Kia Ora Aotearoa: Vol. 1

I arrived in Auckland late at night on December 5th, and it was almost 2am when I got to bed after taking the Airbus, grabbing a midnight(ish) snack and getting lost trying to find the hostel. Later in the day when I was up and dressed, I hit the supermarket for brunch and took myself on a little walking tour which included a stop at the Internet cafe to book the next leg. In the late afternoon I came across a fabulous outdoor photography exhibit- "Earth From Above." The photographer, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, has spent years documenting fantastic scenes- all related to one environmental issue or another- from helicopters and planes and the images are just breathtaking. Apparently it has already been seen by 120 million people in cities all over the world and continues to travel. I definitely recommend it if it comes anywhere near you.

After that I popped into a bookstore and shuffled around for a bit. This is one of my favorite pastimes in a foreign country (well, where I speak the language anyway!). It's really interesting to see what's 'hot' in literature in other countries and what of that has travelled from your own country. It's also a great way, if you're an avid reader like me, to find new authors and books that you might not come across otherwise. Once I emerged from the stacks, I decide it was feeding time (again) and I went on a stroll for something I hadn't had in a while- sushi. Folks are always surprised by how much I enjoy sushi restaurants given that I don't eat seafood, but I adore veggie rolls, miso soup, edamame, seaweed salads and the like. I found a decent spot and gobbled my favorites down, then moseyed back through Auckland (another fairly small and manageable city) to my hostel.

In the morning I packed up and checked out before dumping my backpack in the storage closet and going to get some brekkie. I also did the last of my gift shopping, keen to purchase presents before I totally ran out of money! At around midday I retrieved my backpack and headed for my Naked Bus to Rotorua. Naked Bus is an excellent long-distance coach company in NZ. I was told it got its name because if you ride it completely in the nude, you will get your ticket free. I can't say I didn't consider this...

I arrived in Rotorua, famous for its natural sulphur hot springs, at about 4pm. The first thing one notices is the, um, odor. The faint smell of sulphur, akin to rotten eggs, is in the air all the time, clinging to the fibres in one's clothes. I suppose those who live there get used to it? I found my hostel, Crank Backpackers, not far from the bus stop. It used to be a shopping mall, so its layout is one of the more interesting I've seen. In my room I met Saskia from Holland, also travelling alone, and we decided to walk to the nearby park and check out some of the bubbling mud pools and things. The smell got stronger as we walked towards the park, and they really are bizarre- little ponds of boiling mud! While wandering around we also came across a natural thermal pool where we could dip our feet. Aaaaaah! So warm and such a relief for tired tootsies that have been hauling a 44 lb (20 kg) backpack around. Barely able to drag ourselves away, we eventually walked down to the supermarket to buy some pasta for dinner, which we cooked in the hostel kitchen. We also bought a cheap bottle of wine to accompany this culinary delight, and merrily gulped it down out of coffee mugs as other backpackers looked at us with suspicion. It wasn't until we were halfway done with the bottle that we became of aware of the myriad signs around us- above us, below us, in front of us, behind us- that said 'THIS HOSTEL IS LICENSED. IT IS ILLEGAL TO DRINK YOUR OWN ALCOHOL. ANYONE CAUGHT DOING SO WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE PREMISES AND THE POLICE WILL BE CALLED'. Ah, right. We stuffed what was left of the wine is Saskia's bag and ran outta there sharpish to a bench in the street to finish it, only to find out later that drinking outdoors is also illegal in New Zealand. What's a broke backpacker to do then?!

