Monday, May 23, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
So we've been out of touch for a while, having got ourselves a cushy grape-picking job in Cromwell. We made our way to this nondescript little town via Dunedin, Invercargill, and Bluff, the more-or-less southern point of the South island.
The last few weeks with the vineyard crew in Cromwell and Gibbston Valley have been some of the best of the whole year. We've been working in the most picturesque locations, staying for free on the vineyards, and working with the best bunch of nutcases we could have hoped for.
The last few weeks with the vineyard crew in Cromwell and Gibbston Valley have been some of the best of the whole year. We've been working in the most picturesque locations, staying for free on the vineyards, and working with the best bunch of nutcases we could have hoped for.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Wellington
Ok, it's bee a while since the last post, seeing as the only place in the South Island we could easily get online got flat before we got the chance. Excuses excuses. So here's a quick run-through.
Wellington
Despite being home to less than a third as many people as Auckland, Wellington is rightfully New Zealand's capital city. Pinned between the sea and the mountains, the city is concentrated into a very small space, houses built on steep hillsides as though squeezed up and out by the energy of the city centre. It is easily the most vibrant and culturally stuffed city we have visited, and is also surprisingly beautiful - buildings from any time in the last hundred years coexist with startling grace.
It was time to sponge off my family for a change, and Auntie Julia and Uncle Kevin were very generous, lending us a spare room for a week or so, and it was great to catch up with the cousins again after so long.
Kaikoura
We spent a week in Kaikoura - camping on a virtually empty beach, walking in the day and burning driftwood by night. The top of mount Fyffe, and the ridge approaching it were so windy we thought we might just float away if we stood up straight. On Penny's birthday we went fishing off a small wharf and I caught a barracouta, or barracuda, or a WOLF WITH FINS, I don't know. It was bigger than my leg, and thankfully, got away just before I got it on the wharf. I have no idea what I would have done with it. Much less stressful seafood was had at the local crayfish hut, Nin's Bin, which does the best seafood in the world, in the best location.
Christchurch
We found work in Waipara, north of Christchurch in an unbelievably scenic vineyard, and stayed at the coolest little campsite - Waipara Sleepers, which is full of old railway carriages converted to cabins. There was a family of cats living under the TV carriage, and Penny spent almost all her time covered in kittens.
The Earthquake
I suppose we were pretty lucky to be out of Christchurch for the quake - we had been in the city centre only 2 days earlier, celebrating my birthday. As it was, we certainly felt the shake in the vineyard, rocking the smoko cabin from side to side as we giggled like we were on a fairground ride. We felt pretty bad about that when we found out the extent of the damage in Christchurch.
Arthur's Pass
Most recently we spent a week in the mountain village and walker's paradise of Arthur's Pass, and we left about half a pint of blood each still buzzing about inside about a million sandflies. Despite the bloodsuckers, there are some amazing walks in Arthur's pass, and we've tried to capture the views on camera. The second big walk, Mount Aicken was amazing, in that we saw, literally, no-one - from the moment we hit the trail in the morning until we left the trail in the evening. From the magical beech forest of the lower slopes, to the cliffs and scree of the later ascent, to the enourmous jagged ridge of the summits with views in every direction and egg sandwiches, this was a perfect walk.
Wellington
Despite being home to less than a third as many people as Auckland, Wellington is rightfully New Zealand's capital city. Pinned between the sea and the mountains, the city is concentrated into a very small space, houses built on steep hillsides as though squeezed up and out by the energy of the city centre. It is easily the most vibrant and culturally stuffed city we have visited, and is also surprisingly beautiful - buildings from any time in the last hundred years coexist with startling grace.
It was time to sponge off my family for a change, and Auntie Julia and Uncle Kevin were very generous, lending us a spare room for a week or so, and it was great to catch up with the cousins again after so long.
