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Published: August 6th 2007
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I feel like I've over-blogged the North Island in the last few days. There's so much that I've seen and experienced, I had a hard time paring down the blog content. So if you feel swamped...don't worry, I haven't much to say this time. Just a few more photos and closing thoughts.
I figured that my final NZ entry needed a non-SNL opening. So here goes...
Ka mate, ka mate
Ka ora, ka ora
Ka mate, ka mate
Ka ora, ka ora
Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru
Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā
Ā upane, ka upane
Ā upane, ka upane
Whiti te rā, hī!
Which translates to...
’Tis death, ‘tis death (or: I may die)
’Tis life, ‘tis life (or: I may live)
’Tis death, ‘tis death
’Tis life, ‘tis life
This the hairy man that stands here...
…who brought the sun and caused it to shine
A step upward, another step upward
A step upward, another step upward
The sun shines!
These are the words of one version of the traditional Maori "Haka." Typically these days, one would experience this at a Maori Hangi (think Luau...sorta) with Maoris in traditional dress. My experience
Game On!
Not exactly Sports Illustrated material...but was fun to pretend. was a bit different as I saw it with about 40,000 of my closest Kiwi (and Canadian) friends in Waikato Stadium in Hamilton (2hr south of Auckland). The performers were the All Blacks...the NZ national rugby team. They perform the Haka before each match to honor the Maori heritage, to intimidate the opponents, and to fire up the crowd.
I first learned of the rugby fanaticism of this region in Fiji...it's about the only sport they care about. Then upon arrival in NZ I would see rugby on every TV when out an about. Turns out that the Kiwis are generally regarded as one of the premier rugby nations in the world and they're a bit nutty about it. Anna and I looked into some of the leagues around the country and figured we'd go right for the top and try to see an All Blacks match.
As luck would have it, there was a match vs Canada near Auckland 3 days before my flight. We hooked up some tickets and headed off to the match. Canada was expected to get creamed...and they did...but the fans from both sides were quite sporting about it all. I think everyone
Scrum
Ok...ready...set...push! was just glad to be at the game (the AB's play only once in Hamilton this year). All night I was mistaken for being Canadian, but only truly taunted once. The Kiwis once again proved to be amazingly amicable people. Keep an eye out for the All Blacks during the Rugby World Cup in September...
After a few more hundred kms of trying to see everything the island had to offer, we arrived in Auckland. Exhausted, I was ready to do absolutely nothing but sit around and wait for my flight. But I pushed on to explore Auckland and trusted that I'd find plenty of rest on the plane and in Australia.
It was cool to be in a real city again. I even enjoyed the familiar feel of rush hour traffic...for about 10 minutes. The day basically consisted of shopping and spending a couple hours up in the Sky Tower to watch my final NZ sunset...which was largely obstructed by some uninvited clouds on the horizon.
We got back to my hostel too late to use the kitchen, so I had the pleasure of one more meal cooked with our camp gear. I've enjoyed traveling with
Auckland Night from 40km
This was actually from our first pass through Auckland on our way to the Northland for a couple of days. Anna and it was hard to say goodbye to someone with whom I've spent every minute (and over 4000km of driving) of the past 3 weeks. But having spent every minute of the past three weeks with someone, I know I'm ready for a bit of solitude and chilling out. By the time we finished dinner, said goodbye, and I finished packing, I only had 3 hours to enjoy the comforts of a real bed before my shuttle came to pick me up at 3:45am for the airport. Bye bye New Zealand.
I suppose I have a few closing thoughts to share about this amazing place...
- The people truly are collectively nicer than in any country to which I've ever traveled. A few examples...I was invited to stay at homes upon meeting people. When someone couldn't make change for my $10 note for a parking meter, they just gave me the $3 I needed...not much...but it didn't even occur to them to not give it to me. I never had to wait more than 20 minutes for a free ride from random strangers (almost always Kiwis rather than other travelers)...and they were always happy to chat and
hear about my travels. Perhaps it's the beauty of their country...or perhaps the mild climate...but whatever it is, they're cool people.
- Once again I see the mix of the British culture with a native one that is nothing like the one brought by Captain Cook many generations ago. Most of the Maoris I met are some percentage mixed with Irish/Scottish/English heritage and seem to be ok with it (though I could be quite wrong on this point). Despite all the mixing, the country seems pretty well determined to do its best to protect the Maori components still remaining.
- Not that I've been to all that many (maybe 14?), but I'd be surprised to find a country better set up for travelers. Backpackers (hostels) are everywhere one looks. Free information centers are in nearly every town with loads of info and will make whatever bookings one requires. People are willing to pick up hitch hikers all over the place. And we were never bothered once about where we parked our car for the night...including in front of someone's house in Hamilton (in fact, the lady was excited that Anna was German and ended up giving us some
information about the city).
- I'd really like to know what percentage of the people in NZ (excluding the Auckland population) are travelers. It's gotta be high.
- I'm wiped out. I need a few days of doing/seeing nothing in order to recover from the frantic pace we kept over the last 3+ weeks on the north island. It was all great to see...and I wish I could have seen more...but my brain is currently a bit backlogged with scenery and experiences.
- There's a link to a route map at the top of the page. It's kinda finicky, but feel free to take a look. I've had to zoom out/in from the default setting in order to see the route lines. If you're not familiar with Google maps, you can also choose to see the map, the satellite view, or the map overlaid on the satellite view. The route is a bit rough from what really happened, but hopefully it conveys a bit of how much of the north island we covered in such a short time. It begins with the green dot in Christchurch on the south island and ends in Auckland.
- Finally
The Big Boat
The Kiwis are formidable sailors in the America's Cup races. In 1988 they challenged Dennis Connor and the US for the cup in a one on one match. Since it wasn't the usual America's Cup competition, the normal regulations didn't need to be followed. The Kiwis used this monster boat...and were crushed by Connor's catamaran. Yet they've decided to proudly display this one in Auckland. I'd like to thank the Australian and Pacific Tectonic Plates for their contribution to this world by butting up against each other and pushing the sea floor up and out of the water to create this crazy place.
Since coming here just over 2 months ago I've had a fuller experience than I would have imagined. There are more highlights than would be practical to recap...I think that's why I posted so many blogs and photos during these past 65 days. I've made many new acquaintances and friends and will certainly miss them and my time here in Middle Earth. Though it's hard to leave (in fact, I was originally booked to leave on May 27th), I'm quite satisfied with this segment of the journey and eagerly look forward to the adventures that are yet to come.
I hope you've enjoyed my best attempts to bring you along with me through New Zealand...though I'm glad we didn't all have to fit in the Mazda together.
Australia, here I come!
Ā upane, ka upane
Whiti te rā, hī!
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Marty Plecki
non-member comment
Hi from back in the US.
Marc, I knew you would love NZ, from my experiences on the north island. I look at your pix and read your notes and wish I was doing the trip. Oh well. Keep the info coming. That Rugby is nuts! Your friend Marty.