -- and when I got off the bus I immediately heard two guys speaking farsi as they went by me. Then I saw a kebab stand. On the other side of my hostel I found that I was in the middle of a full-on Chinese neighborhood and shopping area. Nearly everyone was speaking Chinese. It looked a bit like the Din Tai Fung strip mall area in Arcadia. I thought the whole thing was pretty hilarious. But also kinda nice.

Anyway, it's about 50 degrees here right now, with temperatures hitting the high 60s during the day. I'm glad I brought a warm jacket. Birds are chirping outside and it's so peaceful and quiet. There is a lot less traffic, people and noise here in general. I'm 20 hours ahead of LA time, which means because of my flights over I lost Friday, Oct. 22. Speaking of flights, let me backtrack a bit.

My flight out of LA was for 11:30 p.m. Oct. 21. I got to LAX at about 9:30 p.m. went up to the ticket counter and was told I needed to buy a ticket out of New Zealand in order to travel into the country. I'd read about that, but didn't realize they'd be so strict and need a physical ticket. Plans don't count. I was directed to the Qantas counter. Great. So much for budget travel, I thought. At the counter I was offered a $232 ticket for a random date in the future (Auckland to Sydney) with a $50 to $100 date change fee. What about a fully-refundable one-way ticket? $830 dollars. Holy crap. For a three hour flight? But I decided to go for it. I'd just have to cancel the ticket asap so I didn't actually get charged. Then it was back to check-in for the flight, and wait in the lengthy security line. I was still in line at 10:30 p.m. as my flight started boarding, but made it just fine, if not a bit sweaty.

The Air Pacific flight was roughly 10 hours to Fiji with a five hour stopover in Nadi, and then another three hours to Auckland. The red eye leg of the journey was actually pretty painless, though very low maintenance. It was an old 747, and boy did the winds over the Pacific kick the heck out of it. They gave us turkey sandwiches on the way over, though free drinks -- the Fijian Gold beer is delicious! I read a lot (loving the Kindle) and tried to meditate on good posture. I slept maybe two hours or so. But the flight, quite literally, flew by. We got yogurt, fruit, a banana nut muffin and orange juice for "breakfast." (Do flights feed people according to the schedule of where they're coming from or going? I can't ever seem to tell. But I think the latter is far better for jet lag purposes.)

At the airport in Nadi I met a 28-year-old Aussie named Ben who was returning home for the first time after a four-year trip to the States and Canada that entirely changed his life. Now married, he and his wife were going to check out life in Australia for a bit. He had an incredibly healthy respect for American friendliness, hospitality and the alleged "can do" spirit that made me feel honored to be an American. He wanted to put the lessons he'd learned abroad to work back home. We spoke a bit more about it all over a couple beers -- and later I realized I'd never had a beer at 5:30 a.m. before -- before he boarded his flight. My own flight to Auckland was short and uneventful. Oh, there was a great chicken salad sandwich and chips, plus free Fiji water (always very expensive back home). In the Auckland airport I immediately had them refund my ticket, bought a local sim, and changed money (WestPac doesn't charge any ATM fees to Bank of America customers). I caught the AirBus into town, and now we've essentially come full circle. Time for breakfast. I'll write more later -- my stomach won't let me continue.

Following the wind

A wise man once told me the best time to travel is during a recession. So here we go. In a few hours I head out of LA with a one-way ticket to Auckland, New Zealand in hand. It feels like ages since I've written in a blog, and damn does it feel good. Along with chronicling my (bound to be) adrenaline-filled adventures abroad, I'll also be tracking my somewhat daunting efforts to keep under budget. Don't worry, this is mostly an attempt at oversight (aka shame) in a more public sphere. My aim is to keep my budget down to about a month's rent, plus utilities and supermarket food in LA. No small amount of cash. I put that figure at a semi-haphazard $1,500, which leaves me with $50 a day. This will definitely be tough to keep to at my two initial big stops (New Zealand and Australia), but significantly easier once I get to Asia. I will also give myself a bit of breathing room. This figure won't include major transportation costs or activities (such as sky diving, etc). Given my budget, I may see Asia sooner rather than later.

With bags still left to pack as I write this entry, I'll do a quick forward-looking itinerary. I can't wait to get "to the land Down Under" so that I can rest up a bit. (And now I have that "Men At Work" song stuck in my head...)

Oct. 21-23: LA to Nadi, Fiji to Auckland, New Zealand

Oct. 23 - ?: New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, and a lot more of Asia...

Stay tuned.