New Zealand--5:Wellington and closure with NZ

(Last one on NZ. One last one to come.)


In acquiescence to the limited amount of time I had left, instead of hitch hiking I took a 6 hour bus down to Wellington--NZ's capital. Spent just a few nights in Wellington, Couch Surfing in a few guys basement flat.
Wellington is a nice little oceanside city, ensconced in mountains--typical NZ.

Went up to a hilltop/volcano cone with my hosts to look out over Wellington and around,


Walked through the botanical gardens. There were:
some great aromatic "fragrant gardens",

with many varieties,

succulents


An informative "herb garden",

And a bountiful "rose gardens" (from above),

with all sorts of roses...like these 'heart throb roses',

Nota Bene: a great time to go to such gardens is when you're fasting. I had been on about 36 hours fast (inspired by a woman I met hitch hiking on a 5 day fast, something I'd been meaning to do for a while) when I walked through the park. For when you are hungry, your olfactory bulb is more easily illuminated. And stimulating it with the smell of flowers is a pleasant evasion from food.
Paid a visit to the Parliament House and the Beahive (where the prime minister and company work, on the left there).

Had a listen to some interesting excerpts of famous speeches given in the NZ Parliament over the past 70 years or so. Went for a really nice tour of the building and learned a good bit about their government, politics, Maori relations, etc. E.g. NZ is not independent of England; as part of 'The Commonwealth" they are still a constitutional monarchy (like Australia and Canada) in which their governor general must sign on behalf of the Queen for laws to be passed.

Checked out the (free) Te Papa Tongarewa museum of NZ's animals, meteorology, tectonic landscape, and Maori culture/history. On the 'Ring of Fire,' there is a lot going on in and under NZ. Free national museums are great.

Lastly, I found the City Gallery Wellington. I'm usually not one for art, but I quite liked Bill Hammond's work of mostly these avian human things.

(not my photo)

There was also a really cool screening of 2 short films titled "Doomed" and "Love" in which the producer (Tracey Moffat) sampled small pieces of films spanning about 60 years and spliced them together into a montage pursuing the above themes, with a soundtrack threading the story. Very dramatic.

Something interesting I learned staying with a few younger Kiwis: they told me that it was normal for young people to move out of their parent's place when they are young. Three of the 6 or so I spoke with moved out @ age 16...


Last thoughts on NZ
Of all the places that I've traveled, I would recommend NZ the highest for others to visit. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to, prices are reasonable (very cheap if you travel like me ;) ), the people are really friendly/generous/hospitable, it is well organized for tourists (good hostels, etc.), and they speak English (key).
Mind you, it takes time to see the country: no less than a month...for one island (North or South Islands), if you ask me. There is just so much to see and traveling takes time.
The North Island is a bit warmer, more tropical, more people, somewhat more developed. The South Island (from what I gathered cycling it 5 years ago and from what I've heard) is more rugged and barren but more scenic, mountainous and gorgeous (with the fiords and all). But really, with either, you can't go wrong. Of course, flights are not cheap and peak season is between Christmas and most of January.

As for me, hitchhiking, often crashing at local people's places, making friends and doing things with the local people I met, I really felt I like I was able to have an authentic individual experience in NZ. I did not feel like the impersonal statistic of a tourist that I kinda felt like in Europe: where traveling by bus/train, living amongst other backpackers/tourists in youth hostels, and visiting must see museums/churches/ruins/etc. can confine one to a somewhat circumscribed experience that is jaded by the presence/knowledge of the masses of others who are doing/have done the same thing. But that was just my experience.

New Zealand--4: Gisborne, Rotorua, Taupo

Caught a hitchhike from Tokomaru bay to Gisborne with an EMT and a GP, made for some good conversation. Had a chance to discuss the brain science stuff I got into at UNSW, like the mind-brain paper I wrote a few years ago (and since had published in a Harvard student brain science journal).
In Gisborne I had a place to crash through the friend of a former patient of mine. Despite the fact that he wasn't even there, he set me up with the key and let me stay in his absence. Which was nice, but I didn't find much to get up to in Gisborne so I took off to Taupo via Rotorua after a couple nights.
Spent just the day/night in Rotorua, a thermal wonderland.
Hot mud,

and hot water,

with the smell of sulfur lingering everywhere.


Then it was just a couple quick hitchikes down to Taupo, a great place for outdoor activities--my sorta thing.

