Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Still in Taupo...
We went paddling on the Tangariro (access 10) run today in the pouring cold rain and I'd have to say that it was alright. Considering that it had been a few days since I last paddled, I was really up for anything. The water was snowmelt and the level was just high enough for a class III+ run such that if you flipped you would hit a rock, but there wasn't anything that would knock you over.
Back in Taupo after the run and in a few minutes I'll head over to Mulligan's for the Pub Quiz and hopefully this week we'll win (we came in second by half a point last week). I'm hoping that we will win the big jackpot because it will help pay for the van repairs. $600!!! QUELLE DOMMAGE!!!
uhm, what else? Did a little bit of climbing yesterday, nothing too exciting.
We went paddling on the Tangariro (access 10) run today in the pouring cold rain and I'd have to say that it was alright. Considering that it had been a few days since I last paddled, I was really up for anything. The water was snowmelt and the level was just high enough for a class III+ run such that if you flipped you would hit a rock, but there wasn't anything that would knock you over.
Back in Taupo after the run and in a few minutes I'll head over to Mulligan's for the Pub Quiz and hopefully this week we'll win (we came in second by half a point last week). I'm hoping that we will win the big jackpot because it will help pay for the van repairs. $600!!! QUELLE DOMMAGE!!!
uhm, what else? Did a little bit of climbing yesterday, nothing too exciting.
Sunday, October 26, 2003
I went from one of the best days of paddling to one of the worst.
I said that I was heading down to paddle the Mangahao river on Saturday in my last entry and that was the plan. We (Kai,Chris, Adam, and myself) all drove down to a town nearby the takeout the night before (I can't remember the name). We cruised the "strip" which was about 100m long a found a Chinese take-away place that was still open- The Freedom Dolphin.
RULES FOR PICKING A PLACE NOT TO EAT:
1. There is nobody else there and it looks like food hasn't been cooked there in weeks.
2. The place has name that really doesn't make any sense. Like "Freedom Dolphin"
3. They have special "meal-deals" like the $4 meal that I got which included: 4 fish bites, 2 potato fritters, 2 wontons, Chips. Or the $5 meal that gets you 2 fish, 1 hot-dog (also deep-fried), chips, & potato fritter. While I agree that a deep frier is a magical thing, its power in the wrong hands can be deadly.
I think Kai said it best: "In Finland, I drink a lot, I smoke a lot, but food like this will kill me."
I woke up the next morning to Kai looking inside my van at me and saying: "It's Fucking Cold!" He then went over the Chris & Adama and woke them up: "It's Fucking Cold! We go paddling! We die today!"
--> NOTE: Nobody died or got hurt at all <--
After a slow, SLOW, start we got some coffee and food and made it down the dirt road to the take out where it was surprisingly empty. We were pretty sure we were at the right spot, but the river looked way too low to paddle. We drove a little back to town and called the damn to find out if they had released yet and they had not. After hanging out in town eating pies and making phone calls to figure out what happened to the river we concluded that it had either not released or it had released after we left. so.... NO PADDLING!!! UGH!!!!
Ok. The plan was drive back up to Turangi and go kayaking up there and then hike the Tongariro crossing, well the last 50km back to TiHape, Martha (my van), starting making interesting clicking sounds that eventually lead to blood curdling screaming of metal grinding on metal. I managed to get back to Ti Hape where most of the town was out at their annual boot throwing contest (no joke!). Called AA (NewZealand AAA) and had a mechanic take a look-see at my van.
Kai's response was: "In Finland, all cars make this sound. My friend does not even use his clutch. He just pushes the stick around lets it grind. We have strong cars in Finland."
Unfortunately it is a long weekend for NZ so the mechanic won't be able to take the gearbox off till Tuesday. He thinks it is probably a bearing that is shot and hopefully it hasn't broken apart and grinded up the gears.
Luckily, Chris and Adam were still around so I loaded up my kayaking gear and a daypack with enough stuff to last me the next few days up in Turangi and I'll find out Tuesday morning what the story is with the van.
As the French would say: "Zut Alors!"
I said that I was heading down to paddle the Mangahao river on Saturday in my last entry and that was the plan. We (Kai,Chris, Adam, and myself) all drove down to a town nearby the takeout the night before (I can't remember the name). We cruised the "strip" which was about 100m long a found a Chinese take-away place that was still open- The Freedom Dolphin.
RULES FOR PICKING A PLACE NOT TO EAT:
1. There is nobody else there and it looks like food hasn't been cooked there in weeks.
2. The place has name that really doesn't make any sense. Like "Freedom Dolphin"
3. They have special "meal-deals" like the $4 meal that I got which included: 4 fish bites, 2 potato fritters, 2 wontons, Chips. Or the $5 meal that gets you 2 fish, 1 hot-dog (also deep-fried), chips, & potato fritter. While I agree that a deep frier is a magical thing, its power in the wrong hands can be deadly.
I think Kai said it best: "In Finland, I drink a lot, I smoke a lot, but food like this will kill me."
I woke up the next morning to Kai looking inside my van at me and saying: "It's Fucking Cold!" He then went over the Chris & Adama and woke them up: "It's Fucking Cold! We go paddling! We die today!"
--> NOTE: Nobody died or got hurt at all <--
After a slow, SLOW, start we got some coffee and food and made it down the dirt road to the take out where it was surprisingly empty. We were pretty sure we were at the right spot, but the river looked way too low to paddle. We drove a little back to town and called the damn to find out if they had released yet and they had not. After hanging out in town eating pies and making phone calls to figure out what happened to the river we concluded that it had either not released or it had released after we left. so.... NO PADDLING!!! UGH!!!!
Ok. The plan was drive back up to Turangi and go kayaking up there and then hike the Tongariro crossing, well the last 50km back to TiHape, Martha (my van), starting making interesting clicking sounds that eventually lead to blood curdling screaming of metal grinding on metal. I managed to get back to Ti Hape where most of the town was out at their annual boot throwing contest (no joke!). Called AA (NewZealand AAA) and had a mechanic take a look-see at my van.
Kai's response was: "In Finland, all cars make this sound. My friend does not even use his clutch. He just pushes the stick around lets it grind. We have strong cars in Finland."
Unfortunately it is a long weekend for NZ so the mechanic won't be able to take the gearbox off till Tuesday. He thinks it is probably a bearing that is shot and hopefully it hasn't broken apart and grinded up the gears.
Luckily, Chris and Adam were still around so I loaded up my kayaking gear and a daypack with enough stuff to last me the next few days up in Turangi and I'll find out Tuesday morning what the story is with the van.
As the French would say: "Zut Alors!"
