No plans

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So it seems like all the best adventures of my life begin in New Zealand (Antarctica, Nele) so what better thing to do than buy a one way ticket, and meet up with a friend that is planning to sail to Fiji. Armed with scuba gear, surfboards, kite boards, climbing gear, and a boat full of instruments I couldn't possibly understand, this should be quite the adventure. The past few weeks have been spent getting the boat ready for the crossing, which includes a laundry list of tasks, designed to make the voyage more comfortable and safe. Docked at the marina now with hippie neighbors, and numerous other travelers from around the world. Most people are getting ready for the same trip we are headed on. The boats name is Vindante, she is a beautiful mess 37 feet in length and the perfect home for the moment. The trip to Fiji should take the better part of 10 days and should be quite the challenge. No I have never sailed before (other than the day trip in SF Bay). So yeah, I plan on being sick and enjoying every minuet of it…



Of course no trip to New Zealand would be complete without a backpacking trip and a backcountry hut to sleep in. I spent four amazing nights in solitude at peach cove hut, on Whangarei Heads. I learned how to play the Ukulele song "over the rainbow" and enjoyed the morning walks in the woods with the bird songs for listening pleasure. In the evenings I had large bonfires on the beach and some skinny dipping that shocked the system (yes it is winter, and very cold). Meditation was a corner stone in the long hours of the day and one might go so far as to say I was on a vision quest. However in the end their were no visions and nothing was gained or lost. I guess it's kinda like life that way.



Three weeks later... So what is the deal with making plans. They never work out anyway, so why bother. If my plan was to buy a one way ticket to New Zealand and do some surfing and camping, then things are going according to plan. Unfortunately that was not the plan, so it leaves a sense of "things are going wrong" mixed with "disappointment"? Not the right words to capture the essence of what happens when things don't go according to plan but are still awesome. Planing is also fairly useless because I can't remember the last time I knew exactly what I wanted. Most times when I get what I want, I either get bored with it or realize that this sounded a lot better than it actually is. So yeah I am disappointed that I am not sailing to Fiji anymore but I am not disappointed that yesterday I caught the biggest wave of my life. To say how big might not be entirely accurate because it's like a fisherman telling you about the one that got away, it is always massive. But I can say this, I stood up and when I made the bottom turn, I was truly scared when I realized that the sun was no longer visible. Maybe 8-9 feet, a beautiful wave at one of the most famous surf breaks in New Zealand Raglan, score. On top of all the surfing fun I spend a lot of time meeting other travelers, playing guitar and basically doing whatever the hell I want. Anyway my adventure has taken a turn for the moment and sometimes the reason why is not always that important. What is important to note is that I have a van that I can sleep in fully stocked with two surfboards, an inflatable kayak, a guitar and a bunch of ginger beer. It is almost like losing the lottery and winning the lottery at the same time. So yeah done with planning, done with thinking I know what I want, lets see what happens next.

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Photos

Raglan
So thats a great wave considering their is only one surfer in the water.