Best Park Ever!
If you ever find yourself in Wanganui New Zealand take a drive on SH 4 just north of the city and you will come across this park that has turned all of your childhood fables into swings and slides.
ZOMG Pictures!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Mount Taranaki Climb
The West Cape of New Zealand is known as a route off the beaten path for tourists. It encompasses a string of small surf towns around the coast anchored by the city of New Plymouth. Dominating the view from every point of the coastal drive is the snow capped peak of Mount Taranaki, the youngest of a string of volcanoes that goes out into the sea. The instant I saw it towering over the town I knew that I had to climb it.
Walter very quickly decided that he had better things to do (reading his book on the beach) than climbing a mountain. When I inquired about the trail conditions on the summit climb the park warden warned me that the Summit was unobtainable without Crampons and an Ice Pick. Despite her warning myself and a few Germans, Brits, and Aussie students decided to attempt the summit and just turn back if it was impassable.
The walk begins with a steep gravel fire road to a mountain cabin, this part of the trail is aptly named "The Puffer." From there the trail turned into a steep scree slope of volcanic scoria. I consider myself an experienced hiker and I can safely say that I have never encountered a more difficult section of trail than this. One of my Aussie climbing companions described it quite accurately as a Vertical Beach. After about 90 minutes of rock scrambling we reached the snowfields by the summit. We were lucky and the snow was soft enough that we could summit without tools, screw you Park Ranger. From the top you can see the perfect radial borders of Egmont National Park. The summit was breathtaking and terrifying at the same time as one wrong step could leave you sliding uncontrollably down one of the numerous snowy slopes.
On the way down the work we put into climbing the scree slope was well worth it. By jumping from foot to foot you could essentially skate down the side of the mountain (picture a giant sand dune.) When I finally reached the bottom I collapsed into the car awaiting our campsite for the night.
Pictures!
Walter very quickly decided that he had better things to do (reading his book on the beach) than climbing a mountain. When I inquired about the trail conditions on the summit climb the park warden warned me that the Summit was unobtainable without Crampons and an Ice Pick. Despite her warning myself and a few Germans, Brits, and Aussie students decided to attempt the summit and just turn back if it was impassable.
The walk begins with a steep gravel fire road to a mountain cabin, this part of the trail is aptly named "The Puffer." From there the trail turned into a steep scree slope of volcanic scoria. I consider myself an experienced hiker and I can safely say that I have never encountered a more difficult section of trail than this. One of my Aussie climbing companions described it quite accurately as a Vertical Beach. After about 90 minutes of rock scrambling we reached the snowfields by the summit. We were lucky and the snow was soft enough that we could summit without tools, screw you Park Ranger. From the top you can see the perfect radial borders of Egmont National Park. The summit was breathtaking and terrifying at the same time as one wrong step could leave you sliding uncontrollably down one of the numerous snowy slopes.
On the way down the work we put into climbing the scree slope was well worth it. By jumping from foot to foot you could essentially skate down the side of the mountain (picture a giant sand dune.) When I finally reached the bottom I collapsed into the car awaiting our campsite for the night.
Pictures!
Lighthouses and Crayfish
I am writing this from my cabin on the shores of Lake Taupo. Tomorrow is going to be one of the splurges of my trip, a 15,000 foot skydive. The tent has a night off because Walter and I have compromised on paying for accommodation with a hot shower every 3 to 4 days.
We have spent the last few days traveling down the entire west coast of the country all the way from the Northern-most point at Cape Reinga. At the advice of everyone we met we decided to take a guided tour to the top of the country since it is the only way you can experience driving on 90 Mile beach without risking your rental car joining the other rusted hulks along the way (the beach is considered a legal road!) While I thought I had found the most annoying driver in New Zealand on the shuttle from the Port to Lyttleton on the Cruise (he had just discovered his microphone and spent the whole trip either breathing into it or enthralling us with every mundane detail of his life) however the driver on our tour was batting for the fences. For 8 hours Walter and I had to endure his cackling over the bus speakers at every half assed attempt at a joke he uttered. I pray that one day he will discover that he is the only one laughing. Despite some minor cochlear bleeding we made it to Cape Reinga. There one of the passengers on our bus, Luke from Ohio had his last cigarette before he began his walk down to Bluff at the southern tip of the southern island. He looked like a man being marched off to the chair to me.
From there Walter and I worked our way down the west coast. A rainy day spent in the lovely home of my friends from the cruise Dan and Sarah was a welcome respite from the tent. Their dog Chopper is blessed / cursed with a very prominent pair. While this makes him very popular with the ladies he is very susceptible to testicular sunburn. Therefore on sunny days Sarah is tasked with making sure that Chopper has sunscreen where needed. Not every owner would do that for their dog.
