New Zealand Blog Day 13: Last Day on the Road and the start of Quality Time with Family

Saturday April 24^th, 2010

Day 13

Last Day on the Road and the start of Quality Time with Family

Not much to write about on this last day. We had to return the car before our flight in the afternoon so we spent all morning driving. It was a rainy day.

When we got into Christchurch, we got some Mackers for the road (Mackers = McDonalds in Australia, not sure about NZ). There must be an addictive additive in the Big Mac. After cooking my own meals for a while, I get this craving for a Big Mac (it was the first thing I got when I got off the mango farm).

When we dropped off the car we had to say goodbye to the 30 dollar comforter we bought and used as our bed for the past week, the rental guy said they’d take care of it (probably just throw it away, so sad).

The rental car company (Nationwide) had a free shuttle from their office to the airport so we took that and caught our flight on time back to Auckland.

So…how much did this road trip cost me?

Total for today: 166 NZD (includes Jetstar plane ticket from Christchurch back to Auckland: 113 NZD)

Total for trip overall: 1312.8 NZD

Daily Average of Costs: 100.98 NZD

Now if we also include my round trip Emirates plane ticket from Melbourne to Auckland (which was 519.48 NZD), my total cost for the trip is 1832.28 NZD (Daily Average of 130.88 NZD).

1832.28 NZD = 1476.31 AUD = 1330.60 USD

The breakdown of this total from the greatest to least cost is as follows (Note DA = Daily Average, all prices in NZD):

International Airfare (Melbourne<->Auckland): 519.48

Domestic Transport: 351.8

Accommodation: 260 (DA: 20)

Gas: 251.2 (DA: 19.32)

Food & Drink: 249.8 (DA: 19.22)

Communications (Internet, Phone, Mail): 77 (DA: 5.92)

Tours: 45

Clothes and Amenities: 71 (DA: 5.46)

Laundry: 7

Airfare and transportation costs are the biggest money bleeders. These are my own personal share of the costs so the total cost of this trip for the two of us is roughly: 3664.56 NZD = 2952.63 AUD = 2661.20 USD

Epilogue:

My last four days in New Zealand were spent with family. My mom, who hasn’t seen her brother in a long time, came to visit. It’s already been half a year since I left home, so it was really nice to see her. I stayed with my uncle’s family and they were the perfect hosts, showing us around all the spots in Auckland and giving Apo and I food! = )

My Uncle played tour guide and was very knowledgeable about the city and the surrounding areas. Auckland has a lot to offer and I’m glad that we took four days to check it out instead of the one day-one town road trip phase. Much appreciation to my Uncle for showing us around.

I’ve collected Auckland’s greatest hits in this photo album.

This is the end of my New Zealand Blog. Hopefully it was helpful and entertaining.

So what happened after New Zealand? Well, that will be covered in my next post…Up Till Now.

New Zealand Blog Day 12: Mount Aoraki (aka Mount Cook)

Friday April 23^rd, 2010

Day 12

The Road Trip is Almost at an End.

We woke up in the morning and had some cornflakes (we used our cups as bowls and some plastic spoons). After paying for accommodation and saying goodbye to the owner we hit the road.

Today was Mount Aoraki (aka Mount Cook) day and we began our drive up to the mountain. Along the way we came across Lake Punaki, which is absolutely stunning. The color of the water is a milky aquamarine. The clouds overhead seemed to have been brushed onto the sky. We stopped and I jumped past the rocks to get up close to the water for some pictures. Afterwards, I kept driving in what I thought was the right direction.

Wrong. First of all the road was not going in an incline as most mountain roads do nor did the scenery change that much. It wasn’t until we were in Fairlie that I realized I had missed the mountain completely.

We checked the map, and it was going to take us about another hour to drive back and 30 minutes to get to the mountain from the turn off that I missed. There was nothing really to see from Fairlie to Christchurch and so I made the decision to turn back. Needless to say, the Missus was fuming at the wasted daylight time, but I opted to pay for the gas seeing as it was my fault for not checking the map carefully before driving. Just going only slightly above the speed limit, we made our way back.

We made it back to the turn off towards Mount Cook/Aoraki in one hour and started on the road to the mountain area. The road to Mount Aoraki is the most picturesque road I have ever driven, seriously. To the right is the beautiful Lake Punaki and ahead and to the left are mountains that seem to surround you and enclose you. Rays of light cut through the clouds and hit the lake and the mountains creating a breathtaking light show. However, as we got closer to the visitor centre located at the base of the mountain, the sky had completely turned from a bright blue hue to a dismal grey. When we got out of the car, the cold air and moisture hits you. Half an hour of driving and we were in a different world.

When we finally got up close to the “Cloud Piercer” we were a bit disappointed. Clouds and fog obscured the view and the area surrounding the base of the mountain just seemed very grey.

We checked out the visitor centre that had a quote on display that hit me deeply:

Though the author of the quote is talking about mountain climbing, I related it to martial arts. In mortal combat, one gets a glimpse of the reality of existence. To face death is to know life. There are safer ways to challenge oneself be it in the realm of mountain climbing or martial arts but the idea to place oneself in a very true, primal experience is still there.

