Shine Falls

Today was a gorgeous day and we had a very successful hike! We also had a great end to last night, cooking ourselves some lamb steaks, marinated in a honey mint rosemary flavor and it was delicious! A couple of kiwi guys from Wellington were staying at the hostel for the long weekend (Monday is a public holiday) and were having a good time in the hostel lounge, chatting people up, and were overall very friendly. They (jokingly) told me that John and I could stay at their flat in Wellington. 

But on to today! We got up a little later than planned, so we decided to just stick to one hike for today and headed up to the Boundary Stream Reserve to go see a nice waterfall. There wasn't a could in the sky almost the whole time, the sun was out, but it wasn't too hot and there was a nice breeze--perfect hiking (called "tramping" here) weather! The track took us first through some private farm land where we walked past a lot of sheep and a lot of sheep poop:

We then ventured from farmland to some of the last remaining native forest in mainland New Zealand--and obviously they are trying to preserve it as it's part of a reserve. We learned at Te Papa that most of NZ was originally covered in forest, but the Maori took down some of it but the Europeans came and got rid of most of the rest of it through slashing and burning--turning it into farmland. The forest part was great, though It felt more like a jungle with big trees and ferns ( the big ferns are what excites John):

We finally made it to Shine Waterfall, after a not too bad hike, and had some lunch while enjoying the view (it's 40 meters, about 120 feet tall!):

We then hiked up some more on a very STEEP path, trying to get a view from the top, and while we could barely see it up there we did get a great view of another waterfall as well as the valley below:

All in all it was a great first hike and we had great weather. We are all set for our first official tramp tomorrow, and we are staying two nights in the hut! So expect another update in about two days. 

Napier continued

Napier has turned out to be quite a nice city, though much quieter than Auckland or Wellington, as one would probably expect. After checking into our hostel, which once upon a time was probably a great hotel, we saw a poster advertising for trivia at the restaurant/bar downstairs. Thinking it would be fun to just have a drink (as we haven't had a spot of alcohol since we arrived) and and perhaps socialize--we ventured downstairs. Trivia was to start in 2 minutes and the bar was absolutely empty, save for the two old folks who ran the place. We decided not to stay and ventured out to have a stroll in the city center--which was as equally deserted at 7:30 p.m. Most of the stores and cafes closed at 5:00. I imagine this is a similar sight in many cities in the country, but it was a new experience for us having come from the US and the two major cities where plenty can be found to do in the evening. We decided to go to the grocery store instead to stock up for the next few days. 


Now, I head read a few reviews about our hostel, some people saying it was "noisy" at times--though I couldn't understand how that was possible with the whole city closing down at 5. Well, the whole city except for the bar underneath the hostel, apparently. There are sings all over the hostel advertising the places, citing it as one of the "Top 10 Things to Do in Napier." However, having seen the turnout for trivia, I imagine the hostel and bar are in business cahoots, simply trying to get business for both. Nevertheless, at around 9:30 p.m booming music with a thumping base to boot started resonating from downstairs and didn't end til' 12:00 a.m.--hence the "noisiness." From the way it echoed I have a feeling there were very few, if any, people at the bar and I had half a mind to go downstairs myself and, if my suspicions proved correct, ask the owners why they insisted on playing blaring music to an empty room. However, I didn't, and was able to go to sleep despite the thumping music. 


This morning we ventured out to see some sights--gathering TONS of brochures from the local information center and then first trying to stop by the Pick NZ office for Hawkes Bay region in the neighboring town, Hastings. However, once we got there we saw that they were closed and called the local number whose answering machine told us that the office was open from 9 am to noon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only. The rest of the time they must be resting from such a grueling schedule. We will have to venture back there next week. On the way back we stopped by at the National Aquarium--a rather small one by most standards, but entertaining and right on the bay.

We also took a trip up to Bluff Point, the highest point in Napier, to get a beautiful look of the town and the bay. Here are some pictures of the view:

For the next few days we have planned our first walking/hiking trips! Tomorrow we are off to an area called the Boundary Stream Reserve on the border of the Hawkes Bay/Bay of Plenty region to go on a short walk 1.5 hour walk to see some waterfalls, then we're headed an hour and half north to Lake Waikaremoana to a nice 30 min trail to see THREE waterfalls. 


