I really can't complain about 2011. This has been a year of risks and celebrations for me and though by no means was every day, or even week, a good one (some were even downright awful), on the whole it was a year of real growth for me and I can only hope that 2012 will be half as wonderful.
Some highlights of 2011 (I'd make it a "top 10" but I've just enjoyed so much and really can't rank it):
- Bungy jumping - Queenstown, New Zealand - this was so scary, but I gotta say, I was left with the feeling that if I can jump off a bridge and trust that I'd be okay, I can do anything.
- Kayaking in Halong Bay with my Alex's
- Missoni for Target Sale - Morgan and I even scored some new friends out of it.
- Dinner and a cab ride in New Orleans
- Wilshire Walk with my fearless companions Rob and Sidney
- Seeing Book of Mormon - yes I saw it and YES it is every bit as wonderful as is I'd hoped.
- Dodger Game with the German boys
- Super fun girls game night - this has become my moms signature party and is always a good time.
- Glow Worm Caves
- Tour of Disney Channel Animation (thanks Jill!) and lunch at the American Girl Place with cousin Bella
- Angkor Wat - wins the awe factor of the year
- Harry Potter Christmas Party - I literally went to Hogwarts. Hands down the best party I've ever been to.
- MONA Museum in Tasmania - the more I think about it the more I want to go back.
And that's just my short list. Tonight I rang in the New Year with Uncle George, Aunt Kathy, and sister Lisa in New Jersey as Lisa and I are about to head off on our first grand adventure of 2012!! Stay tuned as we will be posting as frequently as possible in the coming days.
Happy New Years!!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
When your adventures follow you home...
Oh god how much I wish I took pictures of this! I have sunk back into my old habits of never having a camera with me, which is really too bad. Also, a really really frustrating thing just happened to me and you are reading the SECOND typing of this story. The first one was ALL deleted. Ugh. But here's the story...
So remember when I wrote about our hike in Abel Tasman National Park near Nelson, New Zealand? Well, so insignificant it didn't make it onto this blog, on the hike we stumbled upon a group of kids about my age while crossing a beach at low tide (it was very time sensitive because the beach didn't exist at high tide, so we were racing the clock!) They asked us to take their picture and so we did. They seemed like a really fun group. We ended up walking at about the same pace for awhile and ended up chatting with a young man from Germany. He explained that he was really only there with his one buddy from home and that the other three girls they had just met that day on that hike. Did we get his name? No, but he stayed back with us as we had to take off our shoes and cross the swelling ocean water "creeks" filled with sharp shells. He told us that he and his friend were on a world tour similar to the one I was just nearing the end of: Australia - New Zealand - Fiji - Los Angeles! Of course we had to ask their plans and it turned out they had none. I gave him my email address and told him to get in touch with me if he wanted any help trying to figure out what to do. And that was that!
Flash forward to about a week later when another kind stranger, Donna, put me up my last night in Auckland. When I asked her at the end what I could do to repay her, she simply said, "Pay it forward."
It was that day that our German friends, henceforth known as Marcus and Sebastian, sent me an email. They were in Fiji and needed an address to give US customs on their arrival and wanted to know of a good hostel. Hostel? