Yes, Taupo is most certainly a party town. Good for a night out - you get half price beer if you’re on Stray (so bonus for me and those half-priced pint-sized Irish stouts!). I move on tomorrow for the Tongariro Crossing, a walk by of the ol’ Mt Doom from the Lord of the Rings!

HUTTAH!

Rotorua has been a haven of recharging and relaxation for me. Eating good meals (lots of fruit and veges - difficult for back packers to eat regularly), sleeping a lot, walking a lot, and letting my bruises heal from the Haka (you really hit your legs harder than you think).

But today I leave for Taupo, one of the hubs of adventure sports (bungy, sky-dive, the like). I guess NZ is a good place for it because it’s cheaper than most of the other countries, with their dollar being low. But I’m not a big fan of that, it tend to attract the frat-boy stereotype and the party animals. Uf. But there are plenty of hikes around and other places to meet people, so I’ll just go there instead.

Yet another lengty dispatch:

Now I’m in Rotorua, but many good things have happened since I last wrote.

16 Mar: Only one night in Auckland, done with the city scene for a while, plus Auckland is kinda bland. It hasn’t really developed it’s unique attitude toward being a city. Melbourne is cruisey cafe, Auckland is white bread in bland sense. Too big to have nothing happening, not big enuf to have anything going on. Uf. So, off to surf school! Took the bus to Raglan, a surfing cove on the world tour. A beautifully set camp in the thick forrest. So many bugs making noise, so many birds singing, just much natural life. The beach is black sand, very new to a land lubber. The hostel doesn’t use locks, they’re very friendly and calm. Also ecoconscious, recycling their food scraps in the compost, growing their food, hosting hens, so good! At night, so many stars! They’re in a different pattern, and so it looks like 3 times as many stars. Also, saw my first glow worms (or maggots as they really are). I made Tacos with Ingrid, and she invited Anne (the Netherlands) to join us. Anne was travelling by campervan, but she wanted a shower and surfing, so she bunked here. Fortunately, she offered me her duvel to use while I was there. So I stayed very warm those nights in Raglan.

17 Mar: Woke up, and got a lift to Raglan - the surf school and lodge is actually 8km from the town (and 5km from the beach). It’s isolated and quiet, and very meditative. Raglan is so small, few hundred people, no traffic lights, 6 cafes or so. Ate with Ingrid and Anne at a place called Tongue and Groove - brownie and smoothy! In the afternoon, I finally got to the beach and got in the water. Rented a boogie board, and swapped with Anne for her surfboard for a spell. I had fun - it’s really easy to catch waves on the learning boards. They’re light and wide, but I was only balanced enuf to get to a knee and foot (no standing).

18 Mar: Sleep in, do laundry, just basics. Finally, an hour hike in the forrest behind the lodge. Full and lush forrest, cool birds, good views of the beaches from the hills. The woods feel prehistoric: the plants are big but simple.

19 Mar: Enuf of the beach bum culture, move on! But the bus had a flat tire, so we had an 1.5 hour delay. Wish that could’ve been used for sleeping. Rock up to Waitomo by lunch, and I went black water tubing - tubing in a river underground in the Waitomo caves (with glow worms of course). It was great, and the guides made it very entertaining, certainly played the part of the back-woods Kiwi very well (in fact, I think he really was…). In a cave, the glow worms look like the night sky, some are brighter than others, and they’re randomly arranged. But that’s how they survive - their guise fools bugs who happen to get blown into the cave into flying up to the ’stars’, but they quickly get caught in the worms’ sticky webbing and eaten. The adults don’t have mouths, so they live just long enuf to leave more larvae. Once out of the caves, we continue to Hahei in the Coromandel - the holiday distric for the Kiwis. Hahei sin’t on the motorway, so very few people stay there. The town is even smaller than Raglan: just 3 cafes, and one general store. I try Nutella for the first time and love it - a hazelnut spread with chocolate infusion.

