Hi! I'm sorry I haven't been updating much. Occasionally some of you get updates in an e-mail or IM (or letter. So basically in a few weeks you'll all be caught up with what I did last week. Well, some of you), but I should probably keep this up a little better.
So! I've been in New Zealand for over a month! Crazy! Very bizarre. For one thing, if someone said to me, “Actually, you've only been here two weeks,” I could believe it (time flies, is what I'm saying), but at the same time, I've definitely had discussions with people where I feel like I've known them for years, but we have to stop and go, “Hey, I've known you for a week.” So simultaneously, time is moving super-fast and super-slow. It's weird.
When I stop and think that it's been over a month since I last saw most of you, it stops me cold because that's unbelievable right there. When do you intend to visit me?
Anyway, let's move beyond the sappy friend stuff. Bleh! OK! Wellington!
So I've been here for a few days. I think I went over a little bit in one of my last entries. I moved hostels, because it turns out that you can only stay in the YHA for a week. Last Sunday, I wound up chatting to this other girl from my original Stray bus who I'd run into in Wellington. We'd never actually talked before, and I think we had more conversations in Wellington than we ever did on the actual bus – probably because when you run into someone you met earlier in the trip, in another place, there's an instinct to catch up, even when you weren't close to begin with. It's actually happened a few times recently. Anyway, so Sarah and I hadn't talked before, but we were both still in Wellington and everyone else'd left (she was stuck here for one reason, I'm here looking for work). And it came out that we were both kind of fighting this pseudo-depression about it. It was kind of great to connect to someone in a very, very similar situation. Both of us were very, “I should be enjoying this, but I'm kind of not.” So after that bonding session, she told me that you can't stay in the YHA for over a week. I would've found out that night anyway, as it was my last night. So we sort of brainstormed other hostels (she was leaning Base, since it's like a block from the YHA. But I wasn't such a fan of the Base I was at in Auckland, so I was leaning Nomads – these are all hostel chains with outposts in Wellington) and decided on Nomads (because it's cheaper). She asked if I wanted to go check it out, and I didn't have Sunday plans anyway, so I agreed. The next morning (during actually the worst weather I've seen here – some rain and some strong Wellington winds) we grabbed all of our stuff and hauled it over to Nomads. Then (since we had to wait until 2pm to check in and it was just after 10am) we wandered around and hung out for a while. Came back, checked in, and did basically nothing for the rest of the day (even though it became a gorgeous day, because that's how New Zealand is. I've decided not to pay any mind to what the weather is like before noon, as it will always change). Although a friend of hers was in town, so we met up with a bunch of people and went to a bar for a while. And Sarah and I, being such awesome partyers, came back at like 10:30pm. We stopped for kebabs on the way. We stayed out late on Tuesday night, though, so it's all good. It was her friend's birthday, so a bunch of people went out. During the DAY on Tuesday, though, we grabbed some picnic supplies, and went up to the Botanic Gardens. I'd actually been there on Sunday afternoon, but Tuesday was a much nicer day. Also, on Sunday I actually explored the gardens, whereas on Tuesday we discovered the playground area and spent most of the day on the zipline, swings, and slides. We're adults! We were swinging around on the swings and they were like, “Oh my god, it's been like 10 years since I've played on a playground! This is so fun!” and then I was like, “It's been....yeah, about a month.” So there's that. Speaking of which, there was one of those poles you can slide down in this park, and it had the little spiral around it and I thought of Jackie because when we were at the playground in GVP (that'd be the month ago), she told me about how she loved those as a kid and explained to me how they worked. Anyway, we did eventually get around to seeing the gardens. Of course, we got down to the rose garden and promptly got caught in a rainstorm. So we made our way back to our hostels and chilled out before a little birthday-partying that night.
Wednesday I did laundry and a bit more job-hunting, then came back and sat around with Sarah talking about how lame we were for not doing anything, but not doing anything about it. I made dinner because she made dinner on Tuesday. Thursday was....once more I can't remember. I could say “I went down to Oriental Beach and read” because it's probably accurate. Hung out with Sarah because she was leaving Friday. I think I mailed stuff on Friday. Friday I talked to Carrie and Allie online for a while, and applied to some jobs. Then I dropped off an application and then...I can't remember. I do know that it ended with me watching Casino Royale in the hostel lounge and I've told a few people about this part so it's probably boring. But I've never actually seen a James Bond film before. So we watched Casino Royale and at some point, I snapped from my super-serious demeanor of the last few days and since then, I've not been able to stop giggling. Something in Casino Royale broke me. Saturday (my memory is so bad. This is the most boring entry ever!) I decided to Do Something. So I took the train to Porirua because I'd heard it was nice. But it seems that the nicest thing there is the mall (Admittedly, I couldn't find the bus to the Bay, which is maybe also very nice). But I did a small bit of shopping and wandered around for a while. Came back, made dinner, and found The Simpsons on. And as I said, I've been giggling over nothing, so you can imagine what something that's ACTUALLY FUNNY did to me. Then I met a bunch of Americans and chatted with them. We wound up watching Walk the Line on TV and just generally getting on really well, so that was really fun. Later that night when I came back down, one of the guys was still there and he's from Alaska. So he told me all about Alaska and we did some Palin-bashing. Which consists of me going, “No, I feel really bad for her, though. But she's really dumb” a lot. So I went to bed at like 4:30am and tested my theory that no matter when I go to bed, I wake up at 10:30am. And then I woke up Sunday morning at 10:30am (EVERY MORNING), bought a new book to read (Zadie Smith's White Teeth), and went out for some breakfast. Found that there's a farmers' market in the parking lot of Te Papa, so that's something to know for the future. I got myself a gingerbread man (I keep forgetting it's Christmastime, even though I saw the Santa Parade last week, because it's summer here). And I went over to Oriental Beach to read and people-watch. There are so many young families in this town. And then I popped on some Dixie Chicks and decided to walk the length of Oriental Parade (which is very long, but I've done this a few times now). Then, on the way back, I cheerfully admired the scenery while listening to my music and was all-in-all very content. And then FOR SOME REASON I can't resist something that looks like it might be something, so I wound up on the Southern Walkway into the city, which takes you to the summit of Mt Victoria. Which is LOVELY, but quite the hike. But I did it anyway. I have some pictures from that, because it was DAMN impressive. You get so high up! And the city is so pretty! And the sun was shining on the harbor! You can't beat it. So that took up some time, but mostly I wished I'd brought water. Finally came back down, got some water and a snack, and (wait for it!) sat on Oriental Beach reading. Dipped my feet in the water a bit. Generally enjoyed myself.
