Legolas Was Probably Carbon Free Too

Ok, I sound like a scratched CD (i think the broken record simile has been used enough) but I'm trying to get some new material up. I'm working on a verrrry (extra r's for emphasis) long piece right now about my easter break. It wasn't a beach, so no worries. It should be up in the next day or two. Then I'll go back to some of the trips I haven't covered yet. Expect a lot more beaches with those, though all very different.

In other news, out of the whopping 8 votes that were cast Legolas came out on top as the favorite LOTR character. Gimli was my sleeper pick, but I guess that didn't turn over like I thought it might. I was a bit surprised Legolas came out one top, I find Orlando Bloom rather annoying. But I guess the "real" Legolas was a lot cooler.

Sweet Picture of Legolas. For those Legolas lovers (or Orlando Bloom lovers) you can click on the picture and make it your desktop background. I'm not quite sure why Gandalf is in this though. He must be JUST THAT AWESOME!

Finally, I was booking my flight to the South Island for our Spring (Fall actually I guess) break with Qantas and after I purchased my ticket it had a little thing off to the side asking if I wanted to buy carbon offsets for my flight. It was only $3 bucks, so I said "Hey, why not fly carbon free and have nothing hanging on my conscience while I tour the South Island?" So besides the hassle of having to re-input all my credit card information, it was that easy. They even send you a tax invoice! Unfortunately, is for an Australian carbon offset program...oh well.

I Like it Hot Hot Hot

It should be noted that I didn't actually take any of these photos in this post. My friend Elysse let me use her's for a small royalty fee of a few hundred dollars.

Our second day in Coromandel actually turned out to be a little bit of a downer compared to the previous, but was fun nonetheless. We finished off our first day with Elysse and I entertaining with some singing and guitar on the beach. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but this is a somewhat standard tradition of our group- cracking open some beverages of sorts and singing wildly at the top of our lungs like 14-year old girls at a Backstreet Boys concert. It was my first time ever playing on the beach and it was liberating to able to play and sing while the water washed in and the stars shone like billions of fireflies. Even at one point the cops stopped over, and while we thought we were done for, they merely stated that they were bored and heard the music. It was a good night.

So when I say the next day was a downer, it probably had to do with the fact we woke up to rain and that yesterday had been so awesome. But when did a little rain ever stop anyone? We still found some ways to entertain ourselves including some movies, games, shell picking and a swim at the beach where we later realized we weren’t suppose to be swimming.

The real highlight of the day came when we headed to the Hot Water beach later in the evening. The idea of the Hot Water beach is to dig a hole in the sand 2 hours on either side of low tide and the warm ground would heat the ocean water that trickled in from the receding waves. Essentially you make your own personal hot tub. I imagine this happens because of some extremely complicated geo-thermal phenomenon. I might have wikipediaed it if my curiosity was as burning as the water in our hole, but it wasn’t.

While neat and interesting, its novelty wore out pretty fast for me. So when everyone labored away digging a giant hot tub Brain and I snuck off to build a sweet sand castle on top of a giant rock. It was truly a magnificent fortress complete with walls, towers, a light house, a causeway up the rock, and most importantly tiny little sand sheep. We are in New Zealand of course. We then made our way back to the group where the giant hot tub was completed and shared a small laugh that while we were having fun building a castle, everyone else had been digging a giant hole in the ground. The water was easily hot enough to make some hot chocolate; though I doubt sea salt with a hint of chocolate would taste very good.

The rain once again came and we made our way back to our hostel. The rest of the night was spent listening to a pretty decent cover band at one of the bars and then getting some shut-eye.

Must be becuase they're prime...

Thanks to all of you who had voted for your favorite single digit number. There was a tie however between the number 3 and 7. Both received a whopping 2 votes. So as the keeper of this blog I suppose I'm going to weigh in (I don't usually vote on these). I'm going to give it to number...37. While not single digit, its the best of both worlds. Congratualtion 3 & 7.

On a different note, I'm trying hard to update more often and get caught up to speed. Also I hope to have a more New Zealand related polls up. A adventure story should be up later today (or yesterday in the states). I hope everyone celebrated the Irish in them on Monday.

Everyone is Irish on St. Patty's

Coromandel: Cathedral Cove

A little over a week ago our group of about 22 friends hit the road for our first real independent road trip. Before we even left we learned an important lesson. It’s really hard to coordinate a road trip for a score of young adults. Amazingly, we did it thanks to a few of our fearless leaders who took charge of planning this particular trip.