Friday, October 24, 2003
Well I'm here in Ti Hape and I believe I have a few days to catch up on. After hanging out in Taupo playing on the Full James wave a lot and taking care of business in town, I finally hit the road and headed down to paddle on the Rangatiki (sp?). After a 1 hr drive through backroads with only sheep and cows around , I finally got the River Valley Lodge. After checking in I was quickly greated by the river guides who were really friendly and curious where I was from and where I've paddled. Well the night moved along and by the end I only had 5 dollars left and a stomach full of beer and whisky and even a little jagermeister.
And Yes, I did know that this isn't the best way to prepare the night before for a class IV river run. Yeah, Mom... you might not want to read this next section...
The next day I crawled out of bed to see all the rafters getting ready and downed a little breakfast and a whole lot of water before getting my gear together and joining Kai and the raft guides for the shuttle to the put-in. After a 40m seal-launch from the parking lot we were immediately greated with some class III warm up water. After a bit we were greated by our first class IV drop. No problem. a bit of flatwater and we were at the meat of the run. It was something like 10 class IV drops in a row with a bit of class II-III separating each drop. The first drop was probably the hardest drop and resulted in a bit of carnage. The move was a boof on the hard right to miss a hole and then a sharp right turn to avoid getting pinned on a rock. After watching one of the guides go down in his kayak and seeing his bow come flying up, it was suggested that I take the sneak route on the left. Ok... Sneak route. after about five minutes of me pointing to a tiny little slot and having the guide (whose name was Chopper) nod that that was the correct line, I finally committed to the drop and squeezed my way down the rapid. Kai, for whatever reason decided to go for the boof move.
All I saw from my spot was Kai drop over, and then not come out. He basically got stuck in the hole, eventually washed out, swam, grabbed a throw line and was back in his boat in a few minutes. No problem. a few rafts also got stuck and few of the rafters swam, but besides that, nothing too bad.
A few more class IV's and finally we get to a rapid called Foamy. Kai, followed close behind a raft so that he got the line right, which was a really bad idea because the raft got stuck on some rocks and kai got flipped under the raft. By the time he came out he didn't have a lot of time to figure out the rest of the line and went down the wrong spot got stuck, swam, got his helmet ripped off by the current, but finally came out on the bottom with only a few bruises.
I came down after the carnage was cleaned up and was too far left, hit a rock and spun around and went over the last drop backwards. I rolled up with a few new scratches on my helmet, but otherwise intact. We finished the rest of the run which included two more class IV's and some more class III.
Back at the lodge Adam and Chris finally showed up and we all headed out to the BlissStick boat factory down the road. Everyone there was really cool and we got to see a brand new boat come out of a mold and all the other steps behind putting a boat together. REALLY COOL!
After that we headed back to the lodge and met up with some guides for a second run down the gorge. Everything was fine until that first drop that Kai swam on. I was in my creek boat now, so I figured I would give the boof move a try, knowing that I REALLY had to miss that hole. I would say that I paddled way too hard because I FLEW over the hole washed right over the stopper rock and got stuck between that rock and a Big slightly undercut rock behind it. OH CRAP!
I tried a roll, couldn't quite get up because of the undercut, started to get and decided I need to come out of my boat. As I started to get one of my legs out I felt my boat wash out of the rock and tried to roll up. Unfortunately with one of my legs out of the thigh brace I just ended up falling even further out of my seat. I swam.
Well, it wasn't too bad a swim, got back in the boat. and finished off the run without any problems, but decided that I really need more practice with the handling of the creek boat.
Oh yeah. At one point we looked off to the side of the river and saw a cow that had tumbled 100m down the side of the embankment and stopped just on the river's edge. It must have happened after our morning run because it had become really big a bloated in the sun. A few dares were passed back in forth to go over and pop him with a river knife, but in the end we decided to leave the dead cow alone. RIP dead cow. (moment of silence)
This morning I decided I was too tired and sore to wake up and paddle at 9am, so opted for reading a bit and drinking some coffee.
Well, now we are headed to the Mangahoa river which is having one of its biannual releases tomorrow. It is supposedly a really fun class III play run that everyone in the north island comes down to paddle.
Alright, this is New Zealand explorer, Bryan Cunitz, signing off.
And Yes, I did know that this isn't the best way to prepare the night before for a class IV river run. Yeah, Mom... you might not want to read this next section...
The next day I crawled out of bed to see all the rafters getting ready and downed a little breakfast and a whole lot of water before getting my gear together and joining Kai and the raft guides for the shuttle to the put-in. After a 40m seal-launch from the parking lot we were immediately greated with some class III warm up water. After a bit we were greated by our first class IV drop. No problem. a bit of flatwater and we were at the meat of the run. It was something like 10 class IV drops in a row with a bit of class II-III separating each drop. The first drop was probably the hardest drop and resulted in a bit of carnage. The move was a boof on the hard right to miss a hole and then a sharp right turn to avoid getting pinned on a rock. After watching one of the guides go down in his kayak and seeing his bow come flying up, it was suggested that I take the sneak route on the left. Ok... Sneak route. after about five minutes of me pointing to a tiny little slot and having the guide (whose name was Chopper) nod that that was the correct line, I finally committed to the drop and squeezed my way down the rapid. Kai, for whatever reason decided to go for the boof move.
All I saw from my spot was Kai drop over, and then not come out. He basically got stuck in the hole, eventually washed out, swam, grabbed a throw line and was back in his boat in a few minutes. No problem. a few rafts also got stuck and few of the rafters swam, but besides that, nothing too bad.
A few more class IV's and finally we get to a rapid called Foamy. Kai, followed close behind a raft so that he got the line right, which was a really bad idea because the raft got stuck on some rocks and kai got flipped under the raft. By the time he came out he didn't have a lot of time to figure out the rest of the line and went down the wrong spot got stuck, swam, got his helmet ripped off by the current, but finally came out on the bottom with only a few bruises.
I came down after the carnage was cleaned up and was too far left, hit a rock and spun around and went over the last drop backwards. I rolled up with a few new scratches on my helmet, but otherwise intact. We finished the rest of the run which included two more class IV's and some more class III.
Back at the lodge Adam and Chris finally showed up and we all headed out to the BlissStick boat factory down the road. Everyone there was really cool and we got to see a brand new boat come out of a mold and all the other steps behind putting a boat together. REALLY COOL!
After that we headed back to the lodge and met up with some guides for a second run down the gorge. Everything was fine until that first drop that Kai swam on. I was in my creek boat now, so I figured I would give the boof move a try, knowing that I REALLY had to miss that hole. I would say that I paddled way too hard because I FLEW over the hole washed right over the stopper rock and got stuck between that rock and a Big slightly undercut rock behind it. OH CRAP!