20 Mar: Tramped to Cathedral Cove this morning - a calm beachy spot only accessible at low tide. Another stop on the NZ beach tour - Bay of Islands, Raglan, now Hahei. More beautiful and different scenery - blue and green and clear water, white white sand beaches, fish swimming around your legs. Came back and made a cold pasta salad for dinner - is good. Hung out and talked with the new Stray people that arrived that day.

21 Mar: Tramped to another prominent point near Hahei - a Maori Pa site. I got mesmerized watching the water sparkle in the sun and seeing the ocean breathe in its swells. Just afer lunch, I get back on the bus and head for Maketu - a Maori farmstay tonight, Uncle Boy’s Place! When we arrive, I walk to the beach for the sunset and return to the farmhouse for dinner. It was a traditional hangi meal - chicken, beef, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin all cooked together. Really tasty. After dinner, Uncle Boy (half Maori) told us about his tribe’s history, and his own story. He was very entertaining and told stoies like the granddad in Big Fish. Later, a school group came by and performed a cultural show, similar to the ones in Whale Rider. The boys (14-17) did the Haka, and the girls (5-17) did a dance with Poi (NZ originated!). Then, they took us outside, and taught the men the Haka (so now I can intimidate others) and the women the Poi dance. It was really fun! Everyone was really warm and friendly, and once everything was finished, we mixed for a while. The students were so curious about what Colorado was like, and how I got here. That whole experience won’t fade quickly at all. I crash in the living room of Uncle Boy’s house, falling asleep to Spirited Away.

22 Mar: Get up and head out to Rotorua, jump off the bus and decide to stay here for a few days. Rotorua is in a caldera, so it has mud pits, geysers, and hot pools like Yellowstone. I went to the hot pools for 3.5 hours today and was completely rejuvinated. Ingrid and I ate Japanese food and had a Korean ice cream sandwich for dessert. Heidi, a German at the hostel, joined us later and we three went to a pub for beer and wine, but not before the bartender made us walk back to hostel to get our passports, we look under 18 I guess. We talked so much about differences in culture and language and shared many stories.

So that’s been my week, or something. I never know what time it is, or what day of the week it is, or what day of the month it is. Very nice, very loose, can be tricky at times. I’ve gotten used to the breathtaking scenery, and I’m taking as many photos (like parents do with the 2nd born). All of the people I meet, and all of the stories they tell about their travels, keep me wanting to travel. I want to get to Thailand and Cambodia and Vietnam, SE Asia, I guess. And extreme places - I met a firefighter from Lafayette (CO!) who lived and worked in Antarctica for 15 months! I wanna apply for a job as an EE to live in Antarctica for a spell, crazy. And other places, too - South America, the Far North, Africa, everywhere.

Stray is pretty organized, and they tend to organize a lot of things for you. Good because you don’t have to spend time researching and booking things; bad because it’s sorta handed to you - you don’t do the work.

HUTTAH! Back in the city (ie Auckland - the land of cheap internet). My trip up north was incredible…

Day 1, 12 Mar: early start at 8am, boarded a small 12 seater van, threw my pack in the back and met the driver, Dave. We went around to the other hostels and picked up the rest of the crew. Finally on the road, we cross the bridge out of Melbourne and see the city from the water side. We stopped in Warkworth for tea, and got the main highway then, and went for the coastal road. We passed thru Whengateu and stopped at Goat Island to stick our heads out and look around. We had equipment to snorkel, but the sun was hiding behind clouds (NZ is called “The land of the long white cloud” by the Maori), so we opted not to. Another beach stop later, we walked around, but the sun was still hiding. We did a short track in Whangarei in a Kauri forrest and saw the water falls there; a fan tail bird followed us. We finally rock up to Paihia in the Bay of Islands in the evening, and saw the place where the Maori signed the founding treaty with the English.

During the drive, the scenery was highly pastoral. So many sheep and cows, a few llamas, barns, sheds, and troughs. The air came to life and smelled so vividly.

The hostel where I stayed, Pipi Patch, had the “Spring Break” feel. Lots of backpackers there on holiday, and there to get pissed. Lots of UK folk and Germans. One of the people on the Stray van with me said that the Kiwi Experience bus should rename itself to the Gap-Year Experience - most of those kids were 18/19.

