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Other entries in Auckland

North New Zealand

After staying a night at a downtown hostel and eating a late dinner of asian noodles, we crashed thinking forward to our next 7 days with the uninhibited freedom of our own car and no restrictions. we had met two canadien girls that wanted to explore the north island as well so we took them along to cut down on costs. they seemed friendly but were both 19 and acted well below their age. we retuned to the car rental place and purchased insurance (for your peace of mind, mother) then to the grocery store to get snacks and supplies. while david went next door to look for a tent, i went inside with the girls to get our food. maybe they've never been shopping with adults, maybe they're just canadien, but they were literally awestruck when i asked the deli counter attendent for a sample of the meats before purchasing. i now realize this was an early clue that these girls were not going to be the ideal traveling companions. when we returned to the car, david had found a tent but had ignored the urge to purchase child size sleeping bags that were at an affordable price. apparently there was an awesome King Kong one that caught his eye but he thought, and rightfully so, that if he returned with only one bag, i might be upset. not to mention we'd looked at these bags earlier at another one of this chain's stores and the sack comes up to my ribs. but the designs are killer. i would have gone with the batman bag, though.

with our supplies intact, we set out along the two lane highway in the direction of the northern most point in the country. a few notes about driving here: the drive on the left hand side, the steering wheel is on the right, the signs are all in kilometers (including the speed limits of course), and the turn signal is on the right, not the left, which is where the wind shield wipers are, a fact we were reminded of about 10 times a day. the car ride was pleasant because of the scenery and the Ipod. we traveled through lots of green pastures and rolling hills occupied by sheep and cows. more cows than sheep suprisingly. the weather was ideal and the traffic sparse. we made one or two pitstops when there was a scenic vista or a point of interest. one spot of note was a Kauri forrest in which resides the largest tree ive ever seen. the trunk is 13 meters in diameter which is over 40 feet wide. this thing is huge but because of its rarity and apparently tender roots, no one is allowed near it. we snapped photos, had a quick meal of cold cuts and cheese, and were back on the road. we didnt make it to the point by nightfall so we started to look for a place to sleep. at this point the girls started talking about their last 10 months in australia and how they frequently would just find a spot off the road and set up camp for the night. i didnt mind this idea too much because we had the tent, no sleeping bags tho, and it was less expensive and seemingly easier than finding a hostel at this hour. david was driving and getting visibly irritated with our lack of direction. although the girls had this idea that a spot would turn up, they didnt offer and suggestions as to what it would look like or when a good time to turn off the road would be. we eventually turned towards the beach hoping to find a spot. we turned into a RV park but the attendent was gone for the night and we concluded that there was little harm in finding a spot near the back, camping, and then leaving before work resumed in the morning. david and i were/are a little uncomfortable with this idea because of the dishonesty involved but at the same time, we should be able to find a spot to use our own equipment for the daily ritual act of sleeping. the only harm involved with this spot was that we used their toilets and facilities without paying and snuck out like thieves at the crack of dawn. we elected not to do this again.

in the morning we journeyed to the tip of the country to a point called Cape Reinga. its the northern most point of New Zealand and is equipped with a state-of-the-art lighthouse to advice mariners far out in the ocean. its also the place where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. it was awesome because you can actually witness the two bodies of water merging and watch as their waves meet and fight for position and eventually compromise to become one unit. there was one stretch of water in the middle of everything that was just rocking and maknig white caps seemingly out of nothing. amazing. the spot was also cool because there was a 340 degrees view of water. behind you was the gravel path back up the cliff to the parking lot and the rest of the rocky walls that create the border between country and sea. i watched as birds of all kinds enjoyed caught the wind currents and hovered in teh air like flying saucers. at the base of the cliff i could see waves crash against the rocks making the long strands of sea weed twist and churn like long-sleeve shirts in a washing machine. we sat and enjoyed the peacefulness of the spot and then moved on. 

as we drove back down the dirt and gravel road taht led to the lighthouse, david spotted a sign that designated a path to an isolated beach. it looked like it could be somethign we could just drive to but with his stubborness and prodding, we all agreed to leave the comfort of the car and make the trek. we took what we needed for the beach and began. the sign describing our journey told us to look for bright orange signs to steer us in teh right direction. we spotted the first one and made our way through a enormous cow pasture. i thought it would be fun to try to catch and ride a cow but the cows didnt allow me that chance. when we got within 200 yards, the entire herd turned to stare at us and when we were within 100 yards, the herd turned to stare at us with their butts and made their way to the opposite end. ill save cow riding for India, i guess. the next part of the hike took us through short trees and muddy slopes. after that we crossed a marsh on the provided wooden planks while corn stalk looknig plants provided resistence to our urges to go swimming in the murky water. we emerged from the flora hallway into more trees but this time they were all black and charred as if the people in charge had creaeted a controlled fire. it was cool (temperature wise) and eerie in there and gave me my first glimpse of a Lord of the Rings scene from new zealand. after the dead trees, we found our way to a pine and fern hill that provided plenty of color and scenery. beyond that was about a mile adn a half of pristine sand dunes covered with short rooted shurbs and tumble weeds taht looked like sea urchins. we could finally see the beach we were struggling to reach but it was still another 30 minute hike until we could touch the water. once there we realized why the hike was that arduous; you dont deserve to see the beach unless you put in the effort. we were alone for miles, although we could have brought better company. the girls took off on a walk and we played in the surf like unleashed puppies. but i got scared and ran out of the water screaming like a little girl when a tiny crab brushed by my leg. we soaked up some sun and invented a new game. we brought out a tennis ball (Kenny to those of you in the know) and at first used my boat sized sandals as paddles but then ditched them in favor of using our hands. the game is simple, basically just keep the ball in the air between us but since our hands are not flat, the tennis ball has a large puncture in it, and our coordination and accuracy is not always professional level, the game becomes more difficult and thus, more fun. we entertained ourselves mightily for about 30 minutes and then started the walk home.

