holy hell its been a month. i find it hard to force myself to sit down and be diligent about writing when the sun in shining shining and there's so much to do.
i uploaded some shots a while ago of my trip to taranaki - it was a good time. i stayed at the taranaki environment centre and worked alongside graham and val for a week. it was really relaxing, and nice to get some last minute chill time before my classes started. oh yeah, if you've seen the pictures then you'll know what im talking about, but there was this ridiculous festival called AmeriCARna. you can only imagine what sorts of fun that was. felt like i walked down the street in inglewood, took a wrong turn, and somehow ended up in upstate new york. there were vintage cars, rural NZ cover bands playing classic american radio tunes, and plenty of 'authentic american hot dogs and hamburgers' to boot. what a deal. i tried my best to keep from laughing.
then classes started as soon as i got back to wellington. the courseload works a little differently here, so im only taking three: gender & development, maori society and culture, and an education course called 'youth and life challenges.' theyre all pretty fascinating. the maori course, which im taking to fulfill a cornell requirement, is interesting enough, but just jam-packed with too many americans. luckily, all of my professors are really dynamic and most of the students are engaged in discussions etc. we've been talking about some pretty meaty issues in both my education and gender courses, but there's not quite as much fire as you'd see back home. one thing ive found upon living here for a while now is that the political discussions are really lacking. as in, most of the time quite nonexistent. the kiwi political scheme isn't too fascinating and the government hasn't pumped billions of dollars into a war machine, so i guess there isn't that much to get all fired up about. what a drag. but no really, my friends and i try to squeeze war, politics, radical rebellion, etc. into the casual bar talk and it just doesn't work. before you know it you're back to classic film noir, catchy lines from arrested development, and recounts of the last time wren was completely pished. so it goes.
last weekend i was lucky enough to have a little getaway. my friend gabi and i rode out to wanganui, about three hours away. we camped out right next to the wanganui river for a couple days and watched as the reflections of shooting stars shot back and forth along the slow flow of the midnight water. we chilled out with some ducks, gorged on banana bread until we could no more, and sat with our backs against an enormous, receding cliff, watching the sun set on our own private beach. rutabega bay was what we decided it should probably be named. it was our bay, after all. we could look in both directions all the way to the horizon without catching sight of another wanderer.
since school started, weekend trips to rutageba bay included, all has been well. ive managed to find a great group of other crazy international students and we seem to manage to have a good time every day. we've been exploring wellington and there's just so much here. i went on a bike ride yesterday, and although the winds whipping through the strait were a little tumultuous, i got to see so much of the city that i didn't even know existed.
i also made it to the bike co-op last night. i tried to go last week but my friend graham hadn't opened up shop yet. its a lot like home - the place is run out of the back room in the anarchist collective downtown. the house reminds me so much of watermargin; sights, smells, and all. packed from head to toe with posters and flyers of rallies in days gone by, books of revolt, and other such treasures. they have a free radical library open to the public and put out delicious bread and veggies that they liberate from wasteful dumpsters for the needy grabs of passersby. are you taking notes?
in our drunken midnight rambling explorations of the rolling wellington hills, we've managed to locate a couple worthwhile, exciting sanctuaries (aka playgrounds). like, make-you-jealous-that-your-childhood-wasn't-so-divinely-priviledged-with-such-amazing-structures type playgrounds. and yes, of course, with 100 ft long ziplines included. fantastic.
hmm i cant think of what other fruitful endeavors we've had. oh, did i mention that we're going to samoa? yeah, we've got a two week long mid-semester break in two weeks. original plan was the hot, golden (and now ablazen) aussie coast. but it's so damned expensive. so instead we're flying out into the middle of the pacific. honestly, do you know where samoa is? google it, please. its roughly the size of rhode island. except its actually an island. we've rented two thatched-roof huts on the lonely beach, staying for a week. woohoo.
alas, the sun is shining shining and there are no clouds in the sky. well actually, there's this one tiny little whisp of a cloud over there. that bastard, how dare he. pollute my nice blue sky with his puffy, white, puffiness. anyway, im tired of staring at this screen. im going to go on a little trip. be back in my head tomorrow. photos will follow.
but while you're waiting, enjoy these: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/ExplorationsInSunlightAndOtherThings#
Friday, March 27, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
life in middle earth
wow, im sorry, im quite awful at writing frequently, aren't i?
let's see, last time i wrote i was just about to do bungy, eh? february 1, ah yes. i did the nevis bungy jump the next day. i think i mentioned it in my last post, but it was 134 meters, or around 440 ft. i honestly wasnt scared about it beforehand, but only due to my avoidance of thinking about it completely. i went with a couple israeli girls, marina and anush, that roberto and i traveled with for a while. they were terrified, and i felt awful, but they were actually forced to go first. you've gotta jump in order of weight so that the bungy sretches out appropriately. marina screamed the whole way down. anush was so frightened that she actually couldnt utter a sound. she was shaking afterwards. and, just to build up the anticipation before your jump, the glass panel in the floor of the gondala gives you the opportunity to watch your friends fall helplessly into a jagged, rocky abyss. how pleasant.
i got my legs strapped in and was escorted to the edge. you can't really move your legs that well when strapped to the bungy, and you really have to inch right up there. so despite my best efforts i was forced to look down. and that's when it hits you - you're going to die. the guy counts '3, 2, 1..' and you're off. for that very first split second, i think for the first time in my life, i truly believed i was a goner. you have no hope. there's no turning back. and somehow the guy definitely forgot to attach something the right way. you're not goin back up.
but then you come to your senses and realize that it's all gonna be alright. and it feels so incredible. at the nevis you freefall for 8 seconds and get up to 80 mph. which may not seem like much, but when you're hurdling towards rock, well..you get the idea. ha, jepp here does a good job of demonstrating: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJLBiDI4Xgc
we spent that night in queenstown and went out to the pubs. there's a really great bar seen there with all of the travelers and whatnot. roberto and i met up with a couple canadian guys, cody and rob, that roberto had met a while back. we all had a good time, despite the fact that we woke up with empty pockets. it's a good time, but queenstown can be hard on the bank account.
the next day the girls left early for queenstown and roberto and i headed out to walk the next three days along the routeburn track, throughout the fiordland area. it started off as a pretty normal hike through the rainforest for the first couple hours as we made our way to the campsite. on this particular hike, and a few others throughout the country, you can't just camp anywhere, but only at specific designated areas. our first night was spent in the presence of enormous snow-capped mountains, along the warm, sunset-lit shores of an enormous field (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302939906348100450). we shared the space with only a few others, who gathered together as the moon rose and the night slipped over us, sharing stories of travels and our other lives, back in the real world.
the next day was more challenging, as we clambered hundreds of feet up the steep, rocky slopes of the mountain. after two hours of steady uphill hiking we happily reached the treeline, where we were presented of the most magnificent views of middle earth. it was lord of the rings; vast expanses of sheer openness, rocks and boulders scattering the rough, barren surface (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302941217882247906). being coaxed up the jagged slopes by the sweet smell of mountain wildflowers and the thought of lunch, we made it up to the summit in only another hour or so. right next to the cabins there's a small 45 min. hike up to the top of conical hill, which was easily the hardest part of the entire journey. it just goes up, and up, and up. but the reward is breathtaking, the view spanning across the valley to the alps, leading to the beautiful southern fiords on one end and all the way to the tasman sea on the other. we ate lunch and continued on across a winding rocky ledge that led across the steep slopes of a few mountains to reach the second campsite, miles away. upon arriving in the mid-afternoon, it only took us moments before diving into the clear blue mountain lake, suspended high above the salty ocean and civilization by the snow-covered peaks of the alps. it was freezing, but oh so refreshing.
we were less fortunate the next day. heavy winds throughout the night almost blew our tent away and dragged in the clouds and rain, which started sometime during the night and lasted all day. the entire three-hour walk on the third day was spent rushing, skipping over rocks and streams through the rain and dense fog to arrive at the warm, cushy seats of the bus on time. there was no view, only the tall trees of the mountainous rainforest enshrouded in fog and falling water.
we got a package deal. we took the bus to and from the trek and got to check out milford sound before heading back to queenstown. it was incredible. the grandeur size of the mountains exploding from the crystal waters of the fiord is breathtaking. unfortunately, said rain and fog blanketed the beautiful coastal waters and kept our eyes from reaching all the way up to the jagged summits. nevertheless, i was there. and it was cool (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302944137206848418).
roberto and i returned to queenstown with empty bellies and tired legs, but somehow found enough energy to suck it up and hit the pub. our next couple days followed as such: wake up, enjoy the warm rays and cool winds of queenstown, walk, eat, etc., then head out to pub/club/rob and cody's hostel. any of these in the last bit can be exchanged, switched in order, etc. to accomplish the same effect. we left queenstown, our pockets a little lighter, smiles a little wider, and headed off to dunedin on the east coast.
