Wonderful Wanaka and beyond!



At Summit of Diamond Lake Hike


Day 10:  I thought Russian Maria may have died when she was still sleeping at 10am. Her friend, Jason, came into the house to make us special ham and cheese omelets. Delicious! Jason was so incredibly nice to let us stay in his cottage house and help us with anything we needed. Kiwis are great. It took us quite a bit of time to get going but we made it into town by noon where we tried to hack into Base Hostel’s internet. DENIED! I totally didn’t see that coming. Internet was too expensive in this town at $5 per hour, even at the public library! Surely there is free internet somewhere. I will find it. Next, we headed to Diamond Lake Reserve for a good hike. We went half way up together and then Maria stayed behind to meditate and I headed for the summit. She wasn’t much of a hiker so it worked out for both of us. There were amazing views of Lake Wanaka and surrounding mountains and the air was so clean that we could hear a disgruntled cow continuously mooing in the distance. I had a couple scary falls when I was hiking alone. My sneakers were low on tread and the trail was pretty slick so there were parts when the earth gave away and I was about to slide down the mountain. The first one was pretty darn scary and can honestly say that I did see some people and things flash before my eyes. Gayle and Fara were definitely there…probably because they both would have scolded me for hiking alone and insisted that I be more careful. I made it back to the car at 4:45 and was getting eaten alive by sand flies. 

Diamond Lake

I put my legs inside the arm holes of my extra t-shirt in order to protect them until Maria arrived but there was no sign of her even at 5:45. I went from pissed to worried and started to make my way back up the mountain. She wasn’t a strong hiker and I was concerned that she could be close to death in the middle of a trail. It turns out she wasn’t. She was just in a (typical) heavy state of meditating and lost track of time. Best possible outcome.
               We had one beer in town and then came back to the house for a nice shower, some guacamole for dinner and the movie “Due Date”. It was so freaking bad. I laughed at parts but I really hated it for being so stupid. How do you sign up for that as a respectable actor? Just terrible.  


 


Amazing maze





 

Toilet bowl at Puzzling World





Toilet bowl at Puzzling World in Wanaka



Roman potty!





Excuuuuse me.  Occupied.



 

Ames Room

 Day 11:
              We had an earlier start to our day and I was excited when Jason booked me for skydiving the next morning at 10:30am, weather pending of course. We headed to Puzzled World where we kicked the large labyrinth’s ass in the first 30 minutes and were able to find all 4 of our destinations. It kicked ours for the next 30 when we couldn’t find our way out. We headed off to the special illusions toilets where we ‘pottied’ with the Ancient Romans. They also had these AWESOME toilet seats throughout the women’s bathroom. I really wanted one for my future home. We headed to the museum portion next where they had some trippy holograms and a room where all the faces follow you. There was an Illusion Room that made us both sick to our stomachs with mindgames and brainteasers around every corner. We also took some pictures in a room that showed one person extremely large and one extremely small when the room itself appeared normal- this illusion was used when filming Lord of the Rings. The whole place was mind-blowing and served as a cheap thrill for our trip to Wanaka! I scored big for the team when I hacked into YHA’s free internet. HUGE find! We watched a local rugby game in the cold, rainy weather and took a good amount of pictures of the creatures playing for both teams. I didn’t really understand all the rules to the game but I did realize that American football players are pansies compared to these guys!! No equipment! They are tough as nails here!
They also had a beer in one hand and cigarette in the other once the final whistle blew. The men here are very unkept- scruffy facial hair (and I don’t mean the good kind) and wildly, uneven and uncombed hair. I would describe them as slightly hobbit-like. We headed back home to make a fabulous pasta dinner and then spent the remaining three hours of the day catching up on our lives online. Time flies when the internet is free. I drove for the first time! Life is really different on the left side of the road. You have to remember to do the opposite of what you usually do. The tough part is when you don’t remember what you usually do.






Fox Glacier

Day 12:



Fox glacier



             The rain hitting the window pane at 8am meant that my skydiving appointment for 10:30am was most likely going to be cancelled. We decided to pack up our belongings and bid our Wanaka house and host adieu in hopes of skydiving further up the coast. We picked 12 apples from Jason’s tree in his yard and hit up the YHA internet just one last time before heading out of town. I had a great skype session with Brian, Nolan and Adam even though they couldn’t hear me. I did some fast typing and Nolan did some fast reading. We had a very fun time dancing to ‘The Dog Days are Over’ and I think Brian got it on video.

