Blogs from Mount Eden, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 3

Kai Ora! or Welcome! as they say in Maori.. which I found out can be pronounced like moldy.. as in moldy bread.. so... either (mow as in cow ree) or (mold ee).... either way... HEY! I left off with us wandering around the Northern tip of NZ, and the horrendous outdoor showers... Did I mention the hike we took was supposed to last max 2 hours, but ended up taking about 7 1/2? haha.. oh well though, it was beautiful, even if I thought we were stranded. :) 2 nights back in Taputaputa Bay and back to the road. No destination in sight, or even in mind. We were driving... back down the only road that brings you up, trying to get off the tip end of the peninsula... we stopped in Ahipara, to check the ... read more

Well after settling into the flat it didn’t take us long to all get jobs. I found myself a job in a bar in a seafood restaurant that was on one of the floors in one of Aucklands historic registered buildings; the old Ferry Building. It was a bit of a trek through town to work; about 35 minutes walk each way, but at least I was working and able to pay of Tim the debt that I had incurred. We spent the whole 4 months in Auckland working 5 days a week and trying to save up some cash for the rest of the trip. This didn’t quite go to plan and we managed to have some fun whilst living there. Most nights we would all be working and so not all be back at ... read more

It's been so long since I wrote something, I am just going to give a short description of what we have been doing these past few days...car still working (it's a miracle). We have been all the way to the very top of NZ, Cape Reinga. It is supposed to be beautiful, and I am sure that it is, although when we got there, we were in the clouds and could not see a thing!! It was so disappointing. We camped out there and moved on the next day to the Bay of Islands. The islands are beautiful and MK and I finally got a "tramp" in along the beach! We took a ferry to Russell Island and went on another walk there. Every place here (except Auckland) is so small and really quaint. You definitely ... read more

First, Eliza is having major issues with her blog. So just be patient while it is under construction, (also, those of you who didn't know.. she is obviously listed under her name, but her nickname is margaretthedog- so look her up- it will be quite interesting to hear two sides of this journey) :) So, I left off somewhere around our camping venture. We were warm and cozy until we woke up that morning and realized that the inside of our tent was sweating. We are still unsure as to why/how/when this happened. We thought rain was coming in, but oh contrare, dry as could be on the outside. Still boggling my mind. The plan was to wake up, go for a hike just nearby, come back, shower, and hit to road a little more North. ... read more

September 23rd So after 6 months of planning, a crapton of saving, and a ridiculously long flight, I am finally here in New Zealand! Yay! The flight was actually not half as bad as I expected (margaritas are my savior). There was very little turbulence and I was sitting next to the sweetest couple in the world- they looked like they were both in their seventies or so, and Ken was taking Arnie(?) to New Zealand for a week because he’d never been off of the North American continent. After the flight Arnie told me “Well, next time Ken’ll just have to upgrade all 3 of us to first class! Teehee.“ Awwwwwwwww. Customs went smoothly, they didn’t even ask to see my bank statement or proof of medical insurance!! My hostel on Mt. Eden is cute ... read more