Welling-town and up to now

I am so completely behind on my entries. I don't know where to begin. I guess I will just drop in a few photos of the past couple weeks. These weeks I will call "The Julie Sam and Chantelle days," because without them, none of this fun would have been had.

We stayed in a really cool hostel in Waitomo, two weeks ago. It was called Juno hall, and they had a pig and a deer and some goats. Here are Julie and Sam making friendly with the animals:



He was not soft at all. His hair was tough like petting a shoe brush!




My caving experience, was absolutely brilliant. This is the crew I went down with:



Three New Zealand guys, whose names I regrettably have forgotten (Jason?), Silke and Maria, Terry and Peter (from Korea), and our two guides out front Regan and "Snappy."

We filled the second afternoon by watching very fuzzy rabbits get shorn.



Don't feel bad for the rabbit getting put on the stretcher. They will overheat and die if they are not shorn four times a year!! They also won't mate until after they are shorn either. Strange little creatures. So used to living up in the Paresian mountains then some foreigner thought it would be fun to raise them in New Zealand!!



After all the caving and full-on excitement of Angora rabbit shearing, we discovered it was a pretty sleepy town, so we entertained ourselved by taking photos of sleepy cows on the horizon. I think between the four of us, we took about 20 photos!! haha. Four tourists on the side of the road at dusk snapping photos of stinky cows. But in our defence, it did look pretty cool:



We hung out with Regan, my caving guide, that night at the one pub in town:




Later that night he took us out on a night walk through the woods (along a trail) to see glow worms. The sky was so clear too so you could see the stars and the glowing gnat larvae... it was all very magical. Regan is a pretty cool guy. We were all really greatful for the journey out there.

We finally made it out of Waitomo. The stray bus driver had to beg me a ride on another bus just so I could get into rotorua. Unfortunately, that meant I missed out on getting to see Julie go Zorbing. Ya, that's right she paid to have herself flung down a hill in a big plastic ball with a bucket of water dumped in it!



Damn. I wish I had gotten to see that!!!

Oh well, maybe on the way back up the island... sigh. I hate saying that.

Anyways. I need to close this entry as the internet cafe is closing. I guess it is a good thing as I have already spent $7 on internet time as it is. So much more to say!! I wish I had time to say it.

Til next time. love you and miss you all!

Whirlwind

sooo much has happened in the last week. I can't load pics at the moment, so you'll have to use your imagination.

I have been to Hahei on the coromandel peninsula.
The bus broke down twice on the way there.
Then the bus broke down again on the way to Raglan. This time instead of sitting on the side of the road for two hours like last time, we sat around for an hour and half outside a supermarket. At least it was next to the river and had park with a bunch of mangroves surrounding. Raglan is one of the top surf beaches in New Zealand. I didn't surf but I did hike :) Went up to search for a lookout point that didn't exist. haha. We peered through the trees while standing on boulders to see a glimpse of the city and the sea.
Next day we (this means, me and the bus tour group I was with) went to Waitomo!!! One of my goal destinations. I signed up for a blackwater rafting trip with a company that my bus company didn't work with, so I set myself up to stay the night. I went black water rafting THAT day. If you don't know what blackwater rafting is. I'll try to explain. It's underground river travel basically. So, spalunking with tubing, flying fox, 30 metre abseil, and rock climbing up waterfalls. All this was enhanced by the glow worms. Tiny gnat larvae that glow to attract their prey and trap them in sticky webs. It was brilliant! I could have stayed down there all day long if it wasn't so FREEZING!!! I was shaking like a leaf! They stopped and gave us hot things to drink, and I was shivering so much my cup almost fell out of my hand! The tour I was on was called The Black Abyss. It was 5 hours underground with two guides. Our guides were awesome. They all wore funky speedos/bikini bottoms over top of their wetsuits. I really liked the trip and am so glad I did it!

I had planned to split with my new hostel mates the next day. While they were out blackwater rafting the next day, I sat on the side of the road waiting for a bus that never came. Two hours and three phonecalls later... still no bus, and no answer. I was CHOKED. They paid for my additional night in the hostel, but this also meant being way-laid for meeting my friend Chris in Rotorua. We won't touch that one though. I was too overwhelmed by that to really talk about it on here.

I got a good laugh when my hostel mates (Sam, Julie and Chantelle) got back and there I was just treking back up the hill to the hostel.