Oh right! I almost forget to tell you where went- the Coromandel Peninsula. And if there were one word to describe its beauty I would say it was (don’t hurt yourself) beautiawesomefantasticallygorgeousplussomeotherbigadjectives. Any pictures I’d taken from this adventure would never do it justice. And once again, it wouldn’t be fair to squeeze the whole weekend into one entry.

To begin the weekend our group rented 4 small to mid sized sedans and hit the road at about 9:00am on Friday morning. The fact that some cars had to squeeze a sixth person into the back seat meant that some got to know each other really well and there was no room for being bashful. I lucked out and got the front passenger seat to help navigate. Let’s not forget that the front passenger seat is on the left side here in New Zealand. This meant I was constantly reaching for the steering wheel and moving my feet back and forth only to find myself confused and looking like an idiot.

Our drive went relatively well if you don’t count the time our driver Cate became suddenly fascinated with a dead “kitty” on the side of the road and almost sent everyone to their death by almost rear-ending a car who decided to completely stop in the middle of the road. I gave a few friendly yells of “BRAKE!” at the top of my lungs. She got the idea just in time. From there on out the drive went well- meaning there were no more dead kitties. We moved along winding roads that took us through farm land, into what seemed like the jungle, back out to steep hills over looking the ocean. The long three hours were whisked away by the changing scenery.

After checking into our hostel in Whitianga, The Cat’s Pajama’s, we headed straight for the famous yet secluded Cathedral Cove beach. For someone from upstate New York who doesn’t get to the beach often, I suddenly found myself stumbling upon what considered on some lists one of the most beautiful beaches in the world…

Walking to the water, kicking the white sand as I move forward, I step into crystal clear water that turns the shade of turquoise as I wade out farther. The water is cool and refreshing, but not cold. I begin to swim out, as the water again changes color from turquoise to indigo. I head for a giant rock where everyone seems to be congregating like a flock of seagulls before the make their next flight. I reach the rock and begin to climb while the force of the oceans waves tries to pull me off. But I will not be taken, and I make it to the top- a treacherous 4 feet. I walk to the rock’s highest point close my eyes, listen to the wave’s music, take a breath and jump 6 feet back into the water. I climb back up and do it again, again and again. I’m getting winded. Time to swim back in.

I never want to leave this place; I wish I could pack it in a bag a take it home with me. Tom Hanks didn't have it THAT bad.

If Only I Were Stationed Here During WWII

Back about a week and half ago, before classes even started we found ourselves in search of a new adventure. We’d been to the Bay of Islands but had done little exploratory work in and around Auckland. Luckily a couple of my buddies, Ed and Kevin, organized a great day trip for our group- Devenport.

For only $9 each with return, we jumped on a ferry that headed across the harbor and away from downtown. On arrival we came to a small little town where the main street was lined with quaint shops, cafes, and ice cream parlors. But this was nothing compared to what I saw next. Cars had to stop for pedestrians at the crosswalks.

This may not sounds to exciting to anyone who lives in the states. But New Zealand is known for their terrible driving- and this isn’t counting the fact they drive on the wrong side of the road. More than once have I almost been mooshed like mashed potatoes by a New Zealand driver. Needless to say, I was astounded by the fact that pedestrians had the right of way for once.

We walked past the town along the water toward a park that was filled with bunkers, tunnels, and turrets from WWII. From what I gathered, during WWII the New Zealand government was afraid of a Japanese invasion. So they built a pretty extensive network of concrete bunkers and tunnels on a hill overlooking the harbor. The attack of course never came, so what was once meant to defend New Zealand now provided a bunch of fun stuff to jump all over and climb through.

They park also had a marvelous beach that was only about 50 meters long and nobody else on it. After making sure we were allowed to swim there, we all went in for a cool down on our own private beach. I felt like I was making billions and enjoying my very own island. The girls then proceeded to lie in the sun while the boys looked for adventure- even twenty-something year olds can’t be kept still. Peter Pan and the lost boys would be proud.

Our walk back around the opposite side of which we came was just a scenic as the first. It was hard to not stop every 30 seconds to snap a photograph, which also slowed our pace considerably. We got back into Davenport and caught a late afternoon ferry back.

Two-hundred photos later, 9 dollars poorer, and my personal UV index maxed out; we arrived back into downtown Auckland. Only a mere 10 minutes ago I felt so far removed from urban society.

...along with 2000lbs of concrete.

If this is true, then these glass bus shelters must be pretty awesome here in Auckland. I suppose did feel unnaturally safe the other day waiting in one... hmmm.