And that's pretty much your update on Wellington! I've done some more wandering since then, but there's nothing too interesting. I discovered that the Wellington Library is gorgeous and I love to spend time there. They also have American magazines! Yay! So since Monday was all about the rain and wind, I've spent a significant amount of time there. Today I was walking through Civic Square thinking about how much I love Civic Square when I thought to myself, “I should pop into the Library!” This was naturally about 15 minutes before closing. So I went in, looked around for a while, and went up to the magazine section (I have been to other sections, I swear) to see if today they had the August edition of SFX because the July edition said that August had an interview with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Found that, discovered that it's actually an interview with David Duchovny and an interview with Gillian Anderson. So with 7 minutes to closing, I had to make a decision! And since you've met me, you know that it kind of wasn't a contest. To give a fair share, I think I glanced at the Duchovny picture. But, anyway, the interviewer said that Gillian Anderson was really nice and fun, and at one point she talked about how she loves Scully because of how strong and awesome she is (possibly not in such blatant Katespeak). And she said that one time she was rehearsing a scene with a gun and she started crying and Chris Carter yelled, “Scully wouldn't cry!” And that kind of makes up for some of the hell that Chris Carter has put me through in my life. Not all of it, but some. Seriously, you guys. “Scully wouldn't cry!” It's awesome.
Anyway, that's all for me. I swear, there will be pictures to follow at some point.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
On a Clear Day I Can Read Your Mind
Some pictures from the first leg of my bus tour (Auckland to Waitomo, although I didn't take any pictures in Raglan, so it's really just one shot from Auckland, a few shots from the Coromandel, a couple from Waitomo, and one giant kiwifruit) are up now in this Flickr photostream. Flickr takes a long, long time to upload things, so there are only 10 now. But, hey, that's something. One even features me! Hot damn!
Anyway, I decided that walking all over Wellington would be a fun way to spend today, so I'm going to bed. Enjoy the pictures!
**ETA: More pictures added to the photostream, 14 November**
Anyway, I decided that walking all over Wellington would be a fun way to spend today, so I'm going to bed. Enjoy the pictures!
**ETA: More pictures added to the photostream, 14 November**
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
And We Want Spectacular Views if We're to Stay for the Weekend
Hello from Wellington! That's where I am now. And it's a beau
So as I said, we arrived in Tongariro National Park on Saturday. After wandering around in the bus for the day, we were all pretty content to make/buy dinner and then hang out in the hostel with some drinks from the bar. The hostel that Stray stays at in National Park Village is incredible. It's this gorgeous ski-lodgey place with 2 (at least) woodburning stoves in the lobby, en suite bathrooms in every room, gorgeous beds with actual mattresses and fluffy pillows, a sauna, a giant kitchen, a great restaurant and bar on site, super-helpful staff, and pretty much anything else you could ask for. The village itself is a bit tiny, so you have to buy your groceries (if you need some) from this tiny convenience store at the petrol station. But the front windows of the hostel look right out onto the mountains. It was absolutely breathtaking. I'm finishing this entry up in Wellington, which is a lovely city. But, man. Spending a few days in that incredible quiet beauty makes readjusting to a city (even a lovely one) feel like quite the chore. But back to the crossing.
