Able Man from Tas?

(Written 14/12, 07.48)

After our frustrating journey of delayed ferries and non-starting coaches, we arrived at Nelson - one of New Zealand's "most livable towns". It did actually appear to be a very nice town with a cobbled main street called Trafalgar Street and a backdrop of green hills. I did a mini hill-run in order to get to the Centre of New Zealand point before dark and, as it turned out, I reached the top in time to see a cracking sunset over the Tasman Sea. On return to the hostel, I found Bhavesh setting up for a game of Ring of Fire with some other backpackers, and I knew that standardly I would claim the "dirty pint" that evening!

We awoke the following morning to grey clouds and heavy showers - not ideal for the boat rides and hike that were on the cards at the Abel Tasman National Park that day. The rain beat down on the coach as the two of us passed out for the ride, and we awoke to the sun blazing down with us unsure as to whether the prior weather had just been a dream! The tiredness from the late night faded, and it was an absolute beauty of a day at Abel Tasman. This was another day that I will struggle to describe in words but, unlike the Tongariro Crossing, this hike was reasonably civilised and so pictures were taken! For us, Abel Tasman National Park equated to impressive rock formations (particularly the 136 million year old Pacman rock!), many untouched bays of white sand, more unbelievably blue seas reflecting the glorious sun, steep hills of rainforest with the odd clearing allowing vantage point views of the bays, and a couple of bouncy and wet speed boat rides to get into and out of the national park! Beauty. National parks don't seem to disappoint!

The evening was another story, but also provoked excitement. A close-to-one-kilogram burrito caused much salivation, and we sat on a bench in central Nelson to enjoy this to the maximum. After a few rounds of Golf (cards) with a couple of Germans, and a much needed sleep, we are now on a ten-hour coach ride to Franz Josef Glacier! Nature-wise, New Zealand has literally got it all! 

Song of the New Zealand trip (so far): "In the desert, there's a horse wih no name..."

Travelling

(Written 12/12, 16.33)

Yesterday we travelled a long journey from Rotorua to Wellington with a stop at Taupo for a few hours. Lake Taupo and the Huka Falls made for a tranquil walk, and we were particularly amazed by the ridiculously bright blue water colour. We attempted a night out in Wellington, but it was one of those nights that never really reached its potential. The most interesting people we met were some kids that came third in the Young Enterprise Nationals on the way back to the hostel! 

Today we have travelled from Wellington to Blenheim so far, en route Nelson. This included a nice ferry ride down the Cook Strait between the two islands, but a less nice faulty coach at the ferry terminal in Picton. This means that we are currently three hours behind schedule, and that this has been a seriously long travelling day!

From Adrenaline to "Culture"

(Written 11/12, 18.18)

We are currently on a long coah drive from Rotorua to Wellington, and I really do enjoy seeing the country by road. The long coach rides have gone on for over three weeks and strangely they have not gotten old!

Rotorua is a geothermal activity and Maori culture hub of New Zealand. The accent in Rotorua sounded very South African! We stayed in a hostel called The Funky Green Voyager where the people continued to be cool and interesting. Very few of the people I've spoken to at hostels have followed (what I consider to be) the "straight route" in life so far.

We had a packed out day in Rotorua, starting with adrenalin-pumping Whitewater Rafting down the bad-ass Kaituna River (where Bhavesh and I received the nicknames Bash and Crash, respectively!). This certainly exceeded expectations (which were already high!), as we were violently thrown down a 7m-waterfall and bullied by the rapids. Bhavesh was selected by the river as the main target of the bullying, as he was hurled out of the raft at the waterfall and just generally took quite a battering! Our guide from the company (Kaituna Cascades) made the trip a lot of fun by helping the river, and cracking some tidy jokes. There was a French couple on our raft who took the verbal proportion of the bullying because they were horrendously bad at rafting! 

