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Published: April 2nd 2008
North island Express...
Greetings from Chiang Mai! Fede and I are currently in Northern Thailand, enjoying a break from the insanity that was Bangkok and preparing for a 3-day trek through the hill tribe villages in the surrounding mountains. Ive actually found an internet cafe with reasonable connection speed, so am going to TRY and update the blog to the best of my ability while ive got the chance. The computer is fighting back though- its giving me trouble trying to tranfer my pics over from my camera. Well see how it goes. Its going to be quick- lots of photos, and bullet points to go along with them. Soooo, hold onto your hats...
Last time I posted I was arriving into Wellington on the ferry from the South Island. Wow- that seems like so long ago... I decided to use the Magic Bus (A bus tour company that lets you hop on and hop off along its route) to navigate my way through the North Island- it was going to be easier than trying to sort it all out myself. Anyway, here is what transpired on my trip through the North Island:
Wellington- nothing too exciting. Having
Craters of the Moon Geothermal Area
Steam coming right out of the groundspent some time there before (See post "Windy Wellington"), I was only there for one night. That did give me the chance to meet up with German, the Chilean guy Cory and I met way back in June while waiting for the bus to Queenstown in Christchurch. We had a couple of beers, talked about future plans, etc. He is trying to decide whether tio stay in NZ, go traveling, maybe head to the US... An early night though, as Ihad to catch the bus at 7am the next morning.
The first stop on the Magic Bus was Napier, a town in Hawke's Bay on the East Coast of the North Island. Along the way, we stopped off at the Tui brewery, and had the opportunity to indulge in 3 pints for $2NZ- what a steal! You know me- never one to pass up cheep beer... My bladder was making me pay for it soon thereafter. We arrived in Napier to a downpour, so I made some food at the hostel, watched a movie, and hit the hay.
After Napier, it was on to Taupo, a town situated in the center of the North Island, right
on Lake Taupo (Go figure...). The self-proclaimed "Queenstown of the North Island" left a little to be desired, but there was still plenty to do... We arrived at around 1030am, so I had most of the day to exlpore. I went on a hike down to some local hot springs and on through a park to the Waikato River, the longest river in NZ and the only river flowing out of Lake Taupo. Huka Falls, a place of Maori significance, is located on the Waikato River about an hour's walk out of town, and that was my destination for the afternoon. I was soon kicking myself for not bringing along my swimmers- how can you hop into the hot springs and then the cold river if you dont have your swimmers? Too late though- there was no turning back. I hiked along the river, down to the falls, snapped a few photos,wnet up to this thermanl park called Craters of the Moon, then tried to sneak into the uber-nice Huka Falls Lodge (Only to be rebuffed by security), took the long way back into town, and was sufficiently exhausted by the time I got back to the hostel. I grabbed
some dinner, and then headed to bed. I had a big task to take on the following day...
Day 2 in Taupo consisted of me enduring the Tongariro Crossing- the most famous 1-day trek in NZ. Its something like 18K, I think, up over volcanoes, down through craters, along volcanic rock fields, etc. I had heard it was pretty grueling (A portion of it is dubbed The Devil's Staircase), but after conquering Ben Lomond in Queenstown, I knew I was up to the challenge. It was AMAZING- one of the coolest things I did while in New Zealand. The terrain was so different than anything Ive ever seen or walked through before. Anyway, its not everyday that you get to walk in the shadow of Mt. Doom… It took me 6 hours and 13 minutes to complete the trek, which wasn’t too bad. I was trying to stay in front of the LOADS of other hikers that were on the trail so that I wouldn’t be held up. A spectacular day, all around.
After Taupo, it was on to Rotorua, the Maori cultural center of New Zealand. Rotorua is famous for its position directly on top of
a massive geo-thermal area. Due to this, there are several geothermal parks you can go to to see hot springs, bubbling mud baths, steam streaming right out of the ground- its all pretty incredible. The first night in Rotorua, we went to a traditional Maori hangi (bbq), during which we got to walk around a “functioning” Maori village, got to see various traditional dances (Including the Haka), and enjoyed an amazing meal that they cooked in the ground.
Day 2: I rented a mountain bike and hit the trails in a local park- it was so much fun! The park was ENORMOUS, and it was all marked out like a ski area- green trails, blue, black, and black/yellow. Needless to say, I made sure to ride every “Experts Only” trail in the park (Yeah right…). After a hard day on the trails, I met up with some friends for dinner, and then we hit up a couple of the bars in Rotorua.