On Sunday/Monday we are going on our first tramping experience! (Very low level, I assure you). It's in the Kaweka Forest Park, an hour north of Napier, and the brochure describes it as "an easy walk through grassy river falts, manuka and podocarp forest. Relax in the Mangatainoka Hot Springs, 3 km back the comfortable 26 bunk hut." So yeah, we're not "roughing it" quite yet and this seemed like the perfect first tramp--there are beds, toilets, and even a gas stove at the hut--plus a hot springs! I'm sure I will come back with beautiful pictures to share.

Napier

We made it to Napier! Unlike most New Zealand towns we've seen so far that are flat and pretty unattractive (despite the surrounding scenery), Napier so far is a very quaint town.  Most of the rest of New Zealand doesn't care too much about cohesive or attractive architecture, except for Dunedin on the South Island (I'm told)--and the towns are actually not much to look at--at least the downtown area. But Napier is different. It was leveled by an earthquake back in the 1930s I think and the whole town was rebuilt rather quickly in the art deco style. This has made for a more attractive town and our hostel is on a nice pedestrian street with lots of cafes, shops, and bars. The coffee house with free internet is right next door! I will post some pictures when I take some. But I did forget to include this nice panorama that John took the other day, so I will post it for your viewing pleasure:

 Our last night in Wellington, though, turned out quite pleasant. After meeting up with our American friend, Mark (from Maine), on Courtenay Place (a very popular spot) in Wellington, we had a nice chat for a while and then we all decided to go grab some dinner. Having been there before, Mark showed us a couple of popular streets with lots of restaurants and bars. We settled on a nice, inexpensive Malaysian place for dinner and afterwards went for delicious gelato! It was nice to see a familiar face and have good conversation with a fellow American. It was a great night and we hope to keep in touch with Mark on our travels as he has been very generous with tips and advice!


Before we left Wellington this morning, we caught the front page article in the Dominion Post about how, because of demands from an actors union, there is all this debate about whether or not the Hobbit movie will be filmed in New Zealand. Apparently, Australia has been trying to attract the producers with even greater tax incentives than what New Zealand has offered--but I'm sure everyone hopes it will stay here--fans and Kiwis alike--so keep your fingers crossed!


Our plans now are to hang around Napier and the Hawkes Bay area for the week. Then, as of Nov. 1st we, will be staying at and working for the B&B/vineyard of Neil and Sarah Smith--old friends of John's parents from Luxembourg. They have graciously offered to host us for a week while letting us search the area for the seasonal work opportunities that are plentiful this time of year. We are now in the wine country of NZ so hopefully we will have some nice places to explore in the coming week! And so far, Napier seems like a very nice town!


P.S. I keep forgetting to post our NZ phone numbers on here in case we need to be reached in an emergency/immediately. They are:


John: 64 022 060 9197
Kristin: 64 022 694 2047

Windy Wellington

The drive from Palmerston North to Wellington was quick! We arrived at our hostel in a little area outside the city called Plimmerton. Our hostel is beautiful, right on the beach, and there are even electric blankets on the beds! Here is a view from right outside our hostel:

Once we arrived we started the great apartment search--which turned out to be quite a challenge due to the sheer lack of advertising--which seems to be a common theme here. So we did a little bit of searching, finding from what we could online and just driving around, but ultimately it seemed living in the Wellington area is a bit pricey. It was our plan to find an apartment here and try to get jobs in our field but as Steinbeck said "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Now, we have only been here a week but we figure it is best to start out with some easy money and low cost living and then move on to bigger things. 

So, we think we will head up to an area called Hawkes Bay to a town called Napier which is a big area for fruit and vineyards. John's parents have old family friends there from Luxembourg who have offered to accommodate us for a week and provide meals in exchange for 5 hours of work/day on their vineyard while allowing us to look around the area and see the options available. So we will probably head up to Napier tomorrow, look up some opportunities (including PickNZ) for the next one to two months until summer rolls around. After that we hope to have enough money to come back to Wellington and return to our original plan.