Kaikoura
We spent a week in Kaikoura - camping on a virtually empty beach, walking in the day and burning driftwood by night. The top of mount Fyffe, and the ridge approaching it were so windy we thought we might just float away if we stood up straight. On Penny's birthday we went fishing off a small wharf and I caught a barracouta, or barracuda, or a WOLF WITH FINS, I don't know. It was bigger than my leg, and thankfully, got away just before I got it on the wharf. I have no idea what I would have done with it. Much less stressful seafood was had at the local crayfish hut, Nin's Bin, which does the best seafood in the world, in the best location.
Christchurch
We found work in Waipara, north of Christchurch in an unbelievably scenic vineyard, and stayed at the coolest little campsite - Waipara Sleepers, which is full of old railway carriages converted to cabins. There was a family of cats living under the TV carriage, and Penny spent almost all her time covered in kittens.
The Earthquake
I suppose we were pretty lucky to be out of Christchurch for the quake - we had been in the city centre only 2 days earlier, celebrating my birthday. As it was, we certainly felt the shake in the vineyard, rocking the smoko cabin from side to side as we giggled like we were on a fairground ride. We felt pretty bad about that when we found out the extent of the damage in Christchurch.
Arthur's Pass
Most recently we spent a week in the mountain village and walker's paradise of Arthur's Pass, and we left about half a pint of blood each still buzzing about inside about a million sandflies. Despite the bloodsuckers, there are some amazing walks in Arthur's pass, and we've tried to capture the views on camera. The second big walk, Mount Aicken was amazing, in that we saw, literally, no-one - from the moment we hit the trail in the morning until we left the trail in the evening. From the magical beech forest of the lower slopes, to the cliffs and scree of the later ascent, to the enourmous jagged ridge of the summits with views in every direction and egg sandwiches, this was a perfect walk.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tongariro Crossing
Yesterday, we walked what has been called the best day walk in New Zealand, the Tongariro Crossing.
Initially, we were fairly disappointed, as, after getting up at 4:30, the first few hours of the walk were a low-visibility trudge through low cloud. Our intention had been to motor through the early ascent and reach the South Crater before 9:15, which would give us enough time to attempt Mount Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom from the Lord of the Rings films), and still make the bus back to Taupo. Unfortunately, the cloud was far too thick to think about the very difficult climb, and we reluctantly turned our backs on the (active) volcanoe, and began the crossing of the vast and ghostly South Crater from the foot of Ngauruhoe. at about 9:30, the wind suddenly shredded the clouds from the Tongariro Crossing, and for the first time we got a look at the place. The view of and across the South Crater is absolutely stunning, as is the view from the top of Mount Tongariro, a smaller diversion than Ngauruhoe that we consoled ourselves with; not to mention the fact the fact that the view from the top of Ngauruhoe couldn't be as good as that from Tongariro, because on top of Ngauruhoe is the only place you can't see Ngauruhoe. It dominates the landscape utterly, impressive given the surreal and hellish scenery that surrounds it.
Maybe next time. Still, with its unbelievable alien landscapes, The Tongariro Crossing is by far the best New Zealand walk we have done so far.
Initially, we were fairly disappointed, as, after getting up at 4:30, the first few hours of the walk were a low-visibility trudge through low cloud. Our intention had been to motor through the early ascent and reach the South Crater before 9:15, which would give us enough time to attempt Mount Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom from the Lord of the Rings films), and still make the bus back to Taupo. Unfortunately, the cloud was far too thick to think about the very difficult climb, and we reluctantly turned our backs on the (active) volcanoe, and began the crossing of the vast and ghostly South Crater from the foot of Ngauruhoe. at about 9:30, the wind suddenly shredded the clouds from the Tongariro Crossing, and for the first time we got a look at the place. The view of and across the South Crater is absolutely stunning, as is the view from the top of Mount Tongariro, a smaller diversion than Ngauruhoe that we consoled ourselves with; not to mention the fact the fact that the view from the top of Ngauruhoe couldn't be as good as that from Tongariro, because on top of Ngauruhoe is the only place you can't see Ngauruhoe. It dominates the landscape utterly, impressive given the surreal and hellish scenery that surrounds it.
Maybe next time. Still, with its unbelievable alien landscapes, The Tongariro Crossing is by far the best New Zealand walk we have done so far.
