 |
 |
|
North Island
Auckland to Wellington
October, 2000
Arrival, Customs and getting a bus to my hostel in Auckland was a breeze. The bus ride to downtown was only $8 NZ. I stayed at the famous (and well disliked) Auckland Central Backpackers (ACB). After 3 days in transit the ACB was quite a trip. I had a single room (really small with only bed and garbage can in room) for 3 nights at $35 NZ per night (three stars - two w/o bar). ACB has a great bar on top but it has a PA system that is a total trip. There are speakers on every floor, when the front desk has a message for someone (even housekeeping) they get on the PA and announce to the entire hotel "House keeping needed on 7th floor" or "Fred, you left your visa at the front desk" etc. Its pretty weird lying in bed listening to all this crap (no messages from 10 PM to 10 AM). I'm thinking is every hostel gonna have speakers??? Well it turned out that ACB is unique with its public address system. ACB has a fun bar - lots of Europeans and locals too - there also a bunch of Chinese girls that are maids at ACB that are good for flirting. Auckland is a great town, lots of bars and stuff to see - but just another big city - I was ready to get to some small towns. While in Auckland I did have a great mountain bike experience. I took a ferry to Waiheke Island and rented a bike. The rental guy told me that I could ride the streets but there was some cool trails that I could take. So I take his advice and go to the trails - I ride for about a mile when the trail gets so steep its impossible to ride. The 180 degree switch backs are impossible to maneuver. But I'm not gonna turn around. It got so bad I had to carry the bike just to make it up certain parts. One hour later I had carried my bike for over 5 miles and only rode 1. When I finally got to the end of the trail (soaked in sweat) I decided to ride the streets for the rest of the day. When I got back I asked the rental guy if he knew the trail was unrideable - he said he had never been up there before? Then why the hell did he tell me to go that way? I told him not to tell people to go that way anymore.
After Auckland I went north to a great town called Pahia. I met a cool German girl on the bus - she had traveled a lot in the states and her favorite place anywhere was Austin TX!?! How weird, Austin's cool butOe. Pahia was really fun - I was still a but thrashed from parting late every night in Auckland - but I still managed to Mountain bike one day and go on a great boat ride the next. On the boat ride I tried out "Boomnetting". Basically you stand in a net on the side of this big boat, the net is in about 3 feet of Cold water you hang on for your life while the captain guns it. When you get going its kind of like water skiing but it's really best for the people who are still on the boat, warm and laughing at us fools getting thrashed about in 50 degree water. In Pahia, I stayed at The Peppertree Lodge, double ensuite for $49 NZ per night (five stars). This place was great, really nice hosts.
What about food?? Man I was in heaven - all around New Zealand they have these "Takeout" cafes where they serve Toasted Sandwiches. For $2 NZ I would get a toasted ham and cheese (same a grilled cheese) and a milk. Yep thatis a meal for less than a buck. They have all the fast food joints and good food too but if you know me you know how much I love grilled cheeseOe.
Next I was off to the Coramandel Peninsula to a place called Whitianga (also known as Mercury Bay). This is a very historic town. It was visited a couple times by Captain Cook and is also where the Treaty of Whitianga was signed. Mercury Bay is a great harbor so there are tons of boats. They have a great pub right at the Wharf that great for meeting locals and yachties. I stayed at The Cat's PJ's, double ensuite for $40 NZ per night (five stars). Bob Dylan once stayed there (the guy who runs the place saw my guitar and told me). I met and hung with a lot of locals in this town. Most were hanging at the pub every night even though they were on the dole (welfare). NZ has a big problem with people on the dole - about 15% of the population. A big highlight in Whitianga is the Hot Steam Beaches. At low tide you hike to this beach, dig a hole in the hot sand and take a natural mud bath - very relaxing after a night at the pub.
Heading south I was now on my way to a great town called Rotorua. From town to town it takes most of the day on the bus. I had some very rainy bus rides on the first part of my trip. It was still pouring rain when I arrived in Rotorua but I decide to go up to their super spectacular mountain bike park. That was truly amazing. This was about 50 sq. miles dedicated to Mountain bike trains. All different kind of trails from tight Trials trails to wide open fire roads. They also have a great 3 mile track with tons of jumps. Definitely get a bike with at least front suspension for this park (preferably front and back). If you like biking don't miss this park - I've never seen anything like it. Luckily they have laundry at the hostel cause when I got back I was caked with mud. That night I stayed at Hot Rocks Backpacker ($40/night - four stars). The best thing about Hot Rocks is their Thermal hot pool after a long bike ride. The also have a great bar (Lava Bar) which has a pool table and is full of Backpackers. After my long day in Rotorua I was on my way to Taupo.
Taupo was really fun. Itis a little city right on a giant lake (I think every city in New Zealand is on a body of water). I stayed at Taupo Central Backpackers (TCB) for $45 per night ensuite (five stars). This was my best room so far but I barely stayed in my room! On my first day I rented a bike and rode up to Huka Falls and Craters of the Moon Park. This was another spectacular ride not to be missed. Huka falls is incredible - a giant mass of light green water. They also have the fameous "Huka Jet Boat Rides" which you have to go on. You jam around the river at 50 miles per hour, in inches of water, a few feet from the cliffs. That night I met some really cool people at the TCB bar (Alan, Sherie and Rachell. When the bar shut, we went to Sherie's and Partied all night. The really know how to rage. Instead of just drinking and passing out we would drink gin, then coffee, then water, then smoke, then snack, then gin etc. etc. I played my guitar for them and they looked at me like I was straight from Deliverance. I am pretty twangy, but to Kiwis I'm really twangy. They really dug my rendition of Viva Las Vegas, which remains my theme song to this day. The next day Alan and Sherie took me up to the mountains and we spent the night at Paul and Kerri Steiglbauer's cabin house. Their house is near the best ski resorts in the country. A few years ago the volcano the resorts are on arrupted while people were skiing but no one got hurt. The mountain was closed while I was there due to bad weather so I didn't get to snowboard. Paul is the local promoter and dj for the resorts. It was great to meet some cool people. I met back up with Alan and Sherie later in my trip.
It was a long on the bus to Wellington (the tip of the South Island), about 9 hours. There was two little kids on the bus who were running up and down the aisles laughing screaming for hours. This was my first really long ride, but nothing like I would encounter in Australia. By now I was getting pretty sick of the bus - with a car you would get from town to town in half the time. I met my friends Suren and Helen while in Wellington. They both still work for my old company. We went out for beers, nothing late, but it was great to see them. I had been to Wellington before and was really itching to get to the South Island. I stayed at the Trecker's Hotel in a Twin for $45 NZ (three stars). It's right on Cuba Mall and really central but on the way back I stayed at the Lodge in the City (single for $35) and I liked it better. When in Wellington you should visit the National/Maroi Museum (I can't think of the name but its right downtown on the harbor). There's a thrift/pawn shop across the street (Cash and Carry??) that has good leather jackets and full wetsuits for about $50 NZ - lots of good cheap stuff.
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