              Maria and I headed up the coast and didn’t stop until we hit Fox Glacier about 3.5 hours later.  We walked 40 minutes out to see what looked like a block of dirty snow between the rock beds. The beautiful blue color that resided deep within the glacier was quite impressive but I had no desire to hike it via helicopters and ice picks. We had a great view from where we were and were ?lucky? enough for a rain shower to pass through. The sunset and sudden rain presented an amazing rainbow that shined right over the glacier.
            I took the driver’s seat for the rest of the evening as we took the windy roads in pursuit of Punakaiki. There were so many one lane bridges, tight turns, and passing lanes to keep in mind and I tended to favor the left side since it was still strange to ride on the WRONG side. We got into Franz Joseph glacier too late and weren’t able to take the 7k hike in. I kind of regret it but we knew we wanted to get up the coast while it was dark out. We stopped in Greymouth just long enough for Maria to use cell phone reception and for me to get Domino’s. I had been SOOO good and totally deserved it.  It’s different in NZ though- they didn’t offer any marinara sauce with it and I had to beg for some pizza sauce.
             We found the YHA in Greymouth but it was too late to use their internet so we drove on. We hadn’t really figured out where we would sleep that night and how far we’d drive. I reassured her that I was up for sleeping in the car and she said, ‘How did I luck out in finding the only American girl that wouldn’t mind sleeping in the car?’ We drove another 30 minutes which had turned back toward the coast and offered spectacular views of the Tasman Sea and green mountains full of bush. We found a nice, hidden grassy pull-off that would offer us safe shelter for the night. We mastered all the seat adjustments of her friend’s Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and realized we could actually concoct some sweet beds! We brushed our teeth outside the car and were able to watch about 10 mins of the only non-Russian DVD Maria had before I fell asleep.

Russian Roadtripping!



En route to Arrowtown





En route to Queenstown





Solo traveler in need of hug in Te Anau



Arrowtown

Blue Door Bar

Enjoying myself at Blue Door Bar

En route to WANAKA, NEW ZEALAND

                I met up with Russian Maria and we started our road trip with her announcing that she didn’t have a license.  She said, ‘Girl, you got some real karma on you’ minutes later when she noticed the first policeman in her 7 day trip was following right behind us.  We took it easy up to Queenstown, stopped in for some Thai food, and continued on to Arrowtown where Autumn was really setting in.  The landscape just looked like a painting where the painter got greedy when applying the reds, oranges and yellows.  It was gorgeous!  Arrowtown was an old gold mining town and had a very wild, wild west feeling about it…except there was more danger in dying from tumble weed rather than a big shootout.   On Bjorn’s recommendation we sought the Blue Door Bar.  An old woman, who turned out to be the mailman in town and could have won gold in Olympic speedwalking, showed us right to its door while delivering mail along the way.  The bartender was extremely rude but we nestled right into their leather couches and let the candlelight take away what little problems we had.  We each enjoyed a drink and then continued on to Wanaka.

                We rolled into Alberttown where Maria’s friend lived and had some trouble finding the house.  The street town of Alison Avenue was lost in translation and we were busy looking for ‘Elephant Avenue’ for a bit.  Whoops.  We made it to Wanaka with just enough time to race through the supermarket (everything closes by 8pm).  It was at this point in the trip that I really learned a lot from Maria.  She had just come off a trip to India and Mangolia (and grew up in rural Russia) where she was surrounded by only natural foods.  I grew up off of Route 1 where cheese was preferred in a can and appeared fluorescent in color.  I really don’t know the first thing about cooking or eating at this point in my life and I am very ashamed.  Twenty-seven years and you’d think I’d know something.