Bill and Jane, Penny's lovely aunt and uncle, put us up for the night in Whangerei, and we got to eat some of Jane's delicious free-range potatoes and home-grown eggs.
Next stop, the Coromandel, was serious walking time, with two big day walks - the Pinnacles, a jagged spire of a mountain with dramatic views across the Coromandel penisula, and better yet, the Orange Peel Corner walk. This walk took us up miles of native sub-tropical rainforested mountain, over ground that undulated and rolled, knotting the very slim path around gigantic tree stumps, boulders, mossy outcrops and up near-vertical staiways made of roots. Occasionally we were reminded of the altitude when we peered through a curtain of ferns and creepers at empty space. The whole time, we were pelted with a heavy rain or wrapped up in cloud, which would have ruined the views of a mountain walk, but, as we generally couldn't see more than 25 feet through the forest anyway, only added to the great atmosphere of the place. We never saw a soul on the entire walk.
We stopped in Rotorua for a few days of R&R&luging, before heading for Taupo, and the Tongariro national park.
Next stop, the Coromandel, was serious walking time, with two big day walks - the Pinnacles, a jagged spire of a mountain with dramatic views across the Coromandel penisula, and better yet, the Orange Peel Corner walk. This walk took us up miles of native sub-tropical rainforested mountain, over ground that undulated and rolled, knotting the very slim path around gigantic tree stumps, boulders, mossy outcrops and up near-vertical staiways made of roots. Occasionally we were reminded of the altitude when we peered through a curtain of ferns and creepers at empty space. The whole time, we were pelted with a heavy rain or wrapped up in cloud, which would have ruined the views of a mountain walk, but, as we generally couldn't see more than 25 feet through the forest anyway, only added to the great atmosphere of the place. We never saw a soul on the entire walk.
We stopped in Rotorua for a few days of R&R&luging, before heading for Taupo, and the Tongariro national park.
Anyway, after seeing the very end of New Zealand, we started our long journey South. We are making a beeline for the other end of the Long White Cloud, probably turning around at Fiordland. There is some serious catching up to do now, as the last entry only covered about half of what we'd done, and there's more that needs attention been done since.
In Manganui by Doubtless Bay we sampled the "world famous" fish and chips of the Mangonui Fish shop for lunch, and found a place to stay in the Bay of Islands. We spent some lazy days here kayaking and catching the ferry to the ex-whaling town and NZ capital, Russell. On our way away, we relieved ourselves at the inappropriately attractive Hundertwasser toilets in Kawakawa.
Our next stop, Opononi, is a tiny communityin the Hokianga Harbour, which we chose simply for its proximity to the giant kauri forest of Waipoua, but it is one of our fondest remembered stays. It looks out over giant sand dunes on the northern shore, and the sun sets, depending on where you stand on the beach, either over these dunes or into the mouth of the harbour.It also just so happened that Fat Freddy's Drop were playing in the grounds of the hotel next door, providing us with the perfect soundtrack to the evening.
We hit the kauris of Waipoua the next day, ancient beings measuring hundreds of cubic meters in volume, which have stood, in some cases, for thousands of years. The two giants that we visited could hardly have been more different. Te Matua Ngahere, the Father of the Forest, is a massive shattered column of wood, fatter even than the biggest of the remaining kauri. Its crown is incongruously small, made up of a few small boughs sticking out of the gigantic trunk, hung about with a forest of smaller plants. The largest of the kauri, Tane Mahuta, is younger than its famous neighbour, but stands far taller, and its shape is by far grander, rising nearly 60 feet without tapering at all from its before exploding into a jagged canopy. it is, all the way up the trunk, 45 feet around. It's bloody huge. Despite the majesty and power of the giants, my favourite memory of the Waipoua forest is the Cathedral Grove, populated by over a dozen large kauri, slimmer than the giants, but still very tall, which suddenly lift the forest canopy like enormous wooden pillars, creating a vast open space. Stumbling into this glade from the closeness of the bush is a quiet and beautiful experience. We have tried to take some pictures of the forest, but they don't do it any justice; the most stunning views from inside the forest exist right across your peripheral vision, wrapping completely around you.