The next day, with Saskia departed by the time I rose, I decided to take advantage of one of the hostel's discounted activities that I had seen on the back of the door while on the loo. It was for a visit to Hells Gate, a thermal park featuring mud baths and hot springs. I caught the Hells Gate bus at about 1pm, and upon arrival followed a trail around the park where I saw things like 'The Steaming Cliffs', 'The Cooking Pools' and 'The Inferno.' Surprise, they were all hot. It was really amazing though, the Cooking Pools are actually hot enough to cook in! In some places on the trail the ground is actually warm to the touch all year round, as the earth's crust is very thin in this part of the world. Once I reached the end of the trail, I changed into a bathing suit to go in the mud bath. I figured there'd be other people in there with me, but each individual party gets its own bath. So there I am on my lonesome, playing with mud, listening to giggling couples rub it all over each other. Sigh. I had fun though- it was like being five years old again and getting dirty just for the fun of it. After 20 minutes the attendant told me I had to get out- it's bad for your skin after too long- and shower to get into the first of two hot sulphur pools. Aaaaaah again! So warm and soothing, if a bit smelly (I trashed the bathing suit afterwards). I had a nice chat with a girl from Zimbabwe, Pearl, who was also on a long trip around the world, having extended it past its original end-date. We then climbed into the hotter pool and soaked and gabbed there for a bit until it was time to get out to get ready for the bus back to Rotorua. Before it came, I just had time to visit the workshop and make a little carving of a Kiwi bird as a souvenir. Thanks to the Maori guy who instructed me, Tomato (?), as I know he was just about to take a tea break when I showed up!

The next day I had an early bus to Taupo to see the largest lake in New Zealand. It was just a short hop, arriving mid-morning. At the bus station as I puzzled over a map, I met Andy from the north of England, who was also puzzling. We learned we were staying at the same hostel, so we set off together to find it. Once settled we decided to go for a hike to see the Huka waterfall. It was a good walk to the falls and back, and in the evening we met up with Karen from Scotland, whom Andy had met elsewhere in NZ. We three then took a couple of bottles of wine down to the lake, which really was stunning.

The following morning I had another fairly early bus to Wellington, the capital, having decided that I'd seen and done everything in Taupo if I wasn't going to sky-dive or bungy jump (I was keen on the former, but my budget prevented such fun and games). Andy and I had decided that we would travel together for a few days- always nice to have a travel buddy and he had vaguely been planning similar things. He could only get an afternoon bus however, so I arrived in Windy Welly at about 5pm by myself. And windy it was! I was already unsteady on my feet thanks to the oversized luggage strapped to my back, and now I was literally being blown all over the street. I think the wind actually carried me to my hostel. Andy turned up at about 7, and we grabbed some dinner and then tried out a few bars as recommend by various guide books.

In the morning we got up to do a bunch of errands- most importantly booking the ferry trip to the South Island for the next day. After that and laundry, breakfast, etc., we set off for the national Te Papa museum. It's free, and it's excellent. It's really well laid out, and there was a brilliant exhibit on earthquakes, lots of information on Maori culture and European immigration to New Zealand, and a fabulous photography exhibition featuring photos by Brian Brake. After a few hours there we walked into the center of the city to catch the cable car up to the Botanical Gardens. Once aloft I discovered, horror of horrors, that my little camera had snuffed it! It was making a weird rattling noise and everything was purple and wiggly on the screen. Oh no! And with only 13 days left of my voyage! I put it down to a tumble it had taken the evening before off my 900 foot high bunk bed. I was very disappointed, but figured life could be worse. We had a great walk around the gardens regardless, and in the late afternoon took the cable car back down to look for camera repair shops and then went back to the hostel for the free dinner (which actually turned out to be rubbish and we had to go and get more food!).

After dinner we got ready to go out, and I sorrowfully messed about with my camera, shaking it and turning it on and off. I figured I had nothing to lose and started whispering sweet nothings to it: "Pweeeese wittle camwa, I will wuv you foreva if you work for me again, just two more weeks!" And, miracle of miracles, it came back to life! I was positively jubilant and wanted to go out straight away to get snapping! Andy and I decided to check out a highly recommended bar, Mighty Mighty, which is on Cuba Street- THE place to be in Welly. It's a really cool place with live music and very eclectic decor. We sat at the bar, and while Andy chatted with a Brazilian girl also staying in our hostel, I was suddenly accosted by a lady named Penny who was on her first girls night out since the birth of her first baby. Penny then proceeded to dominate the rest of my evening.