                In just two days she’s taken me completely outside of my comfort zone.  Some have been great…some of them have been harder. She is really smart and I definitely trust her level of knowledge on the natural processes of foods and how they affect the body.   I refused to give up my coca cola though.  You can tell me it’s my one way ticket to hell and I will still proudly drink it down and exclaim, ‘Ahhhhhhhhhh. ‘ Here is where I give a shout-out to my sister Gayle who is really healthy and has always been a good role model for me.   I’m not sure how she got that way since the rest of us are yuckmouths but she knows how to provide healthy meals for her family and I really could learn a thing or two from her.  I respect her for the way she lives.  And I also respect that she respects my way of eating.  It’s not easy to watch someone eat crap and hold one’s tongue.  She’ll be glad to know that I am trying new, healthier foods on my trip.  I was being very stingy at the beginning though and not eating much.  After getting some headaches and stomach aches, I figured I better eat.

                Maria’s been playing quite the joke on facebook with all her friends since she wrote, “Met a fellow New Yorker today- gorgeous red head, hockey player, fresh off the trading floor”.  They all think she’s roadtripping with a guy and she’s only been posting pictures that imply the same.  When I fell asleep watching hockey highlights that night, she started to think that maybe she wasn’t too far off. Haha.  Rowan would have been proud of me.



FRIEND OR FOE FRIDAY!

                Happy Good Friday to all Christians out there.  Here are some more faces from my trip.  Can you guess which ones are Friends and which ones are Foes?  Some can be tricky!

1)

2)


















3)

4)

 

5)

6)

7) 

1) FOE!  Ok, I get it Kiwi men.  You dig the ‘unkept’ look!  You make it work for you.  Somehow you’ve convinced women to expect no more from you.  But this guy has no respect for himself if he’s requesting a haircut like this.  I took this picture on the sly before boarding the boat to Doubtful Sound.

2) FRIENDS!  These two Beglian best friends were on the Doubtful Sound overnight cruise.  We didn’t really get to know each other until the end of the trip but they are responsible for making me laugh really hard.  When you’re on your own, you just sort of giggle to yourself but I gave a belly laugh over poor Kriftof’s unfortunate run off the bungee platform.  I felt terrible just laughing in this guy’s face so whole-heartedly but the video was too funny.  He took a running start and jumped before he was supposed to and almost hit his knee on the platform.  It basically looked like a person who didn’t know the ledge would end.  It was great getting to know both of these guys!

   

3) FRIEND!  This is my Russian roadtripping friend, Maria!  She is from NYC and quit her job 9 months ago to travel so she’s been quite busy.  We teamed at the glowworm caves of Te Anau and have been roadtripping since.  She’s smart, successful, independent and caring.  Gentleman callers get in line. 

4) FOES!   These four were actually part of a larger Chinese family of about twenty.  They were incredibly loud and obnoxious the entire boat trip in Doubtful Sound.  They showed complete disregard for anyone else that sought serenity in the Sound.

5) FRIEND!  This Austrian young lady was so, so nice on the overnight cruise.  She was so kind and friendly toward me when no one else was and didn’t even comment on the immense amount of food I ate during dinner and dessert.  I’ll definitely see her again when I visit Austria in August!

6) FOE!  This cardboard park ranger prevented us from going any closer to the Fox glacier.  All I wanted was just a little taste of water dripping from a real glacier like in The Waterboy.  It’s coo-coo-cooler!



7) FRIEND!  Any man that brings you safely down from 16,500 feet is definitely a friend.  Scruffy was my instructor when skydiving near Abel Tasman National Park a few days ago!  He was super cool and I am happy to have shared such a thrilling experience with him and his fashionable goatee.

The road abroad sounds like….silence.

Overnight Cruise in DOUBTFUL SOUND, New Zealand

At 11:30am the Real Journeys bus arrived and I realized I was the only one getting on.  A whole coach bus just for me!  I arrived at the docks fifteen minutes later and caught the attention of some female 20 somethings when I almost fell over when I sat down with my backpack still on.  I thought that would be a great icebreaker for sure and that I would definitely have friends on the boat.  But sure enough I went the boat ride, bus ride and big boat ride without any friends.  I figured everyone would be as friendly as the past boat rides but it seemed like people were there with a group and didn’t really stray from it.  I moved into my quad cabin and was psyched that I would be alone.  I really took advantage of the space and quiet sleeping quarters.  Mine!  All mine!  A little different than the 8 man hostels I had been staying in.  The view from the shower was awesome- stainless steel circle with waves breaking in the foreground and large green mountains in the background. 