Turns out the bus had broke down again! And nobody bothered to inform me. I had a great time hanging out with the crew at the one pub in the tiny town that closed between 1130 and midnight every day ! haha. I swear we must have woken up the town on the way home. It's a really neat little place, Waitomo. It reminded me of Quadra Island as you could see every star in the sky on a clear night.

We made it to Rotorua the next day. There, we went luging ! rode a gondola up a hill and rode down on these rickety plastic luge carts! it was great!

And yesterday... I... WENT WHITE WATER RAFTING!!! this I have no proof of because they wanted to charge a lot of money for our photos. IT was a really great experience though. We rode over a 7 metre waterfall which is the worlds HIGHEST commercially ridden waterfall. Yup. I did that.

We checked out some more geothermal activity on our way to Taupo. We hit up Kerosene Creek which looks like a regular river but the water is SUPER warm!! Like a freshly drawn bath!! Seriously. We were there on a super hot day and it was so disappointing to stick your feet in HOT water!! We also saw some bubbling mud pools. I can't remember what they were called, but they bubbled and boiled and shplooshed all over. It was really cool.

Taupo is where you will find New Zealand's largest lake and cheapest skydiving! I might check out the lake, and I will be the photographer when the other three jump out of the plane. Besides not being able to afford the $500 ride, it just might not be my kind of adrenaline rush. Give me back the caves or the river ANY DAY though!!

I am still so excited about all the things I have done. I almost didn't get to do any of those things that I wanted to, as teh bus broke down soooo many times that I kept missing out on activities and being left behind. So I called Stray.... that's the name of the bus company. They upgraded my pass to include my trip all the way to wellington and back to auckland. That's a good $170 bonus on top of my pass. I'll take it! so things are going forward a lot more smoothly now.

AH! lovin' it. Miss you all! Cheers!

Auckland City War Museum and New Years!

I'll try to make this as quick and descriptive as possible :) Sonia and I had a blast on the saturday, then come sunday we thought we'd try to hit the museum AND the zoo in one day. HA. We got to the museum and it was HUGE!!!





The museum is usually free with a highly recommended $5 donation. However, we dug into our wallets and paid the extra to get to see the Maori performance:

The performance showcased traditional Maori song and dance, which oddly enough includes the guitar instrument (since the late 1800s), weapons demonstrations and the HAKA!



This guy was great:





The museum was full of amazing things and by the end of it we were extremely tired and giddy. Some of the highlights included:

Maori Carvings and instruments. The instruments below were very similar to the ones Riki played for us at the Rangers' station.





There was a huge display on Volcanic activity, seeing as how that's what New Zealand geography is all made up of. We got to pick up rocks, and see a real casting of a Pompeii victim. THAT was cool.



We learned about it in grade school, but actually seeing this really put it into perspective. What a horrific way to go....





We even got to experience an imitation eruption! They herded us into a little fake living room and we got a 5 minute demo on what the end of auckland would feel like, including fake news broadcast, a bit of shaking (lame compared to what I was expecting), power outage, and a "view" of the harbour as it erupted. It was pretty cool. I was a bit afraid to go in, but then after was disappointed at how gentle they were on us. I guess it's a museum, not a theme park, afterall!

There was also a whole bunch of information on old fashioned dress, food and lifestyle. They had a stuffed elephant in this exhibit as well, which I thought was odd. It was an elephant who just didn't make the cut when it came to being ridable at the auckland zoo (funny that, being a wild animal) so they killed him and stuffed him and put him on display, then retired him to the basement. His name was Rajah, and I never took a photo. Maybe it was too sad. We cheered up quickly when we found the giant wall of candy:



The giant "swimming pool":



The giant moa (the feather's were harvested from kiwis, not actual moas, they are extinct):



The giant weta insects (yes, they still exist that size here today):



The giant plane:



And, then we got sad again at the giant war memorial:

An entire floor dedicated to the wars fought by New Zealanders. Including both World Wars.



We ended up getting so tired by the end that we started imitating carvings from the pacific islands:





It was a great adventure, even if we didn't have time for the zoo, but that's ok, we saw a bunch of live animals at the museum! Such as an octopus, cockroaches, stick insects, fish, crayfish, seahorses and:

Frogs



We also saw some "not so alive" animals as well:

Kiwi Bird!!! If you ignore the glass in the corner, and the little indicator number, it looks just like we really saw him in the wild! or.. at least that's what we tell ourselves...



