Suprise!
I'm home. In Canada. Back in waterdown...yay
I was supposed to stay until Christmas, working just for November and December but upon doing some job searching realized I would return with $0. So I booked the flight back for late October but after our river journey and the money recovering slash celebrating our victory as well as looking at the upcoming weather and the cost of returning to the things we missed, it made sense to come back a little earlier. I wanted to leave New Zealand on a high note so I spent the last week surfing and swimming with sharks and was back in time for Thanksgiving where I was able to surprise my parents and frank. They were delighted I was home and I'm sure the novelty will continue until I am at Boundless and I won't once get on their nerves.
So I'm home, New Zealand was grand, I can't wait to go back.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
An Idiot I suppose
We left Raglan and headed to Auckland as the springboard for the next part of the journey. I realized it has been almost a month since I've been in a big, major city and I definitely prefer the smaller towns. Auckland is central to any options of heading to the East Coast, the Cormandel or up North which is what we're leaning towards.
While I'm not the biggest fan of the city, I have to admit that Auckland has its merits. Its fairly clean for a city of its size, has a nice waterfront area and although there is a large amount of traffic it is nothing compared to something like Toronto. But that is not all.
Auckland is a city of balance.
I went for a walk through the CBD last night and a few minutes into the walk was approached by a guy about my age who was wearing a vest that said "Don't forget Jesus" and was trying to hand me a pamphlet while urging me to repent. I declined the pamphlet and the repentance but briefly considered asking him where he shops for vests.
Further down the street the balance of the night was restored when I was offered not to repent but to retire to a building filled with women who would ensure that I have a splendid night. For a price. Balance.
Apparently, although it is not as well advertised as Amsterdam, prostitution is perfectly legal in New Zealand. And while not as advertised as in Rome, religion is also considered a completely legal enterprise in this country. So these touts had joined in the ones hawking pizza and accommodation. Balancing each other out.
This morning I got to do somethign I have always wanted to. I swam with sharks.
I got to the aquarium which is underground and under sea level and pulls its water as well as its attractions from the water around Auckland. I was the only person signed up to do the shark swim so at 10am this morning I was met by Jess, my guide slash shark body guard for the morning. Jess came into the lobby in a wetsuit, hair dripping and said "You must be Mike! Follow me" and took me to the restricted behind the scenes area. I noted that Jess was much smaller then I was and as her job was feeding and swimming with sharks I assumed she was a better swimmer. Slower and meatier, I'd be the ideal snack.
She outfitted me with a wet suit and brought me to the area above the tank where we climbed into the cage. It was not a metal cage but one that floated on top of the water so you could surface. The bottom of the cage, about 5 feet below the surface was made of plexiglass to see through an dthe sides of the cage were made of netting with holes big enough to stick your hand through...which Jess told me in no uncertain terms would be a bad idea.
We floated the cage out into the middle and I got to spend an hour in the cage with a mask and snorkel looking at the fish, the 200lbs sting ray and the four species of shark swimming around and underneath. The highlight came when I was holding myself under the water on the handles on the plexiglass and two sharks approached the side of the netting. One was slightly shorter then I was and the other was clearly larger and both decided to not slow down upon reaching the side. The netting of the cage has some give so I came about 3cm away from giving a very large broad nosed shark an eskimo kiss. It was incredible.
The rest of the time in the cage the sharks became a little more curious but not as adventurous and would circle the cage keeping there eyes on me as I was the only one underwater with them.
Swimming with sharks in cold water is a good way to get the blood going and wake up in the morning. Not sure whats on tap next but it probably has less teeth.
While I'm not the biggest fan of the city, I have to admit that Auckland has its merits. Its fairly clean for a city of its size, has a nice waterfront area and although there is a large amount of traffic it is nothing compared to something like Toronto. But that is not all.
Auckland is a city of balance.
I went for a walk through the CBD last night and a few minutes into the walk was approached by a guy about my age who was wearing a vest that said "Don't forget Jesus" and was trying to hand me a pamphlet while urging me to repent. I declined the pamphlet and the repentance but briefly considered asking him where he shops for vests.
Further down the street the balance of the night was restored when I was offered not to repent but to retire to a building filled with women who would ensure that I have a splendid night. For a price. Balance.
Apparently, although it is not as well advertised as Amsterdam, prostitution is perfectly legal in New Zealand. And while not as advertised as in Rome, religion is also considered a completely legal enterprise in this country. So these touts had joined in the ones hawking pizza and accommodation. Balancing each other out.
This morning I got to do somethign I have always wanted to. I swam with sharks.
I got to the aquarium which is underground and under sea level and pulls its water as well as its attractions from the water around Auckland. I was the only person signed up to do the shark swim so at 10am this morning I was met by Jess, my guide slash shark body guard for the morning. Jess came into the lobby in a wetsuit, hair dripping and said "You must be Mike! Follow me" and took me to the restricted behind the scenes area. I noted that Jess was much smaller then I was and as her job was feeding and swimming with sharks I assumed she was a better swimmer. Slower and meatier, I'd be the ideal snack.