we were only there for a couple nights - its mid summer, all the students are gone, and we arrived on a sunday. it probably goes without saying that the place was dead. what is most likely a pretty cool city during the later months of the year was dark and desolate. i mean, empty streets by 6 pm. we were going to explore the coast the second day, which is host to everything from the giant albatross to seals and penguins. but it rained of course. actually, it poured, all day. so i went to the public art gallery and a tiny vegan restaurant instead. it sufficed. there was a huge exhibit by a famous kiwi painter, i forgot her name. it was interesting but i wasnt too impressed. the food, on the other hand, was definitely worth mentioning.
after dunedin we headed to lake tekapo, a gorgeous lake in the center of the south island whose water has been turned a glowing bright blue by the presence of rock sediment. riding from dunedin, i knew i was close to the lake and its neighbor, the amazing pukaki, before even 10 miles away (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302944765216063762). the overcast skies in the distance shown a bright blue, catching the reflection of the vibrant waters below and sending a message of hope to drivers hurdling along the desert highway. rolling into the crunchy gravel parking lot of the tekapo lakeside backpackers in the early afternoon, the clouds rushed to hide behind the mountains in the distance and let the sun reclaim the open sky.
we spent a few hours just roaming around the lakeside and taking countless photos, enamored by the beauty of the crystalline waters (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302945326495408226). i took off by myself after a while to explore around the lake on my bike. the views were stunning, especially from on top of the local mountain, next to a public observatory; the rolling hills of the desert gave way to the dark purple-blue silhouette of mountains in the distance, offering cover to the quickly setting golden sun (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302946352750653682).
i got back just in time to make dinner and join in the good company of other travelers, who huddled around the picnic tables in the open sky to share stories and drinks. i met another american, a few english, welsh, a scottish girl Carol who had been traveling in sync with roberto and i, and teresa, a german girl. teresa and i stayed up and watched the moon turn from a feint, white sliver to a bright yellow globe that seemed to fill half the night sky. oh, we also met a nice little hedgehog fellow, who was sniffing through wrappers left around after dinner. very cute.
teresa and i both went to christchurch the next day, leaving roberto to spend another relaxing day along the beach of tekapo. i spent the next 3 or 4 days in christchurch, exploring, dancing, etc. roberto joined me later and we met more germans, katharina, teresa, and friends. [there are so many germans here, more than in germany, i believe]. its a cool city with quite a bit to do so i had no trouble filling a few days. we luckily arrived just as the weekend set in and were able to enjoy markets in the streets for a few days in a row. i also went to the art gallery there and was truly amazed. there were a few great exhibits, but the best was easily that of australian artist fiona hall, who reimagines and reshapes the uses, functions, and appearances of synthetic consumer crap. using soda cans, tuna cans, pvc pipe, soap, beads, and american dollars, among other things, she reinvents her objects to reflect our culture and society, beautiful species of plants, and the human body. her work was really really amazing, and you should see too: (http://images.google.co.nz/images?q=fiona+hall&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=D2iiSfT7DIKOsQPQvr2_CQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title)
roberto and i left the canadians behind and took off on the same day, both headed in different directions. while i just took a short drive up the coast, roberto hopped on a plane for auckland to tour the north island for the next few weeks before heading back home. the ride to kaikoura was beautiful, bringing me back into the mountains and hills, only to spit me out once again along the bright blue shores of the pacific. the coast around kaikoura is some of the most beautiful ive ever seen and is littered with amazing wildlife, seals and big birds included. i only stayed one night in the dusky lodge backpackers but managed to witness an absolutely mindblowing sunset and spend some time at the water's edge before the tide came to reclaim the dry, rocky beaches (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/ItSHardBeingASeal#5304740377826779794).
i awoke groggily the next morning and packed up my bike slowly, doing so once again in the presence of lovely south island rain. the 3 hour ride to picton was wet and cold, but luckily short and beautiful. my laziness in the morning gave me little time to reach the beckoning gates of the interislander ferry, but i arrived just in time. a few hours later, the gates were reopened and we poured out of the boat and onto the dry, sunny docks of wellington harbor, my new home.
and for the next 5 days i made wellington my home. i have a nice little single studio apartment only 2 blocks from cuba st., the center of town. its an odd room, contorted into a strange L-shape, with stairs leading down to my bed and kitchenette. but its in the corner of the building, providing me one whole wall of windows that overlook the busy street below. i spent a few days settling in and getting to know the area, which is really great by the way. cuba st. is a lot like the commons, except about 4 times bigger. there is so much music and art here, it makes me so happy. its a beautiful city and will make for a great semester.
orientation was thursday. a large majority of the few hundred students studying abroad at Victoria this semester are American, but ive already met a few handfuls of really great people that i look forward to spending the next few months with. after spending a few hours waiting in line friday to enroll in classes in the most ridiculously inefficient manner possible, i was ready for what the weekend had to offer. from 20-22 of february, wellington gets a little spicier as it celebrates carnival.
i spent the morning of the 21, this past saturday, roaming around the amazing te papa, wellington's museum, with marina and anush, who were in town for the night. its a really beautiful museum and there are a few cool displays up now. the impressionists exhibit is up for a while and features a lot of really amazing works by monet, manet, etc. perhaps more intriguing, however, was the giant squid they have on display. they just discovered it in the deep waters off the coast in the last few months. and let me tell you, that sucker is huge. it's about 30 feet long and apparently has the largest eyeballs of any animal in the world, which are about as big as soccer balls. its wild.
i started the night off with a few friends that i recently met from new york and new hampshire. later that night we left the sweet songs of jerry garcia, the empty bottles, and the empty apartment behind to venture out into the restless city below. it was alive with people crawling throughout the streets, going from one show to another. we ended up at the san francisco bath house and danced along to the funky tunes of a great kiwi instrumental band. we joined the company of a couple hundred other smiling faces and spent the next few hours dancing together, the syncopated groove warming our hearts, enriching our minds.
and now im here - 6 hours from wellington in an alcove of natural beauty. im at the taranaki environment centre, surrounded by gardens and beautiful trees. ill be working here for a week before returning to wellington to start classes. its been an incredible journey so far, and it can really only get better from here on out. check out www.picasaweb.google.com/wrenar for my fotos, which i update much more frequently than these words. ill try to write again soon. miss you all.
love
let's see, last time i wrote i was just about to do bungy, eh? february 1, ah yes. i did the nevis bungy jump the next day. i think i mentioned it in my last post, but it was 134 meters, or around 440 ft. i honestly wasnt scared about it beforehand, but only due to my avoidance of thinking about it completely. i went with a couple israeli girls, marina and anush, that roberto and i traveled with for a while. they were terrified, and i felt awful, but they were actually forced to go first. you've gotta jump in order of weight so that the bungy sretches out appropriately. marina screamed the whole way down. anush was so frightened that she actually couldnt utter a sound. she was shaking afterwards. and, just to build up the anticipation before your jump, the glass panel in the floor of the gondala gives you the opportunity to watch your friends fall helplessly into a jagged, rocky abyss. how pleasant.
i got my legs strapped in and was escorted to the edge. you can't really move your legs that well when strapped to the bungy, and you really have to inch right up there. so despite my best efforts i was forced to look down. and that's when it hits you - you're going to die. the guy counts '3, 2, 1..' and you're off. for that very first split second, i think for the first time in my life, i truly believed i was a goner. you have no hope. there's no turning back. and somehow the guy definitely forgot to attach something the right way. you're not goin back up.
but then you come to your senses and realize that it's all gonna be alright. and it feels so incredible. at the nevis you freefall for 8 seconds and get up to 80 mph. which may not seem like much, but when you're hurdling towards rock, well..you get the idea. ha, jepp here does a good job of demonstrating: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJLBiDI4Xgc
we spent that night in queenstown and went out to the pubs. there's a really great bar seen there with all of the travelers and whatnot. roberto and i met up with a couple canadian guys, cody and rob, that roberto had met a while back. we all had a good time, despite the fact that we woke up with empty pockets. it's a good time, but queenstown can be hard on the bank account.
the next day the girls left early for queenstown and roberto and i headed out to walk the next three days along the routeburn track, throughout the fiordland area. it started off as a pretty normal hike through the rainforest for the first couple hours as we made our way to the campsite. on this particular hike, and a few others throughout the country, you can't just camp anywhere, but only at specific designated areas. our first night was spent in the presence of enormous snow-capped mountains, along the warm, sunset-lit shores of an enormous field (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302939906348100450). we shared the space with only a few others, who gathered together as the moon rose and the night slipped over us, sharing stories of travels and our other lives, back in the real world.
