it's an ugly mess, but it's a post.

Will someone please tell me how to actually do pictures on this?  

Yes, I’ve been in NZ for over a week.  Yes, I’m sorry I haven’t said much until now.  No, I can’t guarantee I’ll be more consistent with my updates in the future.  Since this is bound to be a long post, I’m going to organize it: events of each day and a big section at the end about what I’m learning from this all.   Sorry it's so long, but bear with me and maybe read it in installments if it starts feeling too long. 

 

23 Jan 2010 

The 22^nd of January 2010 did not exist for me.  I will never know what wonders it may have held because I was too busy crossing the Pacific in a giant airplane next to a couple who had some remote tie to Seventh Day Adventists and therefore knew that Walla Walla, Wash. Is a place.  My flight to LA from Seattle was bumpy but straightforward.  My journey from terminal to terminal through Los Angeles International via a convoluted and disorganized shuttle system also went smoothly enough, though that bit could stand some improvement.  Found Simon (hallelujah!) and eventually proceeded to New Zealand. 

 

Sue (somewhat distant family friend) picked us up at the Auckland airport (thank goodness) and we went back to the Hodge’s house in Mt. Eden.  Most of the day consisted of attempting to piece together an itinerary for the next couple weeks and walking around Auckland before helping to prepare a delicious dinner.  After dinner Sue’s husband Bill drove us up One Tree Hill to have a look over Auckland and its many cinder cones.  We crashed shortly thereafter. 

 

24 Jan 2010

 

Let the games begin!  We got up bright and early to catch the bus from Auckland to Kaikohe (why snow-eee).  Chrissie Williams picked us up and brought us back to her home for a week of WWOOFing.  Both Chrissie and her husband David have jobs other than tending their property, so WWOOFers come and help them with their hobby.  To make a long story short, we spent our mornings for the rest of the week hauling firewood and plant debris around, climbing into macadamia nut trees (they have 300 and the leaves are poky) to pull off new growth that reached skyward instead of laterally, chipping weeds (with a spade) and trying to keep the neighbor dog from chasing the lambs.  We also went on other adventures.  Today we didn’t work, but Chrissie drove us out to see the Tasman Sea just west of Opononi at the mouth of Hokianga Harbor.  Across the bay to the north is a giant sand dune that we never touched, but it sure did look cool. 

 

25 Jan 2010

 

We climbed a hill near the farm, only to find that the vegetation obstructed any view of the ocean.  Then we walked to the beach.  Hokianga Harbor is filled with turquoise water, seashells, strong currents, and perfect skimboarding conditions.  We had fish and chips on the beach with David, Chrissie, and their friends who also take on WWOOFers to help them assemble shrubbery labyrinths.  We went swimming in the harbor where the water is a comfortable, though refreshing temperature. 

 

26 Jan 2010

 

Today’s adventure involved riding bikes to a bit of beach that has large, round boulders like the Moeraki Boulders (that are just north of Dunedin… I’ll go there too).  I am not a great cyclist by any stretch of the imagination.  Luckily, Simon is absurdly patient and good-natured and kept me from abandoning my bike in favor of walking.  I’m pretty good at walking. 

 

27 Jan 2010

 

David drove us in to Kaikohe to walk around before dropping us off to hitchhike to the WORLD’S ONLY FLUTED BASALT.  Geology deciphered: carbonate rocks are easily corroded by anything acidic and that’s how many caves and other karst features form.  Basalt is a remarkably resistant rock, unlike carbonates, and is not terribly easily eroded by anything.  NZ’s native Kauri trees drip acid from their leaves when it rains (I don’t know my plant details on this, so don’t quote me… I’ve got the general idea, though) and the strong acid eats away at the basalt as though it’s soluble like limestone, leading to the formation of what we call flutes as more water is captured by deeper grooves and the acid makes those grooves even deeper. 

