TravelStream™ news feed for member sd0744 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/sd0744 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:41:30 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1207026000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1207026000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1207026000/tpod.html Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:41:30 -0400 One wandering geologist trekking around the world to find the meaning of life.

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Hastings, New Zealand

Welcome back to groundhog day, after an 18 days break, I find myself back at Kilmanagh Orchard on the outskirts of Hastings ready for another stint of apple picking. Forced back here due to a severe lack of money and a looming WOF (warranty of fitness) - new Zealand equivalent to an MOT for my vehicle prevented me leaving the Hawkes Bay region. However this time I lasted for a whole months and despite it not being a enjoyable as my initial stint it has done its job and bolstered my bank balance.So here is the whole 5 weeks of working summarised into one blog.First day back, and I am really regretting coming back as my back is having a torrid time with the weight of the bag again and I have moved into the warehouse on the orchard. So from enjoying the social atmosphere of a hostel, I find myself staying in a room divided up by thin plywood with an old mattress for a bed and a few chairs for furniture. Unfortunately there is no light bulb to light up my room during the evening, so I forced to use Christmas lights nailed to the wall to provide some gloomy light. The kitchen is basic with only a gas stove and a microwave being shared with my 5 South East Asian housemates, the toilet is located outside while the water in the shower is almost always cold. My only entertainment is a laptop but for 30 dollars a week I am going to find nowhere cheaper. Plus I have seem worse university accommodation than this squalor I have called home for the next month.Being befriended into a Maori family that were working on the orchard, helped passed the time and for the first time I got to really experience the culture and lifestyles of the locals. Very similar to the UK! With the youngsters binge drinking, smoking the green stuff and spending a lot of their time sat in front of a Television watching DVD. Not the kind of things I tend to do back home but I had to pass the time somehow! I even got myself my Maori gang name - <i>`E Dog'. (or for the non gangster readers English Dog) which they want to personally tattoo on to my arm. NO FECKING CHANCE!!!! Despite their tattooed appearance the Maoris tend to be a good laugh but will fight if their honour is questioned or fuelled by a belly full of alcohol which tends to get them in trouble with the local authorities. I will most remember one incident at the video store when an Indian immigrant wrongly accused this family of stealing a wallet from his car parked outside the store. Lets say the youngster were very willing to start a fight with a guy thrice their age but only the diplomatic actions of the oldest brother prevented a messy situation. However when we wanted to phone the police to report this theft the Indian got very defensive and didn't want any police involved, probably because he has overstayed his visa.Otherwise I have discovered one of the farmer is a pervy man, taking photos of the girls arses (the ones I was previously working with) on his mobile phone and owns a stack of dirty porn films. No wonder he's single! And I have taken up night running (jogging or a fast walk is probably a more accurate term) after my Christmas lights stopped working, got me thinking of home and my night cycling to work and of a friend who did a lot of night running and swore it was better than sex, still unsure how she got to that conclusion.Back at the farm warehouse, I got to celebrate the Thailand/Cambodia New Year with a meat feast of a barbeque with my fellow tenants. Unfortunately I never really bonded well with these guys as we had nothing in common and their English is atrocious and I often find myself pining to be back in a hostel, making new friends or at least back with my mates from my first stint working here. On many occasions knowing I'll see the girls again in May and becoming involved in hostel life again has kept me sane and prevented me getting too depressed. But until then I just got to keep my head up, keep picking those red apples, watching my bank balance slowly increase despite a 600 dollar bill for the car and making sure I don't get too drunk and awake to a tattooed arm.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1206162300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1206162300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1206162300/tpod.html Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:07:45 -0400 One wandering geologist trekking around the world to find the meaning of life.

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Napier, North Island, New Zealand

After a week long excursion, I found myself back in Napier with my friends ready the deciding cricket game between New Zealand and England. However before the third test began we had a few free days, and we made the short 2 hour drive to Taupo. Spending most of the time unsuccessfully trying to persuade them to try an adrenaline filled activity like sky diving or white water rafting. We ended up on a jet boat trip down the rapids on the Waikato River, with its doughnut manoeuvres ensuring everyone got a tad wet but personally I felt disappointed from this activity, 80 dollars that could have been spent elsewhere. Even more surprising is that you can't get hold of any alcohol on Good Friday or Easter Sunday unless it is purchased with a meal, much to the disgust of my friends.Back in Napier, I crashed on the floor of my mates studio apartment at the camp site which was ideally located a short walk away from the cricket stadium. So back to the cricket.....like the test in Wellington we ended up sitting on the grassy bank along side the Barmy Army. These England cricket fans that follow the team all round the world and will sing their heart out for the last two hours of every day usually fuelled by a belly full of beer. This time round I felt confident to sing along with this crazy group as I have finally learnt the words that I couldn't decipher during the second test in Wellington. And unlike football chant these songs have a lot less swearing in and it appears every player has a song. For example ..... Sang at the England bowler, Ryan Sidebottom to the tune of Robin Hood..Sidebottom, Sidebottom running through the airSidebottom, Sidebottom with his curly hairHe bats at eight or nineHis hat-trick was sublimeSidebottom, Sidebottom, SidebottomOr occasional line 3 and 4 is replaced byHe bats at number EightHe likes to masturbateOr the New Zealand bowler, 'Chris Martin'You've got Chris MartinHe's not in ColdplayHe ain't shag GwynnethHe cannot sing (cannot sing)He got no album or record contractAnd he's just as booorr......(lasts a while)...rriing!!!!!Not that surprising as cricket is more associated with the upper class and this was reflected with the ring leaders of the England Barmy Army who will only sing their songs when they are ready.... Usually after tea and will frown upon anyone else starting their own chant especially those supporters who have only just started watching the England cricket team. But the loudest and proudest song is 'Rule Britannia' where the majority of all England fans will stand up and join in and for a brief moment I actually feel patriotic about the UK.Other than the cricket, singing, drinking and eating battered sausages on a stick this test will be remembered for a cheeky group of Kiwis pulling peoples' trousers down to those who were standing up and unfortunately I was also a victim of this act. But to complete my humiliation my boxers also followed the trousers down to my knees and left my crown jewels and my hairy arse fully exposed to any unlucky onlookers for that brief second. Lets hoped it wasn't caught on SKY TV. Just to cap it off I decided to miss the final day as England has virtually won the game and the match, as I had some important job hunting to do and for this crime I missed one of the fastest 50's scored in international cricket by a young bowler in his first ever game for the black caps.Most of the evenings after the cricket involved a pub as my friends spent most of their fortnight vacation intoxicated, as their followed the cleaky ring leaders of the England Barmy Army, trying to be accepted into their clan. It was that sad and desperate I was embarrassed to be associated with my friends as their sat in a corner drinking until the ring leaders decided it was time to disrupt the locals enjoying any chance of a quiet drink or meal with their boisterous slinging. But on our final night in Napier we were rewarded by numerous players from the cricket team making a guest appearance and their karaoke version of the Barmy Army chants. I even got to meet the sexy brunette girl from the pop group 'Liberty X' (don't know her name but she's dating Kevin Pieterson)So after the two weeks of cricket, I am glad it is all over. This game goes on for too long! I am also glad to be departing from my old school friends, scared at how little we have in common now...... have we natural drifted apart or is this travelling changing me and my views of life. I wouldn't have flown half way around the world for a two week vacation to the beautiful country of New Zealand and spend 75% of my time in a cricket ground or a pub. In my view you can do that back home! I just wished my heart didn't tell me it was 2 weeks wasted and that I should have followed my friends from the apple picking onto the south island plus my wallet certainly wouldn't be feeling the pinch after 2 weeks with my UK friends. But hindsight is a wonderful thing!! And it is what you do now that really matters in life!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1202935200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1202935200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1202935200/tpod.html Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:15:20 -0400 One wandering geologist trekking around the world to find the meaning of life.