So Sunday we got up at 6am because we were slated to leave at 7am. Got dressed and headed out on a bus to the Tongariro Crossing. It's this crazy 19 kilometer hike across Tongariro National Park, which is home to 3 volcanoes. It's the craziest trek. It started off cold, but we warmed up quickly (I have some great hiking shoes and a fleece that I bought in Auckland, and I rented some hiking pants and a really great windproof/waterproof/superlight jacket). The path starts off flat, just crossing this long stretch of land. At various points there are streams and things (I, naturally, doused my right foot at the first encounter with a stream. Luckily that didn't cause any lasting damage other than the fact that dirt seems to have stuck to the right shoe a bit better than it did to the left one). And there are rocks, of course. Sometimes there was some light climbing. Then you got in to the actual mountain range. Whoever keeps up the park had helpfully put in stairs for the part where you're going up on the mountains. But that doesn't really make it any easier. The consensus was reached that the stair portion of the climb, even though it occurred only about 1 1/2 or 2 hours into the trip was the hardest bit. Not the SCARIEST bit, just the hardest. Anyway, I have a number of pictures taken from various heights that are basically all, "Look how far we've come!" It's a definite adrenaline high. Or at least like a pride-high. I must've said things like, "Guys, look how awesome we are!" and "This is awesome! Bring it on, Mountain!" a number of times. However, the damn mountain...you keep thinking, "Oh, just over that part and we've cleared the highest part!" and then you get over that part and realize that the stupid mountain has been hiding the NEXT hard part. I'm gonna give a shout-out to my good friend Ben, though, who pushed me through a number of fencing lessons and who has generally kept me in shape. Because everyone else was having way more trouble than I was. Even when we started getting to the point where the altitude as well as all the climbing was getting to you, I still felt pretty good.
So we kept going up and up. And we started encountering some snow - at this point, everyone began re-applying the layers of clothing we'd shed on the lower part. So anyone who thought I would miss out on that classic upstate New York November snow was clearly mistaken. There was some snow. Which was delightful. ...At first... Heh, anyway. We took some snowy pictures and kept going up and up. It wasn't so bad, actually, after you got past the stairs. A little bit scary, climbing over rocks with a bit of snow and a rather unsettling drop on the side of you, but not so bad. Then, once you got over the snowy ledge, there was a long flat plain of snow in front of you. Where we picked up conversation some more - when you're climbing over rocks you tend to not be quite so chatty. I think I have a picture of the snowy plain before we got onto it, but none once we were on it simply because I didn't want to remind myself of how long it was. We got to the point where you can choose to stay on the crossing track or head over and climb to the summit of Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom, for you Lord of the Rings fans out there). That was COVERED in snow, though, so I'm more than a little shocked that there were little specklike people climbing it anyway. Godspeed. We chose to stay on the track because we were on a bit of a schedule (we probably wouldn't have deviated from the Crossing track anyway, but the bus driver who dropped us off - not with Stray, with a company that does Tongariro Crossing stuff - was coming to pick us up at the end of the track at 4pm and if we weren't there then, we were out of luck). After the next bit of climbing, we got a view of the Emerald Lakes, which are unbelievably beautiful. There's something in the rock that turns them into this amazing turquoise color. This marks the, I think, highest point we reached. There was an option of going on to the summit of Mt Tongariro but, again, schedule. It was exciting, though. Not only are there these amazing lakes, but you also have the high of getting to the top.
Now. Getting down. This slope was....unbelievably steep. Luckily there was NOT snow here, or else I probably wouldn't be around to type this bit. It was all really loose dirt. So I slid a bit, but never very far and I think I only actually fell once. So once THAT was over, we sat down by the lakes for a while. There was another flat bit to cross, then another lake, and then up again! Now we get to the scary part. Basically, you're on a path on the side of a mountain. Which is a scary idea. There's a pretty thin path and a pretty steep drop on your side. And, oh yeah, covered by about a foot of snow. In general, it was one of those "OK, deep breath. One foot in front of you. Just concentrate on the task at hand" moments. During the crossing, you tend to see the same people a few times - as you stop or they stop, as people catch up on various paths - but at this point, you are all in a single-file line walking on the side of a mountain. Whenever anyone stopped to take a picture, I had to resist the urge to shout, "I'm sorry, some of us are trying not to die. CAN WE NOT STOP SUDDENLY?"
But we made it. We got to a point where the snow had melted, mostly, and there was a lot of mud. One of the times I was grateful that I wasn't the one who had to wash my pants. After that, we got to this hut (possibly a campsite?) that the bus driver had told us was 2 hours from the end. We were delighted to see that we had a solid 3 hours before we had to be at the end. So we sat for a bit and chilled. The rest of the crossing was less remarkable, although a little tougher just because we were out of the really difficult bits and nearing the end and you kind of just felt like it should be over already. However, it was another chance to marvel at the changing scenery in New Zealand. We walked along a section of the park with hot springs, then finished up in some native New Zealand bush. Basically, it was a walk through almost any terrain you can think of, all in 7 hours and 19 kilometers. Crazy.
So we got to the end (discussed how the woods were very Middle Earth, and played around with the idea of spending Monday in the bush, dressed up like orcs to scare hikers) and waited for a while for our bus. Did a little stretching. On the bus back, I received one of the greatest compliments I've received when the German girl in our group commented that I had completely erased the picture of the 'Lazy American' that she'd had in her head. So that was a plus. Although then we spent the rest of the day lying on the couch eating snacks and drinking beer and watching Wedding Crashers. But that was everyone, so maybe we're just Lazy World Citizens.