She outfitted me with a wet suit and brought me to the area above the tank where we climbed into the cage. It was not a metal cage but one that floated on top of the water so you could surface. The bottom of the cage, about 5 feet below the surface was made of plexiglass to see through an dthe sides of the cage were made of netting with holes big enough to stick your hand through...which Jess told me in no uncertain terms would be a bad idea.
We floated the cage out into the middle and I got to spend an hour in the cage with a mask and snorkel looking at the fish, the 200lbs sting ray and the four species of shark swimming around and underneath. The highlight came when I was holding myself under the water on the handles on the plexiglass and two sharks approached the side of the netting. One was slightly shorter then I was and the other was clearly larger and both decided to not slow down upon reaching the side. The netting of the cage has some give so I came about 3cm away from giving a very large broad nosed shark an eskimo kiss. It was incredible.
The rest of the time in the cage the sharks became a little more curious but not as adventurous and would circle the cage keeping there eyes on me as I was the only one underwater with them.
Swimming with sharks in cold water is a good way to get the blood going and wake up in the morning. Not sure whats on tap next but it probably has less teeth.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Lady lady love me becaue I love to lay here lazy
Raglan is a great town. It is very small, two streets, one little supermarket, a couple cafes, a few surf shops and that is about it.
I've spent the last three days getting up early, having a hearty bowl of knockoff cocoa puffs and then headed out for a few hours of surfing. After surfing all morning we get back to the hostel in the early afternoon, maybe have lunch or maybe just lie in the hammock in the sun reading and napping. After some naps a long walk on the beach, some skim boarding or just more time in the hammock is usually in order.
After dinner we've been having a few cold beers in the hot tub, then a few more beers and hanging out with native english speakers (a unique experience in hostels for us so far, the majority of travelers here are German).
The surfing has been absolutely incredible. So much work to finally get to a wave and 80% of the time I can't do anything with the wave. I was able to stand up a couple times my first day and most times the last two days. I have only been able to actually ride the face of the wave twice but its an amazing feeling. Going from lying on the board to feeling the wave pulling you back, bringing you to its crest and then pushing you forward as you glide along the water. Then standing up and actually turning onto the open face of the wave in front of the white wash and feeling some measure of control over gliding over the surface of the water is great. It is more then worth the getting up early, putting on a damp wet suit and getting into the cold ocean. I think I may be staying here a couple extra days just for that feeling alone.
Also, it is pizza night at the hostel. They supply the dough, we supply the toppings and get whatever kind of pizza we want.
I've spent the last three days getting up early, having a hearty bowl of knockoff cocoa puffs and then headed out for a few hours of surfing. After surfing all morning we get back to the hostel in the early afternoon, maybe have lunch or maybe just lie in the hammock in the sun reading and napping. After some naps a long walk on the beach, some skim boarding or just more time in the hammock is usually in order.
After dinner we've been having a few cold beers in the hot tub, then a few more beers and hanging out with native english speakers (a unique experience in hostels for us so far, the majority of travelers here are German).
The surfing has been absolutely incredible. So much work to finally get to a wave and 80% of the time I can't do anything with the wave. I was able to stand up a couple times my first day and most times the last two days. I have only been able to actually ride the face of the wave twice but its an amazing feeling. Going from lying on the board to feeling the wave pulling you back, bringing you to its crest and then pushing you forward as you glide along the water. Then standing up and actually turning onto the open face of the wave in front of the white wash and feeling some measure of control over gliding over the surface of the water is great. It is more then worth the getting up early, putting on a damp wet suit and getting into the cold ocean. I think I may be staying here a couple extra days just for that feeling alone.
Also, it is pizza night at the hostel. They supply the dough, we supply the toppings and get whatever kind of pizza we want.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
I'm [out of] a boat
I think "Without a Paddle" is a seriously underrated movie. Mark and I went and saw this movie back in highschool and have loved it ever since. The premise is that three childhood friends go canoeing in the wilderness, tip their canoe, lose their stuff and have to find a way out. Its a great movie to watch, didn't quite think I'd have to live through it.
We got to the put in for the river after a night in the tent where it poured rain non stop. Two guys dropped us off at the put in, one recommended waiting 2 hours for the river level to go down, the other saying we would be fine to go right now. There was a rapid just upstream of the put in and we were assured that was the biggest one would we would see. We decided to wait an hour and a half
A few minutes into the paddle the waves and rapids we were seeing were 5 or 6 times the size of the one at the put in. We were hitting everything perfectly but the boulders, calm pools and areas to take out that were promised in the river guide were not there. We came through one particularily big set and were very happy to have made it when something hit our boat (there were large submerged boulders as well as full trees floating down the river, so we're not sure what it was). We capsized and although I was able to hold onto the canoe for a while I wasn't able to swim it to shore as it was loaded with all our gear and the river ust kept rushing us through more and more whitewater where it was supposed to be calm. We abandoned the canoe and paddles and hauled ass to shore where we were just across the river from the campsite that was supposed to take us 5 hours of hard paddling to get to...2 hours after put in, paddling lazily (except for the whitewater) and including a 5-10 minute swim. On the side of the river we came out on there was nothing so after drying our stuff out in the sun for a bit we hiked up through the backcountry hills for a while until we came upon some farm land. We went through a few pastures, startling goats and sheep and cows until we finally came to a road. After walking along the road for a few minutes a car pulled over and asked if we needed a ride (we were wearing our lifejackets, carrying our soaking wet clothes and covered in mud).