My first night at the backpacker in Taupo, I overheard an Aussie family talking about doing the Tongariro Alpine crossing the next day. I spoke up and said I was keen on it too and hooked up with them for the trek; one I had been looking to do for a while.
Up at 530AM (blah!) to beat the days heat, we saw the sun rise over Mt. Ngauruhoe,

Recognize that mountain?
How about now?

No?
Try imagining a red eye one top with flames coming out of it...
It's Mt. Doom from Lord of The Rings.
Climbing it was a detour from the main trail; and a bloody steep one at that. It was made of loose sand/rock that would slide under your feet as you climb, making for a really hard slog up.

It even made me sweat :)

But boy was it worth it!! The view from the top was unreal,

To my dismay, a look inside the crater did not yield a flaming red eye nor even flowing red lava....

It took about 1.5h to ascend and about 15mins to descend--sliding down the loose gravel/rock. Which filled my shoes with sand, absolutely chalkers! As you can when I emptied them.
The rest of the hike was no less spectacular:
evidence of landslides,

white lichen like ground cover,

martian like scenery,


Colors I don't know if you can see anywhere else,



This hike was exactly the sorta thing I was hoping to do in NZ.

In Taupo, lake Taupo flows out into the Waikato river with pristine clear turquoise water characteristic of NZ. Along side it I found a few things:
A very cool rope swing. With about 250 degrees circular swing, it was one of the best I've ever seen,

A thermal spring that pours hot water into the Waikato river,


And Huka falls.

New Zealand--3: The Bay of Plenty and the East Cape

After returning from Paihia, I checked back into the Auckland city YHA, threw my stuff in the room-- not even bothering to take anything out for I was leaving the next day, caught up with a friend I made on NYE who worked at the hostel, then took off for a club to meet a chick I met the week before out at that small basement club. This time there was a much better turn out of people set on dancing, a great venue with a wildly different kind of electronic music than I listen to...

I love electronic dance music. Where non-verbal bass rhythms can communicate an energy through your mind and into your body that is ineffable and euphoric. I stayed until 330 when I had to check out so I could get up for the mornings hitchhike, 4 hours south to where I had arranged a couch surf. I am very envious of the Auckland dance scene--the people and the venues anyway.

I pretty quickly acquired myself a ride with a young boyfriend/girlfriend. But after about 30mins the girl got upset with the guy and didn't want me in the car anymore. So being the obediant boyfriend, he left me by some exit, who knows where. Now in a pretty bad spot to catch a ride, it took me 5 hours to catch another. But I tell ya, despite how long it took to find someone, people were still supportive—smiling, being friendly, and a few times some Maori kids walked by and tried to help me out.
Eventually a guy yells up to me (standing on an overpass) from the highway below where he was able to stop. He was an avocado/kiwi orchardist going most of the way to where I was going. He had a lot to say about NZ—landscape, climate, economy, etc. I learned a bunch. On our way, he took me out for a great view of the Bay of Plenty,

a gold mine,

A little tour of his kiwi/avocado farm,


And because it was already late, he let me stay at his place for the night. An amazing spot on one of the fingers extending into the Bay of Plenty.

The next morning Stephen dropped me off on the main road to catch a ride over to Te Puke. Within 5 mins a young kid picked me up and, speeding and tailgaiting, dropped me off closer to my destination. Then after a short ride with a Somoan woman I arrived in Te Puke to meet my super hospitable host, Chad. Chad, a seasoned CouchSurfing host and as relaxed as sunday morning, took me around to check out what there was to see in Te Puke: the big kiwi, where the 7 Maori canoes landed about 700 years ago from Hawaii, the natural salt water pools,

walk up to a Maori Pa site (where men would guard against invaders), etc...

He was full of good kiwi vernacular, like: "All that sorta carry on" and "falling ass over tit." I loved it.

From Te Puke it was a long day of hitch hiking: took me 5 hitch hikes in all to get to where I ended up, about 4.5 hours east.
I stopped in Whakatane (pronounced Fakatany) and went for a little 2.5h hike up the mountain dividing the town and the next beech town over. On my way up to the start of the trail, a woman noticed me looking at my map, came over to help, and invited me up to her place for tea. I happily obliged and walked up to her house

for a 1/2 hour chat and a great view from her porch.

From Whakatane it took me 3 hitch hikes to get 2 towns short of where I was originally hoping to go.

But the views driving along the 35 hwy of the East Cape (north east, north island) were fantastic.

One Maori woman took me as far as her place on the side of the rural highway and said I could crash at her place were I not able to catch another ride further...

But on my 5th hitchhike of the day,

my driver said his friend ran a place just before the campsite in Te Kaha-- where I resolved to stay the night at this point. I checked it out and decided I'd stay, unaware of what I'd really found.

For $15/night I decided to pitch my tent in the yard...with a view,

The Te Kaha Homestead Lodge is a dream of a place.
I intended to only stay a night on the East cape before getting to a host's house in Gisborne, but I ended up staying 3 nights in Te Kaha (and more further on), and even then I had to pull myself away.
It was half a family's home and half a backpacker's, but you felt like a friend of the family. They were so friendly, generous, and hospitable: free use of kayaks, hot tub, took us out fishing, and served 3 meals/feasts a day (that were apparently included), and stirred up a singalong with whoever was around most every night.
The East Cape is teeming with life. The ocean was bountiful with seafood and the locals take full advantage of it. While I was there, from the ocean they pulled up snapper, king fish, travelli, albacore tuna,

kinna,

paua, crawfish,

and who knows what else. They also hunt wild pig and deer, but I had no interest in that...

With the days catch, whoever wanted to help out could get in on the action.
In the filleting section of the yard (between the trees there),

big Paul (who called everyone Choi!) tried to show me how to fillet a fish,

but I mostly made a mess of it...so I helped with the scraps,

feeding them to the birds.

They did a good job using all they could of what they caught--like putting what they did not cut off the fish in the smoker.

With a hot tub at the foot of the yard on the shore, soaking in the sunset was always on the menu,

Quite a place. One of the best I've found traveling.
Although with only a month in NZ (yes, a month is not enough for even just the North Island!), I had to move on after a few days.
(FYI: it is on 35 highway, just before the caravan park in Te Kaha, East Cape, NZ. I also got some of their business cards if you ever decide to go).

*If you come to NZ, methinks it best to get (buy/rent) a car. Getting out to places like this are not easy--buses don't go here. The only alternative are the "Kiwi Experience" tours, which I stay away from... There are also heaps of bays, lookouts, lighthouses, etc. that you can only really reach with your own car. Which go on the left side of the road. FYI.

Leaving the lodge, it was a little embarrassing hanging around out front for a ride, for it took me 2.5h to catch someone--who was only going a fraction of the way anyway. It was a car of three Maoris heading off to a family gathering in a station (sheep farm) in the mountains. Upon arriving to where they were going to drop me off in front of the road to their place, they asked if I wanted to come in for tea. Not to turn anything down at this point, I obliged.

I met a bunch of their family but after some small chitchat I had to be going, for I had a long way to go and the road out there on the East cape was not well trafficked. Standing there in the hot sun at the front of their dirt road, I quickly realized it wasn't going to be easy to catch a lift, so I started walking. I walked amidst the beautiful mountains and horse/sheep ranges.

It was 28 Ks to just the next town, apx. 150 Ks to my eventual destination. With no real rush, I was content to walk all day and pitch my tent by the side of the road if I had to. By this point, though, I had such confidence in the generosity/friendliness/hospitality of the Kiwis, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone would pick me up. And after about 1.5h, a car passed, stopped, and reversed towards me. Two younger Maori chicks picked me up and I was off again. They were going to Tokomaru bay, so I went there too.
A very small town of about 400 people, there was a great beach,

the corner shop, a fish shop, and the town bar. Not much.

Come evening I headed over to the bar. With some horses tied up in the parking lot and people hanging out on the porch, pissed, yelling in some pretty heavy Kiwi accents, I knew I was in for something different.

Mostly fishers and farmers, it was not the most prepossessing lot of folks. Something of a hick's-ville, it's was flooded with piss (alcohol) and some very 'interesting' characters. Few seemed to have changed their clothes from the days work on the farm/boat, most were a good 100lbs over weight, more mullets than full sets of teeth.
I bumped into the chicks I had caught I ride to town with earlier in the day--yes, quite a small place. One of them was singing country-western music in the bar that night. They introduced me to some people. Maybe 50-70 people there, but by the end of it I was introduced to maybe 20+ husbands, brothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, friends...Very friendly a people, but fuck were they vulgar and blunt. At one point, I was standing near a younger attractive girl and talking with a nice older (obese) lady. The lady introduces me to an (obese, fully bearded, half-toothed, older) guy, who, aware of the cute girl next to me, asks : "So, are you well hung?!" I recoiled in astonished laughter and asked they guy just next to him if he heard what the guy had just said to me. To which he replied: "Yea, so are ya?!"

Come the next day I didn't feel like moving on just yet and stayed another night. 5 nights on the East Cape where I only intended 1.