OK! The next day, Monday, we pretty much did absolutely nothing. There was some consideration of white-water kayaking, but I seemed to be the only one up for it and I was sort of ambivalent, so instead we slept for a long time. Then I read for a while. Then a few of us walked over to the Railway Station, which is also an ADORABLE cafe where we had lunch. Then we walked back to the hostel and...I'm pretty sure that's the most exciting thing we did. I stopped at the petrol station for some food for later and picked up the special Commemorative Edition of Time, then proceeded to sit on the couch and cry my eyes out at every single article. Oh! Politics note! I've mentioned the warm feelings the rest of the world has for Barack Obama, but I think many of you will be pleased to know that Hillary Clinton is quite the favorite here, too. So that's a nice thing. I had an enjoyable phone call with my little sister (that's Allie, for those of you playing along at home), then had a glass of wine, dinner, dessert, and conversation with some people around the hostel. The next Stray bus had arrived, so we met up with some new people and some people from the last bus that got off earlier. So that was nice. But owing to the 9am departure time (and bodies still a bit tired from the Crossing), we all went to bed at a reasonable hour. Got up and came out to Wellington! I didn't do a lot of exploring yesterday - a few of us went up on the cable car to a hill at the top of the city and looked around. Then we went out for drinks with the rest of the bus, as many people were leaving this morning.
Today I went to the national museum, Te Papa, which is absolutely unbelievable. I knew that the other girls who had stuck around in Wellington instead of heading to Picton today were going to be visiting the museum, too, but it's so huge that I'm quite shocked that I actually met up with a few of them. It's incredible, there's just so much. There was a really cool fashion exhibit, and this awesome art exhibit on decreasing your carbon footprint. The top 2 floors of the museum are dedicated exclusively to art, which was very pleasant as well. After I spent hours there, I picked up some sushi for lunch and sat out on the waterfront for a while. I spent a fair amount of time exploring the waterfront here today, which is both larger and more interesting than the harbor in Auckland. I really like it here, although I am having such trouble readjusting to being in a city. It has so much to offer that I am certain that were I to find a job and flat here, I'd be perfectly content. However, the trouble with the Travel First plan is that the idea of settling down and being responsible instead of carrying on to the South Island is practically causing me pain right now. I want to keep traveling!
We'll see how I feel in a couple of days. Traveling on your own is...it's fantastic, really. It's scary as all hell - like right now, I'm pretty much saying goodbye to all the friends I made on the Stray bus. And like when I left Auckland and had to say goodbye to all the friends I'd made there, it's worrying. Will I make more friends? What if I never do? I'm going to be all alone! It's overreacting, I know. I meet new people every day (and, actually, one of my friends from Auckland is now in Wellington). It's just me. It's wonderful, though, to meet all these people. I meet people from all over. It's just scary, every time you get to that next stage. When I left Auckland, I actually thought that leaving Auckland might've been harder than leaving the US. Obviously not as painful, saying goodbye to people I'd known for all of 6 days versus saying goodbye to all of you. But once I'd decided to go to New Zealand, I knew that I'd never forgive myself if I chickened out and stayed home. However, I could get away with staying in Auckland. Still New Zealand, even if I'm not crazy about it. Tempting, to stay where you know, with people you've gotten to know. But then I did, and it was even BETTER than being in Auckland. So I'm absolutely certain that the adventures that lie ahead will be worth the fear I have now.
All right, this entry covered a bit more than the Crossing, which was all I intended to cover. So I'm going to check a few more things on the internet and head up to the room to see what everyone else is up to. As always, I miss you all. Let me know what you're up to!
So as I said, we arrived in Tongariro National Park on Saturday. After wandering around in the bus for the day, we were all pretty content to make/buy dinner and then hang out in the hostel with some drinks from the bar. The hostel that Stray stays at in National Park Village is incredible. It's this gorgeous ski-lodgey place with 2 (at least) woodburning stoves in the lobby, en suite bathrooms in every room, gorgeous beds with actual mattresses and fluffy pillows, a sauna, a giant kitchen, a great restaurant and bar on site, super-helpful staff, and pretty much anything else you could ask for. The village itself is a bit tiny, so you have to buy your groceries (if you need some) from this tiny convenience store at the petrol station. But the front windows of the hostel look right out onto the mountains. It was absolutely breathtaking. I'm finishing this entry up in Wellington, which is a lovely city. But, man. Spending a few days in that incredible quiet beauty makes readjusting to a city (even a lovely one) feel like quite the chore. But back to the crossing.