In Manganui by Doubtless Bay we sampled the "world famous" fish and chips of the Mangonui Fish shop for lunch, and found a place to stay in the Bay of Islands. We spent some lazy days here kayaking and catching the ferry to the ex-whaling town and NZ capital, Russell. On our way away, we relieved ourselves at the inappropriately attractive Hundertwasser toilets in Kawakawa.
Our next stop, Opononi, is a tiny communityin the Hokianga Harbour, which we chose simply for its proximity to the giant kauri forest of Waipoua, but it is one of our fondest remembered stays. It looks out over giant sand dunes on the northern shore, and the sun sets, depending on where you stand on the beach, either over these dunes or into the mouth of the harbour.It also just so happened that Fat Freddy's Drop were playing in the grounds of the hotel next door, providing us with the perfect soundtrack to the evening.
We hit the kauris of Waipoua the next day, ancient beings measuring hundreds of cubic meters in volume, which have stood, in some cases, for thousands of years. The two giants that we visited could hardly have been more different. Te Matua Ngahere, the Father of the Forest, is a massive shattered column of wood, fatter even than the biggest of the remaining kauri. Its crown is incongruously small, made up of a few small boughs sticking out of the gigantic trunk, hung about with a forest of smaller plants. The largest of the kauri, Tane Mahuta, is younger than its famous neighbour, but stands far taller, and its shape is by far grander, rising nearly 60 feet without tapering at all from its before exploding into a jagged canopy. it is, all the way up the trunk, 45 feet around. It's bloody huge. Despite the majesty and power of the giants, my favourite memory of the Waipoua forest is the Cathedral Grove, populated by over a dozen large kauri, slimmer than the giants, but still very tall, which suddenly lift the forest canopy like enormous wooden pillars, creating a vast open space. Stumbling into this glade from the closeness of the bush is a quiet and beautiful experience. We have tried to take some pictures of the forest, but they don't do it any justice; the most stunning views from inside the forest exist right across your peripheral vision, wrapping completely around you.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Empires of dust and steel, A new beginning
It's been a little hectic, this last fortnight.
For the last few months, we have been trying to support ourselves in New Zealand, working hard and spending very little. Not that this hasn't been a rich seam of experiences - working through agencies, I found myself in some extraordinary jobs in the industrial sector, from stacking frozen fish to operating 80-ton steel presses and guillotines unsupervised. One of my favourites was the night shift in a fertillizer plant, which was like being inside the belly of mechanical fish. The great conveyor belt that was fed orange dust by a constant stream of trucks runs like a cross-section of the fish's gullet, just under the apex of the gigantic a-frame shed. Perched on the rickety gangways that accompany it, you can peer down over dust dunes that stretch away in all directions. Nothing but the belt in that shed exists without a thick accumulation of dust, caked on tough. the motors and fans that power arcane machines, the switches, plugs, bulbs and handrails all gather dust faster than the traffic of human hands can clear them. The belt is festooned with walkways, which here and there knot themselves into a tangle of grey ladders, stairs, cables and cages. At the very end, a door in the wall accesses a fire escape, where I, my workmate, and some guy sat for the last hour of the shift, looking out over Mount Maunganui.
Later, I worked in a palm kernel shed, which was very much like being in the Fire Temple from the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, right down to the eerie moans and whistles of machinery. Here, overtired at the end of a 13 hour shift, I closed the sprung latch of a dump truck incorrectly, and it flew open and hit me in the face and flicking me off my feet, leaving me very dizzy and bleedy. It spread my nose out a bit, but it turned out I was lucky, as I could easily have lost a few teeth or even an eye.
I finally got a job as a stevedore at Mount Maunganui wharf, which was probably the best job I've ever had. Dangerous as hell, what with the heights, the manhandling 35 tonne containers, and keeping an eye on the spreader, which is always creeping up on you to ruin your day, but it was certainly dramatic.
Anyway, that's not why we're here. We came here to walk, and to be in the outdoors, and on New Years day, we just said bollocks to it, and we bolted for Cape Reinga, to kick things off properly.