the next day was more challenging, as we clambered hundreds of feet up the steep, rocky slopes of the mountain. after two hours of steady uphill hiking we happily reached the treeline, where we were presented of the most magnificent views of middle earth. it was lord of the rings; vast expanses of sheer openness, rocks and boulders scattering the rough, barren surface (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302941217882247906). being coaxed up the jagged slopes by the sweet smell of mountain wildflowers and the thought of lunch, we made it up to the summit in only another hour or so. right next to the cabins there's a small 45 min. hike up to the top of conical hill, which was easily the hardest part of the entire journey. it just goes up, and up, and up. but the reward is breathtaking, the view spanning across the valley to the alps, leading to the beautiful southern fiords on one end and all the way to the tasman sea on the other. we ate lunch and continued on across a winding rocky ledge that led across the steep slopes of a few mountains to reach the second campsite, miles away. upon arriving in the mid-afternoon, it only took us moments before diving into the clear blue mountain lake, suspended high above the salty ocean and civilization by the snow-covered peaks of the alps. it was freezing, but oh so refreshing.
we were less fortunate the next day. heavy winds throughout the night almost blew our tent away and dragged in the clouds and rain, which started sometime during the night and lasted all day. the entire three-hour walk on the third day was spent rushing, skipping over rocks and streams through the rain and dense fog to arrive at the warm, cushy seats of the bus on time. there was no view, only the tall trees of the mountainous rainforest enshrouded in fog and falling water.
we got a package deal. we took the bus to and from the trek and got to check out milford sound before heading back to queenstown. it was incredible. the grandeur size of the mountains exploding from the crystal waters of the fiord is breathtaking. unfortunately, said rain and fog blanketed the beautiful coastal waters and kept our eyes from reaching all the way up to the jagged summits. nevertheless, i was there. and it was cool (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302944137206848418).
roberto and i returned to queenstown with empty bellies and tired legs, but somehow found enough energy to suck it up and hit the pub. our next couple days followed as such: wake up, enjoy the warm rays and cool winds of queenstown, walk, eat, etc., then head out to pub/club/rob and cody's hostel. any of these in the last bit can be exchanged, switched in order, etc. to accomplish the same effect. we left queenstown, our pockets a little lighter, smiles a little wider, and headed off to dunedin on the east coast.
we were only there for a couple nights - its mid summer, all the students are gone, and we arrived on a sunday. it probably goes without saying that the place was dead. what is most likely a pretty cool city during the later months of the year was dark and desolate. i mean, empty streets by 6 pm. we were going to explore the coast the second day, which is host to everything from the giant albatross to seals and penguins. but it rained of course. actually, it poured, all day. so i went to the public art gallery and a tiny vegan restaurant instead. it sufficed. there was a huge exhibit by a famous kiwi painter, i forgot her name. it was interesting but i wasnt too impressed. the food, on the other hand, was definitely worth mentioning.
after dunedin we headed to lake tekapo, a gorgeous lake in the center of the south island whose water has been turned a glowing bright blue by the presence of rock sediment. riding from dunedin, i knew i was close to the lake and its neighbor, the amazing pukaki, before even 10 miles away (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302944765216063762). the overcast skies in the distance shown a bright blue, catching the reflection of the vibrant waters below and sending a message of hope to drivers hurdling along the desert highway. rolling into the crunchy gravel parking lot of the tekapo lakeside backpackers in the early afternoon, the clouds rushed to hide behind the mountains in the distance and let the sun reclaim the open sky.
we spent a few hours just roaming around the lakeside and taking countless photos, enamored by the beauty of the crystalline waters (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302945326495408226). i took off by myself after a while to explore around the lake on my bike. the views were stunning, especially from on top of the local mountain, next to a public observatory; the rolling hills of the desert gave way to the dark purple-blue silhouette of mountains in the distance, offering cover to the quickly setting golden sun (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302946352750653682).
i got back just in time to make dinner and join in the good company of other travelers, who huddled around the picnic tables in the open sky to share stories and drinks. i met another american, a few english, welsh, a scottish girl Carol who had been traveling in sync with roberto and i, and teresa, a german girl. teresa and i stayed up and watched the moon turn from a feint, white sliver to a bright yellow globe that seemed to fill half the night sky. oh, we also met a nice little hedgehog fellow, who was sniffing through wrappers left around after dinner. very cute.
teresa and i both went to christchurch the next day, leaving roberto to spend another relaxing day along the beach of tekapo. i spent the next 3 or 4 days in christchurch, exploring, dancing, etc. roberto joined me later and we met more germans, katharina, teresa, and friends. [there are so many germans here, more than in germany, i believe]. its a cool city with quite a bit to do so i had no trouble filling a few days. we luckily arrived just as the weekend set in and were able to enjoy markets in the streets for a few days in a row. i also went to the art gallery there and was truly amazed. there were a few great exhibits, but the best was easily that of australian artist fiona hall, who reimagines and reshapes the uses, functions, and appearances of synthetic consumer crap. using soda cans, tuna cans, pvc pipe, soap, beads, and american dollars, among other things, she reinvents her objects to reflect our culture and society, beautiful species of plants, and the human body. her work was really really amazing, and you should see too: (http://images.google.co.nz/images?q=fiona+hall&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=D2iiSfT7DIKOsQPQvr2_CQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title)
roberto and i left the canadians behind and took off on the same day, both headed in different directions. while i just took a short drive up the coast, roberto hopped on a plane for auckland to tour the north island for the next few weeks before heading back home. the ride to kaikoura was beautiful, bringing me back into the mountains and hills, only to spit me out once again along the bright blue shores of the pacific. the coast around kaikoura is some of the most beautiful ive ever seen and is littered with amazing wildlife, seals and big birds included. i only stayed one night in the dusky lodge backpackers but managed to witness an absolutely mindblowing sunset and spend some time at the water's edge before the tide came to reclaim the dry, rocky beaches (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/ItSHardBeingASeal#5304740377826779794).
i awoke groggily the next morning and packed up my bike slowly, doing so once again in the presence of lovely south island rain. the 3 hour ride to picton was wet and cold, but luckily short and beautiful. my laziness in the morning gave me little time to reach the beckoning gates of the interislander ferry, but i arrived just in time. a few hours later, the gates were reopened and we poured out of the boat and onto the dry, sunny docks of wellington harbor, my new home.
and for the next 5 days i made wellington my home. i have a nice little single studio apartment only 2 blocks from cuba st., the center of town. its an odd room, contorted into a strange L-shape, with stairs leading down to my bed and kitchenette. but its in the corner of the building, providing me one whole wall of windows that overlook the busy street below. i spent a few days settling in and getting to know the area, which is really great by the way. cuba st. is a lot like the commons, except about 4 times bigger. there is so much music and art here, it makes me so happy. its a beautiful city and will make for a great semester.
orientation was thursday. a large majority of the few hundred students studying abroad at Victoria this semester are American, but ive already met a few handfuls of really great people that i look forward to spending the next few months with. after spending a few hours waiting in line friday to enroll in classes in the most ridiculously inefficient manner possible, i was ready for what the weekend had to offer. from 20-22 of february, wellington gets a little spicier as it celebrates carnival.
i spent the morning of the 21, this past saturday, roaming around the amazing te papa, wellington's museum, with marina and anush, who were in town for the night. its a really beautiful museum and there are a few cool displays up now. the impressionists exhibit is up for a while and features a lot of really amazing works by monet, manet, etc. perhaps more intriguing, however, was the giant squid they have on display. they just discovered it in the deep waters off the coast in the last few months. and let me tell you, that sucker is huge. it's about 30 feet long and apparently has the largest eyeballs of any animal in the world, which are about as big as soccer balls. its wild.
i started the night off with a few friends that i recently met from new york and new hampshire. later that night we left the sweet songs of jerry garcia, the empty bottles, and the empty apartment behind to venture out into the restless city below. it was alive with people crawling throughout the streets, going from one show to another. we ended up at the san francisco bath house and danced along to the funky tunes of a great kiwi instrumental band. we joined the company of a couple hundred other smiling faces and spent the next few hours dancing together, the syncopated groove warming our hearts, enriching our minds.
and now im here - 6 hours from wellington in an alcove of natural beauty. im at the taranaki environment centre, surrounded by gardens and beautiful trees. ill be working here for a week before returning to wellington to start classes. its been an incredible journey so far, and it can really only get better from here on out. check out www.picasaweb.google.com/wrenar for my fotos, which i update much more frequently than these words. ill try to write again soon. miss you all.