I tried a roll, couldn't quite get up because of the undercut, started to get and decided I need to come out of my boat. As I started to get one of my legs out I felt my boat wash out of the rock and tried to roll up. Unfortunately with one of my legs out of the thigh brace I just ended up falling even further out of my seat. I swam.
Well, it wasn't too bad a swim, got back in the boat. and finished off the run without any problems, but decided that I really need more practice with the handling of the creek boat.
Oh yeah. At one point we looked off to the side of the river and saw a cow that had tumbled 100m down the side of the embankment and stopped just on the river's edge. It must have happened after our morning run because it had become really big a bloated in the sun. A few dares were passed back in forth to go over and pop him with a river knife, but in the end we decided to leave the dead cow alone. RIP dead cow. (moment of silence)
This morning I decided I was too tired and sore to wake up and paddle at 9am, so opted for reading a bit and drinking some coffee.
Well, now we are headed to the Mangahoa river which is having one of its biannual releases tomorrow. It is supposedly a really fun class III play run that everyone in the north island comes down to paddle.
Alright, this is New Zealand explorer, Bryan Cunitz, signing off.
Sunday, October 19, 2003
Its funny because the more things I've been doing, the less I'm writing in this journal. So let's see... Where do I start?
Sunday I went with Kai to the Full James playwave near Rotorua. Oh man! That wave is so much fun. It wasn't running too long while we were there and we had to take a break while the jetboats raced up and down gorge, but we both had some nice surfs and the river is just this really cool clear crystal blue. There are also these white volcanic rocks that have air bubbles trapped inside so they end up floating on the water. Neat stuff, eh?
Once the water level dropped too low to surf we got out and met up with Jamie to play on Huka hole. Not as good as the Kaituna playhole, but conveniently close. I then went to Reid's Farm campsite where I met up with some other American travelers that I met at the hostel in Rotorua. We did a mini-potluck and some wine and beer tasting.
Today, Sunday, I took the morning to work on the outfitting for my new boat and then met up with a bunch of kayakers out on Huka Hole. A couple friends of Jamie's were there, Chris & Adam from England. Those guys and a couple of local paddlers and myself out on Huka hole for a while and that's been the day. Time for a little laundry and some grocery shopping and maybe work on the boat outfitting a bit more.
No mishaps, just me sitting here at a computer stinking of kayaking gear...
Sunday I went with Kai to the Full James playwave near Rotorua. Oh man! That wave is so much fun. It wasn't running too long while we were there and we had to take a break while the jetboats raced up and down gorge, but we both had some nice surfs and the river is just this really cool clear crystal blue. There are also these white volcanic rocks that have air bubbles trapped inside so they end up floating on the water. Neat stuff, eh?
Once the water level dropped too low to surf we got out and met up with Jamie to play on Huka hole. Not as good as the Kaituna playhole, but conveniently close. I then went to Reid's Farm campsite where I met up with some other American travelers that I met at the hostel in Rotorua. We did a mini-potluck and some wine and beer tasting.
Today, Sunday, I took the morning to work on the outfitting for my new boat and then met up with a bunch of kayakers out on Huka Hole. A couple friends of Jamie's were there, Chris & Adam from England. Those guys and a couple of local paddlers and myself out on Huka hole for a while and that's been the day. Time for a little laundry and some grocery shopping and maybe work on the boat outfitting a bit more.
No mishaps, just me sitting here at a computer stinking of kayaking gear...
Friday, October 17, 2003
Well, I was stood up for climbing today, but that's alright because to quote a famous paddler:
"I am a kayaker, not a climber." - David Vican
Yeah, so let's see what's running. Oh, the Kaituna, the river I just swam. Let's go! We stop by the kayak shop and I demo the flipstick for the 4th time. I'm paddling with Kai and he seems a bit nervous, probably due to my story about my last run down this river. To put his mind at ease I fearlessly did the 20ft seal launch to a 10ft dropoff into the slalom course section of the river. Oh yeah, the river is at about 400, the last time I ran it, the level was 1100. So today the run went pretty well, the holes were a bit stickier, but the lines were easier to paddle and I even got the boof move off Tutea's falls. We got down to the playhole at the bottom and played there for a couple of hours, I managed to link about 4 cartwheels and came close to pulling off a front loop. Close... So close.
Sweet! How do I celebrate a successful run? Well, let's just say that I own TWO kayaks in NZ now. I finally decided to buy the flipstick, so now I have a boat for all occasions.
Now I am back in Rotorua figuring a plan for this weekend. You know how I was complaining about all the rain? Well, since it hasn't rained in the past 3 days, not too many rivers are running right now... Oops. So maybe I'll go snowboarding or mtn. biking or caving or maybe it will rain and something will come up. We'll see.
Oh yeah... too bad about the Sox, eh?
"I am a kayaker, not a climber." - David Vican
Yeah, so let's see what's running. Oh, the Kaituna, the river I just swam. Let's go! We stop by the kayak shop and I demo the flipstick for the 4th time. I'm paddling with Kai and he seems a bit nervous, probably due to my story about my last run down this river. To put his mind at ease I fearlessly did the 20ft seal launch to a 10ft dropoff into the slalom course section of the river. Oh yeah, the river is at about 400, the last time I ran it, the level was 1100. So today the run went pretty well, the holes were a bit stickier, but the lines were easier to paddle and I even got the boof move off Tutea's falls. We got down to the playhole at the bottom and played there for a couple of hours, I managed to link about 4 cartwheels and came close to pulling off a front loop. Close... So close.
Sweet! How do I celebrate a successful run? Well, let's just say that I own TWO kayaks in NZ now. I finally decided to buy the flipstick, so now I have a boat for all occasions.
Now I am back in Rotorua figuring a plan for this weekend. You know how I was complaining about all the rain? Well, since it hasn't rained in the past 3 days, not too many rivers are running right now... Oops. So maybe I'll go snowboarding or mtn. biking or caving or maybe it will rain and something will come up. We'll see.
Oh yeah... too bad about the Sox, eh?
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Well, well, well... it's been a few days since my last update, so here we go for the recap...
[Tuesday]
Kayaked the Kaituna again, went into an undercut, swam, came out alright with all my gear and no injuries, phew!
Met up with Kai, a kayaker from Finland, pretty much travelling around and doing the same thing that I'm doing.
[Wednesday]
Kai and I went to go paddle the Rangataiki. Dropped off my car at the take out, changed into our gear, drove to about a half mile from the put-in when we got stopped by a forest-patrol-type-person who informed us that we needed permits and that it was a $400 fine if we didn't have them.
OOPS.
since it was starting to get late and the place to get permits was over and hour away and the run was said to take anywhere from 2.5 to 5 hours. Back to Rotorua.