Marcus, a German bloke on the Stray van, and I walked to the Woolworths to buy groceries. Ain’t nothin’ like peanut butter and bread - breakfast and lunch for the next two days (and some fruit). Anyway, Marcus’ meals were pasta with ketchup - crazy and curious and absolutely unfathomable. Those crazy Germans!

I like the bus traveling - it’s good for lone travellers like me. You meet people and spend time with them and get to know them. You make friends for the few days you see them, and then you go your separate ways. It’s great! I’ve met a Norwegian!

Day 2, 13 Mar: CAPE REINGA! Stray books you on the “Dune Rider” Cape Reinga tour. Tours are the main way to get up there, as there’s no electricity or safe drinking water. Very undeveloped. We went by way of the 90 mile beach (which is only 64 miles long - when they first measured it, in the 1800’s, they estimated their travel distance at 30 miles a day, and they did it in 3 days, so they called it the 90 mile beach). But, this beach is UNIFORM of 90 miles. You drive on it like a road (it’s classified as a road by NZ’s DOC 2 hours before and after low tide), and you drive for ages. So long, so beautiful, so impressive. Once we got to the end, we turned up a stream (yes, a stream) to head toward the cape. But first, we stopped at some inland sand dunes - to ride them on boogie boards. The sand was soft, and you went moderately fast (30 mph); only hiking up the dunes wasn’t too fun. After that, we went to a protected bay for lunch and finally to the CAPE!

The cape is nuts. You can see ocean around your for 300 degrees at least! You could watch both the sun rise and the sun set there. And the Tasman Sea crashing into the Pacific ocean is really quite loud.

On our way back, we stopped a fruit stand to buy some fresh fruit. mmMMmmmmm Nash pears. And the plums were tasty, too.

That night in the hot tub (yes, the hostel has a hot tub - didn’t I say “Spring Break” atmosphere?), I spoke with Ingrid (the Norwegian), and a random German guy about our countries. We talked about how each government worked, and the political structure, and current events. Did I have a lot to explain! The German, a rock climber, pointed out that many of the tracks here are very developed, and not rugged at all. It’s true - boardwalks with chicken wire on them (to prevent slipping if the wood is wet). But Ingrid came back with a good counterpoint: NZ gets more tourists each year than its entire population, so these are neccessary to protect the environment. From my many conversations with her, I’ve gathered that Norway is very eco-conscious.

Day 3, 14 Mar: A whole free day to myself. I took the ferry over to Russell, a small town across the bay, and walked all over. It’s very different from Paihia - much less touristy. Slow, relaxed, quiet, you can hear nature and hardly an engine! A short track took me to the top of a hill, and you could look out over the entire bay! On the back side of Russell is a secluded beach, that only the locals go to (I kinda stumbled into it), and I cruised there for a while, before heading back to the hostel. There, Ingrid came back with James and Owen (two Irish guys on the Stray bus) and I proposed a big curry. They were game, and we feasted on a marvelous green coconut curry.

Day 4, 15 Mar: Back to Auckland today. But I did get to see the Paihia library before I left. It’s very nice, and they had an art exhibit upstairs with good local paintings, and they were playing Manu Chao!

So now, I’m in Auckland for tonight only. Tomorrow I’m off to Raglan - a place world famous for black sand beaches and great surf. It’s time to play in the ocean, no more bays!

I stood on an active volcano yesterday - in Auckland! Mt. Eden, the tallest volcano in Auckland, is also very close to the city. It’s only 200m tall, so it’s a quick hike/tramp. But the vista is incredible! You can see across all of the city, to the mountains around and the water. I finished Middlesex there (thanks Alan!).

Afterward, I ate some Hare Krishna food - mmmmmMMMMMmmmmmm…… lentils. It’s so nice being able to find those guys everywhere. So cheap! Then I went to globe bar - a wanky place for the party-hard backpackers. They auctioned off 8 gold fish so that they could race them, the winning owner receiving a $100 bar tab. It was hardly interesting, just strange.