After Hamilton Walter and I headed to the west coast. We split up so he could relax while I climbed Mt. Taranaki. Afterwards we stepped into a cafe to fill up our water and I inquired about a campsite. We were directed by an eager patron to a boating club a few kilometers down the road. This was far and away the best campsite yet in New Zealand. It is essentially the lawn of a yachting club that a wonderful local couple decides to live on during the summer months. The following morning we were treated by Jeff and Diane to an enormous english breakfast and then an invitation onto a local fishing boat. We weren't going to say no to a free day at sea and afterwards we were rewarded for our efforts with a 1.5 kilo Crayfish (the lobster of New Zealand,) one of many that our hosts had caught. We were the envy of our campsite that night since a crayfish of that size sells for over $100 in the store.
I have a few more days with Walter and then I am on my own for real. I still haven't found a job but I intent to try my prospects down south.
We have spent the last few days traveling down the entire west coast of the country all the way from the Northern-most point at Cape Reinga. At the advice of everyone we met we decided to take a guided tour to the top of the country since it is the only way you can experience driving on 90 Mile beach without risking your rental car joining the other rusted hulks along the way (the beach is considered a legal road!) While I thought I had found the most annoying driver in New Zealand on the shuttle from the Port to Lyttleton on the Cruise (he had just discovered his microphone and spent the whole trip either breathing into it or enthralling us with every mundane detail of his life) however the driver on our tour was batting for the fences. For 8 hours Walter and I had to endure his cackling over the bus speakers at every half assed attempt at a joke he uttered. I pray that one day he will discover that he is the only one laughing. Despite some minor cochlear bleeding we made it to Cape Reinga. There one of the passengers on our bus, Luke from Ohio had his last cigarette before he began his walk down to Bluff at the southern tip of the southern island. He looked like a man being marched off to the chair to me.
From there Walter and I worked our way down the west coast. A rainy day spent in the lovely home of my friends from the cruise Dan and Sarah was a welcome respite from the tent. Their dog Chopper is blessed / cursed with a very prominent pair. While this makes him very popular with the ladies he is very susceptible to testicular sunburn. Therefore on sunny days Sarah is tasked with making sure that Chopper has sunscreen where needed. Not every owner would do that for their dog.
After Hamilton Walter and I headed to the west coast. We split up so he could relax while I climbed Mt. Taranaki. Afterwards we stepped into a cafe to fill up our water and I inquired about a campsite. We were directed by an eager patron to a boating club a few kilometers down the road. This was far and away the best campsite yet in New Zealand. It is essentially the lawn of a yachting club that a wonderful local couple decides to live on during the summer months. The following morning we were treated by Jeff and Diane to an enormous english breakfast and then an invitation onto a local fishing boat. We weren't going to say no to a free day at sea and afterwards we were rewarded for our efforts with a 1.5 kilo Crayfish (the lobster of New Zealand,) one of many that our hosts had caught. We were the envy of our campsite that night since a crayfish of that size sells for over $100 in the store.
I have a few more days with Walter and then I am on my own for real. I still haven't found a job but I intent to try my prospects down south.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
My First Time
After driving around the North Island for two weeks and meeting a whole host of kiwis it was bound to happen. I didn't make any plans to do it when I was thinking of coming down here but I knew that there is a ton of it here so there was a possibility. I was a little nervous at first since I wasn't quite sure how it worked but I turned out to be pretty good. I don't regret doing it and I am actually looking forward to doing it again.
I guess it is appropriate that my introduction to the confusing game of Cricket didn't involve 5 days of standing around wearing white but a hybrid (drinking) version of the game. The rules were incredibly complex but mostly revolved around cans of beer strewn about the field. I did manage to bowl a few wickets which was appreciated by everyone but the batter who had to hammer his beer.
This game came to be at a campsite off of Highway 1 about 3 hours north of Auckland in the Northern Part of the country. The night quickly devolved from there and ended with us doing donuts on the beach in a pickup truck.
I really do enjoy the special kind of stupidity that Kiwis have. It is that "Hey Ya'll watch this" part of the Southern US states that we all love without the confederate flag parts that make us uncomfortable.
I joined my new kiwi friends for some snorkeling this afternoon. Of course what seemed like a good idea to them ended with us getting smashed against the rocks as we tried to climb out of the water at the end. My legs look like I was attached by a rabid house cat.
Walter and I decided to take a night off from the camping to stay in a Hostel and take care of some basics such as Laundry, Hot Showers, and Dishes. Tomorrow we are off again into the north for a few more days of camping. The entries will continue to be posted bunches at a time because internet is so few and far between in the backcountry.
I guess it is appropriate that my introduction to the confusing game of Cricket didn't involve 5 days of standing around wearing white but a hybrid (drinking) version of the game. The rules were incredibly complex but mostly revolved around cans of beer strewn about the field. I did manage to bowl a few wickets which was appreciated by everyone but the batter who had to hammer his beer.
This game came to be at a campsite off of Highway 1 about 3 hours north of Auckland in the Northern Part of the country. The night quickly devolved from there and ended with us doing donuts on the beach in a pickup truck.
