Bay of Islands, my last NZ stop

While on this trip I have read a lot of books, its something I love to do and have really enjoyed getting the time to do so again. At a store in Nelson I found two sequential books by a Kiwi author about a girl from England being sent to NZ with her missionary aunt and uncle. The stories are titled Kitty and Amber, and they mainly take place in the newly settled Paihia in the Bay of Islands. During the first book the Maori chiefs come together to sign the Treaty of Waitangi which is a founding document between the Maori and England establishing land rights. And this morning I visited the Treaty grounds where the chiefs met with the English and Missionary (they served as translators) leaders to discuss the treaty. For me it was a book come to life and I greatly enjoyed seeing this little town on a beautiful sunny day.

Its a small town but we had a good time. Yesterday after arriving, myself and some of the guys from the bus went down to the beach and played a bit of football/soccer which was quite fun, but also challenging on a slope going into the water. Then it was just a laid back evening getting to know one another.

Today I went for a walk to the Treaty grounds then further on to the mangroves and Haruru Falls. It was a long walk, but it was a beautiful area and home to kiwi (although I didn't see any). Then after getting on the bus back to Auckland we stopped at a bird sanctuary where we got to see Woof Woof, a talking Tui as well as a live kiwi bird!!! We were even able to touch the sweet six week old kiwi, quite a treat! They are in the care of the sanctuary until the drought is over so that they will have the best survival rate possible. Robert also had Herrier Hawk that was in for an injured wing but was a very impressive creature as well. In the past they have even had Albatross. If you are interested they have website with photos, videos and even webcams http://www.whangareinativebirdrecovery.org.nz.

Kiwi bird in Roberts arms

It's very strange to think that I am leaving New Zealand tomorrow. And stranger even to think that I will be back in the USA in a few short days (and one very long one). If you haven't heard yet, I will not be able to make it to South Africa on this trip mostly because of my finances, but I fully intend to make a trip there at another time not too far away. On my hike this morning I was trying to think if there are any lessons learned or major takeaways from this trip (wow that sounded depressingly corporate) but it was hard to come up with any that I can write down. What I can say is that I love traveling, more than anything this trip has reinforced that love of going places, seeing and doing things and most importantly meeting new people. I love the global culture and hope to never stop exploring the world.

Tomorrow I go to Sydney for one last hurrah with my wonderful friend Kristin and then I will spend a long day heading towards Indianapolis where I will soon be running a half marathon (May 8th). I'll try to keep blogging if you're interested in what is going on in my life and where I'm going...because right now I'm not even sure where my feet will fall next.

Much Love!!!

Beautiful Cultural Rotorua

I have spent the last two days in beautiful Rotorua and have enjoyed every minute of it. I am staying at the fabulous Funky Green Voyager hostel which has attracted a fun group of people to hang out with in the evenings.

My travels brought me from Waitomo to Rotorua about the same time my wonderful brother Josh proposed to his awesome girlfriend Courtney, so I bragged about that to the complete strangers I shared the shuttle with. I'm so very happy for them both!!!

Then yesterday started with a nice run and then I ventured to Te Puia a Maori center with all kinds of stuff to explore. I started with the 'cultural experience' where we were invited into the centers meeting house and treated to a magnificent show of dance including a haka. Then I took a guided tour around the major features. First up was the geysers which were going off quite nicely (and for over two hours)! Then we checked out a mud pool, which was very goopy looking. Next was the kiwi house...they were quite amazing! Through the village we went towards the weavers and carvers. Both were awesome! If you want to go to weaving school you can make a skirt in 6 weeks :) After all of that I did some further exploring on my own to see more geothermal fun stuff. When I got back to the hostel I figured it was time to go check out the geothermal hot pools for myself, so I went to the Polynesian Spa for a very relaxing time in the pools. Maybe the water, known for healing, even helped my knees in preparation for my half marathon in Indianapolis.

