Travel scraps

Aukland and Northland

end of march

To finish my trip in style - a quick visit up north, to soak up the last of the summer sun before heading to chilly Japan. First stop Aukland - more a social event than anything else, I met up with a new friend - Robby, who showed me the sights and took me dancing - THANK YOU!
Robby is a kiwi green keeper in Gleneagles, Scotland, among many other things. I also managed to meet up with Nat and Mark, my friends from Taranaki, for more fun and games...

A harbour speciality - seafood chowder, a wonderfull cure for hang overs!

A sightseeing classic...

Then I headed up to Paihia, and the Bay of Islands. One of New Zealands prettiest spots, where the water is a constant 20 something degrees.... My last tramp in NewZealand took me through mangrove forests, along the river to beautiful waterfalls, and then I headed out on the water, in glorious sunshine.

A boat cruise out to spot dolphins and whales, and the ultimate goal, if all the conditions were right - to swim with the dolphins. As you can see, we quickly found them, and then it was on with the snorkels and into the water quick! Its a lot harder than one would think. You have to swin fast to keep up, and you have to splash and move and yell - you are the entertainment for them, not the other way around, and as soon as they are bored, they swim off. With fifteen others in the water and the crew yelling "there, there! Under you" to everyone, it can get pretty chaotic. I think it probably needs a lot more practice to get it right. But that did not stop it from being an absolutely amazing experience...

Then on to one of the many islands for an afternoon of sun and sea in a secluded cove....

I left Paihia for Aukland via the west coast, with a brief stop in the Kauri forest, to visit the last remaining giants. The largest is Tane Mahuta, God of the forest. It is over 2000 years old. I leave New Zealand with a sense of awe, and gratitude that I have had the chance to visit this corner of the earth that holds so many of natures most impressive sights.

And so many wonderful people too, that I will miss very much. A few of which are Nats family who prepared me an awesome goodbye dinner - lamb of course! Cheers, all my kiwi friends - hope to see you soon in Copenhagen or back in NZ, which ever comes first!

Rotorua and Taupo

March

I head towards the compulsory tourist trail once more - to Rotorua and Taupo, where New Zealand shows its volcanic nature, the forces that have created the wonderfull mountains and valleys I have been enjoying so far. This is a very different landscape, one of fire, sulphur, boiling, bubling and gushing mud and steam. Once you get used to the rather heavy scent of rotten eggs in the air, you can begin to appriciate this special side of natures beauty.

Another aspect of New Zealand that I have yet to learn more about is Maori traditions. They have the most fascinating legends, traditions, songs and craftmanship. Some of the Maori villages around Rotorua are open to the public, and this gave me a chance to experience their cultural heritage. Carving, weaving of flax and traditional dances and singing were some of what was on display. I really enjoyed it, and would dearly have loved to learn more. My driver on the bus I took ( I was the only passenger) told me one Maori legend after the other, which helped me understand I lot of what I saw.

I went to Taupo in the hope of walking the Tongariro crossing (into the land of Mordor) but unfourtunately the weather decided otherwise - the winds were too strong. I did have a great time in Taupo though, as I ran into Conny, a german girl that I worked with in Oamaru. What I coincidence! So, good company got me over the dissapointment, and I saw some beautifull rivers and waterfalls too (the Huka falls).

Tongaporutu - bombs and mudslides

Taranaki, 13th-15th march

After spending a few days in Wellington and Feilding, catching up with friends and saying goodbye, I set off to Taranaki, on the west coast. An absolutely gorgeous part of the country, with some of the most impressive bush I've seen yet, beautiful black sand beaches, and snowcapped mountains in the distance. I spent the weekend with Mark, a friend of my good friend Diccon. Mark is a stuntman, and has decided to take his career choice to a new level, by building a luxury outfit on the top of a hill to accommodate groups of guys (or adventurous girls) who want to play around with extreme sports, bombs, firearms and cars....

After a risky climb up in a 4WD you arrive at the building site, where the house already gives a pretty good idea of the amazing times they are going to have here. The views from each room are breathtaking.

Fun times... This biscuit is so hard to hold on to when the driver is a maniac that does every thing he can to tip you off!

Mark is organizing a big bash for his 30th in a couple of weeks, and there were plenty of preparations to make. So even if I won't be there for it, I got a sneak preview of what could happen. One of the main attractions will be a mudslide, so the weekend project was to build it, and blast out the landing pool, which was a bit too shallow.