Ferret, Weasel and stoats. The weasel is the smallest and is about the height of an unsharpened pencil.



After the museum I rushed home, packed my bag and met Sonia back at the hostel. We got all glammed up and then went out to the local backpackers club. It was an interesting night full of interesting people, but we still had a great time with each other. Don't we look spectacular?



Haha! All the best to you all throughout this year! HUGS!!

Waiheke Island and The Fiddler

After the first week of CVNZ, Sonia and I were thick as thieves. She was planning to see as much as possible while she was in New Zealand, so that meant packing her weekends full of activities. When she mentioned going to Waiheke Island on Saturday, I jumped at the chance to join her!

We paid $42 each for our Waiheke trip. It included the return ferry ride, a bus tour and all day bus rides on the local transit. It seemed like a good deal at the time. Little did we know that there is NOTHING to do on Waiheke, especially when it is cloudy, except spend money. We were going to go to have a "snack" at a pub at Onetangi beach but discovered that a "snack" would cost us like $20 each! yuck. So we made our own fun on the beach instead:





It was a beautiful island though and the tour guide was kind of funny. He kept telling us about how much money people spent on houses and the like. One guy just sold his peninsula for $12 million:



The closer peninsula is an old Maori Pa site. It's the one in the background that sold... Speaking of which I've been meaning to sell MY peninsula... I should get on that... ha.

Despite the lack of activity, which I suppose was mostly due to the weather, we did manage to appreciate Waiheke's never ending views:

Nude Beach:



Not Nude Beach, aka Palm Beach:


It is generally known, when two beaches are side by side... the left one is the nude one.

"Turtle Islands":



We tried to go to a market, but it ended up being closed just before we got there. We have such great timing really. But that's ok, because I walked to a shop nearby and bought a disc (aka frisbee)... which I still haven't used. We went into a different little town centre and bought ourselves lunch. Sandwiches and Sonia had a Chocolate milkshake:



They had pictures of this store on t-shirts so I took a picture of it because it must be important:



Then we headed back to the ferry. We are glad we went to Waiheke, but we are doubly glad that we went with each other because we were what made it interesting for us to go... not to make you think Sonia and I are full of ego. Even if we are awesome, and... oh... right, back to blog. We caught the five o'clock ferry, checked out the infamous sculpture on the hill that I thought looked like enormous pieces of discarded duct tape, and headed home:



We lasted about 30 seconds on the rooftop of the ferry before we ran for cover. We almost got blown off the boat while trying to make it down the stairs. It probably didn't help that we were laughing so hard! haha!

After we got back to Auckland we decided to hit the town:

The Fiddler:


Me, Mike, Rich and Sonia

Now, when Mike came by the pub, Sonia and I were sitting in the window, he waltzed in with his backpack and all. He got a beer, ditched his bag and though he had the choice of the entirely empty bar, he asked to sit at the last window seat next to us. I suppose it's what any bright guy would do really, but I still think he's great for it.


They had currency from around the globe stuck to all the walls and ceilings around the bar. Though they had real Canadian elsewhere, I was most amused to discover Canadian Tire money!!

We met guys who worked for Cirque Du Soleil, setting up the rigging and all the technical end of things. Some were cool, most were kind of greasy or egotistical. Guilliam was cool, he is from Quebec and was the one who pointed out the Canadian Tire money to me! hehe :



Greasy ones:

We had a really good time that night:





Mike was a young lawyer from California who had just been practicing in New York and was on his way to Australia. Rich was his friend that came to pick him up. They hadn't seen each other in 6 years, and we got party with them a little bit for their reunion. They were our favourite people in the place.

I'm so glad I met Sonia, she really made that day the awesome that it was.

Week One with Conservation Volunteers New Zealand

On boxing day morning, I rose early and met up with my team at the Britomart (big bus and train station downtown) to head out and do some volunteer work. When I got there, however, the huge team I had heard rumoured to be coming had been reduced to myself, a 57 year old man named Graham and our 23 year old team leader Sonia! haha! Everybody else had canceled at the last minute. Sad for them though, because I had a brilliant time! Besides, it meant there would be more food to split between the three of us :D

The first day we went out to Hunua Ranges Regional Park, southeast of Auckland. We were originally supposed to be hiking out to the mountains to clear drainage ways along the trail system, but because we were such a small group we stuck around the volunteer house. We tore down the chicken coup and weeded vines from the trees along the roadside!! go conservation nz!!