Day 3: Visited a thermal park, which had geysers, some bubbling mud baths, several very colorful pools, and reeked of sulphur. Was cool to see, but nothing too spectacular. Back on the Magic bus that afternoon
to head up to Mt. Maunganui.
Mt. Maunganui is a seaside surf town popular with both Kiwis and tourists. I stayed there for 2 nights, just relaxing on the beach, hiking up the mountain, and enjoying the laid-back atmosphere.
After my 2 nights there, it was on to Auckland via Wiatomo, where I got to do a float-trip on a river through a massive cave. That was pretty cool. 1 night in Auckland, and then was on the bus up to Paihia in the Bay of Islands on the North Cape of New Zealand.
Spent the first afternoon in Paihia on a cruise through the Bay of Island- absolutely beautiful! We sailed out to this rock formation called the Hole in the Rock (For obvious reasons…), and actually went right through the hole! I couldn’t believe they would take our huge boat through the gap, but the captain sailed right on through. We saw some dolphins along the way, and just chilled out in the sun on the upper deck.
Day 2 in the North Cape was spent on a day trip to Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of NZ. What a day- beautiful beaches, sandboarding,
body surfing, lunch on the beach, massive trees, new friends, and a visit to one of the most culturally significant places in the Maori culture. They believe that after a person dies, their soul leaves Aotearoa (Maori for “Land of the long white cloud” = New Zealand) through Cape Reinga and travels on the sea back to their mythical homeland. It is a very sacred place, and very beautiful as well.
Day 3 in the North Cape included a trip on the Magic Bus to the West Coast town of Opamere, and a twilight walk through the ancient Kauri forests of Waipomo. Massive tress as old as 4,000 years, steeped in Maori legend and history, all guided through tales and songs by traditional Maori guides- an amazing experience. But, since it was night out, no photos! Sorry…
The next day I did a full-day bone-carving class. It was incredible. James, the Maori man who oversees your progress, only charges $50NZ per person, and literally opens his home up to those that want to create their own carvings. He gives you a piece of paper and a pencil to begin with, encourages you to come up with something personal
Crossing the North Crater
Clouds moved in as the day wore on- thats Mt. Doom covered in the distance and totally original, and 8 hours later, you have your very own hand-made bone carving. It really was a great experience.
The next day, James to me and another guy who did the carving class surf fishing for the day. Snapper, Huia, rock fish, just to name a few. We set up shop on some rocky outcroppings and threw our lines in, hoping that our local “guide” would lead us to the fish. The girls back at the hostel had already placed their order, so we were under some pressure to come through. No worries though- we came up with plenty, along with a sack full of fresh mussels. Threw it all on the bbq that night, and had a feast!
The next day was St. Patrick’s Day, so Sue and Mike (The mother/son management duo of the hostel) planned a massive feast for all that wanted to partake. Steak and Guinness pie, mashed potatoes with cabbage, peas, green wine- we had it all. What a night that was- such great people, and so much fun!
Back to Auckland the next day, just to get everything sorted for the trip to Hong Kong, met Fede at the
Lake Taupo
NZ's largest lake Auckland airport on March 20th, and then it was off to China! Phase II was under way!!!
SE Asia has been incredible so far- HOT- but incredible. Hong Kong was insane- everything I thought it would be and more. Just a MASSIVE city. Amazing, really. Macau was cool- much smaller and quieter than HK, but unique in its own way. For the self-proclaimed “Las Vegas of the Eastern Hemisphere”, it left A LOT to be desired. The Wynn and the Venetian were nice, but too far away from everything. Bangkok is a MESS- just a mass of sweaty, smelly, tired backpackers lugging their packs around while being hounded by countless con artists, salesmen, smooth talkers, and the like. One night on Khao San road was enough for us. We headed to a smaller town about 3 hours west- Kanchanaburi- for some peace and quiet. We saw the bridge over the River Kwai (Made famous by the WWII film of the same name), went to a massive waterfall in a national park, and had a great time motoring around on the mopeds we rented for the day. A good trip, all in all. Caught the over-night bus to Chiang Mai
that afternoon to avoid another night in Bangkok (12+ hours, little to no A/C, almost broke down 4 times while trying to get over the mountain pass- good times… At least we made it). Now we are in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, getting ready to do a 3-day trek through the mountains over the next few days. Hill tribes, bamboo rafting, elephant trekking- its going to be another experience, for sure. Hope to post some pics from that once we get back.
So that’s that- sorry its so brief and haphazard, but Ive gotten so far behind due to crappy interent access, that Ive got to cut some corners to catch up. Hopefully things will get better as we go, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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