Northland adventures

Hello again from Auckland! Steph and I are sitting in the same internet cafe we posted from last time, only this time we have pictures of our excursion up to the Northland of New Zealand to share.

After a couple of nights in hotels, we began the backpacking portion of our trip in earnest when we boarded the Magic Bus bright and early, 7:15 AM, last Thursday. The first pickup spot was the office, and we were a little surprised when there were only six or seven people on the bus. Once we made the rest of the pickups at the hostels, however, we probably had twenty people on board for the trip up North.

It was a pretty uneventful ride up, with the exception that I tried my first pie for breakfast, a delicious concoction of steak, cheese and pastry. Yum. A couple of hours after we left Auckland, we arrived in Paihia, gateway to the Bay of Islands. We originally planned to stay for only one night, but after learning about the opportunity to swim with dolphins, something Steph has always wanted to do, we decided to book a day tour out on the water to try and do just that. Since Magic only picks up and drops off on alternate days, this meant we would be in Paihia for a total of three days.

While we had some initial reservations about the cost of the trip, we got our money's worth within the first hour when we spotted several pods of dolphins swimming together, sometimes within feet of the boat! Steph got some amazing pictures and I got a good video of the sightings. The trip also included an island stopover where I got to do a bit of tramping and Steph got some beach time, a trip to the famous Hole in the Rock, and some boom netting, where I and several others were dragged in a big fishing net alongside the boat. After the boat trip, we tried our first fish and chips, I learned the rules of cricket and rugby, and we spent some time out with a lovely British couple, Roz and Nick.

On the last full day it rained lightly most of the day, but that didn't stop us from doing a few things around town. I went on my first real tramp, which was great, and Steph and I took a grueling bike ride to some rather sad looking falls (especially compared to what I saw in Yosemite earlier this year). Not wanting to ride the hills back, we took a 5K tramp to get to higher ground, so as to be able to coast on the bikes back to our hostel.

We woke up bright and early this morning to catch the Magic Bus back to Auckland. Along the way we stopped in a few quaint towns, and drove through the Waipoua Forest, which showcased the way New Zealand was before it was settled. The biggest attraction was the massive kauri tree, Tane Mahuta, thought to be over 2,000 years old. Pretty incredible stuff.

The pictures from this section of the trip (and a brief dolphin video) are on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2286152&l=3a988&id=9605303

Tomorrow we are headed down south to Rotorua and Taupo. We'll post an update on those adventures in a few days.

Greetings from New Zealand

Hello all! Steph and I are sitting in an internet cafe in downtown Auckland, which means we made it safe and sound. We don't have a ton of time at the moment, since we're paying by the hour, but we did want to get some photos uploaded so everyone out there can see some of what we've been up to. Rather than uploading everything here, we've decided to post the pictures on our facebook pages, make the albums public, and then post the links here. Here's the first batch:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2285124&l=6c28b&id=9605303

We'll write more detailed descriptions of the flights, our customs encounters, the hotels and our excursions into Brisbane and Auckland when we're not on the clock.

We made it!

Hey everyone, checking in from Brisbane! We made it into the city this morning and I was able to open a Westpac account and deposit my Australian dollars. We also got some delicious curry in the city center. Pics and a longer update once we get to a computer you don't have to rent by the hour!

I'll show you mine...

It's 12:32 AM on D-Day, and my pack has finally come together. Choosing what made the cut was a little tricky. We're going to be spending a good amount of time backpacking, so it's important to have lightweight, functional items, but we'll also be living city life in Sydney and Melbourne, so it's almost important I not wear the same thing every day or look like a slob. I also need clothes with an eye towards form with a dash of style. Here's what made it, in no particular order:



Carry on - Inflatable travel pillow, gum, No Jet Lag pills (homeopathic medicine made in NZ), Dramamine, ear plugs & eye mask (I'd like to get SOME sleep on the flight), watch, camera & cable, water bottle, AU guidebook, book (Gulliver's Travels), smartpac toiletries (two servings of everything you need, should come in handy during the infinite layover in Brisbane), travel wallet, sunglasses, eye drops, ipod & cable, headphones.

Main pack - Four tshirts (three cotton, one dri-fit polyester), two of pairs shorts (one khaki, one dri-fit polyester), hoodie, three pairs of shoes (athletic, flipflop, going out/work), jeans, khaki jeans, polo, white button-up, hat, four pairs underwear, four pairs socks, small towel, windpants, lightweight waterproof jacket, swimsuit, glasses

Journal & pen, book (Oliver Twist), two dryer sheets, two earplugs, three packets of tide (designed for sink washing), safety pins, Febreeze, contact solution, contact case, small maglite flashlight, tide pen, vitamins, ibuprofen, antihistamine, tums, hand wipes, bandaids, emergency electrolyte tabs, whistle, 100oz camelbak bladder, downy wrinkle releaser, face wash, leatherman multitool, shampoo, conditioner, bar soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, gel, mouthwash, razor, shaving cream, floss, lighter

And believe it or not, all of that fits with room to spare...



Next post should be from Brisbane!