We stayed a night at the Spirits Bay Department of Conservation (DOC) campsite, which is a (very) remote and basic, but absolutely stunning location, sandwiched between the sweeping ridge which makes up the eastern end of Spirits Bay, and gorgeous bush to the west. The atmosphere is one of a more relaxed and tidy festival, and the campsite manager offered to watch our van for free while we walked. On the 2nd of January we hiked out with our packs full of tinned food and camping gear, but no gas for the stove, and no cutlery to eat our (cold) beans with. The hike along Spirits Bay is draining but worth it - the beach is a pure white crescent stripe, dividing the very blue sea and the sweeping dunes. I got nipped by a crab very hard and it hurt and my little toe was bleeding a bit. After a hottest-part-of-the-day uphill and ridge leg, we camped at Tapotupotu bay, and decided to turn back, having no way to afford the pricy transport from Cape Reinga to Spirits Bay, walking back via an alternative route through the dunes.
For the last few months, we have been trying to support ourselves in New Zealand, working hard and spending very little. Not that this hasn't been a rich seam of experiences - working through agencies, I found myself in some extraordinary jobs in the industrial sector, from stacking frozen fish to operating 80-ton steel presses and guillotines unsupervised. One of my favourites was the night shift in a fertillizer plant, which was like being inside the belly of mechanical fish. The great conveyor belt that was fed orange dust by a constant stream of trucks runs like a cross-section of the fish's gullet, just under the apex of the gigantic a-frame shed. Perched on the rickety gangways that accompany it, you can peer down over dust dunes that stretch away in all directions. Nothing but the belt in that shed exists without a thick accumulation of dust, caked on tough. the motors and fans that power arcane machines, the switches, plugs, bulbs and handrails all gather dust faster than the traffic of human hands can clear them. The belt is festooned with walkways, which here and there knot themselves into a tangle of grey ladders, stairs, cables and cages. At the very end, a door in the wall accesses a fire escape, where I, my workmate, and some guy sat for the last hour of the shift, looking out over Mount Maunganui.
Later, I worked in a palm kernel shed, which was very much like being in the Fire Temple from the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, right down to the eerie moans and whistles of machinery. Here, overtired at the end of a 13 hour shift, I closed the sprung latch of a dump truck incorrectly, and it flew open and hit me in the face and flicking me off my feet, leaving me very dizzy and bleedy. It spread my nose out a bit, but it turned out I was lucky, as I could easily have lost a few teeth or even an eye.
I finally got a job as a stevedore at Mount Maunganui wharf, which was probably the best job I've ever had. Dangerous as hell, what with the heights, the manhandling 35 tonne containers, and keeping an eye on the spreader, which is always creeping up on you to ruin your day, but it was certainly dramatic.
Anyway, that's not why we're here. We came here to walk, and to be in the outdoors, and on New Years day, we just said bollocks to it, and we bolted for Cape Reinga, to kick things off properly.
We stayed a night at the Spirits Bay Department of Conservation (DOC) campsite, which is a (very) remote and basic, but absolutely stunning location, sandwiched between the sweeping ridge which makes up the eastern end of Spirits Bay, and gorgeous bush to the west. The atmosphere is one of a more relaxed and tidy festival, and the campsite manager offered to watch our van for free while we walked. On the 2nd of January we hiked out with our packs full of tinned food and camping gear, but no gas for the stove, and no cutlery to eat our (cold) beans with. The hike along Spirits Bay is draining but worth it - the beach is a pure white crescent stripe, dividing the very blue sea and the sweeping dunes. I got nipped by a crab very hard and it hurt and my little toe was bleeding a bit. After a hottest-part-of-the-day uphill and ridge leg, we camped at Tapotupotu bay, and decided to turn back, having no way to afford the pricy transport from Cape Reinga to Spirits Bay, walking back via an alternative route through the dunes.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Doug is asleep, so I thought I would write to you all to let you know what we have been up to. We have been staying with my Aunty Yvonnie and Uncle Barry for the past three weeks whilst working to make up some funds to enjoy the summer. We have decided to work up until Christmas and then spend some time tramping.