[Thursday, Today]
Got the permits (they were free... oops.) Went and paddled the Rangataiki. Not the most exciting run, kind of like the Sultan run in WA. All the action is in the beginning and then it mellows out a lot. Still kinda fun and a good chance to practice in my new Huka. Tomorrow I'm going rockclimbing with a gal I met at the hostel where I am staying. Due to the differences in grading systems, I have a feeling that she climbs a LOT better than I do, so it might be an interesting day.
[Tuesday]
Kayaked the Kaituna again, went into an undercut, swam, came out alright with all my gear and no injuries, phew!
Met up with Kai, a kayaker from Finland, pretty much travelling around and doing the same thing that I'm doing.
[Wednesday]
Kai and I went to go paddle the Rangataiki. Dropped off my car at the take out, changed into our gear, drove to about a half mile from the put-in when we got stopped by a forest-patrol-type-person who informed us that we needed permits and that it was a $400 fine if we didn't have them.
OOPS.
since it was starting to get late and the place to get permits was over and hour away and the run was said to take anywhere from 2.5 to 5 hours. Back to Rotorua.
[Thursday, Today]
Got the permits (they were free... oops.) Went and paddled the Rangataiki. Not the most exciting run, kind of like the Sultan run in WA. All the action is in the beginning and then it mellows out a lot. Still kinda fun and a good chance to practice in my new Huka. Tomorrow I'm going rockclimbing with a gal I met at the hostel where I am staying. Due to the differences in grading systems, I have a feeling that she climbs a LOT better than I do, so it might be an interesting day.
Monday, October 13, 2003
Yeah!!! So today is the first that I don't have any mishaps to report... I think... yep... I'm clear .
I'm here in Taupo, another good kayaking location and home of Huka falls. This morning I met up with a fella from Wales, Jamie. From the stories he was telling me, he sounds like a pretty bad-ass kayaker and way out of my league. We chatted for a bit and put on at the top of the Kaituna run (not the park&play). The Kaituna is a short class IV run, only 1.1km with a couple of decent falls on it. Okere falls is a 2.5 m drop into an aerated pool & Tutea's falls (8m). Jamie was about to go around Okere falls on the left (BAD IDEA) and I got out to scout it, I told him to come check out the line on the left so that he would have known what a bad idea it would have been. Rocky, big holes, and an old nasty steel bridge, yeah... take the line on the right.
We both did the drop clean... paddled through some more class III and around the corner... Horizon line with mist coming up from behind it. "here goes nothing". I wasn't sure of the boof move to the right so I opted for just dropping down the middle and knowing I would wash out at the bottom. MUCHO MUCHO FUN!!! a bit more class III and we were at the take out. After we went to get our vans and come back to load up the boats, I saw a suspicious toyota suv drive around eyeing all the vehicles... Probably the locals who are known for breaking into cars parked there. I gave them a menacing look and watched them drive off.
So now I'm in Taupo and am supposed to meet up with another traveling paddler here from Finland.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE EXCITING ADVENTURES OF BRYAN...
I'm here in Taupo, another good kayaking location and home of Huka falls. This morning I met up with a fella from Wales, Jamie. From the stories he was telling me, he sounds like a pretty bad-ass kayaker and way out of my league. We chatted for a bit and put on at the top of the Kaituna run (not the park&play). The Kaituna is a short class IV run, only 1.1km with a couple of decent falls on it. Okere falls is a 2.5 m drop into an aerated pool & Tutea's falls (8m). Jamie was about to go around Okere falls on the left (BAD IDEA) and I got out to scout it, I told him to come check out the line on the left so that he would have known what a bad idea it would have been. Rocky, big holes, and an old nasty steel bridge, yeah... take the line on the right.
We both did the drop clean... paddled through some more class III and around the corner... Horizon line with mist coming up from behind it. "here goes nothing". I wasn't sure of the boof move to the right so I opted for just dropping down the middle and knowing I would wash out at the bottom. MUCHO MUCHO FUN!!! a bit more class III and we were at the take out. After we went to get our vans and come back to load up the boats, I saw a suspicious toyota suv drive around eyeing all the vehicles... Probably the locals who are known for breaking into cars parked there. I gave them a menacing look and watched them drive off.
So now I'm in Taupo and am supposed to meet up with another traveling paddler here from Finland.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE EXCITING ADVENTURES OF BRYAN...
Sunday, October 12, 2003
So in the grand tradition of entertaining y'all with my mishaps, here is another fun and exciting journal entry for today.
First and foremost let me say that I've paddled my FIRST New Zealand river. Those other days didn't really count because it was just park&play. But today I bought a creek boat and went out the Wairoa river. However, with all the ridiculous amounts of rain we've been getting, that section was in flood and REALLY REALLY hard, so we paddled the upper rivers that fed into it. the Mangakarengorengo (say what?) and the Ngamuwahine (I miss simple river names like Rogue or Middle-Middle... sheesh). Jess, Liann, Tate, Kelly, Richard, and a bunch of others 10 of us total.
Anyway, so we stopped off at the take out which was a muddy grass field on the side of the road. I followed the other vehicle in front of me out onto the grass when I realized that was a REALLY bad idea and when I was told that we weren't parking here and we had to get back on the road, the problems began. My van wouldn't move. Pretty damn stuck in mud, I tried all my tricks that I've picked up from getting stuck in snow up in Maine and New Hampshire and no luck. Some other boaters were nice enough to lend me a hand in pushing the van and of course my tires spun and covered them with mud. GREAT... what a way to make a first impression.
side note: looking at all these journal entries I'm beginning to feel like my life could be made into a Ben Stiller movie.
Anyway, I finally make it out onto the road and nearly get hit by a car. As I drove off I waved thanks to boaters who had helped me and they just shook their head and thought "stupid American".
---> River story begins<---
--->Mom & Dad, Please do not read<---
But the river was awesome! It started off with a gnarly double drop, I flipped on the bottom of the first drop and rolled up at the beginning of the second one with nobody to follow down. I manage to pick out a line on the fly and come through alright. A bit more III-IV boogie water and we huck ourselves off a 10ft waterfall. My "Huck" was more of a penciling in off the drop, but I rolled up and was fine. Some more boogie water and we end up at the top of the next big drop. I'm in the eddy with two other boaters and I see the first one peel out and run right over a wave and disappear in the drop below. I look to the other boater and ask what the line is. "Not sure, I'm just going to do what that guy did". And he was off, disappeared, and eventually I saw his boat come out downstream. Hmmm... uhhh.... At that point, some more boaters show up and I tell them what I saw and we all decide to get out and scout it.