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Paihia, New Zealand

After a week long break in Auckland, I find myself back at the Bay of Islands, however this time I am only staying here for a few days in Paihia ensuring I complete all the activities I wanted to do when I was working in the nearby town of Kerikeri. The glorious Bay of Islands with its 140 odd islands and their secluded coves, dotted around the crystalline waters that ranges in hue from turquoise to deep blue. This is frequently used in footage promoting New Zealand so don't be surprised to find Paihia and nearby Russell buzzing with tourists in the summer months. Despite Paihia only having an 8,000 population there is enough to keep you here for at least 3 or 4 days.RANDOM ISLAND PIC<i>A rocky outcrop can only be called an island if it has some kind of vegetation growing on it.In my few days here I managed to get myself booked on a cruise around the bay and would recommend the Kings' trip 'A Day in the Bay' which costs 85 NZ Dollars for a six hour cruise. For this price I get to see numerous bottlenose dolphins swimming beside our boat where for 30 Dollars more you can get the chance to swim with theses dolphins. Unfortunately I wasn't as lucky as every pod had a baby dolphin in making swimming with them prohibited as it is dangerous for the curious youngsters, disrupting their frequent meals where they need to be fed every 20 minutes from the mother so they can build up their fat supply and avoid falling into hypothermia and resultantly death. On this trip you also get a chance to sail through the hole in the rock, a crack that has been expanded from the destructive waves, where erosion has created 15 metre high hole in the middle of Piercy Island. Otherwise there is a lunch stop on an uninhabited island where you get the chance to do some snorkelling and finally there is a chance to try out the bizarre activity of boom netting. Where a dozen people are told to hold on to tightly to a rope net that is attached to the side of the boat which is then dragged at a reasonable speed where the power of the water is forcing the body to move in all directions as everybody tries to hold on for their life as they are constantly battered in the face by the passing waves displaced by the moving boat. After 10 minutes I am glad that the boat grinds to a halt as my arms are now aching from keeping my head above the water, recover my short situations which are dangerously low to exposing everything as well as getting my legs to return to the right position after spending the last five minutes crushing a middle aged lady next to me.And to top off a great trip I also got see a few blue penguins, only 30cm tall swimming idly through the crystalline water. That evening I managed to catch up with a fellow Brit I met in Auckland 6 weeks earlier but the night life isn't too much to rave about in Paihia with only 1 nightclub available. Although for a town of such a small population I am not surprised.Despite the Bay of Islands magnificent scenery it is also of enormous historical significance. As the site of the first permanent English settlement, it is the birthplace of European colonisation. It was here that the treaty of Waitangi was drawn up in 1840 where 46 Maori chiefs signed up but even now days this can cause tension between the Maoris and the descendants of the early European settlers. This treaty may have initially appealed to the Maoris as they valued the profit and prestige the local Europeans brought especially the muskets and accepting nominal British authority was the way to get it, while the British government was profit in the Maoris' land. However the British had a cunning plan and created discrepancies between the British and Maori versions. The English version promised Maoris full equality as British subjects in return for complete rights of government. The Maori version also promised that Maoris would retain their chieftainship, which implied local rights of government. By the time the Maori realised they were not getting their side of the deal as they were swindled out of their land, thus creating five separate major conflicts that are now known as the New Zealand Wars.A more in depth history of the Waitangi treaty and Maori culture can be found at the Waitangi National Reserve. Here you can see plays depicting early the Maori legends, the colourful, detailed meeting house with its carvings of the major Maori tribes, a 35m war canoe and the treaty house, the restored home of James Busby where the treaty was signed on the garden lawn.My last day here was spent walking through Opua Forest, just behind Paihia. With its kauri trees and lookout points providing yet more great views of the Bay of Islands. If I had a few more days here I would have visited Russell again and done some sea kayaking but for now I have a short tip with two German siblings to see the west coast of the Northland before finally heading further south to start working again and top up my lowly coffers.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1199600100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1199600100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1199600100/tpod.html Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:21:22 -0400 One wandering geologist trekking around the world to find the meaning of life.

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Kerikeri, North Island, New Zealand