This the edge of the volunteer house. The coup was just to the right of the shed, and we removed vines from the trees on the right side of that!:



Sonia and Graham at Hunua Falls



We only spent one day in Hunua, then we headed North past Auckland again and then to the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park. Aritaki Visitor Centre, on the way to the Rangers' Station:

The grey sky, was more brilliant grey/blue in real life, but the view can still be admired behind me in the frame. It looks out onto Lower Nihotupu Dam and Big Muddy Creek.





This well endowed Maori Pou(guardian post)(not to be confused with a totem pole, we ain't in North America!) was the centerpiece of the centre, though there were loads of interesting features inside as well.



We got a little lost on the way to the Rangers' station so we pulled into a golf course to ask for help. That's where I spotted this car:



It was raining the day we arrived so we just got to meet the Rangers, Riki and John, and an Arc in the Park activist, John Staniland. We were treated to about 3 hours of information and presentation on what John and others are working on in the area. He told us about the birds he is working to save, where they live and he even made a few bird calls for us! He was a longwinded fellow, but he was brilliant and passionate about what he does. I felt very lucky to have been there to learn and listen. It was the kind of information you pay to learn at a conference or something :) Unfortunately I don't have a picture of him... only this Chicken, who lives at the house next to the Ranger station. He has free reign of the area and just walked freely into the kitchen and had a nap! :



Also in there yard, lived a duck and a Pukeko. The hen had the run of the land, then the pukeko, and finally the duck. It was funny to watch them fight over food!

Pukeko. Also affectionately referred to as the purple chicken, or bird with HUGE feet.



We then got a tour of a good chunk of the park in the 4X4 Ranger Truck. We went along a river, up and down some sand dunes, along a beach and back again. It was brilliant :D Regular old citizens don't get to drive in the places we were. It was very awesome!



The beach we drove along was called Te Henga or "Bethell's Beach." This cliff has a Maori name that I have forgotten but that translates into "Nose of the Ocean." I think it is very aptly named.



Even though the sky was grey, Te Henga was a beautiful place, with a lot of Maori history.



We spent the night in a place called Little Huia. A tiny little nook that was home to less people than Hoolieville (that's the tiny area I lived in on Quadra Island, pop. 112). At first we thought we were staying in the bunk house which was a concrete room with a bunch of bunks, some had mattresses, others had cobwebs, then we realized that the other building behind us was the main house. It was much cleaner and much more comfortable :D!! Thank goodness!





There was farmland all around the house. We braved passing the electric fence to climb the green slope behind the house and get this view:



The next day we spent out on the Waitakere farmlands. They have a paddock along a huge slope that is overrun with thistles and weeds that they are planning to replant with native vegetation, like Native Toe Toe (pronounced more like toy-toy).



We also hacked out thistle bushes with these big scythe like tools! It was great fun! We got to wear "chaps" thick green leg coverings to protect us from the thorns! But we got our revenge on anything that got through... Take that and THAT and THAT!!! Its amazing how thistles ressemble ex-boyfriends and enemies sometimes....



The Rangers were great fun to work with. Riki, shown below in the middle, has been working out there the longest though and had the most knowledge to share about the area and the Maori culture. Which reminds me... he said something about a Hangi sometime soon, I should call him.



As you can tell.. it was absolutely horrible and ugly working out in the ranges. No nice scenic views of rolling hills or.... oh... wait.... It was brilliant!

After they took us out to the Gannet colony at Miruwai Beach on the west coast.



The Gannet colony was so exciting, but it smelled pretty bad. Click on the photo for more shots.

The Rangers treated us to milkshakes/coffees at this beachside cafe. The Ranger who looks like he is tipping his hat is Chris, the ranger allocated to that area:



On the morning of that friday, our last day in Waitakere, we build a boardwalk over a muddy patch along the Lower Kauri Trek through the Cascades Kauri Park. No kauri trees near where we were, but we drove most of the way to the trek access anyways.



It was a brilliant trip and Sonia and I have bonded and are now good friends. We only got in a total of about 8 hours worth of work that week due to the weather and Ranger tour distractions. But it was so wonderful all around. Besides, we definitely made up for it in the second week. That entry is to come soon.

More images from the Little Huia house:









This entry is so long, yet I still feel like I have left so much out from that week alone! Cheers everybody!