The evening held our Tamaki Village Maori Culture Experience. For the second time that day, Bhavesh was the chosen one, being made Chief of our 30-person group! Supposedly this role gave him the power to refuse the peace-offering of the Maori Chiefs, leaving all of us exiled from the village! The evening introduced us to various Maori activities including the Hukka,  which were all entertaining, if a little simple. They laid out a massive and much-appreciated Hangi feast for us, in which the food had been cooked under the ground by white-hot rocks. The food was good! They also played out some relaxing music during the show before dinner, and to finish off the meal. The evening was fun, but Bhavesh and I both felt that the whole event was a bit too contrived and inauthentic. I, possibly naively, thought we were going to a real Maori village where we would genuinely have to be careful not to offend, and I believe this was the impression they were trying to give with warnings about laughing, et cetera. But even the "Maori chiefs" themselves seemed to be mocking some aspects of the culture. This lack of authenticity seems to be a recurring issue with cultural experiences, and although it is supposed to be an attempt to educate people of a culture that was, I think it was more an attempt to make commercial gain from a past culture that no one (or at least the group we saw) really takes seriously anymore. This may be obvious, but it's more just a reminder to prepare myself the next time I head to a cultural education event! All that being said, taken less seriously, it was an enjoyable evening! And we survived - Chief Bash did well. (The last of the day's entertainments was a very strained game of Pictionary back at the hostel!)

Not very fun fact: Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake, is big enough to house the land of Singapore! 

Back to Life

Ok so after muchos searching I found a shop in Sydney with the part to fix my phone. Great success! I should have realised my phone was going to struggle when it gave the message "Flash unavailable because it is too cold" at the volcano! No lie it actually said that. I shall now publish the posts in correct chronological order so all iz vell again.

Brokeback Phone

Blogwise, I have disappeared off the face of the earth because my phone has given up on me after being abused by volcanoes, glaciers and the likes. I had written up some draft posts on there awaiting WiFi, so I think I will have to leave their publishing until I get home and get my phone fixed. This means there is a gap at this stage that includes:

- Culture and adventure in Rotorua
- Lake Taupo and Wellington
- Abel Tasman National Park
- Franz Josef Glacier Heli-Hike

It also means there shall be no photos attached to the blog. Oh well... I think my phone breaking halfway through the travel is almost part of the classic experience so maybe it's a good thing. Funnily Bhavesh's phone also broke down around the same time, and it seemed that the two of us were crumbling to a tribal (i.e. non-electronic) mess!

TONGARIRO CROSSING!

(Written 08/12, 23.00) 

I have just woken up from a seriously deep nap, and the whole hike seems like it was a dream...

The staff at the backpackers hostel said that the 19.4km distance was the hardest part of the trek. On this particular day they were very wrong! They also warned us about the volcano erupting with rocks and hot ash. While this occurrence would be devastating, an eruption was far less of a threat than the "more trivial elements". The Met office had forecast 50km/h winds at the peak of the crossing (the Red Crater), which was on the threshold of them cancelling the trip. On my return journey, I was told that this forecast had been adjusted to 70km/h shortly after our departure! It was absolutely crazy on the approach and crossing of the Red Crater. I was literally holding on for my life! Each time the wind slowed slightly I would run to the next boulder to hold onto, and drop to the ground. I obviously could not capture this picture by camera, and I don't think any description will do justice to how terrifying it was! A steep drop into the Red Crater on the right (the same direction as the ridiculous wind!), a steep drop down the outer wall of the volcano on the left, temperature at about -4℃ (so lucky I had spare socks to use as gloves!), and visibility of about 5m due to the clouds. I genuinely felt close to death, and I think this was one of the best and most terrifying experiences of my life so far!

I set off on the hike with just two other people this morning, which is much less than usual - clearly other people took notice of the memo. I walked with them for about 6km uphill on volcanic rock, but with fairly minor winds. Then we hit "The Devil's Staircase" where it became steep and the winds amped up. The other two wisely bailed, and I didn't know how stupid I was being by firstly continuing and secondly going it alone! We saw a few others turning back saying they had reached the South Crater (before the Red Crater) but it was too crazy up there to cross. Uh oh. I caught up with a couple of Phillipinos who were as determined as me to complete it. They had actually done the crossing before, but apparently that day was a nice sunny day! Meeting them was very lucky because otherwise I reckon I might still be up there clutching a boulder and crying! They had done a lot of "tramping" (NZ for hiking) before, but even they began copying my down-on-all-fours technique! They also were not certain we would make it and that was very worrying! 

