Mt Ruapehu from summit of Ngauruhoe.
To anyone who has not yet been to stay with Lesley and Janet in Broad Bay, 'tis a beautiful place by the sea, near the fair town of New Edinburgh, or Dunedin. Remember when I said I'd been WWOOFing in Coromandel. Well I have a similar arrangement with L&J, where I do some work for them in exchange for accomodation and some pretty excellent food, and wine, and masses of coffee! At New Year, we went to Whare Flat Music and Dance Festival. The Festivals here are smaller than the UK, but still the music was of a great standard, and the atmosphere was very friendly. (Don't forget Brampton Live 2006 (folk festival) Cumbria in July, or Cropredy down south in August!)
After three weeks in Broad Bay, I headed to Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland. I spent about 10 days there, first walking the Kepler Track (4 days) with Limor who I met in Christchurch, then tramping the Caples Track with Janet and her sis-in-law Julie (3 days). After this I went on a 2 day sea-kayaking trip in the beautiful, and not as crowded as the Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound. This was unbelievable. Huge mountains plunge almost vertically into the sea (good for jumping off), native bush clings to the steep terrain, and Dolphins team in the waters and jump in the wake of cruise boats. I spent a lot of time swimming, as the wetsuits make it easier to float. Almost got to swim with a dolphin but wasn't fast enough. The only thing bad about the place was the infuriating quantity of sandflies. I had to take antihisthamines a few days before to stop my limbs swelling up.
Tired but inspired, I took the bus back to Dunedin. L&J let me borrow the car to take to the Waihi Bush Folk Festival. My clothes were dirty, I had been washing in rivers and lakes for the last ten days and I was sick of eating pasta dishes, but still I looked forward to the festival. Waihi was even smaller than Whare Flat, yet I enjoyed it more. Many of the Whare Flat folk were there, and again the music was great. We all sang, harped and strummed around the camp fire each night, singing of days of yore.
Oh yeah, and I met a nice Kiwi girl too.
Back in Dunedin now. Will start removing a giant flax bush later, not looking forward to that. Plan to head back to Christchurch to find work soon. I will probably be staying in NZ for a bit longer than I originally thought, not sure how long though, might have to get back for Brampton Live 2006, already due to miss the Jethro Tull tour!
In case as a result of my extended stay, I start talking like a Kiwi, here are a few words and their definitions:
More definitions to follow. Missing you all back home.
The Christmas Day feast was a success. No fights. It has taken weeks to prepare but the food was demolished in minutes, and the tonnes of 'givaways' at the end, dissappeared in five. I'm very tired. Last night I went to a Carols by Candlelight concert before I went to the Cathedral to check out the Midnight Mass which didn't end until 01:20. I finally got to bed at 02:30 and I had to be up at 06:30 to prepare for the dinner. Despite the lack of energy I am still filled with festive cheer. People here are so friendly, and for the last 10 days almost everyone has been nice to eachother. I also bumped into a guy in the cathedral who I met on the road six weeks ago. Last week I met two guys (James and Tilly) who I met in Tongariro Northern Circuit. AND, before that I met two people who I met 600km further north! Tomorrow I go to stay with Lesley and Janet in Broad Bay. Merry Christmas.
...and all through the backpacker's lots of travellers are stirring. (There aren't any mice.) Today CCM gave me a large ham (haven't decided whether to eat it or not yet), a Christmas cake and Christmas pudding and lots of other food items. It's going to be a tasty Christmas, no pasta for two days! This morning I helped erect a marquee which will be used on Christmas Day for a party which will feed 700 disadvantaged folk. Should be a good gig. Everyone in the hostel seems to be looking forward to the 25th, even though we are all so far from our families, we're going to stick together and get merry on the day itself, and the hostel is also going to provide some supplies. There's plenty of ham to go around, but my Christmas pudding is rather small, will have to make lots of rum sauce. Damn, don't have any rum, or cornstarch, maybe instant custard will suffice, nope don't have any of that either.
It seems weird that all you folk back home will just be opening your presents as I sit in a comfy chair in a drunken haze feeling sick from all the chocolate, maybe I can forewarn you about the pain of overindulgence over the phone before it happens to you? It does get lonely here at times. There are lots of people, but you only see them for 1-3 days usually, then they travel on. I have many email addresses from poeple from all over the world. There are some great fellows out there, if you look hard enough.
From Tongariro I went to Wellington, NZ's capital. I stayed here for a few days in my tent being blown around (Wellington also known as the 'Other' Windy City). I went to the Embassy Theatre, where TTT and TROTK were premiered, but alas, there was no Nazgul on the roof. I sat in Liv Tyler / Arwen's chair.