After the visitor centre we had a salmon and spinach pizza at the hotel just up the walking path. It was very tasty (much to Apo’s delight) but was very small (much to my dismay).

After, we went to go see the Tasman Glacier, but as Lonely Planet said, it’s “a bit dirty looking” and was not very impressive.

We left the Mount Aoraki/Cook area and made our way towards Christchurch. It was getting quite dark when we arrived in Geraldine (about 140 km out from Christchurch) and decided to find a caravan park here for the night. We found one and YES, they had cooking utensils =).

That night, after doing some shopping at a local supermarket, Apo stewed up some chicken drumsticks with porridge and vegetables. Cold nights and porridge go together like ice cream on a summer’s day so I didn’t mind at all having porridge again. As we ate dinner we watched American Idol on a small TV they had in the kitchen (I especially liked the singer/guitarist Tim Urban).

Thinking back, I realized that the highlight of the day was not our main destination (Mount Aroaki/Cook) but the road there.

Today was our last full day on the road. It has been fun, but I’m eager to see family and sleep in a warm bed. Till then.

DT: 71.35

RT: 1146.8

RDA: 95.57

New Zealand Blog Day 11: Wanaka

Thursday April 22^nd, 2010

Day 11

Wanaka!

It’s quite a unique name for a place and it is also quite a unique place. We spent the morning at the hostel looking up places to visit around the area. I had a craving for pizza and we decided to have lunch at “The Cow”. We bought a huge pizza there for 32 NZD and we made it a point to eat the whole damn thing. It was quite good. I was not a fan of the celery topping, but the ham, pepperoni, tomato, onion, mushroom, and cheeses blended well.

However, during our after lunch walk around Lake Wanaka flatulence hit us with a vengeance. The excess gas did cut down our walking time by a few seconds as it propelled us down the lakeside.

Lake Wanaka is picturesque. There were a bunch of Chinese tourists with really professional looking camera equipment taking pictures of leaves, water, and other naturey things. It’s quite a draw for nature lovers and photographers (pictures). The autumn leaves by the lakeside reminded me of school and it made me miss home a bit.

After the lake, we had some coffee and ice cream at the Cinema Paradiso in town. Cinema Paradiso is quite a novelty in that their theatre is set up like somebody’s house, with couches and tables, and you can order food to be served to you during intermission. We didn’t catch a movie as there was nothing playing that we liked so after our drinks we went into the car and headed towards Mount Aoraki (Mount Cook).

We arrived in the small town of Twizel, just south of the mountain in the evening and after wandering around town finally found a caravan park. It was after hours, but the owner was still in his office and was kind enough to let us stay and said we could just pay in the morning.

We were pretty hungry and were eager to start cooking up some dinner. They had a kitchen at the park but problem is, no cooking utensils = O. After our little splurge this afternoon for lunch we were not keen to go out and eat again.

Luckily, a cyclist from Alaska was in the campsite next to us and had a squashed tin pot in her bag that we could use. After bending it back into shape, Apo cooked up some porridge with pork and vegetables, quite a good meal on a chilly night.

Tomorrow Mount Aoraki, the cloud piercer!

DT: 66.6

RDA: 97.77

RT: 1075.45

New Zealand Blog Day 10: Franz Josef/Fox Glacier

As I said I would, I'm posting up the remaining three posts for my New Zealand Blog. There's no excuse for my procrastination. I'm determined to finish this series so as to bring closure to it and also so that I may be able to talk about more current events (like my life here in Jindabyne). Now, the rest of my NZ blog:

Wednesday April 21st, 2010

Day 10

Franz Josef/Fox Glacier

Aw, glacier day!

So we were thinking about doing a half day hike tour for Franz Josef (105 NZD, Fox Glacier is a little bit cheaper, 90 NZD), but an English girl told us last night that her friends did it and thought that it was a waste of time (“You spend nearly half the time just walking to the glacier”). So we scrapped that idea. I asked Apo around 7am in the morning what she thought about doing the full day tour (Franz Josef 160 NZD, Fox 145 NZD). She was still half asleep and time was running out, so we decided today we would DIY and check out the glaciers ourselves and if we saw fit, do a tour tomorrow.

Thus, Apo slept in, while I watched an excellent New Zealand film called “Once Were Warriors” on my laptop. The actor that plays Jango Fett and the clones in the Clone Wars (Temeura Morrison) is the male lead in the film.

After breakfast we checked out of the hostel and made our way to the first glacier, Franz Josef. The thing about glaciers is that they’re not easy to get to. As I mentioned before, you have to walk a good amount of time before you get to the ice, for Franz Josef about 1-1.5 hr.

The walk to the glacier however, is quite beautiful. Many years ago, the glacier had cut through the mountain and then started to retreat (retreating extremely rapidly at 70 cm/day in 1984) leaving behind a valley abundant in waterfalls and glacier-cut rocks as you can see here.