3 Days of school is rediculous ...We shouldn't have any!

Alright, I'm trying to get caught back up so the posts about my trips are a little more current. Class started this week so things are slowing down a little. I am, however, only in class three days a week, so this should help with getting caught up. SHOULD is the key word there.

On another note, my friend Ed, who is here in NZ with gave me a little plug in his blog the other day. And while we go on the same trips usually, its worth the read. He is much more funny than I am. The link is down and over to the right there.

Day Three: The Bay of Islands

While our third in the Bay of Islands was spent mostly traveling back Auckland, we did have one event planned for the day at the Waitangi treaty grounds. Even though we were at the grounds for only couple hours, it turned out to be much more interesting than I thought it would be, and it easily rivaled any elementary school field trips I’d been on.

Waitangi is the sight where the British and the Maori negotiated a treaty in 1840. Turns out the British weren’t the first European nation to discover New Zealand. It was actually the Dutch, who in 1640 first discovered it. It was almost 125 years later when any other Europeans returned, that being the famous explorer James Cook in 1768. In terms of history, civilized New Zealand is one of the youngest settled land masses. In fact the Maori people have only been there since 800AD after migrated from eastern Polynesia.

A few of the things we saw while at the ground was the treaty house where the actual treaty was signed, the home of the British diplomat William Hobson, and the giant war canoes that seated around 75 Maori warriors. And to finish of the sight, we were given a cultural performance by some local Maori. This included some songs and the performance of the Kapa haka- the intimidating war dance that almost made me soil myself. Gross, I know, it was that scary.

After the performance we jumped back on the bus and headed back toward Auckland. A half hour bathroom and lunch stop proved the pre-made sandwiches for us were jus as bad as the day’s before.

Bilbo Baggins would be so proud.

As you can see, "There and Back Again" blew every other choice out of the water as the title for my blog. I have to thank my brother Nathaniel for this suggestion, as I am not nearly that clever.

Day Two: The Bay of Islands

When I thought the pervious day’s wake-up time was brutal, the 6:30am wake-up time on our second day in the Bay of Islands was near murder. But who were we to argue with? We were on a three day trip through paradise with nearly all expenses paid by Loyola.

Main event of the day, our 4x4 bus tour. Ours is the smaller one in the back. The beach is treated like a highway at low tide.

The day started out with a morning breakfast buffet at the nearby Peppercorn restaurant. Now everyone knows a breakfast buffet can be a tricky thing. You might show up and be completely disappointed because the mass-produced scrambled eggs are the consistency of rubber, and the bacon is dripping with grease so badly that there is a waiver you have to sign because the risk of an instant heart-attack. OR, if you’re lucky, you might find something that remotely resembles food. Once again, I was blown away by the quality of food on the trip thus far. The buffet breakfast was not only edible, but enjoyable! Croissants, fresh fruit, toast, eggs, Canadian (or New Zealand?) bacon, OJ, and these little apple filled pastries that I swear were made in heaven by God’s own hands. Needless to say, I like food- especially food made in heaven.

Standing still in the wind for this picture proved to rather difficult. It was so strong that on the muddy parts of the trail the wind would slide you sideways across the trail.

The main event of the day was an 8 hour 4x4 bus tour that headed to the most northern piece of land in New Zealand, Cape Reigna. Our first stop however was at the Manginangina forest. While essentially a fifteen minute stretch break, we managed to take a quick stroll through this ancient forest which sported the giant kauri trees. These botanical behemoths can grow to up 50 meter tall and live over 1000 years.

The Lighthouse at Cape Reigna, where the Tasman and the Pacific meet.

We jumped back on our bus and continued north, and after hitting a café for a potty break, driving over treacherous dirt roads and looking at the hills where the jolly green giant must have been born, we arrived at Cape Reigna. After trekking down a path in 40 mph wind (I had to lean into the wind at a seemingly 45-degree angle just to stay on my feet) I arrived at the most northern point of New Zealand. The Maori tribes believe that when they die, their souls travel over Aotearoa (translated “Land of the Long White Cloud”) to Cape Reigna where their spirit leaves New Zealand to their final meeting place in the after life. Though the day was glum, the intense wind pushing us around like chess pieces made for an unforgettable experience.

The rest of the day included a quick stop for a swim in a watering hole and a drive back along 90-mile beach. The beach is actually only 55-miles, and why they used miles when naming it beats me. Either way, it’s treated as a regular highway where cars will drive up to 100kph on it. We were told that in the busy winter months, when the sand is a little more firm, there are often police that patrol the beach for speeders.

The day once again ended with a drink at the local pub and sleep before another early morning.