that night we made it to the Bay of Islands and looked for real lodging. unfortunately, every single hotel, hostel, motel, and camper park was completely booked because today (monday) is Waitangi Day (the anniversary of the day the Maori Tribe and the English signed a treaty giving the island to the british). we drove around to every place and were told the same thing and given the same apologetic look. we were about to pay for a spot of grass at a camper park outside of teh city when some traveling canadiens informed us of a hidden spot in town that is frequented by vagabonds like ourselves. we found the place easily and set up our tent, but this time we had sleeping bags that we had purchased earlier in the day. i must note, sadly, that we had to overlook the King Kong and Batman designs because the ones we found were cheaper. but with these at least my nipples are covered. not much to report from that night.

next morning, woke up early in search of things to do in this Bay. scuba, dolphin dives, boat trips, sailing, snorkling, fishing....these were all things we had woken up too late to do. we got information for the next day and resolved to rent kayaks or a catamaran and make the most of the waning day. the girls actually proved to make themselves useful by finding a boat trip taht left shortly and showed us the entirety of the Bay but was pricey. we decided that this was an area where things were expensive and we would just have to bite the bullet and take the hit to our wallets. we signed up and got a leisurely tour of the sights. we learned about the history including one interesting story. apparently one family lived out on one of the islands, the father and son died in a boatwreck but the mom persevered and hired two men to help with the farm. one of them was mean, lets call him Brutus, and the other a Maori but was lazy, lets call him Flojo. Brutus was constantly abusing Flojo, enough so that one day, Flojo found Brutus sleeping on the beach, and took an axe to his forehead. as a Maori, he claimed that he was right in commiting the murder because it was their custom but the mother disagreed wanted to take him to court. this didnt sound so great to Flojo so he killed her too. since the country had recently come under British control, he was tried under law and became the first person in New Zealands history to be hung. neato. the rest of the boat tour was decent and we saw some cool sights and took some nice photographs. we chased some sheep, again trying to catch them for riding purposes but again failed as they outsmarted us. then back to the town for some more of the tennis ball game and eventually dinner.

we befriended some other backpackers that were using the same hidden campsite and after a little schmoozing, one of them named Tiger (i kidd you not) told us that he knew of a place not far away where you could pick your own mussels off the rock. we grabbed bags and made our way down to the waters edge to pluck our dinner. while there we were accosted by a local man because in his words, we were "not respecting the native land and ignoring the advice of someone who knows best (him)". he suggested we actually get in the water and swim out to get our mussels like "real men" and then added that we looked like old women with our backs bent collecting the shells and then changed his mind and told us we looked like Asians. we ignored him but he went on, "i hope you get poisoned from those things and i hope someone comes along and bashes your heads in with a rock". nice guy. aparently the same guy had been harrassing Tiger and his friends the night before and is some local upset about tourists and outsiders. i was at first angry and mad at this mans abrasiveness but then kinda felt bad that something has driven him to be such an asshole. (sorry uncle joel, it was the most appropriate word). we enjoyed dinner (steamed mussels with vegatables in a red wine garlic tomato sauce over pasta) without him, however, and called it an early night because we planned on leaving this morning for auckland.

ive obstained from talking too much about the girls we were traveling with because there really isnt much to say about them. on the car rides they slept in the back the whole time, when awake they were constantly talknig about ways to save money here adn there, and the one time we went out to a bar, they sat silently as we struggled to find something to talk about. they were just immature and not too much fun to hang out with. its possible that a lot of that comes from the fact that neither had been to college and thus hadnt learned a lot about life and living it. i cant claim that i know everything but i can say that my four years in school taught me many things about people and real life situations, something these two knew little about. we parted ways this morning and i think all four of us were quite happy with the change.

today we watched the super bowl in a irish pub and david lost the bet so he has to carry the tent for the rest of the trip, buy the next round of drinks, and had to squeeze a mouthful of tomato sauce (they dont have ketchup here) into his mouth while i laughed at him. tonight we move on to the south of the north island to see what sort of trouble we can get into and then out of.

ps

while in argentina, david thought it a wise decision to purchase a San Antonio Spurs jersey with none other that one Manu Ginobili etched on the back. why a dallasite would think it prudent to financially support a basketball club other than his beloved Mavericks is beyond me but please do us all a favor and write him an email accurately describing your opinions regarding his loyalties. thank you.

email: david.harford@gmail.com

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