We got as close to the glacier as we could without the need of a tour guide (to get onto the glacier itself you have to join a tour as the area is extremely dangerous and special equipment is needed). Looking out onto the valley with the glacier behind you is quite an experience. The glacier itself is also very beautiful and you could make out people dotting the ice surface far up the glacier.

Walking back, I hella needed to go to the bathroom and the nearest one was back at the carpark almost an hour away. As I walked through that pristine valley full of glacier water waterfalls, all I could think about was taking a piss. After relieving myself in the port-a-potty, we headed towards Fox Glacier.

At the small town next to Fox, we had a seafood basket with chips (French fries) which was quite good but quite costly (15 NZD). Afterwards, we had a walk around the nearby Lake Matheson. The walk around the lake and the views of the mountains in the distance reminded me of this old painting my parents have back at the house. The painting is of an American landscape, but there was a visual similarity I found looking out at the mountains with the water in the foreground that reminded me of that painting and also of the house I grew up in.

Fox Glacier was a bit disappointing compared to Franz Josef, it’s much flatter and smaller. However, it’s much closer and easier to get to which was good because our legs by this point were getting all walked out. The signs going up to the glaciers describe extremely serious situations but also have a child-like quality to them (I’m assuming so that even a child can understand what they mean). I had a drink from the stream coming from the glacier (making sure that it was in a safe, open area with stable footing) and it tasted quite good, cool and crisp and had a bit of a salty taste to it.

Back at the carpark, I saw an elderly lady feed a green Kea some crackers with the tour guide looking on. If you read one of my previous posts about the begging ducks, you can understand my discomfort at seeing that Kea eating crackers. The Kea is a majestic bird with a powerful beak and claw that it sometimes uses to tear the fat off of sheep. But here it was, manically chasing a cracker to the elderly peoples’ amusement. But I didn’t say anything. I did notice a tag on one of the Kea’s leg and, with the help of cognitive dissonance, resolved that the Kea was probably a pet of one of the park rangers and was too far gone, that it needed humans for substance. Thinking back, I should’ve mentioned something and not have just stood there as they fed the bird (note: a “Please Do Not Feed the Wildlife” sign was about 20 metres away).

On the drive from Fox to our next stop, Wanaka, we stopped at Bruce Bay. A significant feature of Bruce Bay is that its beach is full of circular rocks and pebbles that people like to stack or write on. Also, it’s a great place to watch the sunset and though we couldn’t see the sun because of the clouds, the different hues of pink and blue made up for it.

We arrived in Wanaka that night at around 9pm, which was shit for us because most of the hostels we called had already closed reception by this time. Luckily we found a hostel (Mountain View Backpackers) in our trusty NZ Lonely Planet that was still open and had a very nice double room available. It was the most comfortable bed we’ve had all trip which was good, because we were exhausted.

Sleep.

Reminder: DT= Day's Total (i.e. the total costs for that day), RT = Running Total, RDA = Running Daily Average (i.e. the daily average spending up to that day)

DT: 92.9

RT: 1008.85

RDA: 100.89

New Zealand Blog Day 9

Tuesday April 20^th, 2010

Rata Lodge -> Hokitika -> Franz Josef

And it was beautiful.

In the morning light, the mountains and the clouds seemed to meld together perfectly. The air was fresh and cool and I drank it in with delight.

We said our farewells to our new friends from Israel as they headed out on the road before us. Apo and I had breakfast and perused through the guest book of the backpackers (Rata Lodge was the name).

After we packed up, I went to the owner’s lodge and gave it a knock.

Last night I didn’t get a clear look of the owner, so when he came out, I was pretty surprised. A white guy in his fifties with dreadlocks opened the door. He was wearing a wool jacket that looked really old and comfortable and somewhat…Jamaican?

“You guys sleep allright?”

“Yeah, we did. It was very comfortable, thank you.”

We said goodbye and made our way to Hokitika, a coastal town just north of the glaciers. We passed more beautiful mountains and animals (deers, cows, and of course sheep) before arriving into the quaint town of Hokitika. The town is famous for its Jade Museum and Hokitika Gorge, about 20 km southeast.

Also, their fish and chips are the bomb. There’s a shop just next to the Jade Museum that sells $5 fish and chips and according to Apo, “These are the best and cheapest fish and chips I’ve ever had.” I tasted some of hers and indeed they were darn good.

After a quick lunch we drove to Hokitika Gorge, stopping on the way to take some photos of llamas. They are so cool. I wanted to run over to them and hug them but I contained myself.

At Hokitika Gorge, the first thing I noticed was the water. Aquamarine blue. When I was young, this was my favorite color. I used to believe that somewhere, out in the big wide world, this color must exist, be it in the ocean or forest lakes of an unknown region. But as I got older, I thought that that was a silly notion, and that such colors were manufactured artificially in a lab to gain more market share in the cutthroat color industry. But here it was, in ready supply, just flowing through this gorge. The child in me smiled.

I went to the water and cupped it in my hand, but the color disappeared. So I put it back. Nature is most beautiful when we enjoy it as it is instead of trying to grasp it firmly between our hands. While at the gorge, a South Island fantail kept flying around Apo, as if dancing around her.