The Interislander links the North and South Islands, so I thought it would be a good way to get to the South Island. I was right in this assumption, as I write this now from the South Island. I've kind of been taking it easy since I arrived here. I spent some time in Nelson, doing nothing in particular (although I did do the 3 day Pelorus Track to get there), and then I went to the West Coast. This coast is famous for it's heavy rain due to the mountains obstructing the passage of the clouds. The Southern Alps compress the clouds as they rise and cool, so it rain on the west side and is generally much drier on the other side. I intended to spend some time on the West Coast, but I wanted to dry off, so after a particularly wet night in Arthur's Pass, beautiful when the clouds part I hitched to Christchurch, and there I stayed, and there I am still. Two weeks have now I have lingered in this town. I'm starting to get to know locals and I've even been busking through which my finances benefitted to the tune of $1! I didn't want to feel like I was wasting time here, so I've been volunteering for the last 10 days for Christchurch City Mission where they aim to "help those who have nothing so that they may be a part of our world and share in its goodness". They collect food and gifts throughout the year, especially at Christmas, and then give it to people who have nothing, or very little.
I left Coromandel some time in november, I can't remember exactly when, time has little meaning here. I decided to go to Tongariro National Park next, an area famous for its three volcanoes which are sacred, or tapu to the Maori. The summits be thus, Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe (pronounced na-ra-ho-e).
Mt Ruapehu from summit of Ngauruhoe.
I hitched from Coromandel town through Rotoroa, and a sudden chance led me to a little known (I think) natural hot pool in Waiotapu where a hot and a cold stream met. I lingered there for two hours, and got chatting to a Maori woman who happened to be going all the way to Tongariro.
The Tongariro Northern Circuit, a four day tramp with stays in huts each night has to be seen to be believed. If the weather is good, which it was, you see lava fields with vegetation, some without, immaculate mountain springs running into deadly sulphurous steaming rivers.
On the second day I climbed the c.2200m volcanic cone of Ngauruhoe
(aka Mount Doom ).
At the top it was cold, but I sought warmth from a hot vent near the summit.
On the way to the second hut I passed the Emerald Lakes.
The third day I passed through Mordor.
The people I met on the tramp were great, and I have all their contact details. I now have many places to stay all over the world.
I will continue this later, my time is up.
Old Waihohonu Hut - not in use
Auf dem Baum.
Here is where I've been so far. I flew into Auckland on 19 October. Caught the expensive airport shuttle bus to the city centre and swiftly found somewhere to stay, 'Auckland Central Backpacker's', a crowded busy hostel in which I would have got no sleep were it not for the jetlag. I stayed in Auckland for two nights, experiencing some very strange sleep patterns.
During my stay I visited Auckland Museum where I saw a 'Maori Cultural Performance' which consisted of songs and dances using Poi, a sort of ball on a rope used to teach coordination and to intimidate (via it's strange sound when swung) the enemy during battle, a song with sticks to increase flexibility and again coordination, and the famous Maori Haka, or war dance, which was pretty scary.
I decided to hesitate no longer, so I started hitching north, my destination, Cape Reinga at the top of the North Island via 90 mile beach. I mangaed to get a ride from two friendly Kiwi's up the beach (around 80km), the sandy surface, hard as concrete is officially classed as a highway. When I reached the top I did a three day walk, or tramp as they call it over here. I saw some beautiful beaches, and was sad to leave, but there's a whole country to explore.
I stayed in Kaitaia for a couple of nights before heading done the west coast towards Waipoua Kauri Forest, a remnant of the once extensive Kauri Forest that once towered over Mouri and Pakeha (Europenas) alike. The largest of the trees, Tane Mahuta, had a trunk diameter of 5 metres!
The next day after a night spent at a campsite in the forest I headed back to Auckland, where I planned to stay for one night, but stayed for four, as the hostel in Parnell was very pleasant, and supplied free bread, what more reason do I need to give?
Also went to Rangitoto volcanic Island just east of A'land, and only 600 years old. The volcano is now believed to be extinct, but it is still covered with lava fields and the crater was very impressive.
I went to see Pride and Predjudice (the new version) on my last night with a Canadian cetacean biologist Natalie, but I don't think she understood the film's (or my) subtle English humour.
I rang a house in Coromandel regarding a WWOOFing vacancy (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) and headed out there the next morning by thumb. I am still there at the moment, building adobe (no not acrobat reader) walls out of clay, sawdust, water, sand and, a little bit of concrete.
Not my taste but...
Today, I finally found out how to edit this page, removed some shameful text from the previous entry (about meat), and am about to eat some food of some description, which along with my accomodation, is provided free if I work four hours each day. I should be heading south next wednesday, watch this space.
I'm on my way to Auckland, still! I hitched a ride with this guy (I've still to remember his name, (Terry and Karen) and I got invited back for tea, very good cooking.
I'm now sitting in the dark listening to Pink Floyd, things couldn't be better, AND they're going to take me to my hostel in Parnell, Auckland!!!
Here's a photo from the veranda of the guy's house . He also has a family and several chickens and a dog and a bird of some sort and some cats.
Mum made me have this photo taken in case I get lost.
You have to humour her!
I'm supposed to be helping (?) lay a new patio or something. Will let you know how I get on.
Arrived at John's house 4pm-ish, went for a curry with his 'acquaintances' Terry and Dave. Curry wasn't bad.
Hi, welcome to my online diary. I'm off to New Zealand on the 17th of October and hopefully will be keeping an online diary here, so check back soon.
'Stephen Kershaw''
Updated: February 16, 2006
| Contributed Comments Stephen Kershaw |
 Add a comment to this page
|
||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
| Last updated:Mon, 13 Mar 2006 |
Add a comment to this page
|
||||