Ok... This hole was HUGE, we're talking tumwater canyon HUGE, Kelly ran the line on the far left around it and just as she was almost clear of it got sucked back in, cartwheeled for a while before she finally bailed and washed out. A few people walk it, a couple run it clean. I decide to run it and after about 5 seconds I realize that I am not going to make the far left line and I'm heading right for it. "SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT....." I pummel face first into the hole, start thinking about how long I'm going to let myself get recirculated before I pull my sprayskirt, when all of a sudden I feel myself free of the hole. I roll up and grab the closest eddy. THANK GOD!!! The total carnage from the drop was two lost boats and paddles (Kelly's boat and paddle were later recovered much to her happiness). A few more big drops, a few more lucky breaks, one perfect line down the last drop and we are at the take out. A few people opt to run the Wairoa, but I figured I had pushe my luck as far as it would go today and called it a day.
A few bruises and some serious sinus flushing and I'm back in Rotorua safe and sound, with all my gear too.
I think I might tone it down for my next river.
First and foremost let me say that I've paddled my FIRST New Zealand river. Those other days didn't really count because it was just park&play. But today I bought a creek boat and went out the Wairoa river. However, with all the ridiculous amounts of rain we've been getting, that section was in flood and REALLY REALLY hard, so we paddled the upper rivers that fed into it. the Mangakarengorengo (say what?) and the Ngamuwahine (I miss simple river names like Rogue or Middle-Middle... sheesh). Jess, Liann, Tate, Kelly, Richard, and a bunch of others 10 of us total.
Anyway, so we stopped off at the take out which was a muddy grass field on the side of the road. I followed the other vehicle in front of me out onto the grass when I realized that was a REALLY bad idea and when I was told that we weren't parking here and we had to get back on the road, the problems began. My van wouldn't move. Pretty damn stuck in mud, I tried all my tricks that I've picked up from getting stuck in snow up in Maine and New Hampshire and no luck. Some other boaters were nice enough to lend me a hand in pushing the van and of course my tires spun and covered them with mud. GREAT... what a way to make a first impression.
side note: looking at all these journal entries I'm beginning to feel like my life could be made into a Ben Stiller movie.
Anyway, I finally make it out onto the road and nearly get hit by a car. As I drove off I waved thanks to boaters who had helped me and they just shook their head and thought "stupid American".
---> River story begins<---
--->Mom & Dad, Please do not read<---
But the river was awesome! It started off with a gnarly double drop, I flipped on the bottom of the first drop and rolled up at the beginning of the second one with nobody to follow down. I manage to pick out a line on the fly and come through alright. A bit more III-IV boogie water and we huck ourselves off a 10ft waterfall. My "Huck" was more of a penciling in off the drop, but I rolled up and was fine. Some more boogie water and we end up at the top of the next big drop. I'm in the eddy with two other boaters and I see the first one peel out and run right over a wave and disappear in the drop below. I look to the other boater and ask what the line is. "Not sure, I'm just going to do what that guy did". And he was off, disappeared, and eventually I saw his boat come out downstream. Hmmm... uhhh.... At that point, some more boaters show up and I tell them what I saw and we all decide to get out and scout it.
Ok... This hole was HUGE, we're talking tumwater canyon HUGE, Kelly ran the line on the far left around it and just as she was almost clear of it got sucked back in, cartwheeled for a while before she finally bailed and washed out. A few people walk it, a couple run it clean. I decide to run it and after about 5 seconds I realize that I am not going to make the far left line and I'm heading right for it. "SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT....." I pummel face first into the hole, start thinking about how long I'm going to let myself get recirculated before I pull my sprayskirt, when all of a sudden I feel myself free of the hole. I roll up and grab the closest eddy. THANK GOD!!! The total carnage from the drop was two lost boats and paddles (Kelly's boat and paddle were later recovered much to her happiness). A few more big drops, a few more lucky breaks, one perfect line down the last drop and we are at the take out. A few people opt to run the Wairoa, but I figured I had pushe my luck as far as it would go today and called it a day.
A few bruises and some serious sinus flushing and I'm back in Rotorua safe and sound, with all my gear too.
I think I might tone it down for my next river.
Friday, October 10, 2003
So I try to keep the posts upbeat and positive, but gahhhhdddd. Today was such a crappy day :(
I don't know how many days of rain in a row there have been, but it feels like its been forever since I've seen the sun. Now normally, rain isn't such a big deal, and being a kayaker, I like it when it rains. Last night I needed a break from sleeping in the van so I decided to stay at one of the hostels in town, Hot Rocks. Everything was going great, it had a heated pool and hot tub and a couple of sulphur hot springs inside. Very nice and relaxing and revitalizing. I hot-tubed it for a bit and went up and took a shower and shaved and made myself look all spiffy. Went out for some great food, wandered around a bit, and met up with a Canadian dude that I met at the hostel at the backpackers bar nextdoor. The bar was kinda lame and after a couple of conversations that didn't really go anywhere I headed back to the hostel for what I thought would be a good nights sleep.
SO it was about 3 or 4am when I heard some guy talking on the phone REALLY loudly just outside the room. "Ignore it and try to go back to sleep" I thought. Unfortunately my bladder had some other plans for me. Climbing off the top bunk I accidently kick my sleeping bag off and it slides down the side in between the wall and the bed of the girl sleeping on the bottom bunk below me. Hmmm... I'll deal with that after I go to the bathroom.
I go and do my business and the guy is still talking really loudly outside. Everyone else MUST be hearing this too, I'll be a hero and go out and ask him to keep the volume down.
"Uhm, you are kinda loud" I say all groggy.
"WELL, I'M TALKING ON THE PHONE!" he angrily responds.
"Yeah, well, everyone is trying to sleep." I try to reason with him.
"TOUGH SHIT!"
Well, so much for diplomacy and a good night's sleep. My only response was simply going back in the room. Oh yeah. My sleeping bag. With the lights out I couldn't really even see where my sleeping bag was, all I knew was that to get it back involved reaching over the sleeping girl and searching around for it. Either that or waking her up and trying to explain what happened. In the same spirit that I dealt with the LOUD TALKER in the hallway, I handled this problem the same way.
So there I layed awake in my top bunk sans sleeping bag, unable to fall back asleep for an hour, contemplating using my towel for a blanket. Why did I decide to stay in a hostel?
So today I was unable to find anyone to go kayaking with, the weather was crap, and I was cranky from not getting much sleep last night. Back in the van tonight and tomorrow I won't rest till I find someone to boat with. I may be down but I'm not... oh boy... the forecast is for more rain for the next two days...