                I headed back upstairs for the ‘muffin hour’ and scarfed down two with no problem.  I had anticipated the ample, quality food and had starved myself since breakfast.  We then headed out for kayaking off the boat, which was really impressive.  The crew was very organized and professional throughout the whole trip.  You wouldn’t have guessed they had followed the same stupid kayaking path 7 days per week, 14 days per month.  We saw some cool waterfalls but it was pretty chilly and full of sand flies.  I put bug spray on but somehow they found a way to eat my ankles.  They are awful- way worse than the guidebook warned!!!I   After kayaking, I feasted on some soup and bread while sitting with an English couple and a young, grubby tramping couple from Queenstown.  They really only spoke to each other though and I was more of an observer.  They were talking about their recent travels to India and how far money went over there. They also casually spoke about how they didn’t use a working bathroom for about 2 months.  I have no desire to visit that dirty place.  Sorry, Sri dawg.  Your mother’s country sounds really dirty.

                After soup we were called out on the deck to see the colony of sea lions hanging out on a nearby island.   The crew member on the microphone was so informed of the plant and wildlife in the surrounding area.  Sure he had done this tour for years but he had a way of presenting it that seemed fresh.  I spent a lot of time indoors chatting with the Skipper in order to stay warm.  Eventually a group of guys from Belgium came in to do the same and I found some friends for dinner.  They were nice enough to sit down with but I was still surprised that the girls my age hadn’t made any effort to be friendly.  On the contrary, the one from Holland was REALLY bitchy towards me when I tried. 

Dinner was then served and it surpassed expectations!  I packed in so much food and never really seemed to fill up.  It felt so good to get salad in my body amongst all things.  We had a great dessert as well and watched a slideshow on the flora and fauna of the Fiordlands.  I had met a very nice girl from Austria named Eva throughout dinner and feel like I made a solid connection for when my European trip brings me toward her hometown.

                The next morning I woke up to the engines roaring at 6:30am as we made our way back through Doubtful Harbor in hopes of returning at 10am.  I had a glorious shower and met Eva upstairs for breakfast.  The entire crew was so friendly and worked very hard…but they were a little too hasty overall.  It seemed as if your food was being taken away almost immediately after serving it.  You didn’t really feel like you could take your time with anything.  They were constantly moving you along.  I understand they had a schedule to keep but they could have been more discrete about it.  Over breakfast I met a girl from Denmark who was really pleasant and a guy from Belgium named Dimitri.  We all gathered on the deck to take in as much of the scenery as possible. 

The skipper pulled into one cove area that was surrounded by not only beautiful cliffs and green mountains, but amazing waterfalls sprouting out in 8 different spots.  They shut off the engines and commenced the ‘sound of silence’ which lasted a good ten minutes.  It was amazing to be in such a remote place with nothing but water rushing and mountain birds squawking.  Oh and little Asian children rustling in the background like gremlins.  Honestly, did you really think your 6 little gremlins were going to cooperate for the sound of silence?

                We made our way back to the dock and started to load the buses.  The crew was standing in a line to send us off and I spontaneously ran through the line giving high fives!  I was very grateful for this peaceful trip and the demeanor of the crew that watched us over us for the last 24 hours.

                Dimitri and I had great conversation throughout the bus trip back.  I discovered that Belgians don’t really make a big deal about weddings and marriage like in America.  His friend Kristof had been living with his girlfriend for the last 7 years with no plans to marry.  He himself was an only child and was unlikely to get married.  I thought us Americans were crazy.  We discussed our families, our jobs, our healthcare as well as lighter subjects such as Kristof’s embarrassing run off the bungee cord platform.  I felt terrible just laughing in this stranger’s face so whole heartedly!  The poor guy was doing such a brave thing in bungee jumping yet he looked SO terrible doing it.  He had a running start and jumped before he was supposed to and almost hit his knee on the platform.  It just looked like he was savagely running and didn’t know it would end.  When you’re traveling alone there is some giggling that one internalizes.  This was the first time I actually enjoyed some belly laughs.  I apologize that it was at Kristof’s expense.

