A nice visit from some Aussies

On November 28^th I anxiously waited at the Auckland Airport as hometown friend Mallory flew in from Australia with university friends Maria (Texas/Mexico) and Dirk (Germany). In the first week we conquered the North Island. First stop was surfer’s paradise – Raglan, then through to culture-rich Rotorua where we took part in an educational and entertaining evening with a local Maori tribe. We were given a deeper look at NZ’s native song, dance, art/carving, games and even took part in a traditional‘hangi’where vegetables and meat are cooked for hours underground. We enjoyed it with a buffet offering loads of other staple NZ foods. From Rotorua we continued on to the home of NZ’s biggest Lake – Taupo where we put faith in the hands of some bungy cord.. then off to Tongariro. The recently active NZ volcano had just opened back up for trekkers within the past couple days, however, our hopes to make the hike was shattered by news of 90km/hr winds at the summit. We continued South to Wellington, NZ’s artsy metropolis of a capitol. A day of seeing the sights then it was the 2 a.m. ferry ride to the South Island. After catching up on some sleep in the parking lot, the rest of the day was spent in Blenheim, touring the beautiful vineyards and tasting NZ’s very own selection of wines. A night was spent in a National Park up North and another just outside the trek before we embarked on a two day hike of the Abel Tasman - possibly the best beach views I've seen this trip so far! We shared a feast of fresh caught mussels as well as an evening of stories with fellow trekkers. We continued down the West coast, our next big stop being the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. After putting on every piece of clothing in my backpack I realized in New Zealand ‘Glacier’ doesn't necessarily mean snow.. Next stop Queenstown where a night on the town led us to a bar made entirely from ice – us Canadians thought we were home! We journeyed from Queenstown to the cute, Victorian feeling town of Arrowtown to watch ‘The Hobbit'- which, being filmed here, has been the talk of the country! We continued South, spent a night in Te Anau, then took the scenic drive to NZ’s legendary Milford Sounds. The tall mountains jutting out of the water was defiantly a sight worth seeing! We travelled East through the night in time to catch a few hours sleep at a carpark in Dunedin before a day of sight-seeing and even some Christmas shopping! (after 3 years it still feels strange in the sun). The roadtrip of a lifetime came to an end in Christchurch where we celebrated an early Christmas by making the meal of Maria’s people – tacos!!

Car hunting, then North bound!

For me big cities like Auckland are slightly unpleasant as it is, but throw car hunting in there and it turns a tad stressful. We had a top three on the list. With one being sold before we had a chance, one on the rising bid, the 1997 Ford Falcon station wagon seemed to be a match as my future car for the next 4 months. The deal was made and after a day to wash her up we were on the road together headed North. Seeking out every DOC (Department of Conservation) campsite, we worked our way up to Cape Rienga (New Zealand’s most Northern point) and back down again. With the rainy weather we had plenty of time to bond on the road. We explored Puketi Forest, Paihaia and the Bay of Islands, Doubtless Bay and many other beautiful bays and beaches including 90 Mile Beach, which is legendary for tourists getting stuck in the sand (it is ever so tempting to drive on even if you don’t have a vehicle that stands a chance..) This solo travel came to the perfect end in Keri Keri where I jumped out of a plane at 16,500ft overlooking all of the Bay of Islands – absolutely incredible.