Doug’s been working extremely hard as a labourer digging ditches and washing down trucks. Last week he was taking apart office furniture built from aluminium which was being thrown out, so he stacked it up in our van and has taken it to be recycled, he got $70 for the lot. I on the other hand have not been doing “man” work. I have been working in a nice, friendly cake factory where I get to decorate and pack thousands of cakes.
We wake up most morning around 4-5 am ready for work and finish around 3pm. Doug drops me off at the cake factory for 5am some days 6:30 then goes off to his job for 9am, I usually finish work around 3 so have been running home, whilst Doug gets home around 5pm with the van.
We have been walking up the mount a fair bit on our days off and sleeping.
Yesterday we went to Rotorua where we watched the Christmas parade, the Christmas floats passed full of children from the local schools. It was very creative, the floats where mainly beach orientated with sprinkles of glitter and tinsel. The sun was beaming down and Doug was dodging the sun at every opportunity, soon as we got home he had a cold shower and seemed to be feeling a lot better.
Today we will be fixing up the van; we have made some new cushion covers for the bed and seats, put in new curtains and will now be painting the furniture with a fresh coat of white paint. Tomorrow Doug is not guaranteed work, which has worked in our favour as we have a muffler which needs replacing at the garage. Our van is slowly being renovated to bring it up to date and to suit our lifestyle.
So all in all, life’s been sweet down under so far, and our holiday time is about to begin, we hope you are all well and keeping warm. England’s been on the news and the snows looking very festive indeed, we wish you a merry Christmas and are thinking of you all through the festive season.
Much love to you all
Penny x
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Hello all from Tauranga. We've been staying at Penny's Aunt and Uncle Vonnie and Barry's place for the last few days. they have been unbelievably generous, putting us up (and putting up with us) while we have been job hunting around the Bay of Plenty. We jacked in the tomato picking to give us the freedom to find some work that really enables us to grow and to take in New Zealand while building some great memories and forging new friendships.
We start gutting fish on Monday.
Oh, we went for our second whale and dolphin watching trip soon after our last blog. We found a pod of dolphins pretty quickly, thanks to flocks of dive bombing gannets, and it was a big one; they must have found a fishy motherload, because they were soon joined by a couple of other pods of comparable size. In total, there were about 3,000 common dolphins in that single hunting group. The only way I can describe it is like being in the middle of great fields of the things, as far as it was possible to see from the deck, travelling in huge leaping herds, or playing in the bow waves of the tour catamaran with that effortless agility and showmammalship that they have.
We have also: climbed Mt. Maunganui 4 times, come joint 3rd in a pub quiz, and run several times into another prophet of the end of the world, who wears a bicycle helmet at all times and is well known to the locals.
We start gutting fish on Monday.
Oh, we went for our second whale and dolphin watching trip soon after our last blog. We found a pod of dolphins pretty quickly, thanks to flocks of dive bombing gannets, and it was a big one; they must have found a fishy motherload, because they were soon joined by a couple of other pods of comparable size. In total, there were about 3,000 common dolphins in that single hunting group. The only way I can describe it is like being in the middle of great fields of the things, as far as it was possible to see from the deck, travelling in huge leaping herds, or playing in the bow waves of the tour catamaran with that effortless agility and showmammalship that they have.
We have also: climbed Mt. Maunganui 4 times, come joint 3rd in a pub quiz, and run several times into another prophet of the end of the world, who wears a bicycle helmet at all times and is well known to the locals.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Work
Tomato picking is pretty dull business. I mean, I thought there was nothing worth stealing at the Robinson's Fruit Shoot warehouse. Pick tomatoes, stack tomatoes, sweat, prune leaves, cut thumb off, turn sulphur-yellow, bin leaves.
But we have money now, allowing us to celebrate our 4-year anniversary by doing something we have always wanted to do together - whale watching. Not that we saw any whales, but we did get to go on a boat, so we were smiling. I think Penny was smiling, maybe her face just froze like that, I don't know.