Sneaky stow-away traveling in Milford Sound!

 
 
 
 

 

MILFORD SOUND, NEW ZEALAND

Day 6:

Leaving Queenstown at 6am, I was wrong in thinking that I would catch up on sleep on the bus.  The landscape was way too pretty at sunrise to even blink.  Two hours fifteen minutes later, I arrived in Te Anua with hopes of arranging a tour through Mitre Peak tours that would bus me out to Milford Sounds, put me on their boats and then bus me back.  I dropped my stuff at the YHA and headed for the Mitre bus only to watch it drive away without me.  I asked my original driver if there was anything I could do to catch it and he said I could go on his coach that was leaving in 20 mins.  He asked if I had already paid for the Mitre tour and I fibbed so that he wouldn’t charge me.  I hope he doesn’t read this.      

                The weather was gorgeous in Te Anua but worsened as we got closer to Milford Sound.  We made several stops along the way including Mirror Lake and the Chasms for small walking tours.   As we got closer to the Sounds, the driver made many announcements but singled me out in particular saying that he would personally take me to the Mitre company’s kiosk when we arrived so we could explain the mishap.  My heart was pounding and I thought of every possible scenario that would ensue.  When we arrived the driver made the grave mistake of dropping me off at the MILFORD bus company instead of MITRE.  He simply left me to sort it out and I quickly explained that I was at the wrong kiosk.  Crisis averted! 

It was raining at the Sound and I was disappointed.  We couldn’t see any mountain tops and I hadn’t thought to bring my poncho so it looked like it was going to be a soggy boat ride.  I was also stressed on how I was going to get back home since I didn’t have any bus ticket and would have to sneak around again.  I focused on the boat ride and it turns out that rain in Milford Sound is actually the best!  Waterfalls appear out of thin air and come rushing down the mountain side.  The clouds also add mystery to the existing mountains and show outlines of jagged mountains that lurk in the background.  Spooky but really pretty.  Mitre has smaller, more intimate boats that get closer to the waterfalls so I had a great experience even though I was freezing.  I know every picture is going to have that purple jacket in it since I’m always freaking cold!  I made good friends a few older individuals on the boat who really liked how white my teeth were and they offered to take me back to Te Anua in their car.  Jackpot!   

                On the way back, I got a little sick to my stomach and had a headache either from the elderly man taking corners on two wheels or from lack of food.  I had been too stingy with my eating budget and was physically hurting from all the crap snack foods I had eaten that day.  I found an Italian restaurant back in town and scarfed down a pizza and coke.  The coke was ‘good and cold’ and made everything better, as my mom, Peggles, always said it would.  I was shocked when I returned to the hostel and everyone was going to bed at 8:45.  The YHA Te Anau was quite different than the Base Hostel in Queenstown.  The people were less willing to chat and more willing to sleep in hopes of rejuvenating their adrenaline for the following day. 

               

Day 7:

I tried to sleep in but it’s no use in an 8 man hostel.  Everyone’s up and about much earlier than you and no ear plugs can block out a person who is trying to be quiet when they unzipper a bag one tooth at a time.  I had the morning free so I took my time on the computer and called Qantas to change my flight.  Two hours later, I had convinced them to just cancel my flight from NZ to Australia and just charge me the fee.  At one point, they were going to charge me $3400 to change it.  No chance. 

I found myself hungry at the grocery store where I spent 20 mins trying to decide what to buy for the three 3 meals I would need to eat before leaving town.  I didn’t want to overbuy.  Was it possible to just buy one slice of cheese?  The store catered toward backpackers though since I saw butter packets for 35 cents each.  I made a bad choice in buying salami, cream cheese and crackers for lunch.  Sri had introduced me to this snack but her version tasted much better. 