After getting past the Red Crater, there was a very steep downhill section of volcanic rubble, so we basically decided it was best to run down this. Immediately after the Red Crater we were rewarded with the beautiful Emerald Lake, and everything after this seemed like a cake-walk compared to the top! It didn't occur to me how early in the hike this insanity actually was until I recovered from the traumatic experience - there were still 13km to negotiate! That being said, the visibility improved dramatically yielding spectacular scenery all the way down. The last few kilometres felt like they went on forever, but I guess that's how it goes with the back-end of a long trek. The hazard signs for the active volcano and advice to move as quickly as possible through the section obviously did not phase me - I still took a million photos. 

Looking back at it now, the whole experience felt suitably like the epic journey that is The Lord of the Rings. However, the picture remaining in my mind at the top reminds me more of the end of The Lion King when Simba and Scar are fighting on top of the crumbling rock and there is fire everywhere. There was no fire in my story, but there might as well have been!

Having survived it, this was a seriously awesome day.

("Nature is no joke, kids. No joke." - the line I will end my story with when recalling this adventure as an old man.) 

(Nice quote from a crazy Kiwi who I shared a couple of cans of bourbon and cola with: "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." Everyone I meet on this trip seems to have some interesting things to say about society and the world! Pretty cool.) 

Whangarei Diving

(Written 06/12, 17.13)

Yesterday, Bhavesh and I headed down Northland to get to Whangarei for the most popular New Zealand dive site, Poor Knights. On getting off the coach and getting in the "shuttlebus", we discovered that the YHA (Youth Hostel Association) had been moved from the city centre to the ghetto! The accommodation, however, was the nicest YHA so far! It felt like the setting for some holiday villas, but the rooms were still cabin-like. We had a little wander down to Whangarei Falls and they were surprisingly impressive even in the dark! Whangerai also gave us our first encounter with the Moaris: they shouted some Maori from their car. That was our reason for deciding we were in the ghetto of Whangerei. Apparently we actually got lucky in Piahia because tourists are frequently abused by the natives there!

Today was my dive day, and it seemed luck has turned! The last two days' dive trips were cancelled because of the weather but today was a beauty. We had a long drive and a very bumpy boat ride out to Poor Knights islands. (Probably should have taken a strawberry sea-sickness tablet!) The dives were fun (because scuba diving is fun), but the poor visibility meant it was not as spectacular as expected. Visiting the underwater Air Bubble cave was still very cool, and I can now imagine that wreck-diving is really fun! The boat also took us to the world's biggest sea cave Rico Rico, which has such incredible acoustics that bands, including the fantastic Spice Girls, have apparently played there!

Bhavesh and I have now parted ways for a few days, as he begins his diving certification at the Poor Knights and I make my way towards the Tongariro Crossing - the site of Mordor from Lord of the Rings and apparently one of the world's best single day hikes! Hopefully...

Rainy Paihia!

(Written 05/12, 18.18)

After receieving Bhavesh in Auckland, we headed north to Paihia - "the birthplace of the country" (the place where the Maori signed the Treaty of Waitangi effectively handing New Zealand to the Europeans!). Paihia is a quaint little town that is mainly famous for the nearby Bay of Islands, so our intention was to just do the Hole in the Rock cruise and move on. But it rained and rained rained... 

Our original cruise was cancelled and rebooked for the following morning. We took a quick ferry over to Russell (another quaint town that once was the boozing central for sailors in the bay!), and pretty much just nursed a coffee for an hour in Sally's cafe before returning to Paihia! Each time I woke up that night, I heard rain. This spelt bad news for the morning's trip! Unsurprisingly we awoke to a cancellation notification in the hostel. They offered us an upgrade to a bigger boat for a longer cruise, which we accepted after rearranging our bus. Half an hour later, this cruise was cancelled! Fairly lolworthy*. Five additional hours to kill in "it's-always-rainy-in" Paihia. 

To keep a long story long, the rain faded, the sun is up, and we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon cruise around the Bay of Islands. We saw a group of about fifteen impressively large bottle-nose dolphins jumping around the boat! It was quite spectacular to see so many so close to us! The swell was still too intense to actually get to the sacred Hole in the Rock (one wave actually made the whole boat get air-time!), but no complaints as we did eventually enjoy a nice cruise around the islands and a nice materialisation of the well-known phrase "fourth time lucky".

