Northward-ho!

Whew! It's hot in Northland! Just a couple of days up here, and we're both pretty well burnt - despite the spf 70 we've been slathering on. I don't know how the locals do it. Today we reached Whangarei, the largest "city" of Northland at about 50,000. It's a cute city, but we're really just stopping in for internet access and to charge up our electronics. Then it's back to the beaches!

So far we've been to Tawharanui Regional Park and Oretiti Beach. Tawharanui was our first van camping experience, and 5 km of narrow, windy, downhill gravel road to reach the campsite made it a bit of a tense ride (this was within our first few hours of driving on the wrong side of the road, too). Delays at the auto shop where our van was being fixed up put us on the road much later than intended, and when we finally reached the park we were greeted by a sign stating the campsite was fully booked. !!! I think we both laughed that semi-hysterical "you've got the be kidding me" laugh.. Luckily a couple of Kiwis rolled up in their station wagon, chatted with the park ranger on the phone, and got him to agree to us sharing the campsite of these Kiwi's friends', who were already in the park. It must've been about 8:30 or 9 at this point, and after a long day of shopping for gear, outfitting the van, and driving, we passed out.

Next morning we woke up early and went for a walk on the beach, which was warm and beautiful and overcast. But Tawharanui wasn't our real destination, and fearing another fully-booked campsite at the end of a long drive we decided to get on the road early. A couple hours later we rolled into the Uretiti Beach campsite, found a great spot to set up our tent, and wandered down onto the sand. This beach was different from the first, and more typical of Northland beaches, with its white sands and aqua waters. The morning was temperate with clouds and sun alternating, but the water seems warm once you get into it. The Maori name for NZ is Aotearoa, which means land-of-the-long-white-cloud, and it seems particularly apt now that we've seen the huge fluffy white clouds which are always present in some part of the sky. We spent the day relaxing in the sand, swimming, cooking on our camp stove, and sitting in whatever shade we could find. It was hot and blindingly sunny in the afternoon, and we both have the sunburns to prove it. But night cooled down and we got to enjoy our new tent for the first time.

It's interesting to see the camping culture which seems to be the norm among the Kiwis. Whole families pick up for a month or two in the summer and settle at these beachside campsites, equipped with vans, campers, multiple tents and tables, gas ranges and coolers. Apparently camping is the national pastime. It's nice, but I think we're both looking forward to reaching the South Island and camping and exploring in wilder, more isolated areas. There's also lots of farms and livestock up here. Some sheep, but mostly cows. Seriously the most beautiful cows I've ever seen. As Kelly was driving yesterday I think I pointed out groups of particularly fine, glossy, healthy looking cows about every 2km. She wasn't quite so excited about it as I was.. :) And the land as we drove north out of Auckland was really beautiful. It's like a combination of Northern California's rolling, rippling, late-summer golden hills, and NY's lush, dense, dark green late summer foliage. Except the woods here have a kind of jungley feel, with fern trees sticking up between pines and deciduous.

Our van's doing well, and I enjoy driving it, but he's turning out to be a real gas-sucker. We'll have to see how long we can support his habit.. Today we're going to head up to Otamure Beach, supposed to be one of the most beautiful in the country and great for diving or snorkeling. Hope our skins get a little tougher.

Pictures will be up soon!
Let us know what you all are doing up in your corner of the world!!

Mit-sue-bee-shee

WE GOT A VAN!!!!!!



Yep, that's our sweet ride over there. Our for the low low price of $3900 NZD, or about $2850 USD. We did the math, and if we sleep in the van for 100 nights (it's got a bed and a mattress built into the back) it'll be like finding a hostel for $15 per person per night. Which seems impossible, as the hostels in Auckland start around $90 per person. Plus all our transportation needs are met!

We've got two more nights here in Auckland to sort ourselves out and get hold of whatever gear we may need (camp stove, some basic foodstuffs, whatever), and then we'll be on the road! Up north first to enjoy the scenic beaches of Northland, then right down to the south island. Our van (soon to be named) has a rack on top, so should we acquire a kayak or some surfboards at some point, we'll be prepared. :)

Here we go!!

