N ZED [Day 262]

Many, many fun adventures since the last blog post.

The weather in Sydney before I left for Cairns was STIFLING. 30C+/90F+. Pretty intense considering neither my flat nor my workplace had air conditioning. It was similar in Cairns, a few degrees cooler actually but more humid. My first impression when I walked off the plane was that it felt like walking into the rainforest room in the zoo.

On Saturday the 5th of February I was finally able to fly into Cairns after the cyclone. I absolutely loved it there. Due to the disaster, I was only able to be there for a few days, but I think I did a good job of making the most of the short time I was there. I was couchsurfing and got on great with my hosts, there was also a Dutch girl named Eva staying there so we hung out together. We went on a boat tour and scuba dived and snorkelled on the Great Barrier Reef. Although it wasn't as spectacular as usual because of the cyclone - water somewhat murky, reef not as colorful - it was still amazing, and I loved diving. We also went to a town called Kuranda and walked through the rainforest, also amazing, I've spent very little time in rainforests so it was a bit of thrill.

Also in Cairns I was able to see Sondre, my long lost Norwegian brother! It was super cool to get to meet up with him and his friend Vetle, as it has been three and a half years since I saw him last. Amusingly, he hasn't changed (or matured, haha) a bit :)

After a few days (only! must go back) in Cairns I flew to Auckland where I met with my travel buddy George, who I know from Western. We didn't spend long there as we were both keen to get out of the city, and Auckland seems rather like Sydney in that it's not very unique compared to other big cities. Our next destination was the Great Barrier Island, which is 100 km/60 miles north of Auckland and requires taking a four hour ferry ride. There we met with George's friend Madeline who has been living there for a month. We wwoofed (WWOOF stands for Willing Workers on Organic Farms - where you volunteer for 4-6 hours a day in exchange for free room and board) at an Irish Pub there for four nights, and had a great time! We washed dishes about half the time and did yardwork the other half. It's pretty atypical to wwoof at a pub, they're usually farms. Quite enjoyed it though, and am thankful to Madeline for setting it up (she got hooked up there by wwoofing as well). The island isn't a very populated place and the scenery is beautiful. Some highlights included sea kayaking, being on a radio show, swimming, beaches and hitchhiking.

After that we went back to Auckland for a night before heading up north. Our main mode of transport in New Zealand has been hitchhiking. I realise this is a slightly controversial activity to partake in, but I must say in the many rides we have gotten, everyone has been incredibly friendly, down to earth, and not creepy. Kiwis are fantastic people. They're relaxed and welcoming to new people, much like Australians, however they don't seem to be racist like (most) Aussies. For example, their relationship with the indigenous people (Maori) is MUCH, MUCH better than Australians's relationship with the Aborigines. This is very obvious even when traveling around. For example, it's common, especially in places like museums, to have signs and descriptions in both Maori and English. Maori is also taught in the primary and high schools here. The government makes a point to spell words correctly (for example "Whangerei," when it is pronounced "Fangeray"), and to pronounce them correctly.

One bus ride out of the city, eight hours, seven rides and 270 km later, we arrived in Whangaroa, Northland. We spent two relaxing nights in a hostel there and climbed a massive rock. Then we went back down, past Auckland to a very small town called Pukekawa, where we stayed for two nights in a tiny hostel. The highlights of that town include an antique store and $3 triple scoop ice cream.

Our next destination on the 20th of February was Tauranga, on the Bay of Plenty. We had a few different rides there, most noteworthy with a Kiwi couple named Keith and Joanne, who not only were incredibly welcoming to us and treated us like old friends showing us around to open pit gold mines and such, but they also told engaging stories. They both lived in Antarctica for multiple months many years ago. After hearing of the beauty of the place, I admit I am tempted to try to find a job down there for a few months...

We couchsurfed in Tauranga with some very friendly Kiwis who pick strawberries, one of which started his own strawberry business (and he's only 22, very impressive). They lived in Papamoa beach, which was quite nice. We climbed Mt. Maunganui, good times. Our next hitchhiking adventure led us to Taupo via Rotorua, where we stopped to go zorbing. Zorbing is essentually rolling down a hill in a plastic ball (with water in it, in this case). It's something I did a few years ago in England and have ever since dreamt of doing in NZ, because it is from Rotorua. It was a special moment for me to be able to complete that dream.

Before I continue it must be noted that on the 22nd of February there was a devastating earthquake in Christchurch in the Canterbury region. It is a national disaster and has been very sad to see and hear the news about it. However, I am very impressed with how much Kiwis have come together to help out those in Christchurch during this disaster. There are fundraisers happening everywhere, and all of the cities are welcoming the Christchurch refugees with open arms.

We stayed in Taupo for a bit before heading down to Wellington, which in some ways has been the highlight of the trip so far for me. It is a funky, artsy town with lots of cool creative things going on all over the place. One example of this that I was lucky to be able to participate in was an audio interactive tour "Hidden City Maps." This was part of the Performance Arcade, "a line of eight shipping containers, providing a series of miniature presentation spaces for selected NZ artists and designers. Opening onto the bustling life of Wellington’s waterfront, these sites of encounter engage and entertain through installation, performance art, and video."