I don't know how many days of rain in a row there have been, but it feels like its been forever since I've seen the sun. Now normally, rain isn't such a big deal, and being a kayaker, I like it when it rains. Last night I needed a break from sleeping in the van so I decided to stay at one of the hostels in town, Hot Rocks. Everything was going great, it had a heated pool and hot tub and a couple of sulphur hot springs inside. Very nice and relaxing and revitalizing. I hot-tubed it for a bit and went up and took a shower and shaved and made myself look all spiffy. Went out for some great food, wandered around a bit, and met up with a Canadian dude that I met at the hostel at the backpackers bar nextdoor. The bar was kinda lame and after a couple of conversations that didn't really go anywhere I headed back to the hostel for what I thought would be a good nights sleep.
SO it was about 3 or 4am when I heard some guy talking on the phone REALLY loudly just outside the room. "Ignore it and try to go back to sleep" I thought. Unfortunately my bladder had some other plans for me. Climbing off the top bunk I accidently kick my sleeping bag off and it slides down the side in between the wall and the bed of the girl sleeping on the bottom bunk below me. Hmmm... I'll deal with that after I go to the bathroom.
I go and do my business and the guy is still talking really loudly outside. Everyone else MUST be hearing this too, I'll be a hero and go out and ask him to keep the volume down.
"Uhm, you are kinda loud" I say all groggy.
"WELL, I'M TALKING ON THE PHONE!" he angrily responds.
"Yeah, well, everyone is trying to sleep." I try to reason with him.
"TOUGH SHIT!"
Well, so much for diplomacy and a good night's sleep. My only response was simply going back in the room. Oh yeah. My sleeping bag. With the lights out I couldn't really even see where my sleeping bag was, all I knew was that to get it back involved reaching over the sleeping girl and searching around for it. Either that or waking her up and trying to explain what happened. In the same spirit that I dealt with the LOUD TALKER in the hallway, I handled this problem the same way.
So there I layed awake in my top bunk sans sleeping bag, unable to fall back asleep for an hour, contemplating using my towel for a blanket. Why did I decide to stay in a hostel?
So today I was unable to find anyone to go kayaking with, the weather was crap, and I was cranky from not getting much sleep last night. Back in the van tonight and tomorrow I won't rest till I find someone to boat with. I may be down but I'm not... oh boy... the forecast is for more rain for the next two days...
Thursday, October 09, 2003
Alright. Maybe a little more detail than that, eh?
So I get into town, demo a boat and head to the Kaituna park&play hole. I drive down the road looking for other boaters and see a kayaking class at the end of the road.
"Perfect!"
I get out of the van and swagger on over to the kayaking instructors. I ask them about the hole and where it is exactly. One of the guys points down a dirt road and tells me it is just down there.
"Sweet!"
I hop back in the van and start heading down the road. After about 20' of driving I realize that this road is about as narrow as my van and perhaps this "road" is actually a "walking trail". I peer into my rear view mirror to see if the instructors are waving their arms frantically and yelling at me not to go down the road. Nothing. I continue.
"Shit!"
"Shit! SHIT! SHITTTT!!!!"
The "road" gets dramatically steeps, DOWNHILL, and I hold my breath as luckily there is a small flat patch of grass up ahead with just enough room to turn around. Of course, if I keep driving I'll end up in the river. Alright. Did I mention that I just started driving manual a few days ago? Ok, I manage to pull off a three-point turn without taking a dip in the water and pop it into first and f#cking gun it up the hill. I said a little prayer and I think God decided to take pity on my sorry little soul because the van only tipped 20 degrees off to the right without flipping over and the settled out before I made it up to the top of the hill and back to the cement road where I was greeted by the smiling kayaking instructors.
"This is the carpark!"
"uhh... gee, thanks for telling me."
--> Info for stinky boaters
The Kaituna hole ROCKS! It is great for cartwheels, splitwheels, & loops. no rocks to smack into and plenty of washout below with eddies on both sides. It is only 3 minutes from the carpark (the real one, not the one I was looking for). The only dangers are a 5+ waterfall downstream and the hole is a bit sticky on river left. I'll probably hang out here for a bit and work on my rodeo skills. I've already gotten up to 4 complete wheels and I've been working hard on my front loops (no success, yet).
So I get into town, demo a boat and head to the Kaituna park&play hole. I drive down the road looking for other boaters and see a kayaking class at the end of the road.
"Perfect!"
I get out of the van and swagger on over to the kayaking instructors. I ask them about the hole and where it is exactly. One of the guys points down a dirt road and tells me it is just down there.
"Sweet!"
I hop back in the van and start heading down the road. After about 20' of driving I realize that this road is about as narrow as my van and perhaps this "road" is actually a "walking trail". I peer into my rear view mirror to see if the instructors are waving their arms frantically and yelling at me not to go down the road. Nothing. I continue.
"Shit!"
"Shit! SHIT! SHITTTT!!!!"
The "road" gets dramatically steeps, DOWNHILL, and I hold my breath as luckily there is a small flat patch of grass up ahead with just enough room to turn around. Of course, if I keep driving I'll end up in the river. Alright. Did I mention that I just started driving manual a few days ago? Ok, I manage to pull off a three-point turn without taking a dip in the water and pop it into first and f#cking gun it up the hill. I said a little prayer and I think God decided to take pity on my sorry little soul because the van only tipped 20 degrees off to the right without flipping over and the settled out before I made it up to the top of the hill and back to the cement road where I was greeted by the smiling kayaking instructors.
"This is the carpark!"
"uhh... gee, thanks for telling me."
--> Info for stinky boaters
The Kaituna hole ROCKS! It is great for cartwheels, splitwheels, & loops. no rocks to smack into and plenty of washout below with eddies on both sides. It is only 3 minutes from the carpark (the real one, not the one I was looking for). The only dangers are a 5+ waterfall downstream and the hole is a bit sticky on river left. I'll probably hang out here for a bit and work on my rodeo skills. I've already gotten up to 4 complete wheels and I've been working hard on my front loops (no success, yet).
Noooooooooooo......... I'm supposed to be "computer savy", I'm supposed to know what I'm doing with computers, I not supposed to sit here for 25 minutes typing a journal entry and then accidently erase the whole thing. Stupid Kiwi computers... alright. let me start over... grumble, grumble... maybe a condensed version.
I'm here in Rotorua and I paddled the Kaituna hole and almost drove my car into the river and now I'm back here in town and it is raining.
the end.
I'm here in Rotorua and I paddled the Kaituna hole and almost drove my car into the river and now I'm back here in town and it is raining.
the end.