 

28 Jan 2010

 

The only day we just sat and relaxed.  I know this whole thing is getting long, but bear with me.  Because…

 

29 Jan 2010

 

I didn’t expect to see the Bay of Islands even though we were spending time in Northland.  I especially didn’t expect to go sailing for an afternoon.  David, philosopher, do-gooder, and boatsman, owns a 42 foot yacht that he moors in Opua Harbor in the Bay of Islands.  Being a boat person, an elated euphoria hit me as soon as I walked down the ramp onto the dock, and it only grew as we motored out and I got to navigate.  Then the sails went up and we got out into 20 knot winds with 34 knot gusts… I stood out on the bow going up and down the huge swells, getting sprayed as sea birds dove into the water and islands passed us by.  The water was pure blue and the wind threatened to keep us in a sheltered bay overnight.  David cooked stew for dinner and we rushed back towards Opua when the wind  came down to a consistent 17 knots.  The entire affair was great fun… David loves to joke and contemplate life and youth and politics.  Simon and I weren’t always clear on exactly what he wanted us to do, so the afternoon involved a fair amount of good-natured yelling about going the wrong way or pulling the wrong rope.  When we got back to the harbor we sat down with a beer each as it grew dark, had another beer, and proceeded back home. 

 

30 Jan 2010

 

work in the morning, then Chrissie’s sister and her husband, Doug showed up and decided to drive us around… they took us to Tane Mahuta (tawny ma-WHO-ta), the largest living Kauri tree in NZ.  It’s huge.  The pictures don’t do it justice.  It has 30 species living in its branches!  Rock on, tree.  We then went to a beach a bit south of the mouth of Hokianga Harbor where welded volcanic conglomerates have been weathered into little sea arches and tidepools.  Heavy sleep after an evening of wine and laughter with two couples who are old enough to be my parents’ older siblings. 

 

31 Jan 2010. 

 

Some garden work in the morning, then back to Kaikohe, then to Auckland, took a bus from downtown to the Hodge’s just in time for a delicious shrimp curry dinner.  I’m super tired now, but we just watched a documentary on a choir of elderly people.  Finally got some actual rain, and we could hear Regina Spektor (concert?  Just loud music?) from the bus stop downtown. 

 

1 Feb 2010

This morning we went for a bike ride (aaagh I hate hills) and now we’re getting ready to tramp the northern loop in Tongariro starting on February third.  Our second WWOOF fell through so we’re hoping to find another one near Christchurch.  If nothing works (which is what it looks like right now) we may either do a little more tramping or just head down to Dunedin to get the car worked out and settle in. 

 

 

Stuff I’ve learned:

Maori words are not pronounced how we read them in English.  I’ve started to figure out the bits and pieces, like au making the o sound as in toe or wh sounding like f (who decided that one?), and r’s are almost rolled to sound like d’s. 

 

The Williams were wonderful people who trusted us entirely.  They both liked to talk about their beliefs and exchange opinions.  Thus far complaints about American politics are basically in line with my own political views.  People tend to see us as a self-centered nation that needs to get its shit figured out.  They were both extremely active and fit until David got into a serious car crash and now has a very sore foot, but Chrissie still runs every morning, plays the flute, rides horses, etc.  David visits his boat weekly and loves to go sailing for weeks or months at a time, is the fire chief, runs an auto garage, and generally just likes to help people out.  Chrissie is nearly vegan for ethical reasons, keeps sheep for their wool, and would rather not travel or go sailing.  In spite of their warm personalities they seemed more than a little biased against Maori people and what they viewed as a lack of work ethic.  They constantly pointed out Maori versus European houses and land, and discussed the multiple-owner method of the land and how it makes decisions virtually impossible.  As a rule, they saw Maori land as overgrown, untended, and unproductive.  All the other Europeans we met had this mentality as well.  I feel like this is pretty similar, though less prevalent in the U.S.  It seems most people of European descent view the land as a thing of potential wealth that must be utilized.  We get land and then do something with it, whether it becomes a house, farmland, or a garden.  Conquer nature and bend er to our will, or at least make use of what she gives us rather than let it lie and take what you can. 

 

People here are generally entirely willing to help you out if you need a lift or a place to stay or to know what sights to see.  They get a kick out of “oh, that’s cool—we don’t have that at home!”

 

Toilets have a half and full flush option depending on how much waste goes into the bowl.  Light switches turn lights on when you flip them down.  When you want to turn left you have to yield to all traffic and wait for the light to turn in your favor, unlike when you can turn right on a red light in the states.  Stick shifts still have first gear in the upper left.