I think I may get on the bus tomorrow and head north, enuf of the city for now.

Things are looking up!

Yesterday was a pub meet - other IEP participants gathered at Tevern hotel for beer and pub food, and to compete in the pub quiz. My team, the bunnies, lost (8th out of 10 teams, and there were 2 9th place ties!). But it was fun to talk with them about their first experiences here (how they got started up, jobs, and the like). Most of my team had been here for aleast a month, and were working temp jobs, tho 2 girls were picking grapes at a vineyard on an island near Auckland. After it was over, I felt lonely, again. Just a huge contrast to my situation in Melbourne. I think it was compounded with the uncertainty of the next day (or week, or month). I had no plan, just goal.

Well, today, I turned that goal into bus tickets! I booked two Stray tickets, one to the north and Cape Reinga, and the other a slow meandering down toward Wellington. I looked my money woes in the eye and burned right through them. Sure, I’ll budget, but no freaking out.

And I also opened another bank account today (now I have bank accounts in 3 different countries, uf). The people were very friendly, and they even gave me tea while I waited. First time ever for that in a bank. It is good.

Here’s my NZ addy:

Joseph Friedrichsen
Work New Zealand Participant
C/- IEP
PO Box 1786
Shortland Street
Auckland
New Zealand

Just had my orientation today - info about banks and stuff. I’m feeling all weird now. I don’t know anyone and making a choice is hard because there’s too much to choose from. I just need to go. Leave Auckland - every city is the same, really.

Hung out yesterday with a Ryan Bonner, a cool guy from Mass. He’s a musician and more. We went to the Auckland Museum and looked at all the history, the funny birds, and curious things. For dinner, we bought a bottle of Shiraz and went to a BYO Japanese restaurant. mmmmMMmmmmmm tempura and sushi with miso. So good. Then we bought another bottle afterward and drank it at the hostel. He’s off today to accompany the British guy (Rob) and travel with him.

Today is business for me - bank account, figure out travel to north of here, and hopefully LEAVE tomorrow. Who knows, mang.

Okay, so some crosswalks do make noise like those in Melbourne, I was just walking around the broken part of town yesterday.

I met some of my dorm mates this morning, and walked with them to a close part and threw around a frisbee. It was nice, two other Yanks and an English bloke. Mr UK was buying a car today to travel around, one of the yanks was heading up north to WWOOF (a consideration I’m taking).

After that, I walked over to Auckland Domain - a huge and forrested garden. The trees were tropical looking and old. I got over to the band rotunda, where a jazz band was setting up, so I stuck around to listen. They were good, funky and a bit cheesy, but really tight as a group. It was so nice outside, I took a nap while they were playing!

I’m feeling isolated still, but looking forward to getting out of the city.

I have arrived in NZ!

But in a confused state - I showed up at Melb airport for my flight on the 5th of March, a full day early. D’oh!

But the flight was fine (once I came on the right day), and I’ve checked in at the hostel (interned is $6/hr, so I opted out, went for a walk, and found a place for $2/hr. HA!).

I’ve been walking for a while now, and it’s pretty good. I went to Western park and found some really cool new trees, and some trees had small one-leaf plants growing on them.

Auckland, at first take, is very similar to Melbourne - shop fronts and milk bars (or dairies, as they call em here). Differences that have jumped out at me so far: the cross walks don’t tap, but they have strange behaviour. If you walk up to a crosswalk, the light saying not to walk or to walk is off. Only when you push the cross button does it light up. Energy conservation, I guess? Also, Auckland is much more hilly! REALLY HILLY!

I’ve found the fresh food market, so many good fruit and veggies will be consumed. Food prices are a bit more expesive (1.5x more), but nothing to fret about.

But so far, I feel pretty lonely. I left important people in Melbourne, and no one is here to show me around, like Ariel so kindly did. Hrm, and it feels kind of empty right now. Granted, it is the first day, so it’ll take some time to meet folks. But I’m only planning on staying in Auckland for a week at most, before meandering around the rest of the north island, so friendships will be brief, I think.