                I took a boat at 2pm to the glowworm caves of Te Anau.  I didn’t really know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised.  Our group arrived on an island where we followed a trail to the cave and then navigated our way through some passages that made you duck down to about 4 feet.  The water was rushing within the cave but it was pretty developed so we could climb around with ease.  Then we got on these small boats in complete darkness and our guide dragged us deeper into the caves by an overhanging clothesline.  There we sat in total darkness (and silence) and were surrounded by the romantic glow of the glowworms.  It was so magical.  I had never experienced anything like that and was really glad I did it.  Ideally, it would have been more enjoyable with someone significant but I enjoyed myself.  My new friend did too!  Yes, I made another.  A Russian girl named Maria who lived in NYC and had quit her job in advertising 9 months earlier in order to travel.  She was wearing some NYU pants and I struck up conversation.  She had been in India, Indonesia and Thailand so far and I could tell she was definitely at peace with herself.  She was smart, independent, frugal and calm.  She offered to take me to Wanaka next where she was staying at a friend’s place and I could crash there.  From there, we would head to the Fox glacier and all the way up to Abel Tasman.  I was psyched!  This girl was cool.  I have to say that she may have stopped talking to me if I hadn’t mentioned that I had a Russian love in my life- Jess Shtofmakher.  Maria doesn’t have the same passion for animal print, 4 inch high heels, US weekly or half marathons as my Jess so there will be no friend-replacing.  But I do have confidence that she’ll be a good travel companion for the South Island!

The road abroad smells like...Feet

QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND- adventure capital of the world

                I took a flight from Auckland to Queenstown on Saturday morning with JetStar and sat next to the flight attendant business director for the whole damn airline! All the flight attendants were kissing his butt before we took off and I eventually asked him, "Are you important??"  Turns out he was.  They catered toward him the whole flight and he shared his drinks with me and gave me some vanilla hard candy. It really doesn't take much to please me.  His wife and he were sooo nice and told me everywhere I should and shouldn’t go on my trip. They made me think I should stay longer in NZ and that I should skip Dunedin altogether.
              I caught the shuttle bus from the airport into town and checked into the Base hostel and was appauled to find that every place charged me for internet.  The hostels in Brazil, Argentina and Europe that I stayed at in the past had free internet to use.  I asked around and found that the only place with free wifi was good old McDonalds! 
             One happy meal later, I was in rockin' and rollin' in cyberspace.  I then took the gondola up the mountain side where the views were just SPECTACULAR. I stayed up there for a couple hours at least just to be surrounded by the landscape. I literally was tearing up just by the sight of it all…and overall feeling that if I died right now I had to say that I had an awesome life. My roommate and forever friend Sri would have made fun of me for the tears (but she cries during You’ve Got Mail so what does she really know?) I took a lot of pictures at the top and met an Asian named Andrea from NYC and a Dutch guy named Whim from Vancouver. We stayed up there until after sunset just to take it all in. I came back to the hospital and passed by three guys who looked like they weren’t enjoying the $5 spaghetti Bolognese special at the hostel. It turned out they were from Lynnfield, Wakefield and Everett! I had a great time talking to them before going to my room. I met some people in my smelly 8 man hostel room- Raquel from California and Matt from Nova Scotia. I found out that Matt's sister and I played hockey against each other when she was a senior at Harvard and I probably met her on my recruiting visit.  Raquel's brother, Alex, was also super cool.  They had found Matt along the way and they made a great travel team.  Everyone was so nice and helpful even if they make a room smell like feet! I can see how I may get sick of telling everyone my story though. You have to do it because it’s the best way to learn more about traveling and the amazing people along the way. I learned of a website that may help me connect with RVers- gumtree.co.nz and get across the country. I signed up for a YHA membership card and the savings are already huge.  We went out that night and the scene was pretty young an immature.  I know Queenstown is a party spot for backpackers but I won't stay at Base hostel ever again.  The music was thumpin' well after 2 am and the drunk boys and girls occupied the hallways trying to convince each other it was a good idea to hook up.
            The next morning I went hiking with the Masshole boys’ roommate, Melissa who is from Germany. We climbed Queenstown Hill (probably 3.5 miles but who really knows when everything is measured in km) and had a great view of the town. We scarfed down the Queenstown favorite 'Fergbergers' by the water before learning how to get free internet. I already want to change my flight to stay longer. If anyone has Qantas connections, let me know! I went jetboating over the Shotover River which was sick!! Our driver, Glenn (shoutout to my red headed brother), was so skilled in that he could come within inches of hitting HUGE rocks as we weaved through the cliffs. It was a thrill!
           Afterwards I had a little trouble taking a shower. After soaping up in the timed shower that only
sprays water for 5 seconds before shutting off, I realized I forgot my shampoo. My greasy hair desperately needed shampoo. I then realized I locked myself out of my room and had to go down to the lobby. I got back in the shower and realized I forgot the shamps again! It was the worst shower experience of my life but I learned my lesson.
           I met up with Melissa for a walk by the lakeside beach and got a soup dinner at a café that had a moustache wall of fame. I took a picture for Ray Delgado and realized that his 'stache would be in high demand here. We went to the Pig and Whistle for a very sophisticated hot chocolate and called it an early night. I could tell that I would be sore from the hike.

