30 April, 2014

Road Trippin'

New Zealand Trampers
I have been on my fair share of road trips, and I previously don't even know if I would qualify four short days of driving as a road trip. However, there is no way that these four days of driving on the wrong side of the road in a foreign country cannot constitute as a road trip. After only a few hours, we gave up with all the conversions, because what fun is this math problem?:

If Becca and Dennis are driving 4.5 hours at 95km/hr and gas is 3.15 New Zealand dollars per liter, how many kiwis do they have to pick to pay for gas?

But really, it wasn't all that bad. Driving on the other side of the road makes a lot more sense to me now. In fact, if I were to spontaneously arrive in the US behind the wheel of a car, I reckon y'all should run for your lives.



ie: hard hats, head torches, on a boat, in a cave

On our little trip, we drove from Auckland down to Otorohanga where we were able to take part in a tour for the spectacular Waitomo caves. Definitely a huge recommendation from us. From the boat ride, hard hats, head torches, and stalactites/stalagmites as far as the eye could see, I felt like a real-life spelunker. It's a bit hard to see from these pictures, but there are WORMS that GLOW and cover the entire ceiling in these caves, quite reminiscent of the night sky. Thinking about it for too long can be a bit creepy, but the experience is incredible.
Waitomo worms













From Otorohanga, we drove down to the little town of Rotorua, a truly gorgeous place situated right on Lake Rotorua (quite original in their naming). We checked into the Rotorua Downtown Backpackers where we were blessed with FREE WIFI (whaat??) and some pretty rad Indian food. Our original plan was to leave the next day and stay in Taupo, but we liked it so much in Rotorua that we decided it was a necessity to stay another night. (Pretty hard to turn down free wifi right there in your own room.) We got to watch some good ol' American movies from the comfort of our own room (the driving scenes about drove me bonkers). But to top all that, we found some pretty bomb walking paths around the Lake Rotorua, more black swans than you could ever hope to see in the entirety of your life, and a pretty cool street fair, complete with pony rides for all the thickly-accented-kiwi-children.



Black swans in Lake Rotorua
After our second night in Rotorua, we drove just about 35 kilometers to Kerosene Creek. "What in tarnation could that be?", you ask? Why just a little hot spring creek that is just around 30 degrees Celsius ALL THE TIME. (Ahem, about 86ish Farenheit.) The rotten-egg-sulfur smell leaves a bit to be desired, but after some dreary drizzle and constant cold weather, nothing could be better. From Kerosene creek, we drove to Taupo and enjoyed a little picnic lunch overlooking the parasailers in Lake Taupo, and drove on down to Wellington. The next day we hopped on the ferry to take us to the South Island of NZ and have thus embarked on a new adventure.


Street fair in Rotorua


The ferry takes you through the Cook Strait and into a quaint little town called Picton where we spent two days enjoying some bike rides, an on-site hot tub, FREE WIFI (yip yip yip), and the company of many like-minded travelers. And, just a couple of days ago now, we hitchhiked into Blenheim where we are currently in the process of finding jobs to continue our travels. It seems as though Blenheim is very much a working town for backpackers and we are presented with quite a few options, assuming we can find a job opening. There is mussel shucking, vineyard pruning, or working in a salt or garlic factory. With such a variety in opportunities, I'm sure we'll have some great stories to tell. Ain't no one can say we're leading boring lives down here!
In the Waitomo caves

23 April, 2014

We're Still Out Here We Promise

Cookin' Easter dinner
Yes Yes, this post is to testify that we are in fact still alive and kicking down here in the southern hemisphere. We haven't exactly had our keesters parked in real comfortable-like rocking chairs, sipping iced tea on the front porch of our countryside cottage and thinking of how we could keep you all in the dark regarding our goings about. No, actually we've been pushing ourselves to the brink physically, mentally, and olfactorily via a hodge podge of strenuous activity including but not limited to mountain climbing, hard core trekking, remote camping, kiwi picking for a ruthless commercial enterprise abetted by villainous henchmen (only half kidding), and cyclone endurance (not kidding at all). We last left you loyal blog monitors with a post summarily expressing our experience in Auckland -- after such, due to a last minute cancellation on behalf of our to-be hosts on Kawhua Island (near Auckland), we had to improvise and decided to channel our inner Edmund Hillary by hiking the 5 day trail in the Waitakere Range that bears his name.