Auckland. Over it.

Auckland is pretty silly. The ants are so fast…like, the fastest little things you’ve ever seen. Seriously, you wouldn’t believe it. Also, hostels are more expensive than our nice hotel, and it just doesn’t make sense. The food here lacks…and is really terribly expensive. The best food we’ve found is this hole in the wall ramen place, where we’ve already dined twice. Bacon, as we know it, seems not to exist. You get this ham steak when you order bacon. Crazy.

Today has been, by far, the most beautiful day we’ve seen in Auckland. It has been rather misty and cloudy the whole week. We bought ferry passes yesterday and toured the harbor. Our first stop was Rangitoto island: a volcano formed about 600 years ago. The summit is 850ft above harbor, and takes about an hour to hike. There are lava caves and such towards the top of the mountain. Our particular tour company had oddly timed pick-ups, so we were unable to explore the caves and had to book it down to catch the boat to the next island. We did meet this very nice couple from the UK who were on the 161st day of their NZ journey. They were travelling with their young son, Geoffrey, who was the coolest kid I’ve ever met. Motuihe, the second island of the day, was much smaller, and was cleared many years ago for farming and a prison. They are now re-introducing the native trees, grass, and plants to bring it back to its original glory. It has become a great area for bird watching, and is a sanctuary for the native Kiwi.

We are looking at purchasing a vehicle by Wed. There is one we are looking at tonight that we are both pretty excited about. It’s a camper van that comes with all the camping equipment we’ll need. So, cross your fingers for us, should you be reading this before we see it. I also just found a car dealership that specializes in backpackers' vehicles, so we'll run down there tomorrow and maybe fall in love with something. We are getting pretty anxious to hit the road and see the sights. Our plan is still to drive all the way north first, and then head down to the south island to tour it top to bottom.
Finding an internet/wifi connection in this country could be listed as an Olympic sport, so, we will continue to post as often as possible!

Auckland. Day One.

4 flights, 10,000 miles, 36 hours of travel, and 55 hours of temporal relocation later – and we’re here! Our flights were something of a nightmare, what with delays, redirected luggage, airport navigation, and last-minute runs through international security to arrive at the gate right at boarding time. However, I’d have to say we got pretty lucky. All three of our bags arrived with us, which was something we both doubted would happen. And we spent three hours watching dawn break over Fiji yesterday!


When we got into our hotel room yesterday around 2pm we were both totally wiped out. After much-anticipated showers and a quick burger at a pub down the street we both passed out at around 4:30 – and proceeded to sleep through the night. Up and out early this morning (about 12 hours of sleep proved to be our max, despite the fact that it was still hours before dawn when we woke), we had a leisurely breakfast and stroll around the CBD, collecting numerous activity brochures along the way. It’s nice travelling with no real agenda and no shortage of time. We wanted to take some time to adjust to the new time zone and unwind from all the travel, so since it was a rainy day we hopped on a tour bus and cruised all around the city.

Auckland is a fairly large and sprawling city, though the CBD is very compact. The rest consists of various suburbs and neighborhoods, spread over a lush, hilly land. We got great views from a couple of high points, including Mt. Eden, an extinct volcano and the highest point in the city. It’s interesting to see chickadees and small sparrows hopping around next to tall black birds with red-crested heads which look like something out of a National Geographic magazine. Many trees are familiar to us, but there are also many new ones. Really, there’s just an amazing variety. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll take a stroll around one of the parks near us. Or maybe go island hopping. Depends on the weather. :)


For dinner we got ramen at a tiny place around the corner from our hotel. It’s hard to beat a huge bowl of hot soup after a long day of exploration and rain. Tomorrow we’ll keep wandering the city, and maybe get ourselves some phones. And soon, a car! After that, it’s the open road.

touchdown

We have made it to Auckland. 36 hours later. Not much to say, too tired to make something up, but wanted to let everyone know we are here safe and sound!

more in the coming days.

Eleven Madison Park

So Far