January 2010
3 posts
About to call the hostel I stayed at in Taupo (an hour south of where I am now) to see if maybe they have my camera, because I sure don’t. And then I leave Rotorua with Isaac and Melanie, headed for Kerikeri.
7 hours of driving may be the longest of the trip.
Also, I jumped out of a plane on Wednesday, even though I didn’t have to. In fact, I paid for the experience. It was strangely...
Step it up.
It is strange to climb 6k up 750m of stairs. But this is how it is, if you want to get halfway up Fantham’s Peak. The upside was the great view of Mt. Taranaki and the surrounding area. Currently, my legs don’t really work.
Rainbows.
I’m back from the rainbow gathering and in Takaka at a little backpackers.
Too much happened to write about (maybe I’m also tired) but when I get home, if you ask, I will tell you stories.
Right now, it feels strange to be back to civilization.
Also, my beard is the longest it has ever been.
And it looks like I have chicken pox from all of the sand fly bites.
And my toes are tan...
December 2009
13 posts
Christmas in Karamea
It’s Christmas morning here in Karamea.
I went to the beach twice yesterday. Christmas Eve with beers and the sunset, followed by a bon fire out back.
Today the forecast calls for clear skies and a temperature of 20c(68f).
We’re having a big potluck at the backpackers, and I’m going to make a green bean casserole thing.
It doesn’t feel like Christmas. It’s like...
Stuff & Things
Red Crystal Earth
Being in the wrong place at the right time > Being in the right place at the wrong time
Glow worms in caves like on the TV
Playing Sun Ra on the radio
Being brave and not being brave
Finishing books you really loved
Different and the same all at once
Old habits
Church Of Yeah
No one seeing the Southern Cross
The pretty tone of the siren for the fire brigade at 4am
Radio Karamea 107.5
I just had a lot of fun.
The hostel I’m staying at has a radio station. And they let all the guests here have complete control over what’s played. And so just now, like 5 minutes ago, I finished up an hour long set of music from the northwest. I’m happy to say that Karamea, population 700, just got to hear M Women, Gazzelle and Iji. And a bunch of other NW bands off my iPod.
...
Hemisync.
Today i walked into two caves, and walked THROUGH another one. It is amazing up here. There is an old man named Paul who is around. I’m not sure if he’s booked at the hostel or what, but he’s around. And he uses meditation to reach higher levels of being, and talks a lot about aliens (he calls them ET’s) that he connects with. It is interesting. Also: I really like...
Living Light
Sorry Wellington, my New Year’s plans are off. I’m headed to the World Rainbow Festival instead.
In the meantime, I’m at Rongo Backpackers, at the very northern end of the west coast highway, in the tiny, tiny town of Karamea.
Things are clicking again.
Global something or other.
A few hours up the coast now in Greymouth at a backpackers, looking forward to night 13 in my tent. (The one night I spent passed out on the floor at The A-Teams lodging was pretty close to sleeping in a tent. I was on the floor, afterall.)
Maybe I could just say, night 13 of no beds. There, that clears this all up.
Well, time to go eavesdrop on some germans. If only I spoke german.
Goodbye again.
It was sad leaving Christchurch behind, and sad leaving Oamaru, and sad leaving Fox Glacier. The places themselves have their individual charms, but it’s the people I miss.
My 10 days in Fox were weird in a great way.
Thanks be to the A-Team for all of our adventures.
Who will I meet next?
Gandolf?
The Black Stallion has been repaired.
Fox Glacier, it’s been real. Real wet.
Tomorrow I head for Greymouth.
Get a perm.
Yesterday’s rain was weird. It rained and rained and rained and rained. When it seemed like it had let up, it was still raining hard. Spending 1 minute in the rain insured a head to toe drenching. I was running down the street as to spend less time in the rain and was splashed by a car driving by. The puddle was probably 8 inches deep and the wave as tall as I am. It was like on TV. I just...
HOLY SHIT.
It has been raining so hard for basically the last day. Pretty much the hardest I’ve seen it rain, ever. I’m glad my tent works. Maybe tonight I’ll try something new and keep my boots IN my tent.
In the stable.
My noble stead, Black Stallion, broke down in Fox Glacier on Sunday, so I’ve been marooned ever since. He should be back on the road tomorrow night. Fox Glacier is tiny and if it weren’t a tourist town, I’m sure the locals would be starting to wonder about the weirdo with the dirty jeans and orange touque wandering between town and campsite. Raised eyebrows, stroking their chins...
Glacial pace.
Glaciers are impressive for at least 30 reasons, most of which revolve around the fact that mountains stand no chance. No chance at all, mountains, so don’t get any funny ideas.
Vaguely.
Yesterday I walked on the beach in Invercargill, one of the most southernly cities in the world. It looked like a lot of other beaches. But it meant more, sort of.
Today I am in Fox Glacier, where groceries cost more than other places and it vaguely looks like Jurassic park.
I’m travelling with two hilarious Canadians. They are the A-Team and we will celebrate Christmas on a beach...
November 2009
3 posts
$36.2079
Last night I went to a local pub to participate in a charity quiz night for my host’s son’s Scout group. I thought, hell, let’s celebrate. So I ordered drinks and food and was really just throwing my money around like I was possibly balling. Right after I go to pay my $50nz bill, they announce the winner of the raffle I forgot I had bought a ticket for. The prize? $50nz. The...
Alpaca attacka.
I’d never been spat on before by an Alpaca, so I don’t know if it’s always so dry, but it was still quite a shock to get a hostile shot of air while the white one was sniffing about my face.
The brown one is so much nicer.
I guess I'll do it this way.
So, I seem to remember someone somewhere talking ill of Facebook’s status updates, in that they don’t keep a forever running log, and after however many months all the inane activities you were up to however many months ago goes the way of the minidisc; that is to say, gone and lost forever; only a faint, weird memory of something you were once really into. And maybe if this were 1995,...