Little did we know that we were drastically both under and over prepared for the trek. Under because it was extremely physically demanding, often requiring 2 hour long 45-60 degree switchback inclines that at times required pulling yourself up a chain bolted into the rock, then descending an equally imposing rock face with little margin for error ( steep plunges on either side of the meter wide trail) -- add to this loose footing, rain, and mud in varying combinations, and you've got a situation that calls for refined mountaineering technique. We were over prepared because we had to bring our whole packs (nowhere to leave stuff) which included approximately 25 unnecessary pounds each in the form of excess clothing, laptop, books, kitchenware etc. All that, coupled with the lack of water due to "unfit for drinking unless treated" signs at our first campsite, and you've got a serious military training style exercise as opposed to a jolly frolic through gentle rolling sheep dotted hills ( that's more what we were shooting for). We persevered, oh did we ever, and made it to the aptly named "Watipu" ( pronounced 'what a poo') camp ground and lodge that was way off the beaten track. Wayne,the owner, wore a shirt that gave the executive summary of the Watipu ethos: "No cell service, no wi fi, no problem". Most importantly, we had a clean water source that was so much more appreciated than almost ever before at any point in our lives, and a pristine beach right next door. We hitched a ride out of there after 2 days of recuperating and licking our "tramping wounds" , then were fortunate enough to catch a free all day music festival in the town of Titirangi -- fortune smiled upon us, and we ate epic hamburgers at one of the food stalls near the main stage.

Rainbow falls near our working hostel
We then spent 2 nights at Surf n' Snow Hotel in Auckland, a very centrally located and efficiently run operation just across the street from the famous Auckland Sky Tower. We woke up early one morning and noticed Queen st. (main st. in downtown Auckland) was closed off, then realized that we were at the starting line ( near the amazing Auckland harbor front) for the Auckland Triathlon, an event showcasing many world class athletes and olympians from dozens of countries. That was cool!!! I think doing 2 back to back triathlons would still be easier than the way we did the Hillary Trail.







Alas, a praying mantis


After Auckland, we caught a bus to Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands. We spent the last 2 weeks there, camped out in our tent next to a river in a "holiday park" called Aranga Backpackers. We elected to go to Aranga mainly because they facilitate seasonal employment positions for Working Holiday Visa holders such as ourselves, and they delivered. We had only been there 2 days before we were asked to join a kiwi harvesting team run by "LD Packers". We started immediately, and believe me when I tell you it was WORK. Other than the first day, which caught us both totally off guard (didn't expect to be picking that day, just signing paperwork), we found that the picking was pretty fun. At least I did -- I compared it to being paid for a work out. Picking is a pretty mindless enterprise, but it's cool to talk to the other people on your team who are mostly local Maori and kiwi guys. Becca was designated as one of the premier kiwi pickers and often was showered with praise by the foremen for her swift technique and careful deposit of fruit into the communal bins. I was so jealous, as I usually received criticism from the same foremen -- mostly because I am not Becca. After one pay cycle though, we noticed LD Packers propensity to cut corners and blatantly disregard contractual agreements that they were bound to. The only answer we heard when questioning the orchard manager about their labor practices was 'if someone doesn't like it then they can find another job' -- this is most likely a widespread approach to labor in the agribusiness industry, i.e. "marginalized" communities composed of temporary laborers and immigrants who are taken advantage of by those that rely upon their contributions in the field. We were mainly doing it for the experience, and to bankroll our expedition just a little bit, so when the same circumstances were repeated ( no breaks while picking 6 hours straight, asked to wait around in uniform for up to 1.5 hours at a time without pay because we weren't picking yet, called to work on easter sunday then sent home almost 2 hours later without pay because of rain, misrepresentation of wages/ actual earnings, etc.) we just cut out and felt blessed that it was only a fleeting choice we had made to work in such an industry and not something that we were reliant upon. Whole groups of immigrants from Tonga, Vana Atu, and elsewhere flew in to work the harvest for months at a time -- what recourse does a population like that have with a company that exploits their eagerness towards, but ultimately unfulfilled earning potential? After 2 weeks, we will forever be in solidarity with all the countless fruit pickers and agri-laborers the world over who's hands have picked the succulent strawberries, ripe avocados, and ... killer kiwis that rest peacefully in your big ol' fruit bowl in the corner of the kitchen. Super glad we did it, super glad we're done.
Drivin'
So now we rented a car for 4 days to drive from Auckland to Wellington ( at the southernmost tip of the north island), stopping in some of NZ's most treasured and naturally beautiful locations en route. We are currently in the town Otorohanga ( all their names sound the same after a while) 8 km away from the hallowed Waitomo Glow Worm Caves -- our cave tour begins promptly at 10 am manana. long update, to be sure, but when internet is scarce and your adventures are many, sometimes it's the only way. Intend to be more regular / less intensive with future postings. However, as we are ever finding out, the map is NOT the territory.