So Sunday we got up at 6am because we were slated to leave at 7am. Got dressed and headed out on a bus to the Tongariro Crossing. It's this crazy 19 kilometer hike across Tongariro National Park, which is home to 3 volcanoes. It's the craziest trek. It started off cold, but we warmed up quickly (I have some great hiking shoes and a fleece that I bought in Auckland, and I rented some hiking pants and a really great windproof/waterproof/superlight jacket). The path starts off flat, just crossing this long stretch of land. At various points there are streams and things (I, naturally, doused my right foot at the first encounter with a stream. Luckily that didn't cause any lasting damage other than the fact that dirt seems to have stuck to the right shoe a bit better than it did to the left one). And there are rocks, of course. Sometimes there was some light climbing. Then you got in to the actual mountain range. Whoever keeps up the park had helpfully put in stairs for the part where you're going up on the mountains. But that doesn't really make it any easier. The consensus was reached that the stair portion of the climb, even though it occurred only about 1 1/2 or 2 hours into the trip was the hardest bit. Not the SCARIEST bit, just the hardest. Anyway, I have a number of pictures taken from various heights that are basically all, "Look how far we've come!" It's a definite adrenaline high. Or at least like a pride-high. I must've said things like, "Guys, look how awesome we are!" and "This is awesome! Bring it on, Mountain!" a number of times. However, the damn mountain...you keep thinking, "Oh, just over that part and we've cleared the highest part!" and then you get over that part and realize that the stupid mountain has been hiding the NEXT hard part. I'm gonna give a shout-out to my good friend Ben, though, who pushed me through a number of fencing lessons and who has generally kept me in shape. Because everyone else was having way more trouble than I was. Even when we started getting to the point where the altitude as well as all the climbing was getting to you, I still felt pretty good.
So we kept going up and up. And we started encountering some snow - at this point, everyone began re-applying the layers of clothing we'd shed on the lower part. So anyone who thought I would miss out on that classic upstate New York November snow was clearly mistaken. There was some snow. Which was delightful. ...At first... Heh, anyway. We took some snowy pictures and kept going up and up. It wasn't so bad, actually, after you got past the stairs. A little bit scary, climbing over rocks with a bit of snow and a rather unsettling drop on the side of you, but not so bad. Then, once you got over the snowy ledge, there was a long flat plain of snow in front of you. Where we picked up conversation some more - when you're climbing over rocks you tend to not be quite so chatty. I think I have a picture of the snowy plain before we got onto it, but none once we were on it simply because I didn't want to remind myself of how long it was. We got to the point where you can choose to stay on the crossing track or head over and climb to the summit of Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom, for you Lord of the Rings fans out there). That was COVERED in snow, though, so I'm more than a little shocked that there were little specklike people climbing it anyway. Godspeed. We chose to stay on the track because we were on a bit of a schedule (we probably wouldn't have deviated from the Crossing track anyway, but the bus driver who dropped us off - not with Stray, with a company that does Tongariro Crossing stuff - was coming to pick us up at the end of the track at 4pm and if we weren't there then, we were out of luck). After the next bit of climbing, we got a view of the Emerald Lakes, which are unbelievably beautiful. There's something in the rock that turns them into this amazing turquoise color. This marks the, I think, highest point we reached. There was an option of going on to the summit of Mt Tongariro but, again, schedule. It was exciting, though. Not only are there these amazing lakes, but you also have the high of getting to the top.
Now. Getting down. This slope was....unbelievably steep. Luckily there was NOT snow here, or else I probably wouldn't be around to type this bit. It was all really loose dirt. So I slid a bit, but never very far and I think I only actually fell once. So once THAT was over, we sat down by the lakes for a while. There was another flat bit to cross, then another lake, and then up again! Now we get to the scary part. Basically, you're on a path on the side of a mountain. Which is a scary idea. There's a pretty thin path and a pretty steep drop on your side. And, oh yeah, covered by about a foot of snow. In general, it was one of those "OK, deep breath. One foot in front of you. Just concentrate on the task at hand" moments. During the crossing, you tend to see the same people a few times - as you stop or they stop, as people catch up on various paths - but at this point, you are all in a single-file line walking on the side of a mountain. Whenever anyone stopped to take a picture, I had to resist the urge to shout, "I'm sorry, some of us are trying not to die. CAN WE NOT STOP SUDDENLY?"
But we made it. We got to a point where the snow had melted, mostly, and there was a lot of mud. One of the times I was grateful that I wasn't the one who had to wash my pants. After that, we got to this hut (possibly a campsite?) that the bus driver had told us was 2 hours from the end. We were delighted to see that we had a solid 3 hours before we had to be at the end. So we sat for a bit and chilled. The rest of the crossing was less remarkable, although a little tougher just because we were out of the really difficult bits and nearing the end and you kind of just felt like it should be over already. However, it was another chance to marvel at the changing scenery in New Zealand. We walked along a section of the park with hot springs, then finished up in some native New Zealand bush. Basically, it was a walk through almost any terrain you can think of, all in 7 hours and 19 kilometers. Crazy.
So we got to the end (discussed how the woods were very Middle Earth, and played around with the idea of spending Monday in the bush, dressed up like orcs to scare hikers) and waited for a while for our bus. Did a little stretching. On the bus back, I received one of the greatest compliments I've received when the German girl in our group commented that I had completely erased the picture of the 'Lazy American' that she'd had in her head. So that was a plus. Although then we spent the rest of the day lying on the couch eating snacks and drinking beer and watching Wedding Crashers. But that was everyone, so maybe we're just Lazy World Citizens.
OK! The next day, Monday, we pretty much did absolutely nothing. There was some consideration of white-water kayaking, but I seemed to be the only one up for it and I was sort of ambivalent, so instead we slept for a long time. Then I read for a while. Then a few of us walked over to the Railway Station, which is also an ADORABLE cafe where we had lunch. Then we walked back to the hostel and...I'm pretty sure that's the most exciting thing we did. I stopped at the petrol station for some food for later and picked up the special Commemorative Edition of Time, then proceeded to sit on the couch and cry my eyes out at every single article. Oh! Politics note! I've mentioned the warm feelings the rest of the world has for Barack Obama, but I think many of you will be pleased to know that Hillary Clinton is quite the favorite here, too. So that's a nice thing. I had an enjoyable phone call with my little sister (that's Allie, for those of you playing along at home), then had a glass of wine, dinner, dessert, and conversation with some people around the hostel. The next Stray bus had arrived, so we met up with some new people and some people from the last bus that got off earlier. So that was nice. But owing to the 9am departure time (and bodies still a bit tired from the Crossing), we all went to bed at a reasonable hour. Got up and came out to Wellington! I didn't do a lot of exploring yesterday - a few of us went up on the cable car to a hill at the top of the city and looked around. Then we went out for drinks with the rest of the bus, as many people were leaving this morning.
Today I went to the national museum, Te Papa, which is absolutely unbelievable. I knew that the other girls who had stuck around in Wellington instead of heading to Picton today were going to be visiting the museum, too, but it's so huge that I'm quite shocked that I actually met up with a few of them. It's incredible, there's just so much. There was a really cool fashion exhibit, and this awesome art exhibit on decreasing your carbon footprint. The top 2 floors of the museum are dedicated exclusively to art, which was very pleasant as well. After I spent hours there, I picked up some sushi for lunch and sat out on the waterfront for a while. I spent a fair amount of time exploring the waterfront here today, which is both larger and more interesting than the harbor in Auckland. I really like it here, although I am having such trouble readjusting to being in a city. It has so much to offer that I am certain that were I to find a job and flat here, I'd be perfectly content. However, the trouble with the Travel First plan is that the idea of settling down and being responsible instead of carrying on to the South Island is practically causing me pain right now. I want to keep traveling!
We'll see how I feel in a couple of days. Traveling on your own is...it's fantastic, really. It's scary as all hell - like right now, I'm pretty much saying goodbye to all the friends I made on the Stray bus. And like when I left Auckland and had to say goodbye to all the friends I'd made there, it's worrying. Will I make more friends? What if I never do? I'm going to be all alone! It's overreacting, I know. I meet new people every day (and, actually, one of my friends from Auckland is now in Wellington). It's just me. It's wonderful, though, to meet all these people. I meet people from all over. It's just scary, every time you get to that next stage. When I left Auckland, I actually thought that leaving Auckland might've been harder than leaving the US. Obviously not as painful, saying goodbye to people I'd known for all of 6 days versus saying goodbye to all of you. But once I'd decided to go to New Zealand, I knew that I'd never forgive myself if I chickened out and stayed home. However, I could get away with staying in Auckland. Still New Zealand, even if I'm not crazy about it. Tempting, to stay where you know, with people you've gotten to know. But then I did, and it was even BETTER than being in Auckland. So I'm absolutely certain that the adventures that lie ahead will be worth the fear I have now.
All right, this entry covered a bit more than the Crossing, which was all I intended to cover. So I'm going to check a few more things on the internet and head up to the room to see what everyone else is up to. As always, I miss you all. Let me know what you're up to!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
There's a Day Between Us
OK. Hi! So yesterday was my two-week anniversary in New Zealand, which is, I think, a bit of a thing to be proud of because I'm all on my own. And I haven't run out of money! Although I also have not yet found a home. But I'm having an amazing time!!
I was in Auckland for a few days, and I'm going to say very little about that. Maybe more, in the future. But for now, not much. I met quite a few people and actually had a pretty great, crazy, fun time. But I'm not crazy about the city itself, so I booked myself on a Stray bus tour around the North Island. They were having a sale, so I just kind of went for it. The tour includes transportation around the island and a number of activities, but not housing or most food or a bunch of other stuff. But it's been great!
We first went to the Coromandel Peninsula, a town called Hahei. I went sea kayaking, which was pretty amazing. The Coromandel is actually possibly the most beautiful place I've seen yet, and as I'm saying this in Tongariro National Park, it means something. We kayaked all around the coast, through caves and into little coves. It was exhausting and amazing. We stopped at Cathedral Bay, which was where they shot part of the latest Chronicles of Narnia movie. Despite the dark clouds, it was still gorgeous. Definitely somewhere I could go back to. Then, after sea-kayaking through the beauty, we went to Hot Water Beach. Which is...what it sounds like. Well, no. Regular cold-water beach, but there's a bunch of geothermal activity all over this country, so there are places on the beach where if you dig a little hole at low tide, hot springs appear. So we....well, a bunch of us just stole someone else's already-made hole and sat in there until the tide kind of destroyed it. Then we went back and had a really great barbecue at the hostel. Left in the morning and headed down to Raglan, which is this surfing town that is really beautiful. I tried surfing and failed admirably. I got close to standing a few times! Well, sort of. It was fun, though! Despite terrifying waves and almost drowning many, many times. THEN the best part of the day. We drove back, and I'd gotten many promising texts from people in America and Americans in NZ (Raglan is so small that my New Zealand mobile didn't get service, except a little bit on the beach. So I didn't get everyone's texts). But we piled out of the van and I heard John McCain's voice, so I ran upstairs to watch his concession in the TV room on CNN. It was amazing, you guys. Then I took a shower and a break from the festivities and came back just in time for Barack Obama's (sorry, PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA'S) speech. There was cheering (everyone) and crying (me....and Oprah!) and drinking (not me, but just about everyone else) and general merriment. I had some great conversations. Meeting people on this trip is incredible.