Back to Reality - KerikeriAfter I left Nicola in Paihia with the kiwi guys, I made the short drive north to the rural town of Kerikeri&nbsp;where I hoped to start earning some money again.&nbsp;Scarily I&nbsp;am actually looking forward to working&nbsp;but more importantly pcking up my first pay check in 7 months.&nbsp;For accommodation I stayed at the Hone Heke Lodge (BBH Hostel) where you can get a cheap dorm room for one week for only 112 NZ Dollars.Orchard work is very easy to come&nbsp;by here and within 4 hours I&nbsp;was employed for&nbsp;mandarin thinning. So the following day, me and what appeared to be the rest of the hostel started in the orchards. We were&nbsp;initially on an hourly rate however that changed on day 2 when it became a contract rate for each tree thinned. And before you know it you had to work your arse off to earn the minimum wage of 11.25 NZ Dollars an hour. So a lot of people left after the first few days (including my thinning partner) and I would have joined them if I didn't need to desperately earn some money. Another draw back was&nbsp;being threatened that if we left before the end of the first week&nbsp;we would&nbsp;get&nbsp;no pay-packet,&nbsp;so I was in a no win situation.&nbsp;If your curious what mandarin thinning is... it involves stripping the tree of any small fruits and dispersing any clumps of fruit enabling the bigger fruits to grow. Yep Its that interesting!!!&nbsp;Frustratingly I am not one of the quicker workers so I was averaging about 60 Dollars a day before tax for an 8-9 hour day (equivalent to 7 Dollars an hour) but even the better workers were just making 100 Dollars a day and that usually involved missing lunch,&nbsp;equivalent to&nbsp;the minimum wage hourly rate. Although you could earn more if you got a lot trees with very little fruit on them, unfortunately these trees were quite a rarity. But how I made 9 days working there in beyond me before I finally quit after earning a paltry 36 dollars for 8 hours work, not helped by sweltering temperatures and under priced trees. Lets say the turnover of backpackers were very high and comparing tree prices to other orchards around Kerkeri our contract rates were about 40% lower. So if you plan to do fruit work in Kerikeri, avoid the Kapiro Orchards like the plague.But after a bout of bad luck with the mandarin thinning, I stumbled across another job in kiwi pruning at a guaranteed 13 NZ Dollars an hour. Lets say the atmosphere in a lot better and me and the other workers are coming back to the hostel in a less depress state. However the knightmare images of mandarins were soon replaced by perculiar shaped kiwi fruits.But that's enough talking about my work. Lets talk about Kerikeri!!!At Hone Heke Lodge, the evenings are being passed by watching DVD's, surfing the net or playing pool and table tennis, so it is very difficult to spend much money. Plus with only 1 pub in town there isn't much incentive to go out drinking. But despite the homely feel to this hostel, this stay will always be remembered for the washing line thief. It was a Friday night and I had left any remaining damp washing on the line to dry the following day however by Saturday afternoon&nbsp;my&nbsp;jeans were missing and I wasn't the only on affected as another 6 guests had clothing stolen ranging from underwear to shoes. Lets say the owners of the hostel weren't particularly helpful with remarks of 'you should have brought the washing in the previous night' and were quick in blaming the Maoris.Otherwise Kerikeri is famous for its waterfall (Rainbow Falls) but with the 4km walking track along the river isclosed&nbsp;so you&nbsp;need to drive all the way to the falls.&nbsp;&nbsp;Famous for Old buildings...................... need to be updated............
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1204412940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1204412940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1204412940/tpod.html Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:16:37 -0400 One wandering geologist trekking around the world to find the meaning of life.

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Napier, New Zealand

After a brief stay at Te Puke and an unsuccessful few days jobs hunting, I decided to continue driving south towards the Hawkes Bay Region. Unfortunately the hostels in Napier and the nearby town of Hastings tend to be fully booked in February and March as a mass flux of backpackers migrate here for the fruit picking season. Luckily there was an available hostel in the small village of Bay View (A few km north of Napier) and within a few hours I had a job lined up as an apple picker with several other backpackers. Lets hope this contract rate pays a reasonable wage unlike the Mandarin thinning in Kerikeri!Despite my initial qualms about undergoing contract work again, I quite enjoyed the apple picking. Filling up a crate that was at least l m2 and about 60 cm deep was very time consuming and at only 32 Dollars a bin you had too work hard to earn a reasonable wage as you are constantly filling up the basket attached around your stomach, clambering up and down ladders and stretching for those big juicy red apples that always appear to be out of reach. Towards the end of the day, you can start to appreciate what pregnant women go through as the weight of the baskets soon took its toll on the back. However by week 3 it was nothing but a dull ache.It was quite an eventful 3 weeks in the Hawkes Bay area. Firstly we had a raging fire outside the hostel at 5am in the morning as some idiot had set a stack of wooden crates on fire in an attempt to burn some car tyres. Why someone would build a fire within 5 metres of the stationary mobile homes that were modified to dorm rooms is beyond comprehension. Luckily there was no wind that night and despite being woken up by the panicking girls there was no damage to the rooms other than the lingering smell of burning rubber. To cap it off, a week later I was even accused of starting the fire by the neighbouring garage, trying to goad me into a reaction looking to take out their anger on the backpackers that were parked on their unfenced land. But don't let that put you off staying at the basic but homely hostel with the memorable pig on a spit every Sunday evening - a roast dinner that was almost as good as my mother's roast.Despite teaming up with Tom, Pascal, Annie and Anja (from Manchester, France, Montreal and Norway), becoming the group's taxi driver in a vain attempt to save a bit more money. Which like most of my plans it backfired and after an extraordinary stroke of bad luck I somehow managed to pick up three punctures in 2 days. However onething travelling has taught me is to always be positive: its only money and a blow out on a main road would be a lot worse. Still I didn't stop me hitting the gravel roads, where all the decent walks commence from. There isn't a lot to do in Napier or Hastings so going walking was a productive way of spending our days off and with New Zealand spectacular scenery not getting outside is a crime to this beautiful country. My recommended walks would be the Waipapa Falls (30km north of Napier) which was a 2 hour return walk along the beach with a secluded 5 metre high waterfall and swimming hole hidden just behind the beach. A 2 hour forest walk through Tangoro Nature Reserve (20 km north of Napier) and their 2 waterfalls. Our last 24hours together as a group was spent 20 kms south of Hastings as we braved the weather and we did some beach camping at Ocean Beach after our last day at work. It was a nice way to cap off the apple picking and when the group went fast-food hunting for dinner I got to have a nice chat to the Norwegian Anja who I have now got a crush on, and acting like a teenager in love I even brought her a toy kiwi before she left to go to Wellington - hopefully she won't forget me in a hurry! 2 hours later the group eventually returned with a tepid lasagne Which was devoured in no time.The rest of the evening was spent with small talk before going to sleep the right side of midnight and despite 6 of us initially started on the beach only me and the two Scandinavians girls (Mette, a Danish girl joined our group in our last week here) braving the cloudless night as the two guys and Annie all slept in the car. From the sound of it, everybody had a restless sleep with Tom claiming I kept him up with my snoring. I know I got rudely awoken up at 6 am in the morning with a black Labrador licking my face. After a morning swim in the ocean we made the short trip to Cape Kidnapper to commence another walk.This is probably Hawkes Bay's most famous walk, the 12km walk to Cape Kidnapper's peninsula can only be completed at low tide where you are greeted to the thousands of nesting Gannnets. Interestingly this Cape got it name from the 1700's named by captain Cook after a failed kidnapped attempt by the Maoris on a Tahitan boy who escaped by jumping into the sea after Captain Cooked fired upon the natives.With a few hours left of day light we stopped at Te Mata Peak for another walk to the highest point in the Hawkes Bay region. Well the guys had the energy to make to climb up the 399 metre peak while the girls were left in the nearby village of Havelock North where we were rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view of the Hawkes Bay with it ridges of hills, the clear blue river flowing through the vineyards and the pleasure of watching a glorious sunset. Unfortunately with all this overwhelming views it meant I was late in picking up the girls and after seeing off the guys (who were driving down to Wellington) I returned back to Havelock North to receive the silent treatment. Lets say I wasn't impressed after putting myself out for these girls over the last 3 weeks only to be ignored when I did something I wanted to do. Even giving the girls a chocolate bunny as an early easter present the following day did little to improve their (more specifically Annie's) mood and it was only after some truthful yet hurtful text messages she started to understand my side of the argument. But for now I had a bus to catch to Wellington and for only 2 Dollars a ticket with Naked Bus I had no intentions of driving. So time to relax for a few weeks and finally meet up with some old school friends and watch come cricket.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1203021840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1203021840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1203021840/tpod.html Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:04:17 -0500 One wandering geologist trekking around the world to find the meaning of life.