After the gorge, we began our drive to Franz Josef. We got there in the evening, checking into a cheap hostel (Montrose Backpackers). The problem with very cheap hostels is usually that they’re full of cheap people and this place was no exception.

While cooking in the crowded kitchen, a girl yelled at me for using the sink while she was using it. What happened was that she was scrubbing a cutting board off to one side of the sink, while letting the water run. I saw that she was not using the water and I rinsed a spoon while she was scrubbing.

“Hey. I’m using the sink.”

“Sorry, I just wanted to rinse this spoon.”

“You should ask first or say excuse me.”

The thing is, she’s right, I should’ve at least said excuse me. But she was glaring at me and was saying this to me in a very rude manner and my girlfriend backed me up.

“Do you have to be so bossy?”

“I’m not bossy, it’s rude OK?”

Then she left.

Lesson: Be careful in a crowded area not to step on other people’s toes. Some people have certain pet peeves about personal space and its always best to first ask before doing an action that enters someone else space.

Putting that behind us, we looked forward to the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers tomorrow.

DT: 39.9

RDA: 101.77

RT: 915.95

New Zealand Blog Day 8: Christchurch -> Somewhere Near Arthur's Pass

Monday April 19^th, 2010

Day 8: Christchurch -> Somewhere Near Arthur's Pass

Dark and Winding Road

Today was spent buying supplies in Christchurch to get ready for our trip to the Franz Josef/Fox Glaciers and driving to the West Coast.

Went to a second hand store and bought a full length winter coat (15NZD), a beret (3NZD), and a beanie (2NZD). Went to Warehouse and got some blank cds (pack of 5 for 3.95NZD) to burn some on the road music.

We started making our way through the Southern Alps to the West Coast. Even in the evening darkness, I could tell that these mountains were majestic, with the clouds hanging close to their peaks. The roads were really winding, and it was getting darker and darker.

We caught a radio frequency while driving in close to Arthur’s Pass. The volume of the radio show being broadcast would bounce up and down, and there was this background sound in the lower level static of a car honking. I would check my rear view mirror constantly when I heard that sound, but there was no vehicle to be seen. Eeerie. The radio show was an interview between the radio host and a Washington Post journalist. The journalist had recently published an article on unconscious bias. According to the journalist and his time spent with researchers on the subject, people are more biased than they think. When making judgments, although people believe they are acting rationally, there is a level of bias that they aren’t aware of that is influencing their decision.

I thought that this was very interesting and that it puts to question how “correct” our opinions are.

After taking a bathroom break in Arthurs Pass, I decided we should try to drive as close as we could to the West Coast before calling it a night. However, as we drove in the darkness, we could feel the night air chill creep in and the road condition was getting worse. Then it started to rain.

“Fuck this. As soon as we see a sign for a backpackers, we’re going there.” I said to Apo.

Lo and behold, 500 meters down the road there was a backpacker’s on the left literally in the middle of nowhere.

There was a little lodge with a gravel driveway that led up to accommodations. We entered the driveway and the owner, seeing our lights, came out of the little lodge to greet us.

“You guys staying the night?”

“How much?” I asked from the car.

“28 a night.”

“Ok.”

We drove up to the bigger lodge (which isn’t “big”, more “quaint” I would say) and were surprised to see that two other backpackers, two girls from Israel, were staying there.

“Yeah, the rain, it’s crazy,” one of the girls said to us.

Staying at this little backpackers in the middle of the mountains with the rain outside was nice. We spent the night playing Yanniv and Asef (not sure about the spelling) an Israeli card game that one of the girls taught us.

Off to bed now, can’t wait to see what it looks like outside in the morning, should be beautiful.

DT: 103

RDA: 109.5

RT: 876.05

New Zealand Blog Day 7: Kaikoura -> Christchurch

Sunday April 18^th, 2010

Day 7: Kaikoura to Christchurch

A Day at the Beach (Sheep Included!)

Kaikoura. If you have the money (145 NZD to be exact), this is the place where you can get on a boat and see whales. If you don’t see any, they pay you back 80%. Not a bad deal, but we thought that there’d be more opportunities to see whales in Australia and we weren’t itching to see them just now.

So, we did all we could for free/cheap in the area. We walked along the coast line and came up close to some seals sleeping on the rocks. They smelled like wet dogs. Seriously. Also, they make real cool grunt sounds. Watching them nap, I really marveled at how relaxed they looked, they’re bodies seem to mold completely to the contour of the rock they were sleeping on. For me, I usually wake up finding myself in plank position and my abs feeling sore.

We had some seafood at a BBQ stall next to the beach. Review: The crayfish fritter (lobster omelet) tasted like an omelet with a little bit of lobster instead of tasting like lobster with some egg in it. Also, it was like kids meal in terms of size (cost: 9 NZD, thumbs down). The seafood chowder was much better, with all kinds of good seafood bits in it (scallops, mussels, shrimp…) and more cost effective (5 NZD, thumbs up).