I borrowed an mp3 player and listened to an hour-long track narrated by a woman who told stories of coming to Wellington and her time there. I was given a bag with three envelopes to be opened when told by the woman. They included: a magnifying glass (to look small things with and imagine miniature civilizations), chalk (to write a memory with), red rocks (to put on a forgotten path), white feathers (to drop one by one from a high place) and a red ribbon (to hang, see photo on facebook). I very much enjoyed this tour, I was surprised by coincidences that occured and it took me on a bit of a mindtrip.

Afterwards George and I went to a free outdoor circus, Campground Chaos. It was a very impressive mix of acrobatics, juggling, humour, and acting. It also featured some awesome Kiwi music. We couchsurfed that night at the next with a lovely couple, Drew and Erin, and their son Blake. We went with them to the Wellington markets and then hit up Te Papa, the national museum.

Some random things I learned at Te Papa:
* Kiwis eat more vegemite per capita than Aussies
* Kiwifruit (the name here, instead of just kiwis in the USA) is actually from China, and was called Chinese gooseberries until they were renamed to be more marketable
* Jandals (Kiwi word for flip flops/thongs) come from Japanese sandals, because they became popular in NZ after the Kiwis saw the Japanese wearing them at the Olympics
* The name New Zealand comes from the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who came here in 1642 and named the land Nieuw Zeeland after the Dutch province
* In the 1840s you could get a free ride to NZ from Britain if you were a single female under 40, a single male accompanied by an adult sister, or a married male under 40 who had certain skills

On the 28th of February we took the ferry from Wellington to Picton, on the South Island. It was a beautiful three hour ride, in which we made some new friends. We then hitchhiked to a small town called Blenheim, where we wwoofed for five days for a couple, Ruth and Dominic. We performed a variety of tasks, including irrigation of olive trees, pasture management (weeding), collecting firewood (I used a chainsaw for the first time), helping to give medicine to 30 goats (!) and cleaning windows when it was rainy. We only worked about four hours a day so we had a lot of free time. There were many animals on the farm, so we befriended the cows, rode the horse, and looked at the chickens. They also had a motorbike which we rode one night at sunset to the top of the hills, which resulted in many photos. Ruth and Dominic had a nice house and a well-stocked kitchen, which we took full advantage of. One of the major benefits of wwoofing!

After our time there was complete on the 5th of March we decided to head to the lovely town of Nelson for a couple days and check out some beaches and a famous church. Unfortunately the weather wasn't too good. We then hitched to Punakaiki, and were picked up by an awesome Brazilian woman named Mariana who we ended up traveling with for multiple days. In Punakaiki we stayed at an awesome hostel. We checked out the Pancake Rocks and a cave with Mariana before driving on to Greymouth. It wasn't the most excited place so we took the opportunity to see 127 Hours, which was an amazing movie that I highly recommend.

On the 9th of March I went with Mariana, George, and Erika from Slovakia through Arthur's Pass, where we drove over the Otira viaduct and saw many kea birds. We then headed to the small town of Ahaura, and after 29 km (18 miles) down a gravel road we were at our next wwoofing destination. Our host was Pav, a very laid back man who lives off the grid and gets his water and power from a stream 30 minutes up the mountain from "The Hutt." He has two sons, Sully (age 2) and Miro (age 3). During the whole time we were there I saw them wear pants for about 20 minutes total, if that gives you an idea of the kind of atmosphere this was.

Pav's got 100 acres, many of which are bush. However he does have a hundred or two brown sheep, different from white ones you usually see around here. He got them because they are rugged and self-sustaining, so they keep his grass short without him having to do much. Mariana, George and I stayed in a teepee, complete with mosquite netting over the beds due to the insane amount of bugs. The first night I had two inches of ankle exposed while walking around outside, which got COVERED in sandfly bites. They're smaller and less itchy than mosquito bites, but I got ten times more of them than I usually would mosquito bites. I'm still getting the occasional itch attack.

Our first day of work at Pav's was cleaning out a van for a wwoofer JC from Washington DC, who came the next day. After that we helped protect plum trees from sheep, gave them water, and built a roof for the van. On the property there was an outdoor flushed toilet (hands down best shitting location I've ever encountered) and two outdoor bathtubs overlooking the mountains (and, best bath location).

On our last full day there Pav, his sons, their mother Erin, JC from DC, George and I walked to a nearby creek for skinny dipping at the swimming hole. It was a complete occasion with mead (which Pav is dripping with) and legal New Zealand green. Success.

On the 14th of March we hitched to Franz Joseph, where we spent two nights and spent the day in between seeing the glacier. It was a very nice one hour walk from the town to the glacier through the rainforest. The glacier was cool, we also climbed some hills and rocks around it which was quite fun. That evening we went on a walk to see the glow worms! Very cool.

Now we are in Queenstown, one of the biggest tourist spots in New Zealand. We arrived last night and went bungy jumping this morning at Australasia's highest! 134 metres, 440 feet. AND they have free internet! During the jump one of my shoes came off. Luckily I got them for cheap at a second hand shop in Wellington. The video of it was quite funny, however I couldn't manage to spend $75 on it.

Only nine more days in New Zealand, and then back to Australia! Greetings to all of you far away.