love
Sunday, February 1, 2009
a glacier runs through it
[brace yourselves. this is a long one]
i have recently undergone several exercises in what i like to call "character building." not purposefully initiated or executed by any person in particular, but rather spontaneously forced upon me by the inopportune weather patterns (that have, so far, dreadfully mirrored the pesky 180 degree changes that are so loved by the Cornell and Ithaca communities). yes, and by that i mean torrential downpours. and then beautiful sunshine and crystal-clear, sky blue skies. it wouldn't be nearly such a problem if i were like the rest of the travelers here and taking a tour bus or car, but alas, my two-wheeled companion offers quite little in protection from the elements.
alright, let me rewind a little. what's it been now, two weeks or so since you've last heard from me? i really do lose track of all time and date boundaries when im on the road. the only reason that i know its monday, february 2nd is because the superbowl is today. and the only reason i know that the superbowl is today is because i was told so. on a glacier trek i met an american guy who asked if i planned on "watching the superbowl monday?? the steelers are playing!!" "superbowl? oh right. i forgot we americans are supposed to be into that. huh. nope, probably not."
sorry, rewinding...
so when i left you last i was just on my way to motueka, a small village west of nelson along the northwest coast of the south island, a bay called the abel tasman. the coastline really varies depending on where you are, some of it covered in dark sand and occupied by countless barnacles, oysters, and other mussels; some beaches, however, are brilliant white and gold sand luxeries, bathed in clear blue water, jagged rocky cliffs emerging just off the shore, brightly contrast against the faint purplish-blue mountain ranges in the distance. its beautiful.
the ecovillage (or, perpetual ecovillage, i should say. they havent started clearing land for development yet) was nestled in the foothills just outside of motueka, providing views beyond neighboring farmlands all the way to the ocean. although there is but one large house on the property so far, an awkwardly shaped triangular "work of art" from the 80's, the group's agricultural development in the last year is really quite impressive. funded by a canadian couple and headed by a french agricultural mastermind, the atamai sustainable community already has rows of terraced gardens, a long crescent garden, a pretty enormous nursery, and about a hundred yard-long crescent herb garden, not to mention numerous pond systems for irrigation, an orchard, and the planting of over 2000 native tree species for wind breaks. quite a lot of work in a year, eh? quite diligent, they are.
so for the week i was there, i woke with a breath of fresh air, peered out my window to the orange and apple orchards below and across to the sea. then walked down to the gardens and worked from 8 to noon. we started on the first day by digging over 50 furrows for a couple hundred asparagus plants that got transplanted over the following few days, watered plants for what seemed to be an endless period of time, and transplanted more herbs and trees than you could shake a stick at (special thanks to ma and pa for this classic, ever so illustrative phrase).
in the afternoons i spent a lot of time by myself, riding to the gorgeous local beaches, taking photos, talking permaculture, education, and philosophy with my hosts, and even admittedly spending some time in the shade, running through old episodes of the office.
the week flashed by in a blink, taking me next to the tiny township of karamea, which is the last village on the north end of the west coast highway. outside of westport, a bland, conservative, coal-mining town (in which i actually was confronted with a bumper sticker that read "New Zealanders against Greenies!" and a logo reading "AAA: Activists Against Activists." ridiculous.), i rode for about 30 mintues along wind-swept sandy beaches and watched as palm trees bent over backwards, making an arch as the strong breeze pushed them over. the waves crashed uncontrollably against the jagged rocks protecting the beach, and sent refreshing sprays of saltwater over 100 meters to the road. further on i turned inland, winding along cliffside mountain roads until they nestled my down gently, returning me once again to flat farmland.
the village of karamea boasts a supermarket, a couple hotel/motels, and, well, not much else. oh yes, i forgot about the church. rongo backpackers stands out as the only building in the vicinity with enough charisma and audacity to paint the walls anything but a boring shade of brown. instead, the small backpakcers hostel has received love and appreciation over the last 15 years in the form of beautiful artistic contributions to the premises. the exterior is painted a lovely rainbow from roof-to-floor and a large peace sign/heart made of rocks adorns the front yard. id found a little slice of home again. the inside of the building is covered with artwork from the many people that have visited over the last decade. in the back, the garage has been turned into a pirate radio station/movie cinema and the somewhat haphazardly-assembled herb garden adds a nice touch to the backyard and firepit.
i was welcomed with open arms, given a quick tour, and settled in quickly before i started preparing a dish for the potluck with the other 20 travelers from around the world. it was amazing - my plate was a splash of fantastic colors and varieties of worldly foods that sent my tastebuds over the top.
i awoke in the morning to find the skies clouded, a gentle rain falling, and a good portion of my baggage soaked. so much for the 8 am departure. i ended up sticking around until just after 3, prolonging my indecisiveness with frequent trips to the clothes line to check my bags, sleeping bag, tent, and clothes.
dry or not, i packed up and hit the road, met by 20 mile an hour winds along the coastal highway. a car driver may not even think twice about these conditions, but it had my bike and me blowing all over the road. my bike's strong enough to deal with heavy headwinds, but when they're coming from the sides (both sides, randomly, and at the same time) i was litterly being dragged all over the highway, sometimes leaning to one side just to keep heading straight. the winds luckily died down once i followed a mountainous gorge road inland, snaking along the riverbed out to the foothills of the southern alps. i was met by the familiar sight of beautiful green valleys, roadside grazing cows, and the sweet smell of wheat and summer grass blowing through the rich evening air.
i made it to the almost invisibly tiny village of ahaura just before sunset, trying to remember the directions that erin, my next WWOOF host had emailed me. i was too cheap to print them out at the Rongo and thought my memory would suffice. i took the ahaura-kopara road out of the village as instructed and followed until the end, where a dirt and gravel road continued on, winding its way into the darkening forest at the base of the mountains. i apprehensively followed along as planned - for 15 miles. 15 miles into nothing. absolutely no signs of human life or development save for the road beneath my tires. erin's email had let me know that i would "go until i thought id gone too far, then keep on going." it also said id pass by a few decrepit barns along the side of the road, but alas, there were none to be found. so i ignored the instructions to keep on down the road and headed back. i tried another dirt road at the end of the highway and was confronted by a gate and a Private Property sign. nope, not that one either. turning around, almost putting my bike in the ditch, and heading back to the main road, i called erin, exasperated, tired, and weary that the sun would set before id reach their home or find a flat site to pitch my tent. she assured me, however, that i was right the first time. and sure enough, the woods opened up to reveal cows, fields, decrepit barns, and the setting sun, just 100 yards passed the spot where i first lost hope.
arriving on pav and erin's land i was immediately surprised. if the remote nature of the farm hadn't done it, it may have been the intimidating mountains rising up in front of me, or perhaps their one-room home. and incredibly interesting couple (pav a kiwi, erin from ohio), they had made their home in a bumper boat hutt that pav transported from christchurch, a city all the way across the country. no room on the floor for all the possessions of the recently growing 4-person family, they'd taken to suspending all sorts of things from the walls and ceiling - clothes, food, a swing, children's toys, you name it. 'wow. where am i going to sleep,' was probably the first thing that popped into my bewildered mind.
i only spent three days and two nights there but it was an absolutely amazing experience. they are truly some of the most interesting people ive ever had the opportunity to meet. isolated so far from other civilization, they were obviously living off the grid. all the water the used, drank, and washed with came directly from the ice-cold mountain stream, pumped to the house and various other places on the property for irrigation and for the sake of pav's 300 sheep in some simple manner created by pav. he'd also managed to supply their small home with enough power to supply a few lights, their computer, battery charging stations, and the occasional use of the dishwasher with a pretty ingenious invention. using the natural flow of the mountain river, he'd created a generator with the inside buckets of two washing machines, one fitting over the other, a wheel, and a bunch of magnets. the stream water was pushed through a smaller hose to pressurize it, spinning a wheel of negatively-charged magnets, which in turn creates electricity which is sent over 100 yards to the house and stored in a battery system he's made outside. its amazing.
over my few days there i helped him carry logs up to a higher spot on their 100 acre property where he's making a teepee for erin. we also rebuilt a shade and rain covering up in the trees that houses his tractor. and took lots of walks. he showed me all around their land, pointing out interesting plants special to New Zealand and the area, the best views from their property, and an ice-cold swimming hole in the mountain stream, a 30-minute hike through the rainforest. i also occupied myself by taking photos of (and intimidating) sheep, and playing with the charming and charismatic miro, now almost two years old (there are pictures of the little devil on my site).
it was sad to leave my homely tent, wild accomodation, and the lovely, inspiring family behind, but i left on friday morning for arthur's pass (check out the photo of their bathroom on my picasa). the two-hour ride to arthur's pass, where i had planned to do the avalanche peak trek, was anything but comfortable. windy, cold, and overcast, i huddled in close to my bike up the winding rocky cliffs until i reached the summit pass.