Today was a bit shorter, but I went out for a run by the lake this time and even checked out the Maori village too :) Now I'm getting ready for a bus trip to Taupo.

North Island Update

Wow, sorry to not write sooner, but at first there wasn't much to write, now it seems almost too much. I arrived on the North Island in Wellington on the 11th to warm hugs from the Smiths, friends from Colorado. They graciously welcomed me to their home in Lower Hutt and it was wonderful to catch up with them. We did a great day hike just outside Wellington and also visited the Te Paupa Museum which had beautiful displays of Maori green stone carvings and other ways of life. There was also a really neat exhibit on the different perspectives that immigrants have brought with them, especially those from the Pacific Islands.

Then I got back on the Stray bus to head up to Auckland...and boy was that a long day! Twelve hours on the bus from the south to the north of the island. From Auckland we headed to Haiei on the east coast for a chance to check out the Hot Water Beach (we were on the high end of tide so we didn't have much luck). I also took the opportunity to do another kayaking trip to visit Cathedral Cove. It was a fantastic day to be on the water and the islands and coves were wonderful! We went through a tunnel on one island then to Cathedral Cove where our awesome guides made us hot coffee drinks and gave us cookies too! After our break there we went into Lovers Cave and Sting Ray cove, where there were TONS of sting rays much to our delight. Then as the sun set and turned the sky beautiful colors of pink and orange, we had to make our way back to camp. We had a great time getting to know each other over BBQ and beers.
Our next stop was Raglan, home to the worlds largest left hand break - aka a great place for surfers. Now I probably should have practiced my wicked surf skills, but opted for a viewpoint hike with some of the girls instead. The backpackers where we stayed is nestled at the bottom of the mountain so we tredged our ways up (not kidding, there were definitely some points where we were on all fours and scrambling away). We had quite a few laughs together even though we never were sure where the viewpoint was supposed to be. When we got back to the bottom we tried out the flying fox (also known as a zip line) and had even more fun doing that! Then I ran into some of my mates from the south island, what a treat :)

Yesterday we drove to Waitomo, Wai meaning water and tomo meaning hole in the ground (I think) together meaning water carved caves and now known as home of the glowworm caves. Its a beautiful area with over 300 caves networked over probably hundreds of kilometers. After checking in at the hostel, I took a short walk up to a Pa site which used to be a fortified place for the Maoris. It provided a lovely lookout for lunch. Then it was off to a caving adventure. We had a nice small group and a great time exploring some of the most amazing glowworm caves in the region. We absailed (repelled) down 40 meters into the cave, then took a flying fox even further down in the Black Abyss. It was an awesome feeling to fly into a cave speckled with glowworms like stars in the sky. Then after some hot cocoa and caramel bars we jumped into the icy fresh waters of the cave with our intertubes which we used to go to the very end of the cave. There were probably millions of glowworms and they were everywhere you looked. It was simply fantastic! We then went to the other end, five kilometers, and climbed out through two waterfalls using the limestone walls for excellent grips. Then, because we were special (aka a small group) we had enough time to adventure through the Black Labyrinth which started by going over a few waterfalls in our tubes then floating through even more glowworms and tramping through the stream for an amazing exit view that looked like something out of a movie...and no it wasn't in Lord of the Rings because some farmer thought the movie scouts were just a bunch of rowdy students.

Now the next stop will be Rotorua...a geothermal hot spot with lots of Maori culture to go with it :)

Kayaks on Milford Sound

So I took a trip to the highly recommended Milford Sound and LOVED it. Although I must say, I took a basic tour bus there and our driver DID NOT stop talking for the entire four hour trip! It was impressive/annoying. I mean while it was interesting to learn about the history of deer and elk farming in New Zealand, I can't say I needed to know about that one school in Five Mile Creek that is no longer a school and so far off the road that I couldn't see it. But nonetheless, it was a beautiful trip through the mountains especially after going through Hobart Tunnel that starts at 970 meters and goes down to 790, oh and its one way. We stopped at a place called the Chasm and it was a huge waterfall that had eaten through the rocks, quite spectacular how water can make its way through rock like that. The day we arrived was less than spectacular however, lots of clouds but at least no rain. Instead of taking the boat cruise I went off towards the Milford Sound Lodge just down the water.

