Reminders of Home ~ Wellington, Taupo, Rotorua, Auckland (by Trisha)

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So sorry to everyone who reads my blog that I haven’t done this since I left the S. Island. This is partly due to our Kite Soldiers event coming up and every minute outside of sightseeing and kiting over the last 2 weeks has been spent on various planning and organizing. Other than that, I took some really amazing pictures of the N. Island and learned a very valuable lesson that’s still painful to think about, hence why I haven’t blogged. My camera was lost/stolen. Yes, me, the picture maniac, left her camera by a phone in a hostel for 15 minutes and never found it again. It seriously broke my heart.. the $400 camera I just bought in Thailand was hard to lose, but that didn’t really bother me as much... it was the pictures I had taken of the whole N. Island.... they were priceless. The lesson is that I will never leave pictures on my camera for too long again and I will invent a way to lock a camera so that those damn memory thieves can’t access a camera if its stolen... ok, maybe the last I’ll save for someone else to invent, but camera companies should seriously put an optional password on the things to operate them... Anywho, luckily I took a few with my phone and I’ve met some great friends who have compiled some pictures for me or I’ve been able to copy some off Facebook, but there were definitely some breathtaking moments when no one was around except me and maybe some cows and sheep that are lost in film but thankfully not in my mind, yet. I might also add a few stock photos to my blog offline so you can get a better picture. I will also try my best to write descriptively about those moments instead so they aren’t lost forever. Warning: Since I usually have my pictures to back up my journey and I can’t let those memory thieves completely win, these last blogs could be long, but you’re used to that, aren’t you.
The last time I wrote I was on my way to Christchurch to pick up my kite gear and head North. I had to stop over for one more night in Kaikoura before catching the ferry in Picton and crossing the Marlborough Sound to Wellington. Luckily, we had a beautiful blue-sky day for crossing the breathtaking sound. And after rain in Christchurch and Kaikoura, it was a lovely change of pace. The ferry was not like your normal ferry... at least not the ferries I’m used to in Seattle. There were many floors with many different rooms and seating areas... couches, recliners. large movie rooms and an enormous bar with a live band playing. I chose to spend most of my time in a lounge called “The Lookout”... the name really says it all. Besides being outside, it was the room to be in... with its full glass windows from floor to ceiling and tables and chairs set up for hanging out. There really wasn’t much outdoor area and it was packed, so I just chilled over a glass of wine, reading a book and watching the beautiful “San Juan Island like” scenery go by.
After about 3.5 hours, we docked in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. As I stepped off the ferry to rare blue skies and sunshine and passed under a freeway viaduct just beside the small city filled with tall buildings, I felt a strong sense a familiarity. I was in “Little Seattle.” It smelled like Seattle, it looked like Seattle, it must be Seattle? Ok, maybe not, but the reminder of home was warm and welcoming. I stayed in the YHA, the nicest hostel in Wellington and one of the nicest I’ve stayed at in New Zealand. On the first night, I went to the movies to see Whip It. It was the perfect way to utilize the perks of being in a city. Once you’ve travelled for so long, you really crave some normal every day things and movies are definitely one of them for me.
Wellington is nicknamed “Windy Welly” because high winds normally blow through on a consistent basis. Kitesurfing is fairly popular there, but I just happened to visit during a couple of the only non-wind days they’ve had in a while. Go figure. But, no complaining here... the day was the nicest day I’d seen in weeks! So, I set off on a rented bike to explore Wellington. Riding along the waterfront, I passed loads of people running or strolling along the boardwalk. There were children playing in parks and fountains and friends meeting for coffee at outside cafes near the sailboat filled harbor. It didn’t take me long to make my way around. I surprisingly came upon a white-sand beach with city views in the distance and tons of locals basking in the sun while their children played in the cold water. I decided to join them in soaking up some rays and felt like I was lying on Alki Beach, staring at Seattle, minus the Space Needle. After the much loved beach-time I head up to the Botanical Gardens on a red trolley cart set out of 1920 to watch an outdoor concert put on by the city. Hundreds of local Kiwis strewn across the grassy seating areas surrounded by beautiful hydrangas and roses, wine or beer in hand, listening to popular local bands. It was a perfect evening and the perfect end to great day in Wellington.
Off to Taupo, home of the a largest lake in New Zealand and with 30,000 jumps a year, its the skydive capital of the world. On the way up, I excitedly signed up for skydiving and the Tongariro Crossing, an 18 km hike, rated the best in New Zealand and one of the best hikes in the world. BUT, as we drove in, the clouds accumulated fairly quickly and although I could have still jumped out of a plane, I chose not to because it wasn’t clear. Its a lot of money to spend when conditions aren’t perfect. And that wasn’t all... those clouds soon turned dark and on came the rain... torrential cats & dogs style rain... can’t go outside for 30 seconds without dripping from head to toe rain. Rain Rain Rain... another reminder of home... everyone I met who knew I was from Seattle thought I brought the rain with me... oops, at that point, I was beginning to believe their theory. Boo hoo... the hike was cancelled too, so I spent 2 days in Taupo in the rain and worked on the event. It was some much needed time actually, so I guess everything does happen for a reason.
Rotorua was our next stop and is known as the most cultural area of New Zealand with the largest population of Maori’s, the indigenous people of the islands. A lot of cool history and unique culture lies here along with bubbly thermal mud pools and steamy volcanic geizers that shoot out of the ground daily. After exploring the town a bit during the day, I joined some of my new mates from England and Scotland for a cultural dinner and dance show in a Maori Village close by. It reminded me a lot of a Hawaiian Luau and the food was amazing. The girls took tons of pix, so you do get some of this. One of the best parts of the evening was actually the bus ride back to our hostel. Our Maori driver, Fay, was a riot and made everyone on the bus sing a song from their home country. It sort of felt like coming home from camp at age 12, but good sports we were and played along. While everyone on the bus sang in groups of 2-10 from countries such as England, France, Germany, Australia, Holland, Japan and Scotland, I was the only one from the USA. Oh yippee, I love singing to a group of strangers by myself! 😉 Not so much. As they all sang, I drilled my brain at what I should sing and I honestly know all the words to pretty much nothing... do I sing Born in the USA, no, Bruce is tough. Or, Surfin USA... I only the know the chorus. So, with the help of the bus driver to pick a song, I sang “Take me out to the ball game” Seattle Mariners 7th inning stretch style... It was another reminder of home and I had a love/hate relationship with the experience, but it was good fun at that!
After almost pulling an all-nighter to finish our event T-shirt, I was exhausted to say the least when we reached Auckland the next day. The city is definitely the largest in New Zealand and nothing like I remember from my visit 16 years ago (with a Debbi’s Dance tour). I didn’t think I would be missing much, so my bunk was my first stop for a quick much needed nap before “girls night out.” Upon awaking, I set out with the same fun group of girls I went to the cultural night with. We hit the clubs, chatted about traveling (past and future) and danced the night away. They were such a fun bunch with their brilliant senses of humor and lovely English and Scottish accents, I really hope our paths cross again someday... Not that it wasn’t before, but a trip to Europe is looking just that much more enticing!

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Comments

[Monty]

Song
You singing....I don't think I have even been the benefactor of your dubious tones. Sorry you lost your camera but it looks like your friends hooded you up! A picture is a reminder of a moment. A memory isn't something you can capture so I don't think you lost anything and this blog is as good as any picture book.