Category: New Zealand

Ohhhh boy, this place smells. Pee-you! You get wafts of it, anyway. It’s Rotorua, home to New Zealand’s largest group of geothermal springs, which sometimes smell of sulphur. I haven’t had the luxury of a soak yet, but I will have that opportunity tomorrow. People swear by its medicinal properties.

It’s pretty cool to think the Earth’s magma is close enough to the surface to make the groundwater steam. Baby volcanoes are making their way to the surface. There are lakes of mud in the area that appear to be boiling, but they are really just belching gas.

I spent last night in a hostel in Coromandel, on a peninsula east of Auckland. A very scenic area amongst some rugged mountains. The drive up and down the peninsula’s roads was spectacular, with very winding, twisty switchbacks. Unfortunately, the locals (or visiting weekend yuppies from Auckland) were very impatient and seemed to just want to drag race the whole thing. Some are incredibly rude. I used to get waves from fellow drivers in remote parts of Australia. Now I get the finger from drag racing New Zealanders for not getting out of their way fast enough. I had to keep pulling over to let people pass. It was very frustrating.

That’s my first disappointment with New Zealand. For a country with a population of 4 million, I feel like I’ve already met half of them on the road. I’m hoping there are fewer people the further south I get.

I have managed to get a few short hikes in on the East/Pacific coast today. One was a ninety-minute hike down to a beach known as “Cathedral Cove”, and the other was another hour around Mount Maunganui (which is actually in a city, where it juts out of the harbour). One problem with taking such hikes is the fear of having your car broken into. Travel guides warn you. Signs are posted in parking lots. There is the occasional pile of broken glass on the pavement. You can only hope it doesn’t happen to you. Unfortunately, you can never completely relax while you’re out hiking.

After a splash in the thermal pools of Rotorua tomorrow, I’m planning to aim for Tongariro National Park (smack dab in the middle of the North Island), where there is a famous all-day hike everyone talks about. I’m not sure if it’s the right season for it, but I’m hoping to do it on Monday or Tuesday. After that, there is a cool-looking volcano named Mount Egmont on the west coast that I hope to check out before visiting Wellington (on the southern end of the North Island) and catching a ferry to the South Island on Thursday (where all the LOTR stuff was filmed). I have found out where the “Piano” beach is, by the way, but have no intention of visiting there. It’s not far from Auckland on the west side — but not on my way.

Greetings from Auckland, New Zealand. Another former home of the America’s Cup (after Fremantle). I was here once in 1987, and I can see how they’ve sunk millions of dollars into their harbour in hopes of becoming a long-time America’s Cup host. Unfortunately, they just lost it to the Swiss (?) last year. Actually, they lost it to a New Zealander who was hired by the Swiss — which was obviously a bit controversial around these parts. But then again, the America’s Cup has become all about money, anyway.

I seem to have picked a great time to visit this place. The weather doesn’t seem too harsh, but the summer tourists haven’t shown up yet. The benefit is that all the car rental companies and accommodation providers are desperate for business and have slashed their prices (up to 2/3’s in some cases).

My Lonely Planet guide advises not even thinking about visiting Auckland without reservations at one of the hostels. I, being the organised traveller that I am, decided to rock up and take my chances (just like in 1987, I might add — except back then I only had 10 cents in my pocket. Literally! That’s another story). I called one of the YHA’s from the airport, and they were happy not only to take me in but also to give me my own room. And they only charged me as though I was sharing it with someone because business was so slow. They told me I would be better off because it was unlikely anyone else would show up, anyway. Peak tourist season in New Zealand is between November and May (?).

Auckland’s main drag seems a tad grittier than Perth’s, but it has a nice, big city feel to it. They have a space-needle-type thing, which they claim is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. I was given the opportunity to bungee jump off it and declined — but I did see two others jump (including an old guy). They dangle them in front of the observation deck before dropping them to the bottom.

The main strip in Auckland is loaded with Japanese, Korean, and Chinese restaurants. I went for a fabulous Korean pork barbecue tonight. Daniel can attest to Korean barbeques living near Koreatown, Los Angeles. For lunch, I had a nice South Pacific seafood chowder down by the wharf. Mmmmm… Tomorrow it’s back to sardines and instant noodles, I suppose.

There are also lots of Yanks about. Something I’m not used to. Must have something to do with those Lord of the Rings movies…

I’ve organised a car rental for the next few weeks. Prices vary quite widely, but they’re all pretty cheap right now. The key was finding one that would help me get to the South Island easily (where the REALLY spectacular stuff is). I finally found one that has a dropoff/pickup at the ferry terminals on both islands, so I don’t have to pay the hundreds of dollars I would have had to pay with the cheaper car rental companies to get the car back and forth. It’s a 3+ hour ferry ride.

I will start heading south tomorrow (since I only went north in 1987). I figure about a week on the North Island and about 12 days on the South Island.