Joel's World Travel Blog

As I await my ferry to the South Island, I find myself in Wellington—the capital of New Zealand. Wellington’s is actually a very nice place. Maybe it’s just because I’m here on one of the few clear days they seem to get. It’s at the very southern end of the North Island on a harbour (obviously, if I’m catching my ferry from here) nestled in the mountains (some of them snow-capped). There are lots of nice homes built into the hill, much like San Francisco. In fact, it even has a cable car you can ride. It also has a nice downtown area that clings to the harbour’s curves.

I’m staying in a Youth Hostel that runs more like a big city hotel, with magnetic cards for keys and a room cleaning crew. Last night I stayed at another Youth Hostel in a town northwest of here that seemed more like a Bed & Breakfast. They sure have changed a lot since I first hosteled 17 years ago. I remember when you were expected to perform some sort of chore in exchange for your cheap fee. That seems totally unheard of today. You find all ages staying in hostels. There have been a few occasions when I was the youngest customer. There was one woman staying in this Wellington hostel who must have been in her 80’s! Lots of younger travellers seemed happy to look out for her and help her around. I think that’s why she probably liked it. I’ve also seen a number of families with little kids. I guess YHA found too much competition from independent hostels.

There was an often-quoted study conducted in Australia in the nineties that found that the big travel spenders were actually backpackers, not resort visitors. Backpackers stay longer in most countries and end up spending more, so a lot of new hostels have come on the scene looking to cash in.

So I’ve now been to all the big volcanoes around the North Island. I found out today that they are, in fact, still active. The middle one last erupted in 1996, but no one was injured. I had breakfast with a guy from Canada this morning who told me he was talking with a woman who was skiing on it at the time. Boulders the size of cars were raining down, and the snow melted almost instantly. Fortunately, no one was injured. There have been fatal eruptions in previous years.

So I was hoping to do this hike on one of New Zealand’s most famous one-day treks (or tramps, as they call them around here) — but it was closed by the national park due to heavy winds. It is called the Tongariro Crossing, and it passes between two of the biggest mountain peaks on the North Island. I may be tempted to try again on my way back to Auckland after visiting the South Island. It takes you up past volcanoes and lakes (currently covered in snow). They have a bus service that brings people out first thing in the morning and picks them up eight hours later on the other side.

I went to check out the starting and ending points today, anyway. The trail looks really tempting, but it was pretty cold, and the wind was making it feel a lot colder. I could have sworn I heard a loud rumble coming from the bigger of the two volcanoes when I was at the beginning of the trail. The sky was clear, so it was probably the volcano.

They have a neighbourhood fish hatchery I visited that claimed to be there in case of any natural disasters, “such as a volcanic eruption”. The hatchery was pretty cool. Lots of trout to see. Next to the mountains on the other side of a town called “Turangi” (where I spent the night) is a huge lake that is supposed to have some of the best trout fishing in the world.

I find myself in “New Plymouth” tonight, which has turned out to be a pretty cool little town on the west coast. Lots of interesting little restaurants and a brand-new, very long, and funky coastal walkway that would have impressed Dad with its design. There is another huge volcano just south of here that you are supposed to be able to see from the city, but I haven’t seen it yet because of the clouds. Hopefully, I will be able to hike there tomorrow on my way south towards Wellington. The drive here took me on some deserted back gravel roads that finally gave me the chance to appreciate the place without having impatient drivers tailgating me.

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.