Category: New Zealand

Posted on

Working, Again

It seems I wasn’t all together wrong in saying I’d be working in a forestry field coming here. It’s just that I’m working in the deforestry of a few fields on the farm. I’m working with Max and Jane on their 200 some odd acre farm trying to reclaim a paddock from a particular type of tree. So I’ve been spending the last few days throwing trees over a fence while Max cuts them down, quite the tiring work. It’s weird, having a job after an 8 month break. You should try it.

Theres no television or cell phone here so as you can probably imagine it’s fairly remote. They do have a movie collection that would make dad proud so thats usually what I do to entertain myself after finishing 4 hours of hurling trees. And as a celebratory thing I’ve finally eaten lamb. It took one whole month to get to it and it was well worth the wait. Max is an excellent cook and we’ve had things raised here on the farm to eat, including the salads to the venison (wild deer on the farm), sheep, and beef.

Max and Jane are actually a British couple that moved here 10 years ago to start a equine rehabilitation facility and to do research on horse behavior. They have been great hosts and great to talk to about life here in New Zealand. They have given me tons of book and recommended a lot of movies for me to watch regarding all things New Zealand so I’ve dutifully been going through them. There’s also some tramping to do which i’ll get to soon.

Add this to my life experiences, i’ve learned how to hand milk a cow. Hooray me.

Posted on

Staying in One Place

Current Location: Pongaroa, Aotearoa

I liked Napier a lot, the wine tasting I did was great. At some of the wineries we got to sample up to nine different wines. After a while I stopped telling the difference between wines and just kept on drinking. The city is also kinda a neat place, lots to do around the city and it certainly has a character to it.

I spent the last two days cycling to get to my first wwoof’ing appointment. And before when I said forestry work I really meant working on at a equine facility. You can understand how I would mix those up. The good thing is I arrived in one piece, it’s started to get hotter and hotter as the days go on. A good sign that summer might finally be here. It’s either that or I’m on the hot side of the island, as this is where a lot of the wine is grown. Yesterday it was abundantly obvious as the area I was cycling through reminded me a lot of the Napa valley region.

It’ll be weird but I might actually have to stick around here for a bit, but the work seems like it could be fun. It sounds like there’s a lot of bush area to be reclaimed for the horses to feed on along with some other garden type of work. Lets hope I can last, though I can’t imagine it being harder than cycling for 10 hours. I’m not sure what kinda internet I’ll be able to use so updates might be a little more infrequent. I’ll post when I can.

Posted on

Taking Heed

Current Location: Napier, Aotearoa

They call themselves the art-deco capital of the world here, what that means i’m not quite sure of yet but hopefully I can find out tomorrow. This region is also known for it’s wine production, hopefully that’s something I can take advantage of tomorrow on my bicycle. I think the goal is to try wines for as long as I can remain upright on the bike, should be loads of fun. Today’s ride wasn’t bad at all, I started in Wairoa and peddled 118km and arrived into town around half past 5, quite the leisurely day for me on the bike with only 2 major hills, the last one having a 12km downhill section which was a much deserved payoff.

The reason the post is title taking heed is because I tend not to when being told what to do. In my book “Peddlers Paradise” which is the definitive cycling New Zealand book out there it offers a few pieces of advice. Here are a few choice ones which I have learned to follow.

“Sun: In summer use sun block on all exposed skin, forgetting to do so one day may cause severe sunburn…”

Yeah, I didn’t put sunblock a couple days and I was in a world of pain for several days, haven’t forgotten since.

“Sandflies: No dangerous animals such as bears or cats but New Zealand ceartainly makes up for it with sandflies.”

These things are not to be trifled with, I’ve got the wounds all up and down my legs to prove it. I’ve considered bathing in Off as soon as stepping off the cycle. They bite like crazy and it hurts, then it leaves a welt that itches like crazy (I thought I was getting chicken-pox)

“Magpies: They use cyclists as target practice for dive bombing runs and have been known to draw blood”

This one I thought was a joke until today. I was flying down a hill when out of the corner of my eye I saw something big and black take flight. Thinking it was a hawk I turned around to see where it went only to hear something on the other side of me swoop down and squawk at me. Mind you I’m still flying downhill and trying to dodge a damn bird that won’t stop swooping at me. I’m zigging and zagging and nothing will stop this thing from taking pot shots at me. Finally I stop the bike and look back at it, he finally flew away at that point. I think from now should this happen again I’ll just stop the bike and throw rocks at it.

On a seperate note i’m in shooting distance of Wellington which means i’m close to the south island, whoohoo. But I’ve decided to accept a wwoof’ing opportunity for a few weeks so mom and dad can send me my much needed tires (when the arrive.) It’s about 2 days ride from here doing some reforestry work and some other manual labor tasks, i’m looking forward to it.

