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Published: July 27th 2008
Hello Ladies and Gents!
You're stuck with me again for today's blog, as Jason (on the PC next to me) has uploaded Skype and is talking to Emma, Rozenn and Deena in real time. So muggins here is stuck listening to one side of the conversation. Ah well, I get all you lovely people.
It's been a while since our last update, and that's partly due to the last place we stayed at had no internet, and we've been having some very early mornings.
So we did we leave you all? Oh yeah, we had arrived at The Park by ninety mile beach. God that seems ages ago! Well the next morning we set off up to Cape Reinga, and we had the best weather we've had since arriving - clear skies and open roads. Well, mostly open roads, we kept getting caught behind logging trucks, and then there was a bit of a hold up while some dogs herded COWS across the road. This was amusing to watch.
The last 20 kilometres (about 12 miles) up to the Cape was a nightmare. The road just dissapears, becoming a rock strewn mud path. It took us half
an hour to travel up it. Never heard Jason swear so much. But boy was it worth it. The Cape is amazing, the Tasmin Sea is really aggressive, the sort of stuff you'd expect on a movie screen. But the Pacific was relatively quiet. You could see where to the two met as well, with the waves not knowing what direction they wanted to be going! We had lunch up there and then headed back down the road, taking a little less time this time (Jason was going faster I swear).
We carried on the State Highway One, which we had been driving on ever since leaving Auckland, and past the motorhome camp we turned off onto the Ten, which goes along the North Coast before meeting the One again. It was all very scenic - at times the road was mere inches from sandy beaches and blue seas. Then we were back on what by now was a familiar road, and eventually turned of onto a new road which would take us to Tutukaka, on the East coast above Auckland. I had rang Dive! Tutukaka after lunch and booked us in for Scuba Diving the next day, so
we needed to reach Tutukaka before the camp closed. We've found out that you are allowed to stay at the camps if the office is closed, but you have to go to the office first thing the next morning. But our boat for scuba diving left at 8am, so we wouldn't be able to do that. It was getting close to five and we were both getting on edge.
It didn't help that this last bit of road was a nightmare as well. We were in what could have passed for a jungle on Jurrasic Park going up and down mini mountains with bends in the road sometimes going 350 degrees. Again Jason was not happy, and by now it's too dark to read the map. The phones had no signal, and we had no number for the motorhome (at the first camp the nice lady had given us a book of motor camps, but this one wasn't on it). We hit the coast and start heading down to Tutukaka when I spot the first star of the night. Somewhat sarcastically I say make a wish, and Jason does so. Ten minutes later, the camp is in site. We
pull in and the office is open! It's the only time in the next two days we see anyone in the office, so it's a miracle! (Jason later admits that his wish was for the office to be open).
We book ourselves in for two nights, and the nice man in the office lights the fire in the communal lounge for us (this is the place with no internet). There's also a massive kitchen, but we decide to cook in the motorhome. This makes Jason feel slightly guilty about not using the fire, so we decide to head in there and write the Journals. It was very warm and cosy. We then have an early night, as tomorrow we're scuba diving!!
We get up at six and get ready, leaving the motorhome at half seven with packed lunches and swimming shorts on. Turns out the marina was literally around the corner, so we've now got 25 minutes to kill until we need to show up. I pop to the toilet and come back to find Jason talking to some bloke. Jason explains later that this man was heading to the toilets and just started talking to him. The
man takes us up a small trek path which leads up to the top of the hill sheltering the marina, and we get a stunning view of the sun rising over the ocean and our first look at our diving destination - Poor Knights Island (actually a small chain of islands).
We head back to the marina and sign in at Dive! Tutukaka, having filled in our required medical history and signing liability away should we die. Turns out there are a lot of ways to die scuba diving... We next get our kit, and we also buy a reusable underwater camera, just in case we are confident enough to use it later. Then we get onto the boat, the Blazing Arrow (this may be a lie, I haven't got my journal on me) along with an elderly couple from England, a diving camera documentary crew of four, an American (Tom) from Alaska and Robbie from England. We have three instructors, Craig, Sam and Debbie, and we set of into the sunrise. It'll take fifty or so minutes to reach the island, so me and Jason go up to the top deck (where there are no seats) and gripping
the radio mast we watch us shoot out into the Ocean. We spot the swells hitting the boat and grip tightly as the deck rolls under us, the wind whipping through our... well, my hair. We run over a bird on the way, as it never surfaces after we hit it.
We arrive at the Islands, which are the remains of an 8 million year old volcano. While people get sorted on the saloon, Jason and myself along with the elderly couple are on the top deck for our briefing with Craig. We're at anchor, and going through a flip chart of instructions, when Jason begins to go paler and paler, before turning a shade of green. I had always thought that was just an expression. The briefing ends and Jason hurls his stomach contents over the side of the boat. So it turns out he gets sea sick.