it was still cold, windy, and cloudy when i arrived and the weather forecast for the next two days read the same. so i stayed just long enough for a coffee to warm my bones and then continued off down south for franz josef glacier. the weather only got worse from there on out as i was confronted with quite a stormfront for the two hour ride to franz josef. by the time i got to the hostel i was completely soaked, as well as most of my stuff. leather jacket, shoes, clothes, tent, sleeping bag, pillow, coat, sweater - nearly almost everything.
upon arriving at the hostel and hanging up everything to dry, i let my cold, shivering body soak for a while in the free hot tub, taking time to think of what to do in the proceeding days. i woke the following morning to find all of my belongings in the same soppy, dripping state that they had been in the night before. take note: apparently basement rooms in hostels without heat or airflow are not conducive to drying clothes. go figure. i threw what dry clothes i had on and hopped on the bike just as the clouds were finally breaking and the sun was peering happily through the mist. the hostel was only about a 5 minute ride from the glacier car park. i had intended on only doing a 30 minute hike to a viewing point but thankfully took a wrong turn, bumped into an american from pittsburgh - we did the five-hour mountain trek together, ending at a spectacular view of the franz josef glacier and the valley carved over the centuries by the mammoth piece of ice. although i wasnt able to get as up close and personal as my fellow travelers who spent a good chunk of change to throw on some crampons and head up the icy slopes to explore ice caves and crevices, im sure i was just as satisfied.
returning to the hostel, i spent a few hours ensuring that all of my belongings were dry and ready for the next day's journey. and guess what i awoke to groggily at 7 am? you guessed it - torrential downpour. it held up just long enough for me to pack up my bike, say goodbye to the people i had met and make plans to meet in queenstown. once on the road, it started coming down harder than ever. id planned on doing some hiking at fox glacier and the local lakes, which apparently offer superb views of the southern alps, but was drenched head to toe before i even made it the 10 miles to the next village. needless to say, i scratched my plans and hit the throttle, my goal being to make the 5 hour drive to queenstown as fast as possible in hopes that id get to the other side of the storm (and maybe if i drove fast enough, even if it were raining a little, my shoes, socks, and gloves would dry! nope, doesn't work). after spending three hours in hurricane-like rains all along the famous gorgeous west coase beach highway (i could only sometimes make out the white-capped salty pacific waves through the rain and fog), i was beaming when the clouds let the slightest piece of fat, yellow, sunshiny sunlight beam through. i know, in fact, that that instant is notably one of the happiest moments ive ever experienced. heading deeper into the alps, climbing the rocky cliffs that snaked along the winding river below, the clouds continued to spread apart, revealing awe-inspiring views of the mountains above, still shrouded in the morning's fog.
by the time i made it to the other side of the mountain range and headed into the southern area of the island, the clouds had retired and left an open, bright blue sky as far as i could see. i got to lake wanaka and some of my clothes that i was wearing had even started to dry from the sun's heat and whipping wind that challenged me as i roared along the mountains and lakeside. i stopped to refuel and recharge and laid my clothes and boots out on the road and sidewalk to dry.
and it worked, for the most part. the next hour ride to queenstown was warm and dry, a feeling really like no other. i got here three hours before my friends who were on a tour bus (which was a mystery to me - they left a good hour and a half before i did in the morning). after checking into the hostel i made my way up the steep slopes of the queenstown hill walkway to breathtaking views of the entire valley, lake, and nearby cities (an amazing panorama on picasa). i spent the rest of the night in good company with two israeli girls and a german guy that i met in franz josef, sharing drinks and stories around other traveling soles until the cold night air pushed us home to the warm comfort of our beds. and here i am today, after grocery shopping, ive sat here for way too much time, huddled indoors writing pages and pages to you, my dedicated readers. im truly sorry this is so long - i didnt intend for it to be, but i guess i had a lot more to say than i imagined.
tomorrow im going bungi jumping outside queenstown at this new jump called nevis point or something like that. its the tallest jump in the country, shivering above icy waters in a canyon at a spinetingling 134 meters high (440 ft). should be something. then im spending the next week out in the mountains on two long treks, you should hear from me afterwards.
i hope this has been at least a somewhat enjoyable read - its been great getting all of this out of my head and on paper. i could have elaborated so much more but i figure ten pages is probably quite enough already. ill be surprised to see how many people actually get through all of it. check out www.picasaweb.google.com/wrenar for photos to accompany most of the things ive written about. be well and keep in touch, my friends.
one.
i have recently undergone several exercises in what i like to call "character building." not purposefully initiated or executed by any person in particular, but rather spontaneously forced upon me by the inopportune weather patterns (that have, so far, dreadfully mirrored the pesky 180 degree changes that are so loved by the Cornell and Ithaca communities). yes, and by that i mean torrential downpours. and then beautiful sunshine and crystal-clear, sky blue skies. it wouldn't be nearly such a problem if i were like the rest of the travelers here and taking a tour bus or car, but alas, my two-wheeled companion offers quite little in protection from the elements.
alright, let me rewind a little. what's it been now, two weeks or so since you've last heard from me? i really do lose track of all time and date boundaries when im on the road. the only reason that i know its monday, february 2nd is because the superbowl is today. and the only reason i know that the superbowl is today is because i was told so. on a glacier trek i met an american guy who asked if i planned on "watching the superbowl monday?? the steelers are playing!!" "superbowl? oh right. i forgot we americans are supposed to be into that. huh. nope, probably not."
sorry, rewinding...
so when i left you last i was just on my way to motueka, a small village west of nelson along the northwest coast of the south island, a bay called the abel tasman. the coastline really varies depending on where you are, some of it covered in dark sand and occupied by countless barnacles, oysters, and other mussels; some beaches, however, are brilliant white and gold sand luxeries, bathed in clear blue water, jagged rocky cliffs emerging just off the shore, brightly contrast against the faint purplish-blue mountain ranges in the distance. its beautiful.
the ecovillage (or, perpetual ecovillage, i should say. they havent started clearing land for development yet) was nestled in the foothills just outside of motueka, providing views beyond neighboring farmlands all the way to the ocean. although there is but one large house on the property so far, an awkwardly shaped triangular "work of art" from the 80's, the group's agricultural development in the last year is really quite impressive. funded by a canadian couple and headed by a french agricultural mastermind, the atamai sustainable community already has rows of terraced gardens, a long crescent garden, a pretty enormous nursery, and about a hundred yard-long crescent herb garden, not to mention numerous pond systems for irrigation, an orchard, and the planting of over 2000 native tree species for wind breaks. quite a lot of work in a year, eh? quite diligent, they are.
so for the week i was there, i woke with a breath of fresh air, peered out my window to the orange and apple orchards below and across to the sea. then walked down to the gardens and worked from 8 to noon. we started on the first day by digging over 50 furrows for a couple hundred asparagus plants that got transplanted over the following few days, watered plants for what seemed to be an endless period of time, and transplanted more herbs and trees than you could shake a stick at (special thanks to ma and pa for this classic, ever so illustrative phrase).
in the afternoons i spent a lot of time by myself, riding to the gorgeous local beaches, taking photos, talking permaculture, education, and philosophy with my hosts, and even admittedly spending some time in the shade, running through old episodes of the office.
the week flashed by in a blink, taking me next to the tiny township of karamea, which is the last village on the north end of the west coast highway. outside of westport, a bland, conservative, coal-mining town (in which i actually was confronted with a bumper sticker that read "New Zealanders against Greenies!" and a logo reading "AAA: Activists Against Activists." ridiculous.), i rode for about 30 mintues along wind-swept sandy beaches and watched as palm trees bent over backwards, making an arch as the strong breeze pushed them over. the waves crashed uncontrollably against the jagged rocks protecting the beach, and sent refreshing sprays of saltwater over 100 meters to the road. further on i turned inland, winding along cliffside mountain roads until they nestled my down gently, returning me once again to flat farmland.
the village of karamea boasts a supermarket, a couple hotel/motels, and, well, not much else. oh yes, i forgot about the church. rongo backpackers stands out as the only building in the vicinity with enough charisma and audacity to paint the walls anything but a boring shade of brown. instead, the small backpakcers hostel has received love and appreciation over the last 15 years in the form of beautiful artistic contributions to the premises. the exterior is painted a lovely rainbow from roof-to-floor and a large peace sign/heart made of rocks adorns the front yard. id found a little slice of home again. the inside of the building is covered with artwork from the many people that have visited over the last decade. in the back, the garage has been turned into a pirate radio station/movie cinema and the somewhat haphazardly-assembled herb garden adds a nice touch to the backyard and firepit.
i was welcomed with open arms, given a quick tour, and settled in quickly before i started preparing a dish for the potluck with the other 20 travelers from around the world. it was amazing - my plate was a splash of fantastic colors and varieties of worldly foods that sent my tastebuds over the top.