The following morning we had to be up at 6:30 for the shuttle bus to the ferry to Picton in the South Island. It was one of those massive ferries, with restaurants and shops and bars and things, so it wasn't seasickness inducing or anything like that- thank goodness! The ride was about three hours, and the scenery as the ferry passed through the Marlborough Sounds was just incredible. Once on the other side, we hopped on a bus to Nelson where we were going to stay for two nights, primarily to do a wine tour. After two hours driving on very windy roads, I rolled off the bus in Nelson, white-faced and motion sick. A van from our hostel was waiting to drive us there, and all I could manage for the rest of that day was lunch and a lie-down! A nice American girl, Chelsea from Michigan, was also staying in our room and she and Andy went out boozing that evening while I stayed in to book the wine tour and rest my poor tummy!

The next day was wine tour day. Having lived so close to Napa and Sonoma for the past several years, I've learnt a lot about wine but there has been many a time where I've returned from a day of wine tasting a bit (read: very), as some might say, trollied. I therefore made a promise to myself, that in the presence of (basically) strangers, I was not to get 'Napa'd'! Chelsea, Andy and I were picked up at about 11 by our driver Roy, and we set off out to the vineyards with a lovely couple from Vancouver, Marilyn and Richard.

The Nelson wine-tasting region, which does look a lot like Napa, I have to say, is most famous for its white wines, and we tried all sorts of delicious things. After two tastings we took a break for a fabulous lunch, and then Chelsea, Marilyn and I- all chocolate fiends- begged Roy to take us somewhere we could get some of the stuff. After a choc stop, we visited three more vineyards. At the first of those, we were given some avocado oil and bread to enjoy with our wine- YUM! I'd never had it before and it is delish! At the next place, Woollaston vineyard, Marilyn and Richard bought a bottle of champagne which they opened right there in the tasting room and shared with us all. The last place was in the most beautiful setting, and we all sat, Roy included, and had a good old chat. Before we parted ways, Richard and Marilyn gave us three impoverished backpackers one of the bottles of wine they'd bought, and we promptly took it out to a BYOB restaurant to drink with dinner. Oh, and I didn't even end up too sozzled!

The following day I was to part ways with Andy and Chelsea, who were both staying on in Nelson for a bit while I was bound for Christchurch. I said goodbye to my travel buddies, and caught a bus to Blenheim where I was to change. And in Blenheim, it all went pear-shaped. I had two hours to kill, so I hit the supermarket, backpack in tow, got some lunch and went back to the bus stop. I ate it up, and sat and read my book until it was time for the bus. At the designated time, a bus pulled up, but it didn't say Christchurch in the window. Hmm, I thought, should I double-check with the driver, in case this bus is simply mismarked? Nah, my bus will be here soon. Well folks, this is a downside of travelling alone- there's no one to second guess your decisions with. Turns out it WAS my bus and the last one of the day to Christchurch, so I was stranded in Boringsville Blenheim for the night, AND had to buy another bus ticket for the next day. Boo. Total brain fart, totally my fault!

I found a hostel down the road that had a bed for the night, and decided to take advantage of my free time by hitting the Internet cafe and getting an early night. The following morning in the kitchen I met Jamie from Canada, also headed to Christchurch on the same bus. Everything happens for a reason, I like to think, as now I had a travel buddy that I wouldn't have had otherwise. We arrived in Christchurch at about 3pm, and I only had that afternoon to check it out, as I was leaving for Queenstown at 7am the next day. Once we were settled in our respective hostels, Jamie and I met up again and took a walk to the art gallery, which was fabulous. Then we took a long stroll around the botanical gardens, chatting for ages about girly things, and smelling every single flower in the rose garden. We then went back to the center of the city, and decided to check out the beautiful cathedral. As luck would have it, a carol service was just beginning, so we decided to go as it's so hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it's warm outside, if you're not used to it. It was a lovely service, and as even MORE luck would have it, there was free bubbly and mince pies afterwards- result, dinner taken care of! We parted ways after that, and I went back to my hostel to get ready for my bus to Queenstown, from whence I will begin the next part of this here yarn.