After that small meal, we went to a sheep shearing show, where you pay 10 NZD to give milk to a baby black sheep, feed a ram, listen to some sheep industry history and facts, and of course see a farmer shear a sheep. It was quite interesting. I found the sheep dog hilarious. When the farmer was shearing the sheep, the dog (Frank I believe his name was) would lie on his back and swerve back in forth in delight. I thought that was a really funny conditioned response.

So after our little stay, we started our drive to Christchurch, stopping on the way for some beautiful ocean and seal photo ops.

In Christchurch, guess what was the first thing that caught our eye? The church! Pictures.

We stayed at a holiday park near the airport (15/night). The airport is way out of the city, so the gas we spent driving to the park, nearly off-set the savings we were getting for sleeping in the car. TIP: Try to get a holiday park near the city unless you’re returning the rental car to the airport the next day, which we weren’t (would totally recommend the holiday park that we stayed at if you is).

Spent the evening at the internet room they had at the holiday park. Apo watched TV, while I finished watching the Gunbuster series. Freaking great. I was actually getting really into science fiction prior to coming to NZ after watching the Cosmos series hosted by Carl Sagan and I felt that Gunbuster helped satisfy that Sci-Fi craving, if just for a little bit.

I’ll have to start another blog series about Films/TV Shows/Anime that have really influenced me.

Look forward to that! Ok, Apo is getting angry at me for making her stay up late again. Early to bed and early to rise is a good motto especially in NZ, since everything closes hella early here. Night!

DT*: 100.9

RDA**: 110.4

RT***: 773.05

*Some costs (not all) will be mentioned in the blog. Note, for this day 50 NZD was spent on gas! = O

** Will rename Daily Average to the more accurate Running Daily Average (RDA)

***Will rename Total Spent to Running Total (RT)

New Zealand Blog Day 6: Wellington -> Kaikoura

On the Interislander floating between the North and the South Island.

Saturday, April 17^th, 2010

We woke up real early, had some corn flakes, and drove 5 mins to the ferry from our hostel (Downtown Backpackers).

I’ve never taken a vehicle on a ferry before, so it was quite surreal lining up in a queue of cars and driving into this gigantic opening in the back of an even more gigantic ship.

The ship (Interislander Ferry) is probably the coolest form of transportation I’ve ever taken. It has 9 levels as well as on observation deck on top. It has bar, a diner, a convenience shop, two cinemas, a kids’ playground, and arcade games on board. I kept saying “Woww” each level I explored.

What made me even happier was the fact that after we set sail, I could barely feel the rocking of the ferry, the thing was too massive and the water was calm making it a very smooth ride. As you can tell by the pictures, the trip from the North to the South Island is ridiculously beautiful. When I first stepped out onto the observation deck and I saw a passing hill floating on blue water, I felt a chill run through me and then a calm feeling. See the pictures.

Arriving into Picton in the South Island, we got some info at the local Visitor Info Site (I-Site) and made our way straight to the famous Marlborough Wine Country to have some tastings (which Apo was very happy about). There, we were able to try some wine and I also had a chicken wrap that was good.

After that we made for Kaikoura (2 hours south), a famous spot for whale watching. The length of road right before Kaikoura is a winding mountain road, with your right being the mountain and your left the sea. I was driving, so I didn’t get a chance to take pictures, but it’s quite incredible to see mountains directly next to the sea.

After buying some groceries we checked into a local Holiday Park and were greeted by two hungry ducks. They kept hanging around our site, hoping for some scraps, but we didn’t give any. It was cute, but it made me feel a little bit sad that these once self-sufficient ducks are now beggars for human food. One could say that it’s a form of adaptation, a way to live with humans, but I still don’t like it.

Watched an episode of Gunbuster (almost finished with the series, there's only 6 episodes in the whole series!) and got ready for bed.

Sleeping in the car tonight. We bought a foam cushion at Warehouse (the, duh, warehouse/Costco-like store they have here) so it would be more comfortable sleeping in the back. It cost 30 bucks. Hella regret it now, I forgot about checking out a Salvation Army store or Second Hand shop first = (. Well, off to bed, fully clothed and in a sleeping bag =).

DT: Eating out 10.5 + Foam cushion 15 + body wash 2 + groceries 13.5 + holiday park 17.5 = 58.5 NZD

TS: 671.15 NZD

DA: 111.86 NZD

New Zealand Blog Day 5: Napier -> Wellington

Te Mata Peak

Photo Album

NOTE: Forgot about Waitomo Caves! Not too far west of Rotorua are the famous Waitomo Caves where you can canoe through underwater caves and see glow worms. Aw man! By the time we figured out that was a hotspot to check out, we were already too far. Goes to show that you got to do your research before heading out on the road.

This morning we went to Te Mata Peak (a high peak just south of Napier). Like real lazy travelers, we drove all the way up to the peak instead of hiking. I’m glad we did because it was FREEZING. Wind blowing like crazy. But it was beautiful. Being up there on the peak reminded me of the time Adrian, Dan and I climbed up the Calaveras Hills, but on a grander scale. Epic views of the land and the cities were in all directions.