So after some awesome times, I went to bed and got up for an 8am departure. To Waitomo! Where I opted for the dry option so far as caving in Waitomo went, because it's been chilly and so many activities involve getting soaked here. So I went on the Spellbound tour, which involved a drive through the beautiful Waitomo area, and then a short walk, and then a boat ride. Have you seen the Caves episode of Planet Earth? With the glowworms? I saw those! They were amazing! You go in and they wait for your eyes to adjust, and then you hop on this boat and as soon as your eyes adjust, there are just millions of them all over the cave ceiling. It's incredible. Then we came back and had some coffee and biscuits and then walked to another cave. This one we walked through. There were some glowworms, but mostly we just got to look through this cave. It was so awesome. It might've been my favorite day (it's entirely possible that they ALL might be my favorite day). Oh! Because then we hopped back on the bus and went to Maketu for our cultural night. We stayed in a Marae, which is a Maori meeting house. We had a traditional hangi, which is a meal cooked in the ground over hot coals and wet flax. Then the boys learned how to do the haka, a Maori dance. And the girls learned to spin poi. Which was so cool - finally getting the poi to spin the way I wanted to was possibly one of the proudest moment of my life. And then some people hung out for a while, and then we all slept on the floor of the Marae. Really, really fun.
Next day! We went through Rotorua, where I didn't really do anything (other than snag a copy of Thursday's New Zealand Herald from our delicious lunch stop because it had this HUGE Obama picture on the front and "YES WE CAN" in giant letters), to Taupo, where I....didn't really do anything. Oh, wait, no! Along the way we stopped at this park with a bunch of awesome geothermal activity. The mud bubbles up all over. It smells awful, but it's really cool. Our driver pulled some mud out for us to put on our faces if we like (which I, naturally, did). Then we hopped back on the bus (thank god the Irish girls were also up for the face mask, or else this bus ride would've been weird for me) and went to these hot springs that feed into a stream, so that the water is bearable. And some people went for a swim, but I just waded in and washed my little mud mask off. It was so warm, though! Then we went to Taupo, where I wandered around a bit. It was freezing, but it's a really nice city. And completely surrounded by mountains. Crazy. Then we stayed up late chatting in the bar. And our hostel only charged a little more per person for a room with an en suite bathroom, so 3 of the British girls and I went in and got one. We were living large! I took a shower, and it was just our bathroom! Awesome! We left late the next day for Tongariro, since heavy snowfall meant it was too dangerous to do the Tongariro Crossing unguided. We wound up having a fantastic day, though! First of all, by this time there were only like 15 of us on the bus, all girls. We went out of Taupo to a spot where you got this incredible view of Tongariro National Park and its volcanoes (Tongariro, Ruapehu, and Ngauruhoe - better known to most people as Mt. Doom). And our bus broke down momentarily, so that was funny. Then we went to another geothermal park and made our own hangi. This one was even cooler, though, because instead of using coals and steam to cook the food, we used the natural heat of the ground in the park. SO AMAZING. AND DELICIOUS. It was really, really cool. We came there, wrapped up food in tin foil, stuck it in the pit in the ground, covered it, and went for a walk while it cooked. Came back and ate! Delicious! And then we went to Tongariro National Park and walked around a bit. Saw some beautiful waterfalls and our bus driver taught us to weave flax into flowers. I'll make flax flowers for anyone who visits me!
Then we got into our gorgeous hostel at Tongariro National Park. We have an incredible view, and soft, soft beds and pillows. There're 2 fireplaces and a large-screen TV I'm currently watching Wedding Crashers on. And a great bar. And internet! And a lovely cafe. And a deal where if you buy 2 nights, you get the third free....so I'm booked for 3 nights. Last night I said goodbye to many really amazing people I've met on the trip (although 4 other girls stuck around), which was sad. And today we did the Tongariro Crossing! Which was one of the most incredibly experiences of my life, but that will be another entry, as I want to post this (finally!) and send out an e-mail to all of you. I miss you all very, very much!!
I was in Auckland for a few days, and I'm going to say very little about that. Maybe more, in the future. But for now, not much. I met quite a few people and actually had a pretty great, crazy, fun time. But I'm not crazy about the city itself, so I booked myself on a Stray bus tour around the North Island. They were having a sale, so I just kind of went for it. The tour includes transportation around the island and a number of activities, but not housing or most food or a bunch of other stuff. But it's been great!
