Posts Tagged With: New Zealand

Napier – On The East Coast of New Zealand

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Phil

Welcome to NapierSalutations from another locale in New Zealand- Napier. Today, we made thee short hop out of Rotorua and smack dab on to the west coast of the North Island. We packed up our Spaceship, stopped at the local post office to mail some postcards home to friends & family and began our trek fairly early. Our roads today were marked as the Thermal Explorer Highway which logically would qualify us as documented Thermal Explorers. Hmmm…I better get that on my LinkedIn profile ASAP.

Amazing Views continueAs with other drives we’ve conquered, today was a bit of Adventure Driving. Two lane divided highways through sharp curves and up and down mountains makes for some serious head’s-up motoring. But the stunning views through dramatic changes in topography over the course of just a couple hundred kilometers make up for it. Scenic? Not even close. The sites of mountains, sloping hills and more are the very definition of majestic. We now have had a chance to drive through both the east coast and west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Both are relatively different with the east coast delivering more mountain ranges. However, no matter where you drive, you’re sure to see lots of grazing sheep happily gallivanting and lots of roundabout traffic circles. Yup. Sheep and roundabouts. Just make it the New Zealand motto.

The Criterion HostelBefore long, we were cruising into Napier and stumbling across the western edge of New Zealand. Nothing but ocean in front of us. Napier sits right on the coast and is chic, sunny and warm. The town has a very different vibe than Rotorua and is laced with endless charming cafes downtown. As with each town before it, Napier is already different from each town we have already visited. We quickly found a hostel (with the help of Lonely Planet) that was centrally located and was just what we were looking for. The Criterion Hostel offers a solid deal, free breakfast and oozes a bit of charm in an art deco style building.

Some Prime Art DecoA bit about Napier: The town is best known for a horrific 1931 earthquake that was New Zealand’s worst natural disaster and the corresponding rebuilding that established the town as the Art Deco capital of the world. There are markers and tributes to the earthquake everywhere and the art deco style is universal. What’s truly fascinating is that the earthquake ADDED almost 40 sq km of NEW land to the city that had previously been swamp land. When the city rebuilt, a very deliberate decision was made to create almost everything in the style of the day: Art Deco. In fact, it’s hard to spend an afternoon in Napier without being constantly reminded of the towns two claims to fame. They are touted heavily everywhere. Even more recent construction keeps with the Art Deco theme and while I don’t know I.M. Pei from I.B.M. the buildings really do standout and have a great look to them. The hilly residential section near downtown reminded me a lot of San Francisco. We’re glad to be here, even if its just for a day. It’s been fun to kick around the town for a while.

View from the bluffsAfter arriving, we discovered that the bluff overlooking the shore was the perfect place to munch on a sack lunch while enjoying the view and watch a large container ship ease into the Napier Port. Later, we stumbled across the Art Deco Trust Centre (where we did our best to sit through an only slighlty mind-numbing 24 minute video) and embarked on a self-guided walking tour of the Art Deco buildings throughout town. Good times overall, but Brooke and I struggled a bit with the self-guided tour. In part because the guide was less than stellar with the information and in part because architectural beauty isn’t completely our cup of tea. We became more adept at self guiding when we started wandering into buildings and asking questions. In one top hotel, several old built-in-wall vaults now double as high end liquor storage. It was a quality crash course in the overall building style. Brooke and I can now speak knowledgeably to zigzags, sunbursts, ziggurats, facades and more.

We ended our day with drinks and dinner at the Brazen Head down the street from our hostel after abandoning plans to visit an upscale winery. While watching music videos in the bar, it looked for a minute that Ron Weasley had embarked on a pop career. Turns out, wait, he’s just acting in a somewhat hilarious music video. Well played, Ron Weasley! We even were able to enjoy a new local beer called Rooster Lager. Tomorrow: Windy Welly (that’s Wellington) and checking into our first AirBnB stay!

-Phil

 PS- Note that you can always make photos from the blog bigger/see them in more detail by clicking on the photos. We know that sometimes they appear kind of small and clicking on the photos will give ya the full experience!

Categories: City Visits, Communication, Diversions, Driving Abroad, Exploring, New Zealand, Self Guided Tours, Unusual Experiences | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

It’s Weird when the Ground Steams

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Brooke

Hot Lava undergroundIt is not everyday that I find myself walking down the street and the ground is steaming.  Yes, here in Rotorua, New Zealand, steam shoots out of the ground in almost every direction you look.  If I were back home in the States, I would see this and think something is on fire or a factory is at work, but here it is just another one of nature’s wonders.

Phil's almost as tallWe began our second day in Rotorua doing what we couldn’t do yesterday due the rain:  go for a hike through the Redwoods.  We visited The Redwoods  Whakarewarewa Forest where there are groves of impressive California Redwoods.  Apparently they pale in comparison with the ones in the western U.S., but these are quite a bit younger.  They were actually planted from the trees native to the United States.  After looking at the map, we decided the 34 kilometer hike might be a bit much, but the 2.5k hike was not enough.  Like Goldilocks, we settled for the 7.5k walk which was just right.  It was well-marked and not too steep, though the climb to some of the look-out points definitely got our heart rate up!  The huffing and puffing were totally worth it to see the views from above the city.  We could see beautiful Lake Rotorua, but more impressive was the way the earth steamed as though it was about to burst!  The geothermal preserve below showcased an abundance of steam rising from the surface, but even farther away from that, off in the distance, steam clouds rise from the middle of the forest.

No 30k for you!After completing our hike, we went to Te Puia, a Maori village set on the geothermal reserve.  Here we witnessed some traditional Maori dances, including a Welcome Ceremony and a War Song.  It was interesting and impressive, though it seemed strange to me to clap after a song/dance done by warriors meant to intimidate their enemies.  I am always torn in these circumstances between exploitation and appreciation of another culture.  I did find it interesting, though I’d love a more authentic experience.  Such is the battle of the tourist, I suppose.  One of the best things about visiting Te Puia is that we were able to get up close to this amazing geyser, Pohutu (meaning “big splash”) which spews water 90 feet high at a temperature of 90 degrees Celsius!  Luckily by the time the mist reached us, it cooled significantly.  The sight of this water being under so much pressure that it springs from the earth is amazing.  Phil and I keep imagining what it must have been like for the very first person to discover this natural wonder–terrifying, I imagine!

Big Splash

Yummy!

Tonight, we are happy to be warm, dry and inside making our first home-cooked meal on the road (well, at least the first one we cooked ourselves).  We have found one of the major benefits of staying at hostels is the availability of the kitchen.  It is nice not eating out every night, plus a trip to the grocery store in another country is always interesting.  Lessons learned:  zucchinis are crazy expensive, but brussell sprouts are super cheap.  Also, a sweet potato is called a kumira.  I love it!  For dessert, we try two new candy bars:  Kit Kat Chunky and Moro Gold.

Tomorrow we head out of Rotorua toward Wellington.  We will make a brief stop in Napier, which isn’t too far from Mt. Tongariro which is an active volcano that began erupting today.  Yikes, as if we weren’t scared enough of volcanoes already!  Don’t worry, we promise to stay far away from any hot lava flows!

–Brooke

Categories: Diversions, Eating, Exploring, Hotels, New Zealand, Safety, Uncategorized, Unusual Experiences | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Rotorua and The Polynesian Spa

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Phil

Good evening from Rotorua, New Zealand! Brooke and I are settling into our cozy, yet simple room at the YHA Rotorua Hostel as we end our day in this charming and sleepy mid-sized town, alongside a lake formed in a volcanic crater.  This town is famous for natural beauty, geysers, hot mud springs and more. It is also the native home of Zorbing! Which we have absolutely no desire to do. Rotorua is just another one of many, many locations whose name is Maori in origin. There are two things we see everywhere we look in New Zealand: Maori cultural influence and backpacker camps and hostels.

Phil and a deliciously oversized Stella ArtoisWe’re hosting full bellies courtesy of a late dinner just down the street.We dined at a gorgeous and grand former local police station turned Irish pub aptly named “The Pig and Whistle” (get it?). The evening was made up of a giant Stella and a Giant (but not so fresh) Guinness, splitting a pork tenderloin and watching the opening heats of the Olympic Kayak and Canoe racing live from London. Go Kiwis!