Later that afternoon we took a tour of a local winery in Napier called Mission Estate Winery. Listening to the tour guide, who was extremely knowledgeable, I realized that I don’t care that much about wine. What interested me the most was the history of the building and all the lives that have passed through its halls. We had free wine tastings and the best wine for me was the one that tasted like fruit candy (a dessert wine). It seems that my taste buds are as mature as an eight year olds’.

After that we took the State Highway 2 (SH2) to Wellington. The drive was about three hours and we passed herds of cows and sheep as well as lush landscapes.

Arriving in Wellington, you could tell that this town was different, they actually have a nightlife. We walked around and had a bite to eat. Apo ate at this old Victorian building that they turned into a Burger King and she had this to say about her meal, “Worst Whopper EVER.” Apo said there was barely any lettuce and tomato and the meat tasted weird. On a better note, the city itself was vibrant with clubs and stores open late and street musicians playing some tunes.

Tomorrow we’ll be waking up early (630am) to head over to the ferry from here to Picton in the South Island. I’m not looking forward to a ferry ride (sea sick easily). Till then.

DT: Postcards/stamps 5 + gas 45 + Food and Drink 11.2 + Internet 5.5 + Hostel 23 = 89.7

TS: 612.65

DA: 122.53

New Zealand Blog Day 4: Rotorua -> Napier

Tuesday, April 15th, 2010

Day 4: Rotorua -> Napier

Woke up in the morning freezing. Note to self: Need to be fully clothed when sleeping in the car.

After that rude awakening, Apo and I had brunch at the Fat Dog café in town and used the wireless internet there to book ferry tickets to the South Island on Saturday. After that we had a walk around town checking out the Government Gardens, Lake Rotorua (Rotorua means “Second Lake”), and the local Maori village Ohinemutu (see pictures). The village had regular western housing as well as buildings with very intricate carvings of warriors. What I found most interesting about the village was that they had hot springs coming out of the ground in random areas and it was just part of the normal setting to the locals.

The highlight of today was Wai-O-Tapu (means: Sacred Waters) a thermal park situated south of Rotorua. To enter the park costs 30 bucks, which at first put me off, but I called another nearby park and it seems that they all charge a similar entrance fee.

Wai-O-Tapu is bubbling with geological activity and intense colors are created by the waters mixed with underground chemicals. Walking past the pools and sulfur clouds with the green forest as the background is quite surreal. Hopefully I captured some of that surreality (<-not a word) in the pictures (link on the bottom).

After that we started our drive to Napier passing Lake Taupo and some other beautiful landscapes. New Zealand is really made for road trips; everywhere you pass is just stunning. Also, NZ is much safer to drive at night than Australia where car crashes caused by nocturnal kangaroos or wombats wandering onto the road are commonplace. The only thing you really have to worry about in NZ are the possums that come out at night. A guide at Wai-O-Tapu mentioned that in NZ, they call possums “Nature’s little road bumps.” Hitting a kangaroo or a wombat is much more dangerous than hitting a possum (in Australia there are cases of kangaroos being hit on the road in mid-hop and crashing through the windscreen killing the driver and the passenger).

Why do I bring this up? On the way to Napier from Rotorua, a possum ran in front of my car. I just kept driving straight as usual because there was an incoming car and if I made any sudden motion, I could’ve potentially hit the other car. Needless to say, there was a “bump” under my left front wheel and I sent that possum to possum purgatory.

We got into Napier and booked at the YHA (Youth Hostel Association) there and were surprised to find they had a two person dorm room available at $29 per person (even though they were bunk beds [see pictures] to have your own private room at that price is pretty cheap!).

DT: Brunch 9 + Internet 2.5 + Parking 2 + Ferry Ticket 110 + Ohinemutu 5 + Food 16.75 + Groceries 29 + Wai Tapu 30 + YHA 29 = 224.25

TS: 522.95

DA: 130.74

Spent BIG money today!

Pictures!

New Zealand Blog Day 3: Auckland to Rotorua

NOTE: In my last last entry (Day 1), I mentioned being an asshole and waving my US passport in my face to avoid getting checked by customs. I just read that again and said, “Wow what an asshole.” Why: I made it sound like being an American citizen should automatically exclude me from such identity checks. I made the previous statement out of anger of people that constantly doubt me about my “Americaness” however I don’t think that this was one of those cases. A friend of mine back in California once told me I looked hella suspicious when he saw me in a convenience store walking back and forth. I believe this stems from my constant daydreaming and the excess movement that this causes. When I stepped off the plane, I was thinking about something while fumbling with some bags and I think that this attracted a suspicious gaze from the Brett look alike more so than me being Asian.

April 14th, 2010

Day 3: Auckland -> Rotorua

The first half of today was especially frustrating. I spent half the day calling up rental car companies and trying to find a better deal.

Travel Tip: Car relocation in New Zealand and Australia (moving a car from one city to another for an individual or a rental car company) is the cheapest option for getting around. Individuals/Companies will either let you do it for free or charge you 5-10 dollars a day. The catch is that there’s a time limit (requiring you usually to be driving most of the time, leaving not much time for sightseeing) and for companies, they take a 3,000 dollar imprint on your credit card (an imprint is an unprocessed transaction on your credit card that goes into effect if anything should happen to the vehicle).