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Waipapa Forest, New Zealand

After spending a restless night in my car, I headed back to Paihia to pick up a couple of German (guaranteed to find at least one at every NZ hostel - leaves me wandering if there anyone left in Germany) and continued the drive westward to the Kauri Coast before making my way south. The Kauri Coast stretches for 100 km and is most notable for the gigantic Kauri forests and the locally grown kumara (sweet potato).The most northern destination of the Kauri Coast is the unspoilt, beautiful Hokianga Harbour. Beside the harbour is several idyllic villages scattered between the sandy beaches, the mudflats and the rolling green hills with the white wooden buidings lining the quay at Rawene probably being the most scenic of all the villages we drove through. At Pakia hill at the end of the harbour provides impressive views of the harbour and the golden sand dunes on the northern shore. Unfortunately the weather today of persistent drizzle doesn't do my photos of this harbour any justice but seeing a drunken local trying to climb upon his boat certainly provided some comical entertainment.Continuing 30kms south along highway 12 we come across the Waipoua Forest. Thanks to public pressure towards continued milling this became a forest sanctuary and is now the largest remnant of the once-extensive kauri forest of northern New Zealand. The first stop was a visit to Tane Mahuta, named after the god of the forest it is the largest kauri tree in New Zealand and stands at a mighty 51metres. Other notable kauri trees include Te Matua Ngahere (father of the forest) with its impressive trunk over 5 metres in diameter and is believed to be the oldest tree in New Zealand, possibly over 2000 years old. Nearby is also a cluster of kauri trees spaced apart by a few feet known as the Four Sisters. 30km south of Waipoua Forest are the Kai Iwi Lakes. The largest, Taharoa is a freshwater lake that is believed to have been created just from the rainfall falling on the consolidated sand dunes as there is no known natural water inlets or outlets. With its crystal clear blue coloured water fringed with white sandy patches and pine tree it is a great place to stop for a picnic and a relaxing swim. It is easy to miss the entry to get down to the lake as it involves driving along a narrow dirt track. With another car blocking any potential U-turning I was forced into reversing back down the dirt track, however my reversing skill is on par with a lot of women and not surprisingly I accidentally managed to miss the track and ended up down a small ditch, much to the amusement of my German passengers!!But I did manage to escape, reversing my way back along the ditch until it flattened out and then we continued the short journey south to the small town of Dragaville to retire to for the night.Time for an intro to Maori methodology In the beginning there was Ranginui (Sky Father) and Paptuanuku (Earth Mother), who were united. They bore many children, the most important of which were Tawhiri-matea (god of winds and storms), Tangaroa (god of the ocean), Tane-mahuta (god of the forests), Haumia-tike-tike (god of wild foods), Rongo-matane (god of peace and cultivated food) and Tu-matauenga (god of war and humans).After years of living in darkness because their parents were so tightly joined together that no light came between them, the children of Ranginui and Paptuanuku could take it no longer - they wanted light! They debated what they should do and eventually decided they should separate their parents so that light could enter the world. Each child failed to separate their parents until finally Tane-mahuta's turn to try. And by pushing and by pushing and straining with his shoulders to the ground and his feet to the sky, Tane finally succeeded in forcing his parents apart, hence light flooded into the world at last.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1202453460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1202453460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1202453460/tpod.html Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:49:34 -0500 One wandering geologist trekking around the world to find the meaning of life.