We saw Penny's Aunt and Uncle Bill & Jane, and cousins Brett & Joel last week. I probably had a bit too much to drink and ended up at the keyboard, jamming with Bill and Joel, who play drums and guitar. I was pretty terrible, but no-one seemed to mind.
We also met Penny's Nana in Whangarei, and we now know how and when the world is going to end, which is nice. Means we don't end up doing a big shop the day before.
We will upload some photos when we get the chance, and you can see it all for yourselves. in the meantime, I'll try to keep updating whenever I can.
Off whale-watching again now on our free sorry-we-couldn't-find-whales-and-everyone-was-sick vouchers. Wish us luck, eh?
Doug&Penny
But we have money now, allowing us to celebrate our 4-year anniversary by doing something we have always wanted to do together - whale watching. Not that we saw any whales, but we did get to go on a boat, so we were smiling. I think Penny was smiling, maybe her face just froze like that, I don't know.
We saw Penny's Aunt and Uncle Bill & Jane, and cousins Brett & Joel last week. I probably had a bit too much to drink and ended up at the keyboard, jamming with Bill and Joel, who play drums and guitar. I was pretty terrible, but no-one seemed to mind.
We also met Penny's Nana in Whangarei, and we now know how and when the world is going to end, which is nice. Means we don't end up doing a big shop the day before.
We will upload some photos when we get the chance, and you can see it all for yourselves. in the meantime, I'll try to keep updating whenever I can.
Off whale-watching again now on our free sorry-we-couldn't-find-whales-and-everyone-was-sick vouchers. Wish us luck, eh?
Doug&Penny
Sunday, September 26, 2010
settled in
It has been a while since we last posted, and there haven't been any details of our time in NZ yet, so here goes:
Upon touchdown, we were picked up by Levi and Vicky, who let us use their shower, which was the best thing ever. We slept at a hostel in the city centre (slept was more or less all we did - 15 hours the first night and 11 the second). For the first few days we just lumbered around Auckland at 5am in a cloud of jetlag. Auckland is shiny and rainy.
We're not really in New Zealand for the urban experience though, and we needed a van, which is where Jason comes in. That man has a serious generosity problem - after flying in from Australia to help us look at vans, he drove us to Tauranga (exactly one hundred thousand miles) to look at the van we're now in.
The van is older than us, but in great condition, although we did lose a headlight and one of the clips for the pop-up roof on the drive back, my first experience of driving in new zealand, in my first car. We lived, which is the main thing.
Our first night camping happened to coincide with the onset of the worst spring weather in living memory, featuring a storm the size of Australia. It was a tad nippy. Many lambs were drowned.
So, after an ill-advised outing to Orere point and back, a miserable beach on a very miserable day, we headed north to milford, where we sneakily camped for free for a few nights on a really gorgeous beach, and started to properly enjoy the country.
We just barely made it round the cliffs from Waiwera hot springs to Orewa to get groceries, and dodged traffic all the way back. We got stuck in the mud in Tawharanui, a spectacular wildlife reserve situated on a little spit of beack and dunes, and got rescued by a friendly park ranger on a digger.
Yesterday, we woke up in Whangarei (fung-a-ray, crazy Maori pronunciation), and we saw our first kauris of the trip. Pictures really cannot prepare you for the sheer presence of a big kauri. They really loom at you through the forest, always standing up straight, imperiously. and up close... a living thing so indescribably huge and ancient and quiet...
I want to see more.
There are some great walks around here in whangarei, and I think we did them all yesterday. Whangarei falls, the A H Reed memorial Kauri park with canopy walkway (which did not harm a single tree in its construction. Despite being made of wood) and mount Parihaka, all in a few hours. My feet hurt. This is exactly what we came to New Zealand for.
Upon touchdown, we were picked up by Levi and Vicky, who let us use their shower, which was the best thing ever. We slept at a hostel in the city centre (slept was more or less all we did - 15 hours the first night and 11 the second). For the first few days we just lumbered around Auckland at 5am in a cloud of jetlag. Auckland is shiny and rainy.