We got offered to drive from Auckland to Christchurch in three days which is doable, but would leave us with barely anytime to check out the sights along the way so we stuffed that option. The other option that we took was to rent for 10 days to travel both the North and South island which was cheaper than renting separately in both the North and the South Islands even after factoring in the vehicle ferry cost (note: we would’ve had to pay for the vehicle ferry cost for the car relocation option as well).

Long story short, I was able to finally put my Economics degree to use and find the best cost effective option, although it took me half the day on the phone and on the internet to do it. I commented on this to Apo and she made the accurate observation that, “You have to choose between saving money or time, you rarely get both.”

And off we went! Well not quite. We were stuck in the airport/car rental area for half an hour trying to get out (yes, my fault, I was driving) but eventually we got out and on our way to Rotorua (about 2 and ½ hours south of Auckland).

Driving on the left side of the road for me is akin to using my left hand to hold chopsticks (I’m right handed), it’s awkward at first but eventually you get used to it. One thing that I noticed that helps is that when you’re driving on the right or left side, the driver’s seat is always positioned closer to the middle of the road, making the transition a bit easier.

We knew that we got into Rotorua by just smelling the air; Rotorua is a hotspot of sulfur pools and hot springs. We checked in at a Holiday Park (caravan park) that had mineral pools (pools filled with natural, hot, mineral water). I had brought swim trunks, but Apo just went in with shorts and a t-shirt much to the surprise of the other family that was soaking with us.

We got back to the car put down the back seats and got out the sleeping bags. It was too dark and too cold to set up tent, so we decided just to sleep in the car. Luxury!

DT: Internet 2.5 + Food 16 + Car Rental* 95 + Holiday Park* 15 + Laundry 3.5 = 131 NZD

TS: 298.7 NZD

DA: 99.57 NZD

*Just my part of the cost.

Pictures!

New Zealand Blog Day 2: Auckland

Tuesday April 13^th, 2010

Day 2: Auckland

Woke up a bit early to prepare a small three year anniversary present for Apo. I had been editing a short music video for her for a while with Windows Movie Maker but had some problems syncing the music with the video. I was able to complete 1 minute of it (the whole version I will put up when I’m done) and showed that to her. She was quite happy but then quite disappointed when it abruptly ended. She said, “That’s it?” I replied, “Aw yeah, that’s it.”

I have some family that live near Auckland and met with them for lunch. The neighborhood they live in reminded me of some Northern California suburbs: green, quiet, and boring. But there’s definitely a certain sense of peace in the air and a feeling of security in these kinds of areas that I find attractive.

When Apo and I arrived we were greeted with a feast prepared by my Aunt. For those of you who don’t know Taiwanese culture, when a Taiwanese family asks you over for lunch/dinner prepare to get fed. The meal included about nine different dishes of both Western and Eastern taste (e.g. lamb chops and fried Taro balls), all of which was delicious. This was a welcomed change from the backpacker diet of instant noodles and eggs and Apo and I were very grateful for the meal.

This was the first time I had met my cousins in person (my Aunt met me when I was really small). They are all really nice and lovely people and the cousins speak with a New Zealand accent, so it was fun picking up on some new ways of pronunciation and word usage. One of my cousins is thinking about taking up boxing so I showed him some stuff I had picked up from Muay Thai and he seemed to like it. They have a wild backyard and a small aviary which must’ve have been real fun for the cousins while growing up.

Back in Auckland, I found a martial arts store that had Cesar Gracie DVDs and Matt Lindland books for sale. I told Apo, “I met those guys!” but she didn’t seem to care much. It’s very surreal to be in such a faraway place and see something close to home.

For dinner Apo and I celebrated our anniversary with all you can eat Korean BBQ (see pictures)! There is a joy I feel in a quality All You Can Eat restaurant. I know that I’m going to be full at the end of the meal and I know that I’m going to be able to taste multiple dishes without fear of paying more for food. You feel me?

The end of the day was spent online searching for rental cars (internet cafes are cheap here, 1.5-2 NZD per hour).

DT: Hostel 26 + Food & Drink 37.5 + Phone Card 10* + SIM Card 20 + Internet 5 = 107.3

TS: 167.7

DA: 83.85

*You see, I bought the Phone Card first because I was in a hurry to call my Aunt and didn’t have time to shop around. If you’re in NZ for a short time, the 2degrees SIM card is the cheapest option.

Pictures!

New Zealand Blog Day 1: Melbourne -> Auckland

Monday April 12th, 2010
Melbourne -> Auckland

I spent the wee hours of Monday morning trying to stay up surfing the net and reading The Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Eventually, the fatigue of yesterday set in and I decided to take a 40 min nap on the couch. I didn’t sleep in my bed for fear that I would sleep through my 7am departure flight. Now that I think about it, if I wanted to do, I could’ve stayed up all night at a 24 hrs McDonalds and just waited for the bus to the airport (did something similar with Dan the Man in NYC). However, since Apo isn’t Dan nor is she a Man, I thought that it might be more comfortable for us to stay at a hostel. Also on the plus side, we didn’t have to walk around the whole city with our luggage (like Dan and I did last day of our NYC trip).