i awoke in the morning to find the skies clouded, a gentle rain falling, and a good portion of my baggage soaked. so much for the 8 am departure. i ended up sticking around until just after 3, prolonging my indecisiveness with frequent trips to the clothes line to check my bags, sleeping bag, tent, and clothes.
dry or not, i packed up and hit the road, met by 20 mile an hour winds along the coastal highway. a car driver may not even think twice about these conditions, but it had my bike and me blowing all over the road. my bike's strong enough to deal with heavy headwinds, but when they're coming from the sides (both sides, randomly, and at the same time) i was litterly being dragged all over the highway, sometimes leaning to one side just to keep heading straight. the winds luckily died down once i followed a mountainous gorge road inland, snaking along the riverbed out to the foothills of the southern alps. i was met by the familiar sight of beautiful green valleys, roadside grazing cows, and the sweet smell of wheat and summer grass blowing through the rich evening air.
i made it to the almost invisibly tiny village of ahaura just before sunset, trying to remember the directions that erin, my next WWOOF host had emailed me. i was too cheap to print them out at the Rongo and thought my memory would suffice. i took the ahaura-kopara road out of the village as instructed and followed until the end, where a dirt and gravel road continued on, winding its way into the darkening forest at the base of the mountains. i apprehensively followed along as planned - for 15 miles. 15 miles into nothing. absolutely no signs of human life or development save for the road beneath my tires. erin's email had let me know that i would "go until i thought id gone too far, then keep on going." it also said id pass by a few decrepit barns along the side of the road, but alas, there were none to be found. so i ignored the instructions to keep on down the road and headed back. i tried another dirt road at the end of the highway and was confronted by a gate and a Private Property sign. nope, not that one either. turning around, almost putting my bike in the ditch, and heading back to the main road, i called erin, exasperated, tired, and weary that the sun would set before id reach their home or find a flat site to pitch my tent. she assured me, however, that i was right the first time. and sure enough, the woods opened up to reveal cows, fields, decrepit barns, and the setting sun, just 100 yards passed the spot where i first lost hope.
arriving on pav and erin's land i was immediately surprised. if the remote nature of the farm hadn't done it, it may have been the intimidating mountains rising up in front of me, or perhaps their one-room home. and incredibly interesting couple (pav a kiwi, erin from ohio), they had made their home in a bumper boat hutt that pav transported from christchurch, a city all the way across the country. no room on the floor for all the possessions of the recently growing 4-person family, they'd taken to suspending all sorts of things from the walls and ceiling - clothes, food, a swing, children's toys, you name it. 'wow. where am i going to sleep,' was probably the first thing that popped into my bewildered mind.
i only spent three days and two nights there but it was an absolutely amazing experience. they are truly some of the most interesting people ive ever had the opportunity to meet. isolated so far from other civilization, they were obviously living off the grid. all the water the used, drank, and washed with came directly from the ice-cold mountain stream, pumped to the house and various other places on the property for irrigation and for the sake of pav's 300 sheep in some simple manner created by pav. he'd also managed to supply their small home with enough power to supply a few lights, their computer, battery charging stations, and the occasional use of the dishwasher with a pretty ingenious invention. using the natural flow of the mountain river, he'd created a generator with the inside buckets of two washing machines, one fitting over the other, a wheel, and a bunch of magnets. the stream water was pushed through a smaller hose to pressurize it, spinning a wheel of negatively-charged magnets, which in turn creates electricity which is sent over 100 yards to the house and stored in a battery system he's made outside. its amazing.
over my few days there i helped him carry logs up to a higher spot on their 100 acre property where he's making a teepee for erin. we also rebuilt a shade and rain covering up in the trees that houses his tractor. and took lots of walks. he showed me all around their land, pointing out interesting plants special to New Zealand and the area, the best views from their property, and an ice-cold swimming hole in the mountain stream, a 30-minute hike through the rainforest. i also occupied myself by taking photos of (and intimidating) sheep, and playing with the charming and charismatic miro, now almost two years old (there are pictures of the little devil on my site).
it was sad to leave my homely tent, wild accomodation, and the lovely, inspiring family behind, but i left on friday morning for arthur's pass (check out the photo of their bathroom on my picasa). the two-hour ride to arthur's pass, where i had planned to do the avalanche peak trek, was anything but comfortable. windy, cold, and overcast, i huddled in close to my bike up the winding rocky cliffs until i reached the summit pass.
it was still cold, windy, and cloudy when i arrived and the weather forecast for the next two days read the same. so i stayed just long enough for a coffee to warm my bones and then continued off down south for franz josef glacier. the weather only got worse from there on out as i was confronted with quite a stormfront for the two hour ride to franz josef. by the time i got to the hostel i was completely soaked, as well as most of my stuff. leather jacket, shoes, clothes, tent, sleeping bag, pillow, coat, sweater - nearly almost everything.
upon arriving at the hostel and hanging up everything to dry, i let my cold, shivering body soak for a while in the free hot tub, taking time to think of what to do in the proceeding days. i woke the following morning to find all of my belongings in the same soppy, dripping state that they had been in the night before. take note: apparently basement rooms in hostels without heat or airflow are not conducive to drying clothes. go figure. i threw what dry clothes i had on and hopped on the bike just as the clouds were finally breaking and the sun was peering happily through the mist. the hostel was only about a 5 minute ride from the glacier car park. i had intended on only doing a 30 minute hike to a viewing point but thankfully took a wrong turn, bumped into an american from pittsburgh - we did the five-hour mountain trek together, ending at a spectacular view of the franz josef glacier and the valley carved over the centuries by the mammoth piece of ice. although i wasnt able to get as up close and personal as my fellow travelers who spent a good chunk of change to throw on some crampons and head up the icy slopes to explore ice caves and crevices, im sure i was just as satisfied.
returning to the hostel, i spent a few hours ensuring that all of my belongings were dry and ready for the next day's journey. and guess what i awoke to groggily at 7 am? you guessed it - torrential downpour. it held up just long enough for me to pack up my bike, say goodbye to the people i had met and make plans to meet in queenstown. once on the road, it started coming down harder than ever. id planned on doing some hiking at fox glacier and the local lakes, which apparently offer superb views of the southern alps, but was drenched head to toe before i even made it the 10 miles to the next village. needless to say, i scratched my plans and hit the throttle, my goal being to make the 5 hour drive to queenstown as fast as possible in hopes that id get to the other side of the storm (and maybe if i drove fast enough, even if it were raining a little, my shoes, socks, and gloves would dry! nope, doesn't work). after spending three hours in hurricane-like rains all along the famous gorgeous west coase beach highway (i could only sometimes make out the white-capped salty pacific waves through the rain and fog), i was beaming when the clouds let the slightest piece of fat, yellow, sunshiny sunlight beam through. i know, in fact, that that instant is notably one of the happiest moments ive ever experienced. heading deeper into the alps, climbing the rocky cliffs that snaked along the winding river below, the clouds continued to spread apart, revealing awe-inspiring views of the mountains above, still shrouded in the morning's fog.
by the time i made it to the other side of the mountain range and headed into the southern area of the island, the clouds had retired and left an open, bright blue sky as far as i could see. i got to lake wanaka and some of my clothes that i was wearing had even started to dry from the sun's heat and whipping wind that challenged me as i roared along the mountains and lakeside. i stopped to refuel and recharge and laid my clothes and boots out on the road and sidewalk to dry.
and it worked, for the most part. the next hour ride to queenstown was warm and dry, a feeling really like no other. i got here three hours before my friends who were on a tour bus (which was a mystery to me - they left a good hour and a half before i did in the morning). after checking into the hostel i made my way up the steep slopes of the queenstown hill walkway to breathtaking views of the entire valley, lake, and nearby cities (an amazing panorama on picasa). i spent the rest of the night in good company with two israeli girls and a german guy that i met in franz josef, sharing drinks and stories around other traveling soles until the cold night air pushed us home to the warm comfort of our beds. and here i am today, after grocery shopping, ive sat here for way too much time, huddled indoors writing pages and pages to you, my dedicated readers. im truly sorry this is so long - i didnt intend for it to be, but i guess i had a lot more to say than i imagined.
tomorrow im going bungi jumping outside queenstown at this new jump called nevis point or something like that. its the tallest jump in the country, shivering above icy waters in a canyon at a spinetingling 134 meters high (440 ft). should be something. then im spending the next week out in the mountains on two long treks, you should hear from me afterwards.
i hope this has been at least a somewhat enjoyable read - its been great getting all of this out of my head and on paper. i could have elaborated so much more but i figure ten pages is probably quite enough already. ill be surprised to see how many people actually get through all of it. check out www.picasaweb.google.com/wrenar for photos to accompany most of the things ive written about. be well and keep in touch, my friends.