We first went to the Coromandel Peninsula, a town called Hahei. I went sea kayaking, which was pretty amazing. The Coromandel is actually possibly the most beautiful place I've seen yet, and as I'm saying this in Tongariro National Park, it means something. We kayaked all around the coast, through caves and into little coves. It was exhausting and amazing. We stopped at Cathedral Bay, which was where they shot part of the latest Chronicles of Narnia movie. Despite the dark clouds, it was still gorgeous. Definitely somewhere I could go back to. Then, after sea-kayaking through the beauty, we went to Hot Water Beach. Which is...what it sounds like. Well, no. Regular cold-water beach, but there's a bunch of geothermal activity all over this country, so there are places on the beach where if you dig a little hole at low tide, hot springs appear. So we....well, a bunch of us just stole someone else's already-made hole and sat in there until the tide kind of destroyed it. Then we went back and had a really great barbecue at the hostel. Left in the morning and headed down to Raglan, which is this surfing town that is really beautiful. I tried surfing and failed admirably. I got close to standing a few times! Well, sort of. It was fun, though! Despite terrifying waves and almost drowning many, many times. THEN the best part of the day. We drove back, and I'd gotten many promising texts from people in America and Americans in NZ (Raglan is so small that my New Zealand mobile didn't get service, except a little bit on the beach. So I didn't get everyone's texts). But we piled out of the van and I heard John McCain's voice, so I ran upstairs to watch his concession in the TV room on CNN. It was amazing, you guys. Then I took a shower and a break from the festivities and came back just in time for Barack Obama's (sorry, PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA'S) speech. There was cheering (everyone) and crying (me....and Oprah!) and drinking (not me, but just about everyone else) and general merriment. I had some great conversations. Meeting people on this trip is incredible.
So after some awesome times, I went to bed and got up for an 8am departure. To Waitomo! Where I opted for the dry option so far as caving in Waitomo went, because it's been chilly and so many activities involve getting soaked here. So I went on the Spellbound tour, which involved a drive through the beautiful Waitomo area, and then a short walk, and then a boat ride. Have you seen the Caves episode of Planet Earth? With the glowworms? I saw those! They were amazing! You go in and they wait for your eyes to adjust, and then you hop on this boat and as soon as your eyes adjust, there are just millions of them all over the cave ceiling. It's incredible. Then we came back and had some coffee and biscuits and then walked to another cave. This one we walked through. There were some glowworms, but mostly we just got to look through this cave. It was so awesome. It might've been my favorite day (it's entirely possible that they ALL might be my favorite day). Oh! Because then we hopped back on the bus and went to Maketu for our cultural night. We stayed in a Marae, which is a Maori meeting house. We had a traditional hangi, which is a meal cooked in the ground over hot coals and wet flax. Then the boys learned how to do the haka, a Maori dance. And the girls learned to spin poi. Which was so cool - finally getting the poi to spin the way I wanted to was possibly one of the proudest moment of my life. And then some people hung out for a while, and then we all slept on the floor of the Marae. Really, really fun.
Next day! We went through Rotorua, where I didn't really do anything (other than snag a copy of Thursday's New Zealand Herald from our delicious lunch stop because it had this HUGE Obama picture on the front and "YES WE CAN" in giant letters), to Taupo, where I....didn't really do anything. Oh, wait, no! Along the way we stopped at this park with a bunch of awesome geothermal activity. The mud bubbles up all over. It smells awful, but it's really cool. Our driver pulled some mud out for us to put on our faces if we like (which I, naturally, did). Then we hopped back on the bus (thank god the Irish girls were also up for the face mask, or else this bus ride would've been weird for me) and went to these hot springs that feed into a stream, so that the water is bearable. And some people went for a swim, but I just waded in and washed my little mud mask off. It was so warm, though! Then we went to Taupo, where I wandered around a bit. It was freezing, but it's a really nice city. And completely surrounded by mountains. Crazy. Then we stayed up late chatting in the bar. And our hostel only charged a little more per person for a room with an en suite bathroom, so 3 of the British girls and I went in and got one. We were living large! I took a shower, and it was just our bathroom! Awesome! We left late the next day for Tongariro, since heavy snowfall meant it was too dangerous to do the Tongariro Crossing unguided. We wound up having a fantastic day, though! First of all, by this time there were only like 15 of us on the bus, all girls. We went out of Taupo to a spot where you got this incredible view of Tongariro National Park and its volcanoes (Tongariro, Ruapehu, and Ngauruhoe - better known to most people as Mt. Doom). And our bus broke down momentarily, so that was funny. Then we went to another geothermal park and made our own hangi. This one was even cooler, though, because instead of using coals and steam to cook the food, we used the natural heat of the ground in the park. SO AMAZING. AND DELICIOUS. It was really, really cool. We came there, wrapped up food in tin foil, stuck it in the pit in the ground, covered it, and went for a walk while it cooked. Came back and ate! Delicious! And then we went to Tongariro National Park and walked around a bit. Saw some beautiful waterfalls and our bus driver taught us to weave flax into flowers. I'll make flax flowers for anyone who visits me!
Then we got into our gorgeous hostel at Tongariro National Park. We have an incredible view, and soft, soft beds and pillows. There're 2 fireplaces and a large-screen TV I'm currently watching Wedding Crashers on. And a great bar. And internet! And a lovely cafe. And a deal where if you buy 2 nights, you get the third free....so I'm booked for 3 nights. Last night I said goodbye to many really amazing people I've met on the trip (although 4 other girls stuck around), which was sad. And today we did the Tongariro Crossing! Which was one of the most incredibly experiences of my life, but that will be another entry, as I want to post this (finally!) and send out an e-mail to all of you. I miss you all very, very much!!
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