Craig takes the couple down to scuba first (the women chickens out and snorkells instead) and I attempt to get Jason into his wet suit and into the water, where hopefully he should feel better. The waters cold but not that bad. Jason gets in and it's clear he's
still not feeling well. He has a brief swim, but can't get used to the flippers. Gripping the metal ladder back to the boat he isn't aware that he's shivering badly. Not good. Debbie attempts to get him back into the water but by now his mask leakes as well. He makes the right choice, getting back out of the water, he throws up again.
Meanwhile, I was snorkelling, completely oblivious to Jason's plight as Debbie had shooed me away earlier. It's amazing how clear it is, spotting fish swimming under you, as well as the other divers. I attempt to use the underwater camera, but I'm pretty sure I missed aiming at the fish.
We all get back on the boat and head to the second dive site, passing some seals sunning themselves. Jason is still not feeling to good, and spends most of the rest of the day eyes closed feeling sorry for himself. Nice way to blow $275... I have lunch and some of Jasons, and we anchor at an archway on the south island, which is about tirty metres long and 20 deep under the water. Jason isn't diving, and the couple are snorkelling,
so it's just me and Craig diving for the newbies. I get geared up, getting my freezing wetsuit back on. The equipment is really heavy, and I'm pushed into the water.
It's scary. Really really scary. Remembering to breath in your mouth through a damn hose. It takes me five minutes for my brain to realise I'm not drowning, and I have to fight the urge not to panic. We do a few routines, what to do if I lost my regulator, how to get it back, and how to clear my mask if it gets water in, and since I've got facial hair, it will fill with water. Brilliant.
But it was all worth it the second we entered that arch. There were thousands and thousands of fish. Literally. What I thought was a wall was fish. It was beautiful. We're about 5/6 metres under the water, and they are so close that they're bumping into my mask. I could have stayed down there for hours...
So of course I go and f*ck it all up by swallowing. My mouth was dry, but turns out I swallowed some air too, and the deeper we got, the
pressure was building. I got shooting pains in my stomach and we head back to the surface. Rising up is horrid to, as your ears continually keep popping. Back on the surface I get back to the boat and get changed back into dry gear, but not before taking a picture of Jason in his misery.
The boat heads back to Tutukaka, and we head back to the motorhome (me beaming with my certificate, Jason bemoaning his thumb, as he caught it when taking his suit off). Dinner and bed. I get up in the night to go to the loo, accidentally turning the lights on when I open the motorhome doors, waking Jason. I get back, and attempt to get into my bed. I get my ear plugs in, hat on, and slip into my sleeping bag, but miss the liner, so have to fumbled back into the cold then back into the liner and sleeping bag. I just get comfortable when Jason talks. Damn him, I almost have a sarcastic retort when he shows me his hurt thumb - it's swollen and blue. I reckon he's caught something when it dislocated, and we'll see how it is
tomorrow.
Tomorrow arrives and we leave Tutukaka - there's a horrid storm arriving today on the North Island, and we want to get some distance behind us quickly (we blame the storm on Emma, who the night before had texted us saying she was sending some Devon vibes, which is basically rain). The weather is horrid, winds at 80/90 miles an hour and the window wipers can't keep up with the rain hitting the screen. We head south, arriving back in Auckland around midday. We find the Foodtown to restock, and Jason's thumb is feeling better. We head down to Matamata, where the Lord of the Rings crew made the Hobbiton set, and we want to check it out. According to our map there is a motorcamp in Matamata too, so we hope to spend the night. But we can't find the motorhome. We go down it's road twice, but no luck - so we head to the tourist info place, but it's shut. Fan-bloody-tastic. The storm rages on and we decide to head to another motorcamp up the road.
We get there and they're not letting people in due to the storm. And the man in the office informs us the Lake Rotatura is the same. But we decide to push on and head to the Lake and find out for ourselves. I check out our motorcamp information and there is a Top Ten sight that has paved spots, which should handle the Merc. We arrive at the Top Ten around four, having been on the road since ten to eight. The place smells of eggs due to the hot springs, but the Top Ten place has a spot for us, and we finally stop for the day. We later find out that the Hobbiton sets are pretty rubbish looking, so we're pretty glad we missed it.
We sort out our washing and dinner, then head into town - the map the Top Ten had given us showed a cinema, and we take a night off from blogging, videos and journal writing and go watch the new Batman film.
So that's where we are right now. We're off to go Horse riding at one today, then going to a local Maori hungi (dinner) tonight. And then tomorrow we're white water rafting :D So it's all good!
Hopefully we'll update tomorrow, but if not, then it again might be a few days till we get to a decent computer. Thanks for all your comments and private messages (to Jasons nan: We've got a thimble) (to Jason's Dad: Stop texting us in the morning saying get up ;p)
Love to you all, and we're missing you!
Elliott and Jason
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Juice
non-member comment
Elliot....
I hope you were told to remember to equalise during both descent and ascent while diving, otherwise those little nitrogen bubbles that were previously keeping you alive down there could expand and you'll get the bends. I'm sure you're fine :D Take it easy guys :P