I really do enjoy the special kind of stupidity that Kiwis have. It is that "Hey Ya'll watch this" part of the Southern US states that we all love without the confederate flag parts that make us uncomfortable.
I joined my new kiwi friends for some snorkeling this afternoon. Of course what seemed like a good idea to them ended with us getting smashed against the rocks as we tried to climb out of the water at the end. My legs look like I was attached by a rabid house cat.
Walter and I decided to take a night off from the camping to stay in a Hostel and take care of some basics such as Laundry, Hot Showers, and Dishes. Tomorrow we are off again into the north for a few more days of camping. The entries will continue to be posted bunches at a time because internet is so few and far between in the backcountry.
Adventures in the East
With Carey safe in his flat Walter and I set off for our adventure. I had originally planned to ride with him until I got a job but that has been a harder prospect than I originally expected. I am still looking but have relaxed the search a bit since I am enjoying driving around and Walter will be here until the 20th of December so I may as well take advantage of the car and someone to split traveling costs with.
On our first night away from Wellington we decided to stay in the town of Napier. The town prides itself on being an Art Deco capital of the world and has the kitschy postcards to try and prove it. As a fan of Art Deco architecture I was excited and supremely disappointed. Walter and I just looked at each other with the same thought: Thats it??!?!
If I didn't see the whole Manhattan skyline on my commute every day I might have appreciated it more. Luckily the town did have a redeeming feature; the Napier Prison Backpackers Hostel. A few years ago a dilapidated prison that had closed in 1992 was turned into a Hostel. For the price of $30 NZ a head Walter and I checked ourselves into our very own prison cell. All of the rooms had door chains since of course the locks were on the outside. The facility was run by a couple that was just a little "off." It may be that they chose to live year round in a prison but I was a little bit uncomfortable when I met eyes with them. Also staying in the Hostel were a group of International University students from a school about 2 hours south of the town. After the long walk back from the supermarket with 24 packs of beer on our shoulders the international drinking games commenced. I don't know exactly how it went down but my guess is that the owner of the Hostel went in their room in the morning and saw the mattresses on the floor and beer bottles all over the place and promptly threw them out of the place right there (they were planning on staying another night.) All I know is that they weren't there when we woke up and the owner asked us if we were bothered by the noise the night before. We told him we didn't hear a thing and quietly gathered our things and moved on.
From then on we stayed at campsites every night. We made our way all the way to the easternmost point of New Zealand and were some of the very first people in the world to see the Sun on December 4th.
I have had the privilege of camping on the beach most of these nights. I simply love the sound of the waves as I go to sleep and a swim in the ocean first thing. We stayed at Hot Water Beach (despite posted signs) and took advantage of the boiling hot springs to spend the next morning lounging in our own natural hot tub just a few dozen feet from the waves.
From the East Cape we headed up the Coromandel Peninsula to spend a couple of nights. We are next going to head up above Auckland before we swing back south for our Skydiving adventure in Taupo.
On our first night away from Wellington we decided to stay in the town of Napier. The town prides itself on being an Art Deco capital of the world and has the kitschy postcards to try and prove it. As a fan of Art Deco architecture I was excited and supremely disappointed. Walter and I just looked at each other with the same thought: Thats it??!?!
If I didn't see the whole Manhattan skyline on my commute every day I might have appreciated it more. Luckily the town did have a redeeming feature; the Napier Prison Backpackers Hostel. A few years ago a dilapidated prison that had closed in 1992 was turned into a Hostel. For the price of $30 NZ a head Walter and I checked ourselves into our very own prison cell. All of the rooms had door chains since of course the locks were on the outside. The facility was run by a couple that was just a little "off." It may be that they chose to live year round in a prison but I was a little bit uncomfortable when I met eyes with them. Also staying in the Hostel were a group of International University students from a school about 2 hours south of the town. After the long walk back from the supermarket with 24 packs of beer on our shoulders the international drinking games commenced. I don't know exactly how it went down but my guess is that the owner of the Hostel went in their room in the morning and saw the mattresses on the floor and beer bottles all over the place and promptly threw them out of the place right there (they were planning on staying another night.) All I know is that they weren't there when we woke up and the owner asked us if we were bothered by the noise the night before. We told him we didn't hear a thing and quietly gathered our things and moved on.
From then on we stayed at campsites every night. We made our way all the way to the easternmost point of New Zealand and were some of the very first people in the world to see the Sun on December 4th.
I have had the privilege of camping on the beach most of these nights. I simply love the sound of the waves as I go to sleep and a swim in the ocean first thing. We stayed at Hot Water Beach (despite posted signs) and took advantage of the boiling hot springs to spend the next morning lounging in our own natural hot tub just a few dozen feet from the waves.
From the East Cape we headed up the Coromandel Peninsula to spend a couple of nights. We are next going to head up above Auckland before we swing back south for our Skydiving adventure in Taupo.
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