          The next morning I woke up at 5:45 to talk to my parents, Peg and Wayne on gchat before heading out of town. They are getting so savy with their tech skills.  They've mastered gmail, gchat, texting over email and facebook just in the past 2 weeks.  I'm so proud of them!  They were cool before and now they've ascended to a whole new level of cool. I departed from them to have a quick breakfast with Melissa and then ‘popped’ on a bus to Te Anua with my favorite song right now 'And the Beat Goes On' by Fara's brother Matt White playing on my ipod.  It's so catchy- check it out.
    

The road abroad looks like...AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

To Auckland and beyond!
             I made it safely to New Zealand on Wednesday morning after the 6 hour flight to LA and 13 hour flight to Auckland. It really wasn’t too bad- I watched The Fighter (felt right at home with those glorious accents), Black Swan (overrated and highly predictable) and A King’s Speech (loved it…again). I was pacing the LAX terminal before my long flight and saw Vanessa Williams. I think I was the only one to notice her getting on her red eye flight to NY with a young girl. And, yes, she’s just about as gorgeous in real life.
          I arrived into Auckland airport where the drug sniffing dogs really, really sniff you. They aren’t just a presence. They are brought around to each person and stick their noses in your bag. They totally pegged some pothead guy and interrogated the crap out of him. I almost got fined $400 for having an apple in my bag but luckily I remembered after seeing the 8th warning sign! I knew I wasn’t in NYC anymore when I got help from several people when getting my 40 pound backpack off the carousel and onto my back. I was honestly thanking someone in every different direction- everyone was SO incredibly nice!
         I was met at the airport by my amazing host, Brianne Koning. HUGE shout-out to my friend, Bryan Campbell, for setting me up with such a fun Canuck! Brianne and her roommates could not have been more accommodating. Bjorn and Christina (brother and sister) New Zealanders lived with Brianne and helped me out so much whether it was offering me more food than I could handle, lending their guidebooks and travel tips, exposing me to new Kiwi foods, encouraging me to use their washing machine (maybe I smelled already?), picking me up wherever I was lost, and even going on a roadie to Rotorua.
          First, Bjorn dropped me off at the Auckland Museum where I learned a lot of stuff that I was going to soon forget. I think that was my first and last museum of the trip. I am being honest when I say that  don’t have the patience to read it all- it’s just too much! They had such interesting artifacts on the Maori culture, the volcanic layout of NZ, and the country’s role in WW2. I wasn’t too jetlegged for some reason so I had a great night at the house alone catching up on emails and watching “Boy” (a Kiwi favorite) and “Schindler’s List” (to build on what I had learned at the museum).
          The next morning, I took the 12 min ferry ride across the bay to Devonport for the morning.  The weather was hot and then cold, then sunny then cloudy, then raining and then raining more so I was constantly alternating jackets, scarves and sunglasses. I hiked North Head and Mount Victoria in order to explore. I found myself climbing the half-beaten path instead of following the pavement and all I could hear was my fav friend Fara Chikvashvili in my head saying, ‘Ya know, Ker, how about we just stay on the path? I think it would be best if we not go in the bush with the potential lethal snakes.” Sorry, Fara girl- I went against your wishes. I had a lovely time in this quaint town and finished with enough time to watch someone jump off the Sky Tower before Brianne picked me up downtown.
         Brianne and I headed 3 hours to Rotorua and stayed in the YHA hostel for the night. We visited the Tamaki Maori village for a night full of first experiences. We arrived at the village where the Maoris performed the Powhiri (formal welcome). No smiling or laughing during this cultural experience or they won't let you enter. We entered the Marae (village) where they demonstrated different activities such as poi twirling, hand games and weaponry displays. And then came the Wharenui (meeting house) where they performed cool songs and dances. They performed the hongi (pressing of the noses) to our chiefs in order to seal the bond of friendship before beginning the Hangi (feast)! They cooked our plentiful meal under the earth on hot rocks for 3-4 hours. It was pretty damn good! And so was dessert.
I really ate too much custard and some kind of cake that was purely whipped cream and fat.
        We got on a very fun waka (bus) on the way back and each person on board had to sing a
song that represented their country. I was the only American and after people had been singing their national anthems I started by singing ‘Bad Romance’. I really didn’t get the laughs I was expecting though! Damn crickets! So I sang ‘Take me out to the ballgame’ and it was a lot of fun! Then the driver had us sing ‘She’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes’ while he kept driving around and around a round-about (rotary). It was hilarious. He dropped us at the hostel but forgot to put the bus in park so we started rolling backwards. It was a little bit scary but the whole trip was so much fun that I tried not to hold it against him.
         The next morning we relaxed at the tranquil private pools of the Polynesian Spa. There were 9 private pools that overlooked Rotorua Lake that was so oxygenated that it had a milky white appearance and no animals could survive in it. We spent close to 4 hours and my skin felt so smooth when I got out.  The entire town smelled like eggs, which didn’t really bother me. I like eggs. :)
           Our next stop was Hells Gate, the geothermal hot springs best known for their mud baths and spa experiences. It was so cool! It was just pure nature at work. The water varied in degrees and ph level throughout the park. It seemed like a great end scene for a movie where the honeymoon couple reaches its breaking point and the husband throws his wife into the ‘liquid hot magma’ to dispose of any evidence. Maybe not a great movie but it would definitely be a good scene. 