We took the ride into town to the i-site where Mel at the Tamaranui I-site made us coffee, brought us cookies and called Helene over at the Holiday Park. Helene and Phil run the holiday park and they agreed to put us up for a couple nights if need be despite the fact that we had no wallets, passports or clothes other then what we were wearing. We got the Holiday Park and Helene handed us a key to a cabin, sleeping bags, towels, soap and two cold beers.
We were treated to some more cold beers and dinner the first night and on the second day Helene called the local police who called the Wanganui police who had found the canoe (what usually would be a 7 day journey took our canoe without paddles less then 24 hours) and all our stuff was still strapped in. We received our stuff yesterday afternoon (presented in police evidence bags) and dried it out while digging into our food supply for the five day trip.
Today we left the holiday park, which was a little sad because we met some very amazing people there who we would not have gotten through the ordeal without. We hitched up to Hamilton, halfway getting a ride from a farmer named Grant who brought us first to his house, gave us a beer and made us bacon and eggs (this hospitality was not presented as an option) and then toured us aron dthe neighbouring towns before dropping us just south of Hamilton. One more ride from a guy from Nova Scotia and a bus and we are now in Raglan.
The hostel we are staying at is amazing. There is a free hot tub, sauna, hammocks, skim boards and kayaks to use. The hostel overlooks the river right before it meets the ocean and has the cheapest surf rentals in town. We are staying here for three nights (at least) and the plan is to spend the next three days enjoying the sun, surfing (or attempting to) and resting assured that our passports, wallets and clothes are back safely in the room.
We got to the put in for the river after a night in the tent where it poured rain non stop. Two guys dropped us off at the put in, one recommended waiting 2 hours for the river level to go down, the other saying we would be fine to go right now. There was a rapid just upstream of the put in and we were assured that was the biggest one would we would see. We decided to wait an hour and a half
A few minutes into the paddle the waves and rapids we were seeing were 5 or 6 times the size of the one at the put in. We were hitting everything perfectly but the boulders, calm pools and areas to take out that were promised in the river guide were not there. We came through one particularily big set and were very happy to have made it when something hit our boat (there were large submerged boulders as well as full trees floating down the river, so we're not sure what it was). We capsized and although I was able to hold onto the canoe for a while I wasn't able to swim it to shore as it was loaded with all our gear and the river ust kept rushing us through more and more whitewater where it was supposed to be calm. We abandoned the canoe and paddles and hauled ass to shore where we were just across the river from the campsite that was supposed to take us 5 hours of hard paddling to get to...2 hours after put in, paddling lazily (except for the whitewater) and including a 5-10 minute swim. On the side of the river we came out on there was nothing so after drying our stuff out in the sun for a bit we hiked up through the backcountry hills for a while until we came upon some farm land. We went through a few pastures, startling goats and sheep and cows until we finally came to a road. After walking along the road for a few minutes a car pulled over and asked if we needed a ride (we were wearing our lifejackets, carrying our soaking wet clothes and covered in mud).
We took the ride into town to the i-site where Mel at the Tamaranui I-site made us coffee, brought us cookies and called Helene over at the Holiday Park. Helene and Phil run the holiday park and they agreed to put us up for a couple nights if need be despite the fact that we had no wallets, passports or clothes other then what we were wearing. We got the Holiday Park and Helene handed us a key to a cabin, sleeping bags, towels, soap and two cold beers.
We were treated to some more cold beers and dinner the first night and on the second day Helene called the local police who called the Wanganui police who had found the canoe (what usually would be a 7 day journey took our canoe without paddles less then 24 hours) and all our stuff was still strapped in. We received our stuff yesterday afternoon (presented in police evidence bags) and dried it out while digging into our food supply for the five day trip.
Today we left the holiday park, which was a little sad because we met some very amazing people there who we would not have gotten through the ordeal without. We hitched up to Hamilton, halfway getting a ride from a farmer named Grant who brought us first to his house, gave us a beer and made us bacon and eggs (this hospitality was not presented as an option) and then toured us aron dthe neighbouring towns before dropping us just south of Hamilton. One more ride from a guy from Nova Scotia and a bus and we are now in Raglan.
The hostel we are staying at is amazing. There is a free hot tub, sauna, hammocks, skim boards and kayaks to use. The hostel overlooks the river right before it meets the ocean and has the cheapest surf rentals in town. We are staying here for three nights (at least) and the plan is to spend the next three days enjoying the sun, surfing (or attempting to) and resting assured that our passports, wallets and clothes are back safely in the room.
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