We're not really in New Zealand for the urban experience though, and we needed a van, which is where Jason comes in. That man has a serious generosity problem - after flying in from Australia to help us look at vans, he drove us to Tauranga (exactly one hundred thousand miles) to look at the van we're now in.
The van is older than us, but in great condition, although we did lose a headlight and one of the clips for the pop-up roof on the drive back, my first experience of driving in new zealand, in my first car. We lived, which is the main thing.
Our first night camping happened to coincide with the onset of the worst spring weather in living memory, featuring a storm the size of Australia. It was a tad nippy. Many lambs were drowned.
So, after an ill-advised outing to Orere point and back, a miserable beach on a very miserable day, we headed north to milford, where we sneakily camped for free for a few nights on a really gorgeous beach, and started to properly enjoy the country.
We just barely made it round the cliffs from Waiwera hot springs to Orewa to get groceries, and dodged traffic all the way back. We got stuck in the mud in Tawharanui, a spectacular wildlife reserve situated on a little spit of beack and dunes, and got rescued by a friendly park ranger on a digger.
Yesterday, we woke up in Whangarei (fung-a-ray, crazy Maori pronunciation), and we saw our first kauris of the trip. Pictures really cannot prepare you for the sheer presence of a big kauri. They really loom at you through the forest, always standing up straight, imperiously. and up close... a living thing so indescribably huge and ancient and quiet...
I want to see more.
There are some great walks around here in whangarei, and I think we did them all yesterday. Whangarei falls, the A H Reed memorial Kauri park with canopy walkway (which did not harm a single tree in its construction. Despite being made of wood) and mount Parihaka, all in a few hours. My feet hurt. This is exactly what we came to New Zealand for.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
First Blog
Okay then, we're one week in, and we've finally gotten round to setting up the blog. This post is mainly just to let concerned parents know that we're ok (hi Mum!), and to give anyone who wants to read an idea of how the year has started.
The flight
Was, as anticipated, a bit rubbish. This is an extract from my deranged scribblings, approaching my 35th hour without sleep:
"It's about 3 hours until touchdown in Auckland, and I have run out of batteries, books, foreign films and fingernails. Penny has finally abandoned her green face/blue lips/ purple eyelids colour scheme which was totally clashing with her top, and is back to rocking pasty white & raynaud's. We have been wawshing when we can; but our clothes are saving our progress, and we have gradually become a multi-medium, pan-sensual airborne filth experience.
Brunei was 12 hours in a booze-free duty-free. Perilously low on chemical sedatives, we took a tour.
We now know that Bruneian Architecture consists primarily of 1. Put a dome on it. 2. Put some gold on the dome. If not happy with the result, return to step 1.
The food, however, was a religious experience, if your chosen deity has more eyes than sense, and more tentacles than that. The dish was a refreshing fruit salad-based dessert, featuring juicy pineapple, crisp cucumber, tangy orange, earthy turnip and raw cuttlefish chunks, finished with crushed nuts and lashings of rich chocolate prawn gravy."
The flight
Was, as anticipated, a bit rubbish. This is an extract from my deranged scribblings, approaching my 35th hour without sleep:
"It's about 3 hours until touchdown in Auckland, and I have run out of batteries, books, foreign films and fingernails. Penny has finally abandoned her green face/blue lips/ purple eyelids colour scheme which was totally clashing with her top, and is back to rocking pasty white & raynaud's. We have been wawshing when we can; but our clothes are saving our progress, and we have gradually become a multi-medium, pan-sensual airborne filth experience.
Brunei was 12 hours in a booze-free duty-free. Perilously low on chemical sedatives, we took a tour.
We now know that Bruneian Architecture consists primarily of 1. Put a dome on it. 2. Put some gold on the dome. If not happy with the result, return to step 1.
The food, however, was a religious experience, if your chosen deity has more eyes than sense, and more tentacles than that. The dish was a refreshing fruit salad-based dessert, featuring juicy pineapple, crisp cucumber, tangy orange, earthy turnip and raw cuttlefish chunks, finished with crushed nuts and lashings of rich chocolate prawn gravy."
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