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.
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.
Your pictures are AWESOME....keep them coming. Skype is great...we get to "see" you and like the smile you are sporting. xoxo MOM and DAD
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