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Waiheke Island, New Zealand

After my 4 weeks working in Kerikeri, I was ready to hit the road again and made the 3 ½ hr drive back to Auckland. Since I had already spent 3 week in Auckland when I first arrived in New Zealand I didn't plan to stay any longer than a couple of days. However that plan went out the window after I heard England were playing New Zealand in a 20 over game of cricket and despite the terrible organisation at Eden Park I did manage to get into the ground despite missing the first six overs to see England convincingly win. Wasn't the most exciting game with the exception of one English batsmen hitting 4 sixes in a row and the Mexican Wave with people throwing their rubbish in the air. Typically some fans (most probably English) threw their plastic beer bottles into the air covering fans behind them in any remaining alcohol. Luckily I was right at the front of the stand so I avoided most of the bombardment but that didn't prevent me from joining in with the Mexican wave where I accidentally knocked off the baseball cap from the kiwi guy next to me onto the canopy 4metres below. Another day was spent at the New Zealand War Museum, learning about the battle between the Maoris and the British, the Kiwi's involvement in the World Wars, problems associated with New Zealand's volcanic activity, seeing lots of stuffed animals in its wildlife section before finally discovering more about the Maori culture.By my third day in Auckland, I was ready to move on again. So I made the short ferry journey to Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf. Only 20km east of Auckland this island is renowned for its sandy beaches and its vineyards and is very popular with Aucklanders, so during summer weekends getting accommodation can prove problematic. Luckily I was there on a weekday and managed to pitch my tent up at the laid back Hekoura hostel with its hippy-like vibe. Initially I had planned to do some cycling and walking but after seeing the forested hills upon arrival under the sweltering heat I quickly changed my mind, so the walks ended up being a lot shorter than planned and always ended up at the beach. This was how I stumbled across my first nudist beach in New Zealand (Palm Beach). So taking this opportunity to rid myself of my white bottom I stripped off and spent the rest of the day reading and swimming. Stupidly I didn't put enough sun cream on and by the next day I was struggling to sit down after burning my buttocks, annoying but at least my backside now has a bit more colour.My stupidity didn't stop there, heading back to the port I realised I had left my wallet with my remaining beer in a black bag in the fridge. But thankfully one of the owners of the hostel brought the wallet minus the beers down during their lunch break.So back in Auckland where I spent the next two days doing nothing with the exception of watching England lose the first one day game to New Zealand on Sky TV and finally finishing the Lord of the Ring book. By Sunday I had two fellow passengers to join me back up north to Paihia where I planned to finish the rest of my sightseeing in Northlands before heading south again.(If you are wondering why I headed south first of all. It was because I gave two German girls who were working in Kerikeri a lift to Auckland and more importantly to the airport for their flights home.)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1200824820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1200824820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1200824820/tpod.html Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:07:13 -0500 One wandering geologist trekking around the world to find the meaning of life.