I checked in to a lovely dorm room there and I must say they're other rooms looked spectacular as well with windows facing the river. I was going to eat lunch enjoying that view but the sandflys kept eating me so lunch was taken inside instead. Then I headed to see what tramping could be done in the area since I only had the end of my book to read and wanted to save some for the long drive back to Queenstown. There unfortunately aren't many tramps there that aren't completely rain forest and muddy. But I did find a few short walks to take around the water and up a hill to a lookout (not much more to be seen than from the ground unfortunately). I also checked out a short trail at the lodge that has glow worms (couldn't see them in the light, but it was something to do). I also at some point decided that maybe I should write a novel (short story perhaps?) based on my adventures here....thoughts? Not sure how great of a novelist I'll make but it sounds like fun. I even wrote a couple of chapters.

Then came the big morning...Kayaking in the Sound. The night cleared up and allowed for great star viewing and glow worm viewing and it stayed clear for us in the morning. We were picked up by the crew at Rosco's and taken to our launch point where they outfitted us in the utmost of style....stripey polypro long underwear, fleece, water skirts and life vests. I paired up with a great gal from London for our adventure, and it was definitely great to have two of us paddling out on the windy waters. We went out in two groups of four kayaks and one guide. We worked hard and got fairly wet from spray off the water and off our paddles, but we had a great time. My partner and I joked about being too strong and too beautiful beacuase we were constantly being asked by our guide to slow down and wait for the others in our group. We had great views of Mitre Peak (quite famous and in all the pictures) and all the other mountains around the sound. The final stop was next two a waterfall three times the height of Niagra, but with less water. It was a great day to be on the water and a great way to see the Sound. And a great day to think about my wonderful dad and think positive thoughts for his birthday! (Happy Birthday Daddy!!)

Me in my kayaking loveliness with Mitre Peak in the back left.

The trip back to Queenstown was lovely as the sun set, but rather uneventful over all. I did finish my most recent book, Yes Man, now a movie with Jim Carrey. I would definitely recommend it to everyone, it was a fabulous read :) For dinner I had Hell's Pizza, supposidly one of the best in Queenstown and I did quite enjoy it! It was a creation all my own which probably made it even better.

Today I started with a long run (which my knee wasn't quite up for apparently) but was still refreshing nonetheless. Then I finally went to Fergburger, famous burger joint for a 25 minute wait chicken burger. I got the Bombay Chicken burger...but enjoyed talking with the greeter more than eating the $12 burger. Anyways, I heard at the hostel that Burger Fuel on the North Island is even better.

Tomorrow I head up to Christchurch and then up the coast before crossing to the North Island.

Bungyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

WHOA!!! What a rush! I just did one of the biggest bungy jumps in the world and it was amazing!!!!!

AJ Hacket and Henry can Asch re-invented bungy here in New Zealand and just outside Queenstown is the first commercial jump from the Kawarau Bridge. I didn't do that jump (although its cool and you can actually get partially dunked in the water below) because its just a mere 43 meters (141 feet) and I have the opportunity here to jump from 134 meters (440 feet) at a place called the Nevis that is also near Queenstown. There's a lot of history to bungy that you can find on the web, but these guys got the idea from a group of natives on the island of Vanuau in the Pacific who do it as a fertility ritual.

Anyways, I went today and it was fantastic and I came out completely unscathed, but maybe slightly addicted to that rush, anyone want to join me and start a sight in Seattle?

Step 1 : Dive off the ledge

Step 2: Freefall towards the water for 8 seconds

Step 4: Bounce :)

Step 5: SMILE and ask for more