*Lolworthy = worthy of provoking one to laugh out loud. 

Waiheke

(Written 04/12, 23.59)

After having a little explore around Auckland I realised that it is a nice city, but travelling New Zealand is not about chilling in Auckland! On my first full day in New Zealand I hopped on a ferry to Waiheke - the most popular island of the Hauraki Gulf. Similar to the sail around the Whitsunday islands, there were some very nice views of untainted islands along the way, but the water was a bright teal colour and the islands were even more green. Then Waiheke lived up to its popularity! Lush green rolling hills, beautiful beaches, an abundance of wineries and a fair few interesting hike trails. I have always wanted to try wine-tasting, but I didn't expect it to happen on an island in New Zealand! From a distance wine-tasting does seem like pure pretence but, as with paying attention to and learning about most things in the universe, it was interesting! I genuinely tasted "toast and butter" in the Chardonnay! Unrelated, I lost my way along the trails on more than a few occasions, and certainly overhiked that day! The spectacular sunset behind the Auckland skyline during the return ferry journey rounded off a nice start to the New Zealand travels. 

Cool story bro.

Sydney #1

(Written 01/12, 07:48)

Wednesday (27th Nov)

On the back of the rough and ready setup at surf camp, we cruised into the architecturally astounding Sydney (smooth and not ready?). The sight of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House did not disappoint! 

The first night was fairly relaxed although we did spend a short while in a backpackers' club called Scary Canary, where I heard the best music I have heard in Australia so far. 

Thursday

The next day we toured around Sydney representing Contiki (the tour company) to the maximum. I don't think I have captured the powerhouse of a cult that Contiki is! At the beginning of the tour they played us our group's song ("Everybody" - Justice Crew) on the coach and told us we would love it by the end. And surely enough, we did all bond over that song playing every single day! The coach rides down the East Coast were long but a lot of fun, and by the end we all had Contiki in our hearts! Quite surprising given how apprehensive I was at first! 

I digress, but that needed a mention. After our coach tour of the city, we headed to Manly Beach. We chilled, we surfed, we ferried back. That night was the tour's last supper (a really nice restaurant called Stacks) and a fun night out at World bar, where cocktails are served in teapots. 

Friday

The next day's excursion to the Blue Mountains made for spectacular scenery, and the cool crisp fresh air was much appreciated after very little sleep that night! A few of us had our final bonding over a park bench hummus and pitta bread lunch, and forty farewells later, the tour was done. Although it might have been nice to have a little longer to chill in some of the places, the tour was a pretty special experience and overall a good way of seeing the East Coast.

Saturday

The next and final day of Sydney #1 was full of iconic Sydney entertainment with Harshiv: lunch at The Opera Bar, a stroll around the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Harbour Bridge Climb and a visit to Sydney's best whisky bar (Baxter's). The Bridge Climb is severely overpriced, but is a truly unique experience. With the vast amount of old steel (52,800 ton) and the towering height over the water, it felt like walking through a rollercoaster! The whole procedure of getting in a jumpsuit, connecting all the required attachments, and then the actual climb to the 140m-high summit (about 1000 steps) made it feel epic. 

Sunday 

I am now sitting in the airport awaiting my flight to Auckland. New Zealand is meant to be better than Australia? This should be fun. 

Fun Facts:

- 16 people died in construction of the Harbour Bridge. Given that none of them had harnesses, it is a surprise this number is so low!

- The initial cost estimate for the Opera House was $7m, but it ended up costing $102m! 

Surf Camp

After much confusion as to which of our stops actually contained Surf Camp, we drove into Mojo's Surf Camp in Coff's Harbour and all was clear. In appearance it was a quirky little village of containers near a nice beach. We were soon receiving our surf lesson and getting psyched for hitting the waves. Grabbing the boards and running out to the water felt like living the Australian dream! The surfing itself was very tricky and to we were literally just hitting the waves to start with. Improvements were made and some people had some pro wave-rides leaving most of us gazing in awe, but it really was as fun as it looks! 

After the surfing, we went back to camp and lived the surf camp life for the evening. There was music blaring, we were served a massive jacket potato and later we chilled around the bonfire. The resident surfers were really relaxed and cool. Like the diving in Cairns, this is another awesome lifestyle I reckon I could get used to!