Posted on

Breaking Things

Current Location: Gisborne, Aotearoa

As Dean would probably say I break rubber tires like a break rubber slippers (due to my big haole feet.) Fortunately for me I happen to be riding on rubber tires backed by kevlar. The day I left Rotorua I thought it would be a prudent decision to have a spare tire. Luckily for me the rear tire I was riding on decided to give up and I was halfway through the kevlar before deciding to swap it out. It’s a nice feeling knowing i’m part of the century club, I doubt many people can say that.

I finished today riding into Gisborne after a 170km ride (a little further than I expected but a nice ride none the less.) I did it mostly to challenge myself to see if I could accomplish a 100 mile ride in a day and I came out on the other end fairly happy with myself. It turned out being a long day filled with peanut- butter- banana sandwiches. Aotearoa can be a cruel mistress, she puts a lot of hills everywhere. I must say the last hill while only 100m, really gave me a tough time.

Around the coast I stayed at a few hostels which were really neat. One of them I got to go out on the boat and check crayfish pots. By the time we were done checking 6 pots we had a 5 gallon bucket full of the critters. He offered me one but I couldn’t carry it on my bike, plus it doesn’t fit my whole scheme of pb&b sandwiches.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, have an extra couple pieces of turkey and maybe a slice or two of pie for me. I promise to cycle off for you (guilt free eating!)

edit: I wrote most of this last night but the internet was wonky

edit2: I added a few more pictures

Posted on

On My Way Out

I’m leaving Rotorua today for Opotiki and the East Cape which should hopefully mean less cars but I hear that logging trucks are on the rise there (I’ll never be free of logging trucks it seems, they are ever so pervasive.) I stayed an extra day or two as the rain came yesterday so it was a good day to spend reading. I found a Bill Bryson book “A Sunburned Country” in the take a book/give a book section at the hostel. It’s his humorous take on the outback experience, much in the same vein of “A Walk in the Woods.”

I’ve really enjoyed Rotorua and I wouldn’t be surprised if I find myself here on the return trip even though it would be on the wrong coast. The Funky Green Voyager has been an awesome hostel, the owner and workers are really cool. There’s no TV so people are more apt to talk to each other or spend the day reading and lounging around. Definitely recommended to those passing through Rotorua. I managed to snap a picture of a window in the church even though you’re not supposed to, they also have people watching the church to make sure people don’t take pictures. I honestly can’t see why they don’t want people taking pictures in a church.

Also I got Wisa’s full name, it’s Wisa Uemura. So if anyone knows why I know that name then lemme know it’s still bugging me.

Posted on

Let Me Geek Out

Current Location: Rotorua, New Zealand

Branden requested new pictures so I’ve added a few more from the last week of travels. The highlight of which was I went to Matamata yesterday. You may ask what is in Matamata, to which I might reply they are known for several things. One of which is their thoroughbred horses they raise, or perhaps that they are a major producer of milk, finally I might say that this is the location where Peter Jackson felt fit to film the Shire scenes for the LOTR series. It would be the latter that drew me to this location, 60km and 499m out of the way of the proposed path. It was a fun ride into Matamata, especially the 7km downhill after climbing the beast of a hill. I must say that I had a lot of fun on the tour, even though the facade from the hobbit holes are now gone (as they belong to New Line Cinema.) It was fun to use my imagination though and to learn a lot about why and how the set was used. It rests on private property which belongs to a family of sheep farmers and the reason it was chosen was due to the fact that it had a lake and a tall tree next to the lake which was to be used in the party scene (they found it while flying over the lake.) I got to see a sheep shorn for the first time (it’s part of the tour for some reason) which was kinda neat, and feed a lamb (they know what the bottle is for and how to use it.)

On getting back to camp that night I found a fellow tourer in camp as well, he’s from Wisconsin, and i’ll link his blog when I remember to have his contact info around. He’s here for a few weeks and cycled to Rotorua a little earlier than I did. It was nice to talk to a tourer, as it always is. I cycled into Rotorua today at about 1pm after a 10km downhill (I think the high point today was about 630m) which ended up being a lot of fun. I found a hostel that’s called the Funky Green Voyager, pretty nice place for a few days I reckon.

I’m liking Rotorua, it’s a chill place that still has life to it. Though I must say it does smell like rotten eggs at times when the wind dies down (due to the geothermal activity in the area.) I’ll probably be here a few days as there is talk of the storm that hit Christchurch in Australia has moved over to this neck of the woods.

Addendum: The fellow I met at Oasis Springs Park in Matamata is named Michael and I’ve linked his blog. The story behind him is kinda a neat one that I forgot to add earlier. I’ll try to rely the story now. One of the first questions normally asked is where you are from. Usually I answer Hawaii (dunno if thats wrong of me, since most people answer with their country.) He then goes on to ask which island (he understood Hawai’i without a problem.) It ends up he’s going to Maui after NZ for a wedding. Now this is where I need Maui peeps help because I know the first name of the girl getting married (Wisa) and I know we went to highschool together but I can’t remember for the life of me if it was through band or something else. I do remember she was a few years older than we were. So yeah, if anyone can remember please let me know. The other thing he mentioned is that her parents were teachers, but the last name didn’t ring any bells for me.