           We drove through Matamata on the way home, which was also dubbed ‘Hobbiton’ since it was a film location for Lord of the Rings. We arrived back to Auckland and had a big dance party at the apartment. By the end of the night, there was wine on the white carpet, beer rings all over the coffee tables, and a broken futon (thanks to Bjorn). I also got a surprise skype call from my brother Matthew (awake at 3:45am his time due to a little thing called heartburn), which made me feel great to know that the people I love were only a phone call away.  Next stop….South Island of NZ.

FRIEND OR FOE FRIDAY!!!

This is the first installment of many Fridays to come....
Here's the game:  Below you'll see pictures of people I have met along the way.  Some are new friends...some are frightening foes.  Can you guess which is which?

1)


2)

3)



 4)

5)



 6)



ANSWERS:
1) FOE!  This man shed his clothes for a midnight skinny dip in one of the hot tubs at the Playa Linda where I stayed in Aruba.  Sure, we're all naked under our bathing suits so it shouldn't be disturbing but it's quite different seeing foreign junk when you're with your parents.  He had that alarming rapist look in his eye and we were all happy when a security guard quickly escorted him out.

2) FOE!  He is the friend of the man mentioned above.  Sweet tats, perv! 

3)  FRIEND!  This is my dad's friend Lenny who was in Aruba with us.  He was making friends with the fishies we had for dinner.

4) FRIENDS!  Christina, Brianne, and Bjorn were my AMAZING hosts in Auckland.  Brianne picked me up from the airport and let me crash at her place with her fantastic roommates (brother and sister New Zealanders).  We went on a great roadie (Canadian term for road trip) to Rotorua, relaxed in the geothermal healing pools, visited the Maori village and the hobbit town of Matamata where Lord of the Rings was filmed.  Awesome people....they really know how to throw a dance party as well as break couches.

5)  FRIEND!  This Maori native was actually showing his tongue as a welcome greeting believe it or not.  We had a hangi feast with the natives and learned so much about their culture.  After explaining the spiritual beliefs of his ancestors he asked if this would be on facebook. :)

6)  FRIENDS!  We met this beautiful Italian couple during our Maori hangi feast.  I love to see love...and these two old timers from Genoa were on a trip around the world and were definitely in love.  A-dorable!

      How did you do??