one.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
life on the road
after a long (well, short actually) week and a half or so, i guess im up for a pretty long update. i moved on from auckland after three days; just left myself enough time to get a bike, and then peaced out. it truly was an awful place.
on the morning that i bought the bike, i realized that i hadnt planned my next move at all, really quite unusual for me. this, however, seems to be the trend for this trip. anyway, i quickly grabbed my guidebook and picked to closest city along the coast and made a hostel reservation. i rode away from the dealer's lot without really ever riding a roadbike, but made it successfully the two hours, winding through the hilly farmland country outside of auckland to raglan, a tiny little surf town on the west coast.
i spent about 5 days there, waiting for the time to come when id have to move on to my first WWOOF farmstay. it was amazing. people go there to surf for a few days and end up staying for 5 months. i was so very very tempted. all of the people that live "permanently" and stay for short periods of time in the backpackers hostel are so amazing. really really fantastic people. i just spent 5 days with them and i feel like ive known them for years. (tove, lucan, sof, dede, fabio, etc. - cheers. i miss you all dearly).
it was really hard to leave sunday evening (the 11th), especially as they were just starting to have a few beers, go for a surf, and a lovely danish friend was trying to coax me into staying by batting her beautiful eyelashes and making the cutest face she could muster up. but alas, i found the strength to hop on the bike and move on (sorry sofie).
i got to rotorua just after sunset and was met with open arms by the bolivian couple that i met in auckland. theyre incredibly friendly and hospitable. we stayed up late talking in hushed voices, so as to not was 2-year old Mateo, and woke up early monday morning for breakfast before they scooted off to work and i headed into town, where i spent only enough time to grab a coffee, check my email, and refuel before heading out on the road again. rotoua supposedly has some amazing hot springs, but is also awfully touristy, so i got on my way as soon as i could.
from there i headed to gisborne and had quite the drive. if you look at a map, youll see that there are a few ways from rotorua to gisborne, with one of them following the coast along the whole east coast "cape" along the top of the north island. i tried to take this route, but failed. instead, i somehow ended up on the inland gorge route, thinking i was bordering the coast the entire time and wondering where the hell the bloody beaches were. ah well, it was beautiful anyway. it was an incredibly curvy, mountainous road and i encountered so few cars the entire 3-hour drive. of course, there's only one "township" along the entire road, which obviously reduces the amount of traffic. regardless, it was a gorgeous (ha) ride. (you can see fotos, by the way, at my picasa site: picasaweb.google.com/wrenar. there are shots from raglan, a mountain hike, the curvy, beautiful road to gisborne, my farmstay, and everything else along the way that ive experienced this far. check it out).
i spent the night after what turned out to be a long, 6-hour drive to gisborne. met some great guys from brazil and holland and spent the night chatting and putting back cheap, shitty new zealand beer at the backpackers hostel. then i headed out around noon the next morning for my first week at a WWOOF farm.
to make a long story short, i lasted two days. dont get me wrong, the place was amazing. i had to drive about 7 miles out into the hills on a tiny, one-lane dirt road to get to the farm. and from the top of their hill i could look out over the hills and countless sheep grazing in the valley to the pacific ocean. absolutely phenomenal (check the photos). the hosts, however, were another story. honestly two of the most awful people ive ever had to spend time with in my life. the father, christopher, was a bossy, controlling, terrible english bloke who thought that the world revolved around him and he was the next einstein. he gave me lectures on why the word "sure" was an unacceptable substitution for "yes, please," and argued on the vast differences between jelly and jam. jesus. it was fucking terrible. i was going to leave on the night that i got there. after having to clean the pool and sweep/clean chicken shit off their porch, i soon realized that i wasnt going to gain as much agriculture and permaculture experience as i was hoping. nevertheless, it started pouring rain just as i finished tying up my equipment to my bike and i was forced to stay the night.
i ended up working the next day and miserably just thought i would have to stick it out for a week, but another couple WWOOFers showed up and reminded me that it wasnt a prison and to just go for it. so after dinner (strategically planned to approach them after they put food in my belly) i told them id be leaving the next day.
so on wednesday the 14 i woke up early and took the long, winding road through the mountains from gisborne to napier (photos). i spent the night there, hung out on the beach and refreshed, then took off the next morning for wellington, the windy capital.
i got to wellington yesterday and was immediately impressed - infinitely better than auckland. fully equipped with great restaurants, bars, a fantastic downtown area, their own part of the city dubbed "Brooklyn" (!), and countless beautiful, interesting travelers, im already siked to move in and start classes.
after a spicy dinner at the flying burrito brothers, where i exchanged stories with the mexican and chilean travelers serving, i grabbed a bottle of wine and passed some time on the docks at the bay. its so beautiful. i promise to upload some gorgeous, long-exposure night shots once i get back.
i woke up early this morning, made a wonderful, enlightening trip to the organic grocers, and boarded the Interislander, a huge ferry that brought me to the south island. after arriving in picton and filling up the tank, i bundeled up and adjusted my gear for the rough road i had ahead. from my pictures you can see the conditions: pouring rain and 30-mile and hour winds along the winding mountain highway nearly the entire 2-hour stretch to nelson. needless to say, i was soaked to the bone and freezing within the first 5 minutes of the ride, but hey, it builds character, right? despite the drenched nature of the ride, it was actually really beautiful - bigger mountains than ive seen thus far in my journey, opening up to grand, 180 degree views of the nelson bay, surrounded by a mountain range in the distance. its so breathtakingly beautiful here.
ive posted up in a backpackers for the night and will head out to check out the city in the morning. from what i hear (thanks, mom), nelson is a lot like ithaca. if she's right, im sure ill love it. then off to the next WWOOF host around noon. ill be staying at an ecovillage this time, and am really looking forward to it. my host, Cheryl, and i have been corresponding for over a month now and she seems fantastic. there's no doubt itll be better than the last one.
wish me luck and keep warm, those of you suffering through the cold american winter. oh how i pity you. take care and keep in touch. (i promise i wont wait as long to write again).
one love
on the morning that i bought the bike, i realized that i hadnt planned my next move at all, really quite unusual for me. this, however, seems to be the trend for this trip. anyway, i quickly grabbed my guidebook and picked to closest city along the coast and made a hostel reservation. i rode away from the dealer's lot without really ever riding a roadbike, but made it successfully the two hours, winding through the hilly farmland country outside of auckland to raglan, a tiny little surf town on the west coast.
i spent about 5 days there, waiting for the time to come when id have to move on to my first WWOOF farmstay. it was amazing. people go there to surf for a few days and end up staying for 5 months. i was so very very tempted. all of the people that live "permanently" and stay for short periods of time in the backpackers hostel are so amazing. really really fantastic people. i just spent 5 days with them and i feel like ive known them for years. (tove, lucan, sof, dede, fabio, etc. - cheers. i miss you all dearly).
it was really hard to leave sunday evening (the 11th), especially as they were just starting to have a few beers, go for a surf, and a lovely danish friend was trying to coax me into staying by batting her beautiful eyelashes and making the cutest face she could muster up. but alas, i found the strength to hop on the bike and move on (sorry sofie).
i got to rotorua just after sunset and was met with open arms by the bolivian couple that i met in auckland. theyre incredibly friendly and hospitable. we stayed up late talking in hushed voices, so as to not was 2-year old Mateo, and woke up early monday morning for breakfast before they scooted off to work and i headed into town, where i spent only enough time to grab a coffee, check my email, and refuel before heading out on the road again. rotoua supposedly has some amazing hot springs, but is also awfully touristy, so i got on my way as soon as i could.
from there i headed to gisborne and had quite the drive. if you look at a map, youll see that there are a few ways from rotorua to gisborne, with one of them following the coast along the whole east coast "cape" along the top of the north island. i tried to take this route, but failed. instead, i somehow ended up on the inland gorge route, thinking i was bordering the coast the entire time and wondering where the hell the bloody beaches were. ah well, it was beautiful anyway. it was an incredibly curvy, mountainous road and i encountered so few cars the entire 3-hour drive. of course, there's only one "township" along the entire road, which obviously reduces the amount of traffic. regardless, it was a gorgeous (ha) ride. (you can see fotos, by the way, at my picasa site: picasaweb.google.com/wrenar. there are shots from raglan, a mountain hike, the curvy, beautiful road to gisborne, my farmstay, and everything else along the way that ive experienced this far. check it out).
i spent the night after what turned out to be a long, 6-hour drive to gisborne. met some great guys from brazil and holland and spent the night chatting and putting back cheap, shitty new zealand beer at the backpackers hostel. then i headed out around noon the next morning for my first week at a WWOOF farm.