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Cape Reinga, New Zealand

Horticultural work is mind numbingly boring and the only thing keeping me sane is my planned trip to Cape Reinga and Ninety Mile Beach (which is an over exaggeration as it is only just over 100 km long!!!). Eventually my day off on Sunday arrived and so did the rain, but that isn't going to stop me enjoying myself today. In an attempt to keep costs down for the 450 km roundtrip, I offered myself as a taxi service and within days of advertising this, my car was fully booked. So Sunday arrived, and our planned early departure was scrapped thanks to the Irish girl waking up late after spending the previous night in someone else's bed. Luckily she wasn't too late and we commenced our journey north through the windy single lane roads. With the lack of traffic on the road you could drive these roads like a maniac but unfortunately my 'people carrier' struggled up most inclines and 100 km.p.h suddenly drops to 60 km.p.h much to the annoyance of the occasional driver behind me. The last 20 km to Cape Reinga is a winding, bumpy gravel road which greatly increased our travelling time and finally 3.5 hours after setting off, we finally arrived at the Cape. From the car park there was a 5 minute walk through the gale force wind to the isolated lighthouse on the end of the peninsula which overlooks the water where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean collide, clearly identified by a line of waves crashing into each other.<img title="Views from Cape Reinga (01), Cape Reinga, New Zealand" style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick="location.href='/travel-photo/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1200824820/views_from_cape_reinga_x02x.jpg/tpod.html'" alt="Views from Cape Reinga (01), Cape Reinga, New Zealand" src="http://images.travelpod.com/users/sd0744/rtw_adventure07.1200824820.views_from_cape_reinga_x01x.jpg">View from the lighthouse at Cape Reinga and the isolated tree which is where the Maouri spirit&nbsp;walk off into the sea&nbsp;and into their afterlife.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img title="Tasman Sea Pacific Ocean collide, Cape Reinga, New Zealand" style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick="location.href='/travel-photo/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1200824820/views_from_cape_reinga_x01x.jpg/tpod.html'" height=348 alt="Tasman Sea Pacific Ocean collide, Cape Reinga, New Zealand" src="http://images.travelpod.com/users/sd0744/rtw_adventure07.1200824820.tasman_sea_pacific_ocean_collide.jpg" width=460>The meeting point of the&nbsp;Tasman Sea and the Pacific&nbsp;Ocean.&nbsp;The crashing waves can be as high as 10 metres in stormy conditions&nbsp;Our next stop, involved us driving back along the gravel road until we reached the start of 90 mile beach and a few large sand dunes. Here you can rent a piece of polystyrene for sandboarding down the dune slope for an expensive 15 Dollars an hour, but since we were only going to be here the once we rented 2 boards between the group. The biggest challenge was climbing up the Te Paki sand dunes in a fine drizzle and having to endure a sandstorm blasting at you, very tiring work trying not to get blown over!! Finally you reach the top and the 10 minute hike up the slope is replaced by a 5 second adrenaline thrill as you get to sandboard back down but if you catch someone's footprint on the sandy slope there is a high chance your board will flip and you'll end up cart wheeling down. I only did it the once and a 1480 degree flip left me slightly disorientated but that didn't stop me brushing the sand off and repeating the above process. However by the time an hour had passed, I was completely exhausted and was very happy to return my rented board. <img title="Battle up Dune Slope, Cape Reinga, New Zealand" style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick="location.href='/travel-photo/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1200824820/cape_reinga_lighthouse_x01x.jpg/tpod.html'" alt="Battle up Dune Slope, Cape Reinga, New Zealand" src="http://images.travelpod.com/users/sd0744/rtw_adventure07.1200824820.battle_up_dune_slope.jpg">Battling up the Sand Dune.Next up was another 20 km drive along gravel road to a campsite in a secluded cove, where I dropped off two of my passengers who were spending a few days hiking in the Te Paki Recreation Reserve. By now it was almost 6 pm and my original plan was to drive back on the 90 Mile Beach, however I chickened out due to only a small window of time remaining before high tide arrived and the fear of damaging my car.On the return journey we stopped at Mangonui to experience the tastiest fish and chips in the Northland region (it didn't disappoint!) before finally arriving back in Kerikeri, exhausted from a long day driving and in desperate need of a shower to remove the unwanted sand brought back from the dunes.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1197378120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1197378120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1197378120/tpod.html Sun, 20 Jan 2008 04:56:06 -0500 One wandering geologist trekking around the world to find the meaning of life.