Posted on

Symmetry

Current Location: Katikati, New Zealand

It’s somewhat fitting that I’m doing the Pacific Coast highway on the New Zealand side after finishing it on the California side. After this i’ll have biked most of the pacific coast I guess. Maybe I’ll have to go to Alaska to cycle it around there.

Big story of yesterday was as soon as I got into Waihi I almost got sideswiped by a car pulling into the road that I was in. As it turned out I only got a glancing blow (thankfully i’m part ninja and was able to maneuver so I didn’t get hit full on.) The guy didn’t even realize what had happened until after I shouted at him and all he did was look back at me in his rear view mirror, didn’t even bother to stop. So whats the first thing I do? Find the nearest pub and order a few beers, problem solved.

Other than that incident the riding has been quite scenic, I know anything I write or take pictures of wouldn’t do the place justice. I’m heading today for Tauranga then off to Rotorua. I’ve still only met one other tourer so far, but I’m guessing because there are so many places to stay (backpackers, B&B, hostels, etc…) that they may be staying elsewhere. Either that or they are all on the south island.

Posted on

Fast Kine

Current Location: Colville, New Zealand

Today being my 3rd day of riding and the going is somewhat slow. But I think it’s getting better, 3 weeks of breaks and it definitely shows I should have been riding more. I’m currently doing a circuit around the Coromandel Peninsula which actually puts me north of Auckland today (counter of the way I should be going, but whos keeping track) I’m heading today for Fantail Bay which they say is an amazing place to camp (and it’s free! but also no bathrooms, showers, or water for that matter so i’ll have to carry in a few more liters of water)

The road actually reminds me a lot of home, they have waddle trees all over the place and a lot of the foliage is similar to Maui, sort of like Paia and Haiku with a lot less people. It’s hard to believe that so few people travel this road, I can literally go for several kilometers without anyone passing me. I also found myself riding on the right side of the road this morning until someone honked at me, old habits die hard.

I wrote this yesterday before stopping in Fantail Bay which was a terrific spot, dolphins playing in the bay and a few other travelers like myself. Though none of them were biking, though there was one guy tramping who I talked to a bunch about his time tramping through the Camino de Santiago.

On another note i’ll have to keep track of kiwi hospitality. One good story from yesterday was, as I was cycling along the gravel road I got my first flat of the trip so I pulled off the road and repaired it and as I got started again a car waved me down coming the opposite direction. They asked me how I was doing with my load and chatted for a while, they then handed me two beers! It was a great incentive to head to camp to enjoy the suds. I got to camp about 20km later and setup my hammock, sat in it an enjoyed the semi cool beers. I couldn’t ask for more.

The post was title fast kine thinking I could post/email everyone necessary yesterday but I ran out of time before I could hit the post button.

Posted on

Getting Going

After a full week in Auckland I figure it’s finally time to hit the road. I’ve done most of the touristy stuff here, mostly on foot as i’ve been trying not to cycle through all this traffic. Unfortunately today i’ll have to learn how to ride on the left hand side of the road, i’m still trying to wrap my head around how that works, even though it shouldn’t be that difficult.

I’m pretty excited to get moving again as it gives me purpose, something I feel i’ve been lacking just lounging around in Auckland. I’ll be having lunch today with a pen pal of my uncles who he has been writing to for the last 60 years (at least) which I find pretty amazing.

Finally I posted a few pictures to the New Zealand gallery and a few last ones from the Pacific Coast

Posted on

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

I find myself somewhat dissapointed after my first 24 hours in New Zealand due to the fact that I have yet to see a sheep in any way shape or form. I’m of course kidding, I don’t see how a sheep could be anywhere in the vicinity of Auckland seeing as it’s population is 1.3million (roughly the population of Oahu.)

A lot of people ask me what kind of food is in New Zealand, I think the answer to that is anything south-east asian. I find a lot of kebab shops along with Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese. Another popular thing would be fish and chips (British influence) but have yet to have some, though I think i’ll try it for lunch sometime soon.

For whatever reason i’m pretty anxious to get on the road again as it feels like it’s been too long since riding for any time in the saddle. Though I’ll have to wait until mid next week as I’ve ordered the leather conditioner that goes with the saddle that I put on the bike. From here I expect to head east until I hit the coast then take my way down to Wellington, hopefully I’ll be able to find a wwoof’ing opportunity or perhaps a warmshower opportunity.

Anyway today ended up just being me walking around Auckland all day taking care of errands, I got a copy of Peddlers Paradise which is the maps i’ll be using for my trip, grocery shopping to get my bagels and peanut butter, wrench for my saddle. So i’m set to get going once I get that leather conditioner.