to make a long story short, i lasted two days. dont get me wrong, the place was amazing. i had to drive about 7 miles out into the hills on a tiny, one-lane dirt road to get to the farm. and from the top of their hill i could look out over the hills and countless sheep grazing in the valley to the pacific ocean. absolutely phenomenal (check the photos). the hosts, however, were another story. honestly two of the most awful people ive ever had to spend time with in my life. the father, christopher, was a bossy, controlling, terrible english bloke who thought that the world revolved around him and he was the next einstein. he gave me lectures on why the word "sure" was an unacceptable substitution for "yes, please," and argued on the vast differences between jelly and jam. jesus. it was fucking terrible. i was going to leave on the night that i got there. after having to clean the pool and sweep/clean chicken shit off their porch, i soon realized that i wasnt going to gain as much agriculture and permaculture experience as i was hoping. nevertheless, it started pouring rain just as i finished tying up my equipment to my bike and i was forced to stay the night.
i ended up working the next day and miserably just thought i would have to stick it out for a week, but another couple WWOOFers showed up and reminded me that it wasnt a prison and to just go for it. so after dinner (strategically planned to approach them after they put food in my belly) i told them id be leaving the next day.
so on wednesday the 14 i woke up early and took the long, winding road through the mountains from gisborne to napier (photos). i spent the night there, hung out on the beach and refreshed, then took off the next morning for wellington, the windy capital.
i got to wellington yesterday and was immediately impressed - infinitely better than auckland. fully equipped with great restaurants, bars, a fantastic downtown area, their own part of the city dubbed "Brooklyn" (!), and countless beautiful, interesting travelers, im already siked to move in and start classes.
after a spicy dinner at the flying burrito brothers, where i exchanged stories with the mexican and chilean travelers serving, i grabbed a bottle of wine and passed some time on the docks at the bay. its so beautiful. i promise to upload some gorgeous, long-exposure night shots once i get back.
i woke up early this morning, made a wonderful, enlightening trip to the organic grocers, and boarded the Interislander, a huge ferry that brought me to the south island. after arriving in picton and filling up the tank, i bundeled up and adjusted my gear for the rough road i had ahead. from my pictures you can see the conditions: pouring rain and 30-mile and hour winds along the winding mountain highway nearly the entire 2-hour stretch to nelson. needless to say, i was soaked to the bone and freezing within the first 5 minutes of the ride, but hey, it builds character, right? despite the drenched nature of the ride, it was actually really beautiful - bigger mountains than ive seen thus far in my journey, opening up to grand, 180 degree views of the nelson bay, surrounded by a mountain range in the distance. its so breathtakingly beautiful here.
ive posted up in a backpackers for the night and will head out to check out the city in the morning. from what i hear (thanks, mom), nelson is a lot like ithaca. if she's right, im sure ill love it. then off to the next WWOOF host around noon. ill be staying at an ecovillage this time, and am really looking forward to it. my host, Cheryl, and i have been corresponding for over a month now and she seems fantastic. there's no doubt itll be better than the last one.
wish me luck and keep warm, those of you suffering through the cold american winter. oh how i pity you. take care and keep in touch. (i promise i wont wait as long to write again).
one love
Monday, January 5, 2009
kiwiland ahoy!
well, ive made it. after a three-day long bender with the pals in good ol' NYC, causing plenty of trouble, and giving little georgie here more excitement than he's gotten in quite some time, ive made it clear across to the other side of the world (the elusive george is not pictured yet. bloody computers won't let me upload any pictures aside from the one below. follow-up foto edition to follow later this week...).
between my 9-hour layover in LAX and the 40 hours of travel, i was pretty pooped by the time i arrive in auckland at 7 am. needless to say, i didnt get much accomplished on sunday. or yesterday either, really. i managed to find a bike, some wheels that'll hopefully take me around the country for the next two months without fail.
this place is incredibly diverse. so much so, honestly, that i can't say ive met too many kiwis. there are so many bloody people from around the world that i think they probably outnumber the locals. and apparently its the same for the rest of the country as well. we shall see. my hostel alone, which is surprisingly enormous, has helped me meet so many people in a very short period of time. and for the most part, everyone ive met has been incredibly outgoing and pleasant.
on a hunt for some delicious vegan eats sunday night, i stumbled upon an irish pub in the center of town. you know, your classic irish pub. huge irish flag outside. blaring live music inside, so loud that bartender and customers have to yell at the top of their lungs in order to be heard. and, of course, a slew of people outside, downing ice-cold frothy mugs of guiness. mm. walking by, i was naturally intruiged by the deafening music, etc. and stopped to have a looksee. no harm intended, didnt want to start spending money on drinks already. id had enough over the last few days in brooklyn to last me a week or two, at least. but alas, i was unsuccessful. two cheery blokes grabbed hold of me and coaxed me into trying the delicious irish hard cider on tap, which "i would love, of course, because i'm american." and indeed, it was loved. so much so that i had to stay for a second. and by that time, more foreigners had flooded in, the music had gotten louder, and all signs pointed towards a great night to be had. the bar manager kept on buying all of us shots of jager, and so went the rest of the night. we eventually migrated to the bar underneath my hostel, where we were joined by the likes of other interesting travelers and local maori alike. it was quite fantastic. didnt feel that great for a few hours yesterday when i woke up, but so it goes.
as i said, yesterday was pretty uneventful. explored the town a bit more. which is quite odd, by the way. its the largest city in the country, which really isnt saying much. but its just a strange place. i was surprised to be met by such globalization and corporatism so far from home. there are so many damn burger kings, wendys, mcdonalds, and starbucks in this city that its disgusting. shopping malls down most streets, and food courts making up the majority of the eateries. thus, i havent been too awfully inspired to write anything interesting. but luckily, everyone that i've spoken to has shown the same contempt for auckland, saying that its the worst place theyve visited in the country by far. so it may not come as a surprise that im dying to get out of here.
i hope to leave today and move on to better things. i met a bolivian couple at a sushi joint yesterday that have lived here for a few years. they were great and offered me a place to stay in rotorua, a maori village in the center of the north island with hot springs and such. perhaps ill head off in that direction...
between my 9-hour layover in LAX and the 40 hours of travel, i was pretty pooped by the time i arrive in auckland at 7 am. needless to say, i didnt get much accomplished on sunday. or yesterday either, really. i managed to find a bike, some wheels that'll hopefully take me around the country for the next two months without fail.
this place is incredibly diverse. so much so, honestly, that i can't say ive met too many kiwis. there are so many bloody people from around the world that i think they probably outnumber the locals. and apparently its the same for the rest of the country as well. we shall see. my hostel alone, which is surprisingly enormous, has helped me meet so many people in a very short period of time. and for the most part, everyone ive met has been incredibly outgoing and pleasant.
on a hunt for some delicious vegan eats sunday night, i stumbled upon an irish pub in the center of town. you know, your classic irish pub. huge irish flag outside. blaring live music inside, so loud that bartender and customers have to yell at the top of their lungs in order to be heard. and, of course, a slew of people outside, downing ice-cold frothy mugs of guiness. mm. walking by, i was naturally intruiged by the deafening music, etc. and stopped to have a looksee. no harm intended, didnt want to start spending money on drinks already. id had enough over the last few days in brooklyn to last me a week or two, at least. but alas, i was unsuccessful. two cheery blokes grabbed hold of me and coaxed me into trying the delicious irish hard cider on tap, which "i would love, of course, because i'm american." and indeed, it was loved. so much so that i had to stay for a second. and by that time, more foreigners had flooded in, the music had gotten louder, and all signs pointed towards a great night to be had. the bar manager kept on buying all of us shots of jager, and so went the rest of the night. we eventually migrated to the bar underneath my hostel, where we were joined by the likes of other interesting travelers and local maori alike. it was quite fantastic. didnt feel that great for a few hours yesterday when i woke up, but so it goes.
as i said, yesterday was pretty uneventful. explored the town a bit more. which is quite odd, by the way. its the largest city in the country, which really isnt saying much. but its just a strange place. i was surprised to be met by such globalization and corporatism so far from home. there are so many damn burger kings, wendys, mcdonalds, and starbucks in this city that its disgusting. shopping malls down most streets, and food courts making up the majority of the eateries. thus, i havent been too awfully inspired to write anything interesting. but luckily, everyone that i've spoken to has shown the same contempt for auckland, saying that its the worst place theyve visited in the country by far. so it may not come as a surprise that im dying to get out of here.i hope to leave today and move on to better things. i met a bolivian couple at a sushi joint yesterday that have lived here for a few years. they were great and offered me a place to stay in rotorua, a maori village in the center of the north island with hot springs and such. perhaps ill head off in that direction...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)