The highlight of our day had to be our trip to the hot pools at the Polynesian Spa. In fact, it might have been one of the top highlights of our trip thus far. Hot mineral bathing in geothermal spring water that flows right under our toes in Rotorua. We don’t have a lot of photos to share because, you know, a brand new digital camera doesn’t mix very well with seven baths and spas lined with slightly corrosive mineral water. The spas provided amazing relaxation and just an incredible experience. It was really quite like nothing else I’ve ever done. I’m nobody’s Hemingway nor Steinbeck nor even E.L. James, so I feel like I’m not going to do this happening justice, but I’ll give it a shot:

The Polynesian SpaUpon arriving at the Spa, we chose the Adult Pools and Priest Spa package that ran us $25 USD each for unlimited time in the rejuvenating waters. This included access to seven separate pool areas in total – none deeper than about four feet. You quickly notice that those pools are slightly stinky (from the natural sulfur rising up), remarkably steamy and really hot. Each pool is kept at temperatures between 100 and 110 degrees

It is a very tactile experience. It is hard to focus on anything other than the warmth and the steam pouring in waves of clouds off your body. Man, if I was a local resident, I would be there every single day. So, sure, we don’t really understand how these thermodynamic spas work. Seems like we’ve been getting a crash course in various Geology lessons as we tramp across New Zealand. We do know that each pool had minerals that you can see floating in the water. And we know that a hot spa on a cool night feels amazing. And probably a hell of a lot more enjoyable than the awful sounding idea of a hot spa on a hot summer night.

In the pool closest to the lake, which was the hottest and our favorite, I had this sort of magical moment when the clouds finally cleared allowing me to at last view the stars of the New Zealand sky. It was then when I saw the Southern Cross for the first time. A set of stars I had never seen before. The stars here are bright and there are many. It makes it easy to understand why I came this way.

Hot Tubs await youWhen we decided we had raised our core temperature quite a bit and soaked it all in, we called it quits. Leaving the spa felt like walking out of a long message. Refreshing and soothing and leaves you feeling at ease. Brooke and I walked out of the Polynesian Spa in the cool New Zealand night feeling like we had some leftover steam still escaping from our bodies. Yeah, it was the highlight of the day soaking in those pools. Chalk one up for another worthwhile, memorable trip experience.

We’ve settled into Rotorua and will likely stay a couple of nights. The hostel has some thin walls and bathrooms down the hall, but the place is clean, modern, full of amenities and give us all the space we need. Tomorrow night, we think we’ll try our hand at a homemade meal in their eye-poppingly large kitchen. We continue to absorb and explore and learn and see and enjoy. Hmmm…I’m pretty sure that our clothes and our room smell a little like sulfur from the pools.

Just another gorgeous day in New Zealand

Just another stunning day in New Zealand – rainbow captured over Rotorua during an afternoon rain earlier today

Categories: City Visits, Diversions, Eating, Hotels, New Zealand, Oympics, Unusual Experiences | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Raglan, Waitomo Caves and Hamilton, New Zealand

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Brooke

Even though we’re only a few days in, our time in New Zealand continues to be as wonderful as the sites have been breathtaking. We’re quickly learning that this is a country of boundless natural beauty. Without hyperbole, this land is simply stunning. We had an opportunity to see a good portion of it first hand today. Our third full day here was made up of a trip to scenic falls, a windy drive, a guided tour through the spectacular and legendary Waitomo glow worm caves and an evening with the most hospitable and welcoming couple in New Zealand, if not the Southern Hemisphere.

We left Raglan bright and early after completing our recent routine of “Breakfast and Wi-fi” at a local cafe. The locals were celebrating The Chiefs big rugby win last night. We’re also picking up on the friendly rivalry between New Zealanders and their nearest neighbors in Australia who are just “across the ditch” (the span of ocean separating the two countries). Every Kiwi we’ve spoken with has beamed with pride when they remark that New Zealand is 14th overall in the 2012 Olympic medal count while those Aussies only have a single gold medal to their name. Funny.

One note on internet access: Every single business we’ve encountered so far is a bit peculiar about their Wi-Fi. No one has true “free” Wi-Fi. With any purchase, you receive a code that gets you online for a set amount of data (50 mb) or time (1 hour). This is a bit hard to get used to.