Alarm! I woke up at 4:30am and then spent almost 30 minutes trying to wake up Apo. We caught the bus and were able to make it to the airport in time to check in. The flight (3 ½ hours) was smooth and the meal was pretty good (lamb w/ vegetables and mashed potatoes). Watched Men Who Stare at Goats (starring Ewan McGregor and George Clooney), a hilarious account of a journalist’s (McGregor) encounter with a former “New Earth Army” sergeant (Clooney). The film starts with the statement “More of this is true than you would believe” and there is some wacky shit that happens in the film. A must see.

Flying into New Zealand was quite breathtaking. There were these clouds of darkness in the blue/green water that I assume is coral (reminded me of Dark Water, an old US animated series). At first I thought that they might’ve been reflections of the clouds, but the dark shapes in the water stayed stationary. There’s a certain jaggedness to the hills and mountains that I noticed and it reminded me of some of the mountain ranges in Taiwan. We landed in Auckland around one in the afternoon.

My very first experience on New Zealand soil: I’m getting off the plane and this Custom’s guy (who looks like Brett from Flight of the Conchords) asks me for my passport and immigration sheet. I watch as other passengers pass me by and wonder, why me? To be an asshole, maybe I should’ve waved my US Passport in front of my face in order to avoid any confusion.
After we spent some time at the airport looking up info and booking our hostel, we took a shuttle to the YHA in the city centre and checked in. We took a look around Queen St. which is right next to our hostel and I was totally surprised by how many Korean restaurants there were. I got a 4.90 NZD chicken curry for dinner which was good and the price made it even taste better.

Needless to say we were exhausted by that point and decided to crash early. I spent the last hour of this day watching Gunbuster (an old GAINAX anime directed by Hideaki Anno of Evangelion fame). I’m surprised by how much work they put in to make it scientifically accurate (the theory of relativity is illustrated quite accurately in the series). Sleep.

NOTE: Money from now on will be in New Zealand Dollars (NZD) [1 NZD = .77 AUD = .72 USD]. I will be keeping a running tab on my spending in New Zealand.

Day Total (DT): Food 11.4 + airport round trip ticket 23 + Hostel 26 = 60.4 NZD
Total Spent (TS): 60.4 NZD
Daily Average (DA): 60.4 NZD

Pictures

New Zealand Blog Day 0: Adelaide -> Melbourne

Sunday April 11th, 2010

Day 0 Adelaide -> Melbourne

I took an 11 hour bus ride from Adelaide to Melbourne. It was long but they played two films to pass the time: Imagine That (Eddie Murphy) and Fame. I was actually glad that they played these films because I would never spend money to watch them but was curious to know what the hype was about (Fame). To my surprise I found both films entertaining and also I felt that Fame gave a glimpse of the reality of what it takes to be an artist which I found refreshing.

What was also refreshing was the change of landscape of South Australia to Victoria. As Victoria is more humid, there is more lushness in the greenery and the rolling hills and light drizzling of rain made me feel at home (Northern California).

My thought of Melbourne as I was crossing the bridge into the city was, “Damn, this place reminds me of San Francisco.” The fact that I was on a bridge overlooking the city skyline was reminiscent of what I feel every time I enter SF via the Bay Bridge. While walking to a local hostel near Southern Cross Station, I could tell that Melbourne, though it seems to have similarities with SF, had one glaring difference: the streets are freaking wide.

That night in Melbourne was the start of a very long journey of self imposed insomnia. I met with a friend (co-worker from my cleaning stint in SA) to leave some luggage at his place. I talked to him about my trip to New Zealand, how it materialized out of nothing and that I had no real plan. He said, “Joy is unplanned.” I thought that was a good point, but then I replied, “Sadness too.” He laughed. When we parted I thought, if you follow that line of logic, human emotion and reactions cannot be planned, they can be anticipated but not planned for (Consider this example – 15 minutes from now, I plan to be happy).

I met up with Apo and two friends from the mango farm (See “Notes from the Mango Farm”) that were in Melbourne at the time. We shared work stories of the past few months. They had been working on another mango farm except this farm farmed lemon trees as well. Apo and I shared our cleaning stories (See my March, April 2010 facebook pictures). In particular we talked about this one co-worker that wouldn’t shake my hand when I first met her and later was found to be mentally unstable. One of our cleaning coworkers that disliked her nicknamed her MQ (Mad Queen) which I thought was hilarious and incredibly accurate.

After getting back to the hostel, we checked online to see if we could check in for our flights for the following morning. For some reason Apo didn’t receive a confirmation email for her flight ticket. We tried in vain to contact the airline reservation desk. Apo went to sleep for a few hours as I stayed up, deciding to just wait for our 5am bus to the airport. The night bled into early morning.

Money spent today (in AUD): Bus (Adelaide->Melbourne) 55 + Melbourne Sunday Savers Bus Ticket 3.1 + Water & Food 26.4 + Hostel 24 = 108.5 AUD

For specific bus company or hostel information, please msg me.

Pictures on facebook