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Auckland, New Zealand

Arrived in Auckland after a long stint travelling from Mexico to New Zealand via the USA (left Cancun, Mexico Sunday morning and landed in Auckland Tuesday morning). So for the first few days I was slightly jet lagged. For the first 5 days, I spent it in the YHA International hostel. A very clean hostel but had no atmosphere, but was ideal for catching up on sleep and get my self organise. One of my things on my to-do list was apply for an IRD (Inland Revenue Department) Number so I can start working in New Zealand without getting taxed at 40%. Unfortunately this took 3 weeks and until this number arrived I was stuck in Auckland.The following 5 days were spent in another YHA (Auckland City Hostel), it was here I befriended a group of Argentineans and made myself useful in helping them in their apartment hunting and translating the quickly yet badly spoken English from the numerous Chinese landlords to more simplified translation. Got to experience a few Argentineans dinners in exchange for my service although eating just before midnight took a while to get use to.For the Christmas period I moved hostels again and headed out of the centre to Mt Eden and Yaping House. Yaping House (part of the BBH network) is much smaller than the corporate YHA hostels but what it lacks in amenities it certainly makes up for in character. Set at the foot of the extinct volcano, it is one of the oldest wooden houses in New Zealand and the free Christmas buffet was much appreciated. Otherwise I climbed up Mt Eden to get some great panoramic views of Auckland and any spare days were spent watching Premiership football on satellite TV.The last 5 days of my stay in Auckland was spent in the Fat Camel hostel right in the city centre. On New Year's Eve a group of lads went to the women qualifiers for the 'ASB Classic' Tennis tournament. Since it was only a qualifier, entry was free and we got to sit in an executive box. Although how we didn't get chucked out is beyond us as we kept taking photos when the ladies were serving and seeing who could get the best underwear shot. That evening a group of us drank in the hostel bar before heading up Queens Street to be the first in the world to see 2008 in and watch the fireworks display on top of the Skytower. The last few days were spent car/campervan hunting and finally on the 3rd of January my IRD number turned up. Time to get out of Auckland.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1196761620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1196761620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sd0744/rtw_adventure07/1196761620/tpod.html Sun, 20 Jan 2008 04:53:26 -0500 One wandering geologist trekking around the world to find the meaning of life.

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San Ignacio, Belize

I didn't get the best night sleep last night as the owner's dog was trying to get into my tent during the night, whilst everybody else slept in their rooms. Can't complain as I did have&nbsp;the option of sharing a double bed with another male member of our trip but the tent appeared more appealing. Unfortunately I couldn't get up early enough to go for a morning swim in the fresh water lake before we had to board the bus again and say our final goodbyes to Guatemala. Definitely plan to return to this great country in the future.So for the next few hours we had a bumpy ride to the Belizean border along the muddy rutted road that most have destroyed what was left of our vans suspension. Eventually we arrived at the border where the fun started. Unfortunately the South Korean, Seoun Young needed a visa and passport photos to enter Belize which she had neither. So our tour leader, Jennie left her at the border and told her to walk back half a mile to the nearby photo booth. However she knows very little Spanish and if it wasn't for our German passenger, Andre translating for her we could have been stuck at the border for a few hours.The actual crossing was quite uneventful with the exception of the Belizean immigration officer attempting to put on his posh English for the UK passport holders. Despite it being awfully bad it was nice to be asked about the weather. We boarded the bus again ready to pass through the border but we were told to walk through immigration again much to the amusement of the passengers. However Bobbie stupidly decided to tell the border control officer what she personal thought of this and almost got us thrown out of Belize before we had even entered. From the border we continued for another hour before we reached the Belizean town of San Ignacio. Here we had the option of doing some cave kayaking or spend the afternoon in town. Only 7 of us decided to do the cave kayaking (priced at 80 Belizean dollars/40 US dollars). Getting there required us going through some Memonite villages (similar to Mormons living a pre-car lifestyle) and driving through a river. At the river we were split into three canoes, however I was stuck with our guide so I never got a chance to do any kayaking, but I did get to carry the torch. The artefacts in the cave seemed fake and when the cave ceiling got very low our guide wanted to turn back. Luckily the group managed to persuade our guide to continue and despite having to lay down in the boat we did manage to navigate our way through the low hanging stalagmites. Must have only been 40cms above the water level. The duo of Bartosz and Jennie did get their kayak trapped between two hanging stalagmites so they had to jumped aboard the other two free kayaks leaving both vessels a bit overcrowded. At the end of the cave there was a waterfall but before we cold take any photos we had started our journey back. Despite the trip being interesting it was disappointed not to be able to do any kayaking and at 80 Belizean dollars it is definitely overpriced compared to the river cave hike I did in Guatemala and the group refused to tip on this basis. From here we went to a very basic campsite, which will be best remembered for being eaten alive during the night while having to endure the constant barking and howling of the nearby dog kennels. Lets say we were glad to escape in the morning and make our way to the Caribbean island of Caye Caulker.
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