Although John's father, Martin, has graciously advertised our cause/job search for Wellington on his Facebook status. Thanks so much Martin! (Let us know if anyone contacts you) :) And in other Facebook news--congrats to John's brother, Alex, on his engagement to his girlfriend, Grace! We will have to make it to the wedding--wherever/whenever it is!

But for today, we ventured into Wellington via the bus and took a little tour of the city. We went to the new Te Papa museum, a great and impressive museum about the history of the country. Best of all, it was free! Afterwards, we went to a coffee shop that offers free 1 hour internet with any purchase (where I am currently writing this blog) and ran into our American friend that we met at the hostel in Auckland! Small world. 

Well, tomorrow will be one week in the country and I must say we have been pretty productive thus far! It wouldn't be an adventure without any twists and turns here and there, and hopefully things will eventually go our way--and even if they don't--it's still really pretty here!

Next stop: Napier!

Palmy

Our full day in Palmerston North was full of great sights and lots of wind! One thing we have learned in our short time here is that the weather is more unpredictable than weather in New England! Layers is the key, as it can be sunny one minute, cloudy the next, sunny again, then comes a little rain shower! It's no wonder the Maori name for New Zealand, Aotearoa, means "land of the long white cloud."

As there was not much to do in actual "Palmy" (as the locals call it), John's cousin Alice drove us around some of the sights surrounding the city. We started off our day with a walk along the river with her dog, Hank, and met up with her friend Richard who is in vet school with her and is also from the states. She then took us to the gorge, where two steep cliffs border the road.

Hank also came along for the ride and was very excited to see the sights as well.

We then took a little walk nearby on a loop path to see some native fauna. Much to John's excitement there were HUGE ferns the size of trees growing in the forest--it actually seemed more like a jungle.

We also took a little trip up to the wind farm to see the wind turbines in action. As you can imagine it was VERY windy. Here is a picture and you can tell from the craziness of my hair how windy it was---enough to blow you to and fro!

On our way back down we spotted a cow peeking it's head through the fence to get some quality grass on the other side. It made for a great picture:

That night we were treated to a wonderful venison burger and steak dinner, and Alice's boyfriend, Russell, came to join us. It was a short, but great, stay and we were very grateful for Alice's hospitality. We hope to meet up with them again soon, as Alice graduates vet school in November (and we both share a great love for Harry Potter and are quite excited about the 1st half of the 7th movie premier next month!) The next morning it was on to Wellington!

Heading South

We got a car! We woke up early Sunday morning to take the bus to the Auckland Car Fair--determined to find a car. There was a lot larger selection than the day before, and we test drove a handful but each one had some small issue and for the price we wanted something reliable. Finally we found an old 1993 Honda Ascot a man was selling--he bought it for his 17 year-old daughter, but it was too big for her so he was selling it. He came down on his offer a bit and while it was a little more than what we were hoping to pay for a car (NZ$1500--which is $1,133 US dollars, so $566 a piece) but it was a good quality car, no problems, clean, and so we took it! Very exciting and it's a good little car from what we can tell. Here is a photo:

So we purchased it, headed back to the hostel, and set out to Palmerston North to go see John's cousin Alice who has been in vet school there for 5 years.
The trip down started out very rainy, cloudy, and dark. But there was still pretty mountain ranges covered in clouds, with the hills dotted in cows and lots and lots of sheep. Even so, it was still picturesque but when we reached a certain point the clouds began to break up, the rain stopped, and it was a beautiful sight. Here is the first thing I saw:

How perfect. John made fun of me over my excitement. It was a full on rainbow!

From then on the scenery was just beautiful--green, rolling hills and a setting sun made the rest of the drive pleasant and peaceful. John, in HIS excitement, took a few photos for your viewing pleasure:

First, here is me driving the car on the LEFT!

And here are some of the sights. One we stopped at a scenic view to get out of the car to stretch our legs and take a picture.

(the little white dots are sheep)

So, getting out of Auckland and taking the drive down definitely introduced us to the beauty of the country and we are excited to discover the rest!

Auckland

Well--our first few days in NZ have been very busy/productive! Where to start? Well we opened a joint bank account (:-0), applied for IRDs, got cheap phone plans, went car shopping, found our way around town, climbed a REALLY big hill many times (photo to come), and socialized with some cool people.