From Raglan, we drove a short distance to the scenic Bridal Veil Falls. After a short voyage down a windy road (oh, have we driven on some windy roads far) and an easy 10 minute hike, we were greeted with the amazing site of water streaming 150 feet to the small limestone pool below. Quite the way to start a day of travel and siteseeing. Amazing. Less amazing was the twisting, slow-going gravel road that we then had to drive on for about 45 minutes. Were we lost? Did we take the wrong road? No, that’s just the way the path goes. White knuckle, can’t-see-around-the-next-corner driving indeed. A challenging, but interesting drive. And as bonus, there were picturesque sheep and friendly cows alongside the road to greet us. And we had the enjoyably music coming from New Zealand radio. Worth mentioning that the “Pop Hits of Today” in New Zealand are pretty much the same as the “Pop Hits of Today” in the United States. Maroon 5, Gotye, Katy Perry, and Fun. have all graced the spaceship’s radio to say hello.Our spaceship wound its way up and down hills and around small mountains as part of an incredibly scenic drive. Around each corner was another bucolic, green and sensational view. I’ve really never seen anything like it.

The Waitomo caves, the highlight of our day, was another experience all together. We paid for a combo ticket to visit two caves- Rakauri and Glowworm Caves. The Rakauri cave was a long tour through a twisting, beautiful set of caverns full of stalagmites (coming from the ground that “mite” touch the ceiling), stalagtites, columns, curtains, and more. We had an exceptional tour guide who made the experience outstanding. The magnificent underground beauty was stunning and we learned about the Maori history, background on the caves and just some stunning insight. They even showcase a big chunk of limestone rock that had been carved like a sculpture by just seven years of water drips. But the best part were the glowworms. Native only to New Zealand, these caves are inhabited by glowworms – tiny creatures no longer than four centimeters long that cling to the ceiling and light up the pitch-dark caves like some type of underground constellation. Just…wow. The boat ride at the end of the Glowworm cave through an underground lake was simply amazing and made our day. I could gush for pages about these two caves and the remarkable site of the glowworms.

No room for Phil in the cave

Planning future trips with FelicityOur evening, spent in Hamilton, was a completely different experience. Against all odds, we managed to meet and befriend possibly the nicest, most generous couple in the country. We met Ken and Marinota during our layover in Guagzhou where they had invited us to their place for tea (dinner) one night. Man, are we glad we took them up on that invitation! What followed was an evening of conversation, meals and never-ending hospitality from this enthusiastic, sincerely friendly,well-traveled duo. They helped us outline some future stops in New Zealand (each place was more of a “can’t miss’ than the one before!), talked travel, gave us insight into New Zealand culture (Ken calls the remote “the zonker”) and we even chatted it up with the neighbors – Jason and Felicity – who stopped by. Jason and Felicity are planning a trip to Van Wert, Ohio in December. Where? I thought I knew all the towns in Ohio! I’ve come 7,500 miles just to learn about a town in my own backyard I’ve never heard of. We had an amazingly fun night that left us exhausted (but that might have been the many glasses of wine.) Ken and Marinota, being the wonderful people that they are, even opened up their home to us and invited us to spend the night in the guestroom. As we said, exceptionally generous and absurdly gracious. Hooray for making new friends in New Zealand.

Next, we had west to the town of Rotorua and onward!

-Phil

Categories: City Visits, Destinations, Driving, Exploring, Friends, New Zealand, Oympics, Transportation, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Our Spaceship and more!

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Brooke

When planning our trip to New Zealand, we knew we would probably have to rent a car. Our research showed us that Kiwis rely heavily on driving, and public transportation options are limited outside of the larger cities. Since we are traveling on a budget, we didn’t want to spend exorbitant amounts on a car rental, so we looked through all the brochures we had and then discovered: Spaceships!

Our NZ HomeYou may or may not know that campers and campervans are very popular in both New Zealand and Australia. Lots of people who travel are looking for outdoor adventure and these provide that flexibility. The Spaceship considers itself the Swiss Army Knife of campervans. Housed in a Toyota minivan is our daily transportation as well as our nightly accomodations, if we so desire. There is a double bed complete with linens, a small refrigerator and cookstove, pots and pans and a DVD player and screen. The back of the van opens up and can be covered with a tent to provide more space. There is also an awning that can be put up on the passenger side door to provide shade. It is pretty awesome. Are we now planning to camp every night? Not necessarily. But campgrounds are in abundance here and it is nice to know that option is available to us. It is also a major bonus that we are in the off season: the Spaceship was by far the most affordable car rental we found at $29 NZD a day.

Once we picked up our Spaceship named Vela, we continued out of Auckland and began our journey south. This seems simple enough, except they drive on the left side of the road here and the steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car. It doesn’t seem like this would be that hard, but suddenly turning left and right takes a lot of thinking first. Luckily, Phil agreed to be our inaugural driver. He really did an awesome job, though he occasionally veered a little too close to the edge of the road. I can’t blame him–everything is so different. Merging traffic comes in from the left, you pass slow cars on the right. Turn signal is on the right of the steering wheel, windsheild wipers on the left. It didn’t help that we were taking some crazy, winding roads to get to Raglan, today’s destination. It felt a bit treacherous at points, and when we saw a car had flipped on its side after taking sharp turn around the hills, we decided we should definitely be a bit more cautious and watch our speed.

The coolest hostel in RaglanLuckily, Astronaut Phil piloted us safely to Raglan, a surf town just west of Hamilton. We took a long walk along the black sand beach where we saw a woman training her horse and a rainbow gracing the sky. Of course, often when there is a rainbow, there is rain. Unfortunately, we were about a 45 minute walk from the hostel when it began pouring. We looked like drowned rats when we returned. Luckily, Raglan Backpackers is a really nice hostel and they have electric blankets on each bed. Yes, please! We spent the next hour warming up and drying off.


Brooke in RaglanWe ended our night at the Harbour View Hotel Sports Bar which was packed with locals who came out to cheer on the Hamilton Chiefs in the Super Rugby finals match against the Sharks. We didn’t really know what was happening, but after about 15 minutes, we picked up on the basics and we are smart enough to follow the flow of the crowd. They cheer. We cheer. They boo. We boo. Not too hard. Besides, it doesn’t take any practice wincing at some of the hits they laid on each other. Have you ever seen rugby? Geez, that sport is violent. Now I understand why people think American football is for wimps.

That's not our dog!Tomorrow we board our Spaceship and continue our journey. It is amazing–everyday we see something new. What will it be tomorrow? I can’t wait to find out!

–Brooke (Astronaut in training)

Astronaut Training

Just before the rain
Raglan Backpackers

Gorgeous Scenery
Categories: Budget, City Visits, Destinations, Diversions, Driving, Exploring, Hotels, New Zealand, Sports, Transportation, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Auckland, New Zealand

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Phil

We made it!Kia Ora from Auckland, New Zealand! After a good bit of traveling, we’ve made it to the “City of Sails” and just wrapped up our first day of exploring this new country. Knee deep in guidebooks and pamphlets on New Zealand’s largest city, we hit the ground running as soon as we landed. We checked into our hotel room at the Kiwi International. It is a sparse and simple dormitory-style room with a bathroom down the hall, but it will work just great for our two night stay. After all, we don’t plan on spending much time in our hotel room. Our first full day abroad has been a great day. A full day. A busy day. Exploring Auckland, we managed to take in, absorb and learn a ton. After a long day on our feet, it feels like we’re starting to get the hang of things in New Zealand…at least we think we are.

Statues at the Auckland MuseumWe started the day with breakfast and coffee from a local coffee shop where we quickly learned that Auckland loves their coffee shops. You can’t go more than two blocks without tripping over a Gloria Jean’s, Esquire, or, yes, even a Starbucks. A morning trek took us to the Auckland Museum -an impressive collection that has a little bit of everything spread out over three floors. It houses exhibits on Maori culture and history, natural wonders and a history of New Zealand in combat along side a stunning war memorial. After visiting, I finally know exactly what the Anglo-Boer War as all about (always curious about that one). Another exhibit which had an all too real simulation made me absolutely friggin’ terrified of volcanoes. Additionally, we learned that a perplexingly large number of flightless birds apparently enjoy living in New Zealand. Finaly, I’ve decided to start addressing my wife as “Mollyhawk.” Sure, it’s a native bird, but it is also a bad-ass/affectionate nickname. All in all, the Auckland Museum is a truly wonderful place that shouldn’t be missed – especially considering the reasonable $10 NZD suggested donation.

The Stunning Auckland MuseumFrom the museum, we negotiated the bus system and headed to the posh, fashionable and charmingly old neighborhood of Ponsonby. This area is filled with so many cute shops and upscale bistros that it might make you ask, “How many cute shops and upscale bistros does one city of 1.4 million people need?” We also stumbled across an incredible used bookstore while in Ponsonby. After talking with the Zimbambwe-born clerk (and possible proprietor), we snagged a used New Zealand Lonely Planet travel guide for seven bucks and bought detailed map from a nearby magazine store. We now have the tools that we need to plan the next 11 days here.

Kiwi Gold!Throughout the day, we were given endless advice by helpful locals. Kiwi here really love to talk about New Zealand and offer enthusiastic suggestions on what to do and where to go. Based on feedback we’ve received from locals, we’re a little nervous that the almost-two weeks we have in New Zealand won’t be enough time to see everything that we want to see. But, to be fair, most people here consider a three and a half week trip anywhere a short time off. Given their relative isolation and spirit for adventure, New Zealanders are quite the traveling folk. There are almost as many travel agency store fronts as there are coffee shops!

It’s also been very cool to take in the dozens of small differences in a country that seems so familiar but also a bit foreign. For example, the price on any purchase is rounded up to the nearest ten cents. Every single cost will only end in a zero ($.10, .20, .30 etc) and the smallest denomination coin is a dime but it is nearly identical in size and color to the US penny. We’ll take note of more small differences we notice and keep you posted. You can see a couple in the pictures below.

Enjoying a good beerAfter our long day, the night ended with a couple of beers from a bar called “Brews on Quay” where we watched some Olympic Rowing, chatted with the Scottish bartenders and enjoyed the tunes from a two-piece cover band. Tomorrow we’re departing Auckland and heading south to Raglan, Hamilton and the Glow Worm caves near Waitomo. We’ll be traveling there by Spaceship. Seriously. More on THAT tomorrow.

Instead of “Yield” the signs command that you “Give Way!”

Not seen in America: A radio station that ends in an even decimal- .6!

Bacon Vs Tofu
We just had to share this: It’s Bacon vs Tofu!

Categories: City Visits, Destinations, Exploring, Hotels, Museums, New Zealand | Tags: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Nerves

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Brooke

So, we are less than one week from the start of our RTW trip and I have a confession:  I’m nervous.  It is hard for me to pinpoint exactly why I’m nervous, but I am.  I’ve never traveled in this way before—we will be gone for almost four months and much of that time is unplanned.  Yes, we have hotels booked for each city we fly into, that way we have a place to go from the airport, but after that who knows what we’ll see and do?  That is awesome.  That is exactly how we want it to be.  However, I think that is also what is causing some trepidation.

I think it is inevitable that there will be days when we don’t know where we will be laying our head that night.  What happens when it is 9:00 PM and we still don’t have a place to stay?  Can I handle that lack of predictability?  Will I end up getting upset and will Phil and I end up fighting because of my discomfort with the situation?  I imagine when this happens we will end up having to stay in some real fleabag motels or we will end up shelling out too much money and staying in a far nicer place than we planned.  Ultimately none of this really matters—no matter what, everything will work out fine, and if it isn’t all smooth sailing, well it will make for a great memory.  Intellectually, I know this is true.  However, I think I won’t fully understand it until we actually begin our journey and have these types of experiences.

Don’t get me wrong, I am so excited for our trip.  We have been planning and talking about it for so long and it is finally here!  There is just so much that is unknown—I guess it is natural to be a little nervous.  Hopefully when I’m drinking my first Steinlager beer in New Zealand, I will take a deep breath, toast to my husband, and my nerves will melt away.

–Brooke

Categories: Budget, New Zealand, Random Thoughts, Reflections, Trip Prep | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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