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Alright, I'm Rotorua (kinda sounds like roter-router). Anyway, I just got here after driving down from the Bay of Islands. Ok... let me back up a bit to my last post. So I bought the red Nissan Vannette, loaded up my gear, and got the hell out of Auckland. I picked up a Bliss-stick Flipstick just outside of town to demo for a day and headed out to the west coast town of Piha, only 40km outside of Auckland. This trip should have been pretty quick, but because of my learning curve for driving manual, it took a bit longer than I care to admit. Anyway, I'll spare you the details of my driving, but I eventually got there and the sea was not too friendly. Apparantely there have been a ton of storms out west that have been making the surfing really dodgy (that's kiwi for sketchy.. also british or aussie).
Anyway, I decided to "walk the rapid" and ended up not kayaking out in the surf. I think it was the reports of a drowning two days before and surfboards snapping that convinced me of this. But I met some cool travelers there, a bunch of British surfer gals and a Maori surfer nicknamed Pierre.
The next day the surf was just as bad and I opted for a scramble up to the top of Lion's head, a big rock outcropping (kinda like the ones on the Oregon coast). Of course when I got to the top a storm came in and forced me back down. Anyway, back to the car, dropped off the boat and drove up to Auckland.. blah blah blah.....
Yesterday I went sailing up at the bay of Islands which included a barefoot hike on this island with the softest grass ever and Dolphins everywhere! We had about 10 of them at one point swimming next to our boat.
Now I am down in Rotorua, a town with a reputation for good kayaking nearby, all I need is a boat and....
--> of note for kayakers <--
So, I haven't paddled anything yet, but you should check out my van. A KAVU sticker on the front and the bed is all made from huge blocks of outfitting foam. Plus it came with roof racks. Definitely the right vehicle for me.
Anyway, I decided to "walk the rapid" and ended up not kayaking out in the surf. I think it was the reports of a drowning two days before and surfboards snapping that convinced me of this. But I met some cool travelers there, a bunch of British surfer gals and a Maori surfer nicknamed Pierre.
The next day the surf was just as bad and I opted for a scramble up to the top of Lion's head, a big rock outcropping (kinda like the ones on the Oregon coast). Of course when I got to the top a storm came in and forced me back down. Anyway, back to the car, dropped off the boat and drove up to Auckland.. blah blah blah.....
Yesterday I went sailing up at the bay of Islands which included a barefoot hike on this island with the softest grass ever and Dolphins everywhere! We had about 10 of them at one point swimming next to our boat.
Now I am down in Rotorua, a town with a reputation for good kayaking nearby, all I need is a boat and....
--> of note for kayakers <--
So, I haven't paddled anything yet, but you should check out my van. A KAVU sticker on the front and the bed is all made from huge blocks of outfitting foam. Plus it came with roof racks. Definitely the right vehicle for me.
Friday, October 03, 2003
Friday, October 2. I am almost positive on this date. Well, its been three nights in Auckland and 4 days, and I think tonight might be my last night here as I've found a vehicle!!!
The story goes something like this. I wake up this morning at 10am after a night at the bar with an Irish traveler whom I met at the hostel. I quickly get dressed and rush over to the car market before I miss any good deals, only stopping to get a ham sandwich and juice for breakfast. I walk in and the white Nissan Vanette that I looked at the other day was still there. I talk to the guy (named "Guy") and we negotiated a price... assuming that the mechanic check came out alright. So the mechanic comes on over after a couple of hours and starts checking out the vehicle. It seemed like he had a comment to write after everything he checked. Somehow I doubted that the scribblings were simple "wheels - ok, engine, good". No he was marking more errors with the physique of that vehicle than my sixth grade history teracher did on my mid-terms.
After the inspection was over, the seller looked like he was just given a proctal exam, not a car checkup. The list just went on and on. From rust to a wheel that could roll off at any moment. I held firm in my mind "NO WAY I AM GOING TO BUY THIS CAR... NO MATTER WHAT HE BRINGS IT DOWN TO".
Guy's face turned red and he gave me the most desperate look ever. "one thousand!" he spurt out.
"ummm... no" I responded.
"800!" he pleaded.
"yeah... ummm... no."
"name your price! I mean, he only said about 1000 in repairs... c'mon... what am I supposed to do? I leave tomorrow"
And I felt bad... really bad for his situation, but alas I thought about how bad I would feel stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
"I'm sorry," I began, "It'll be 4 days in the shop and maybe $1000, probably more. I'm only here for 3 months and I'd not like to start my trip with a van that is on deaths door."
And at that moment, the most beautiful cherry red Nissan Vanette showed up. $3000 '92. After a checkup and a test drive and a little negotiating, we shaked hands and as soon as I can scrounge up enough money from the ATM's around town, I'll be the proud owner of a little red van named Martha.
The story goes something like this. I wake up this morning at 10am after a night at the bar with an Irish traveler whom I met at the hostel. I quickly get dressed and rush over to the car market before I miss any good deals, only stopping to get a ham sandwich and juice for breakfast. I walk in and the white Nissan Vanette that I looked at the other day was still there. I talk to the guy (named "Guy") and we negotiated a price... assuming that the mechanic check came out alright. So the mechanic comes on over after a couple of hours and starts checking out the vehicle. It seemed like he had a comment to write after everything he checked. Somehow I doubted that the scribblings were simple "wheels - ok, engine, good". No he was marking more errors with the physique of that vehicle than my sixth grade history teracher did on my mid-terms.
After the inspection was over, the seller looked like he was just given a proctal exam, not a car checkup. The list just went on and on. From rust to a wheel that could roll off at any moment. I held firm in my mind "NO WAY I AM GOING TO BUY THIS CAR... NO MATTER WHAT HE BRINGS IT DOWN TO".
Guy's face turned red and he gave me the most desperate look ever. "one thousand!" he spurt out.
"ummm... no" I responded.
"800!" he pleaded.
"yeah... ummm... no."
"name your price! I mean, he only said about 1000 in repairs... c'mon... what am I supposed to do? I leave tomorrow"
And I felt bad... really bad for his situation, but alas I thought about how bad I would feel stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
"I'm sorry," I began, "It'll be 4 days in the shop and maybe $1000, probably more. I'm only here for 3 months and I'd not like to start my trip with a van that is on deaths door."
And at that moment, the most beautiful cherry red Nissan Vanette showed up. $3000 '92. After a checkup and a test drive and a little negotiating, we shaked hands and as soon as I can scrounge up enough money from the ATM's around town, I'll be the proud owner of a little red van named Martha.
Thursday, October 02, 2003
Luckliy, the date is being posted for me with this system, so one less worry in my life... Though I am pretty sure it is Thursday, October 1. Yes... I speak to you from the future, and let me tell you. It isn't a whole lot different from the past. But I digress...
Today was the second day of vehicle hunting. After spending yesterday morning in the basement of the parking garage known as the Backpacker Car market, I emerged cold and carless. No problem, I wasn't planning on walking away with anything the first morning of looking anyway. A quick lunch and I was picked up Budget Buggies, a used car dealer aimed at the backpacker. So everything I heard about New Zealand drivers was true. They are insane drivers. I looked at a couple of campervans, a Toyota Hiace and a Nissan RedVan (ok, I can't remember what it is really car, so lets just stick with RedVan). Test driving the vans was a great experience because 1. I've never driven the little campervan style of vehicle before with its 2' of metal in front of the driver, and 2. They were both manual transmission.
OK, for those of you don't know how well I can drive a manual (Deva, Silence!)m), I rock!!! I would say that I tore up the Highway except that I didn't venture furthur than the alleys and streets behind the dealer. Gunning it up to "fast" and then "testing" the breaks at the stop signs... occasionally allowing the engine to "rest"... some call it stalling. But in the end, I bought nothing. Yes, Despite Vince's best efforts to sell me one of his overpriced heaps of metal, Despite Vince's leather jacket, gold ring, slicked hair, and shifty eyes that indicated his long lost link to a Jersey car salesman. NO BUY!
As I sat in the car being driven back to my hostel, I went over my thoughts with the driver, Martha. Trying not to distract her too much after seeing her narrowly escape hitting people and other vehicles, I told her that I just wasn't sure what I wanted and if I needed the extra "adventure" of driving a manual on the wrong side of the road. As Martha slowed down to drop me off (she did come to a complete stop) she looked over and said not to worry, "God'll look after 'ya" and with a wink and a smile she zipped off.
As I walked into the hostel I wondered if God was really going to look after me when I purchase my vehicle. Having only really saved my prayers for the occasional class V kayaking drop, and seeing how I had three months of boating ahead of me. I figured I would save my prayers and realize that I would have to trust the person I was buying my vehicle from. ahhh... no problem... everything will be fine
Today was the second day of vehicle hunting. After spending yesterday morning in the basement of the parking garage known as the Backpacker Car market, I emerged cold and carless. No problem, I wasn't planning on walking away with anything the first morning of looking anyway. A quick lunch and I was picked up Budget Buggies, a used car dealer aimed at the backpacker. So everything I heard about New Zealand drivers was true. They are insane drivers. I looked at a couple of campervans, a Toyota Hiace and a Nissan RedVan (ok, I can't remember what it is really car, so lets just stick with RedVan). Test driving the vans was a great experience because 1. I've never driven the little campervan style of vehicle before with its 2' of metal in front of the driver, and 2. They were both manual transmission.
OK, for those of you don't know how well I can drive a manual (Deva, Silence!)m), I rock!!! I would say that I tore up the Highway except that I didn't venture furthur than the alleys and streets behind the dealer. Gunning it up to "fast" and then "testing" the breaks at the stop signs... occasionally allowing the engine to "rest"... some call it stalling. But in the end, I bought nothing. Yes, Despite Vince's best efforts to sell me one of his overpriced heaps of metal, Despite Vince's leather jacket, gold ring, slicked hair, and shifty eyes that indicated his long lost link to a Jersey car salesman. NO BUY!
As I sat in the car being driven back to my hostel, I went over my thoughts with the driver, Martha. Trying not to distract her too much after seeing her narrowly escape hitting people and other vehicles, I told her that I just wasn't sure what I wanted and if I needed the extra "adventure" of driving a manual on the wrong side of the road. As Martha slowed down to drop me off (she did come to a complete stop) she looked over and said not to worry, "God'll look after 'ya" and with a wink and a smile she zipped off.
As I walked into the hostel I wondered if God was really going to look after me when I purchase my vehicle. Having only really saved my prayers for the occasional class V kayaking drop, and seeing how I had three months of boating ahead of me. I figured I would save my prayers and realize that I would have to trust the person I was buying my vehicle from. ahhh... no problem... everything will be fine
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
umm... October 1st? Maybe? This time change thing has been messign with me and it wasn't till a late night epiphany made me understand how I lost a day in the flight. Well, If I can figure out time travel, then buying a used car can't be too difficult.
I'm in Auckland right now where it has been pissing cold rain down on me all day and all over my sunglasses that I am still wearing because JUST LIKE SEATTLE, it rains in the sun. And as if that wasn't enough of a comfort of home, there is a Starbucks every 3 blocks here in Auckland. That along with the MacDonalds and BurgerKings make my fondness for American Fast Food Imperialism grow even more nausiating. Oh yeah, they have a space needle, i mean Sky Needle here too. It's like I never left home... except that they don't understand what drip coffee is.
Yes, so after getting my room key and opening the door I felt like I had been placed with a couple of Frat dudes, crap everywhere! One of the downsides of Hostel living, well, you get what you pay for. After meeting the two guys I learned that neither of them were from fraternities or even American. One is from Brazil and the other is from Australia and they have pretty much been living in that room for months on end. Thoug this is NO EXCUSE for leaving a carton of eggs ON TOP of the fridge. Maybe in Brazil this is considered acceptable, but even I have my limits on cleanliness. (Though Deva & Rex may say otherwise).
So I realize that without Microsoft helping my grammer and spelling with its sarcastic little green and red underlines I am at the mercy of everyone reading this to ignore my misspellings and dangling participles as well as many other gramatical erros that I don't know the name for.
Cheers and stay tuned for more updates!
I'm in Auckland right now where it has been pissing cold rain down on me all day and all over my sunglasses that I am still wearing because JUST LIKE SEATTLE, it rains in the sun. And as if that wasn't enough of a comfort of home, there is a Starbucks every 3 blocks here in Auckland. That along with the MacDonalds and BurgerKings make my fondness for American Fast Food Imperialism grow even more nausiating. Oh yeah, they have a space needle, i mean Sky Needle here too. It's like I never left home... except that they don't understand what drip coffee is.
Yes, so after getting my room key and opening the door I felt like I had been placed with a couple of Frat dudes, crap everywhere! One of the downsides of Hostel living, well, you get what you pay for. After meeting the two guys I learned that neither of them were from fraternities or even American. One is from Brazil and the other is from Australia and they have pretty much been living in that room for months on end. Thoug this is NO EXCUSE for leaving a carton of eggs ON TOP of the fridge. Maybe in Brazil this is considered acceptable, but even I have my limits on cleanliness. (Though Deva & Rex may say otherwise).
So I realize that without Microsoft helping my grammer and spelling with its sarcastic little green and red underlines I am at the mercy of everyone reading this to ignore my misspellings and dangling participles as well as many other gramatical erros that I don't know the name for.
Cheers and stay tuned for more updates!