The hostel we ended up staying at was a great choice. We've met some really nice people from around the world--Ireland, Germany, France, China, and a few Americans. Not surprisingly, the one person here who was rude was an American girl from Arkansas--who did nothing but perpetuate the bad stereotypes about Americans--loud, dumb, rude, and selfishly assuming everything should be the way she wanted it. Otherwise, many of the people have been very helpful and offering up advice and good conversation. Even the owner has been so helpful. John and I booked this morning to stay here an extra night but found out the spaces we booked in a 5 bed dorm-style room had already been taken--so she put us in one of the private rooms for the same price--which we are currently enjoying right now. The hostel is a fun atmosphere but we are ready to start having our own place . . . AND a car which brings me to what has consumed much of our time over the past few days.


John and I have delved into the challenge of bargain car buying in NZ. I am now knowledgeable in everything from: WOFs to cambelts to Kms to regos, to use the local lingo. We started on a website here called TradeMe where anyone can list something and it's put up for auction. We singled out one particular car we were interested in, as it was in good condition and at a good price, and ventured out yesterday, using the bus system, to see it in person and take a test drive--stopping at Wagamama for a nice, cheap lunch and a very friendly waitress! It is true, though, that things are much more expensive here--of course not as much as they seem since the US dollar is more valuable, but we have still spent as little as possible, buying cheap food to cook: pasta, noodles, frozen or prepackaged small meals. Though, all the other kids in the hostel are the same way and it's not too bad.


Anyways, back to the great car hunt! The car was actually an old 1991 Honda Legend sitting in a Mitsubishi Dealership lot, but the people were very friendly and took us for a spin and even offered us coffee afterward. The car was good, so we went home and put a bid on it for NZ$750--yeah, that didn't last. To keep our options open we went to a small car fair this morning in downtown Auckland where we saw one car in our price range. It was a 1991 Mitsubishi, in good condition, it had been well serviced, it had a back seat that folded down so you could sleep, and it was only NZ$1225 to boot. Seemed perfect. Well, that was until we got in to take a test drive and it was a manual. Now the old Kiwi couple that was selling it were very nice--telling us all about it, showed us the one thing that was wrong with the window, and let John take it around the block. It would have been great except for the one important fact that I don't know how to drive stick. Now the lovely people assured me that I could learn quickly, (he could have me driving in a day!) but obviously they don't know me or about the last time I tried to learn stick in the states--didn't turn out well. Eventually John (who has had experience trying to teach me a knew, challenging skill--i.e. snowboarding--something I will never do again) and I decided that trying to combine me learning how to drive stick AND also doing so on the left side of the road was just a recipe for disaster. Essentially I would be learning to drive all over again-and counterintuitively, I may add. It wasn't worth the stress and certain elevation of tempers that would ensue, thus we had to pass and stick to an automatic car. Yet, when we got home for the final minutes of the auction for the Honda, some jerk comes in and ups the bid in the last minute to a price that was simply too high for us, considering it didn't get the greatest gas mileage. So now we are determined to find a car tomorrow at the big, main car fair just outside the city at a racetrack. Apparently locals and others bring hundreds of cars there every Sunday for people to buy and trade--and they have a good amount in our price range. So cross your fingers!


Other than that we have been able to explore Auckland a bit. We took a nice walk today down the main road as it was a very pretty day. They say the nickname for the city is "The Concrete Jungle" and this is pretty true. From downtown, it resembles any other big city. High rise corporate buildings, stores, restaurants, cheap stores, cheap restaurants--a very eclectic mix. It may be the big city where a lot of the population lives, but I think it will pale in comparison to other parts of the country that we are keen to explore. However, we were also able to walk down to the harbor, which was pretty, with sailboats and such floating around. 


So yeah, that has been the bulk of our first full days. Hopefully by tomorrow we will be making our way to Wellington!


Big hill we walk up to get to main, "K'Road"--real name is: Karangahape Road. The picture doesn't really do it justice, but it's STEEP and LONG. You are breaking a sweat and out of breath by the time you reach the top.

sitting down by the harbor: