Finders Keepers

Things really picked up for the better in the North Island.  Both Trevor and I had a much better time in the north even though many people we spoke with thought it would be the other way around.  Well, having the sun out pretty much every day, not being bothered by sandflies and having some great hospitality towards the end our New Zealand leg made a big difference.  Plus the hills weren’t all that bad.  Actually, from what we cycled in New Zealand, the hills weren’t as bad as I expected.  Yes we did have some super steep hills at times but I thought it would just be constant up and down.  It wasn’t really.

New Zealand has been pretty good to us with our finds as well.  Trevor was on fire with picking up stuff on the side of the road; especially cycling from Rotorua to Hamilton he found a useable bicycle lock, broken smartphone with a micro SD card in it, and a reflective construction vest.  Jackpot.  He uses the micro SD card for more space on the GPS and thinks there may be hope to revive the whole smartphone provided he can find a battery and replace the smashed screen.  We use a lot of stuff we find along the roadside.  Living off the land I like to say.  He picked up a pink Asian parasol in the South Island and will use it if it rains and we need cover to fix a tire.  I spotted a front wheel with the tire still on it around Dunedin and am now using that tire as my $5 Chinese made tire died on me leaving Hamilton.  Good tire for the price as it lasted me a long while. 

We have been taking it easy these past couple of days in Auckland staying with our uncle’s cousin Jack and his wife Helen.  Later today we depart across the Pacific and over the International Date Line for Santiago, Chile.  Time to brush up on my espanol.

Aside from the first night outside of Wellington where we struggled to find a decent camp spot, the camping has been much better in the North Island.  We had some really good spots around Tongariro National Park.  On this particular night shown we camped out on some bleachers which gave us cover from a strong downpour in the night and didn’t have to set up our tents.  Quite nice.  We did though have a scare on our final night of camping on the outskirts of Auckland.  As we were leaving our camp spot a police car pulled up.  I thought we were screwed and they would question why we were walking out from a bush beside the motorway, and then slap a fine on us.  But luckily they didn’t.  Big sigh of relief. 

A message from the farmers of New Zealand.  And our message to them: we respectfully disagree. 

Mount Ngauruhoe early morning.  Or Mount Doom for those who are diehard Lord of the Rings fans.  Personally I am not but it is somewhat of a big deal here.  That and the Hobbit.  They even have movie set tours.  I’ll give a miss on that one, thank you. 

I tackled the Tongariro Alpine Crossing or about three quarters of it since the last stretch is off limits due to an earthquake last year.  Trevor wasn’t keen so he sat and waited in the car park for a couple of hours while I joined the many trekkers on the track.  Fueled on ready to roll icing sugar I made pretty good time.  The weather was alright most of the way except when I arrived at the Emerald Lakes, the spot where you want the weather to be clear.  As you can see it wasn’t. 

See, it wasn’t always poor weather on the Crossing.

But it was pretty bad in the Waikite Valley.  There is lots of thermal activity around this area as we made our way to Rotorua.  We could hardly see ahead.  Maybe 10 meters at best.  

I was keen on going to one of these thermal spots to see some geysers, steaming vents and of course get a really good whiff of all that sulphur.  Mmmm.  But after seeing the steep entrance fees I decided to pass.  The Maori’s sure know how to charge.    

Thanks to my friend Fiona in London, we stayed with her gracious parents in Rotorua who gave us a tour of the city before going for a full on buffet at the Skyline Buffet & Grill Restaurant overlooking the city.  Quite the views!  And what a meal!  I was so stuffed after it all I couldn’t go back for a second helping of dessert.  Very unlike me.  Anyway, a big thanks to Tom and Margaret for everything in Rotorua.  It was really appreciated.    

Have to slow down for those Kiwis.  Shame we didn’t see any though.  It is a tough bird to see in the wild.  

The excellent hospitality continued into Hamilton.  Fiona also arranged for us to stay with her sister Susan.  We had a fun night out at this bar which had their weekly quiz night on.  Unfortunately Trevor and I weren’t much help but our team did end up walking out with a bottle of wine as the 2^nd to last place team gets a bottle of wine.  So we didn’t leave empty handed!  Anyway, thanks Susan for letting us crash the night.  It too was very much appreciated.     

The New Zealand leg ends in Auckland, the City of Sails. 

An interesting find on my part.  Our hosts here in Auckland are in the process of moving house and they had a dumpster with a bunch of stuff in it.  I had a look and noticed old National Geographic magazines from the early 1960s.  Quite neat as I love looking back at old magazines and seeing how things looked and were back then.  Some of them had articles on the race to the moon and the advertisements were interesting with Canada buying a fair bit of ad space.  The Mounties were a big attraction back then it seems.  Anyway, I was especially intrigued by an article from the November 1963 issue on the newly formed Malaysia, which at the time Singapore was a part of.  Pretty amazing how much the landscape has changed over time. 

We spent a few days at Jack’s and Helen’s beach house in Mangawhai.  A very nice spot I must say with plenty of opportunities for water activities around.  I tried my hand at stand up paddle surfing.  It didn’t take long to get the hang of it.  The waters were crystal clear so it made looking for marine life rather easy.  I saw a school of fish and an eagle ray.   

Taking a stroll in the Sahara desert.  Well not quite.  But that sand dune could probably pass for one in the Sahara.  Anyway, a big thanks to Jack and Helen for their warm hospitality in and around Auckland.  It was much appreciated!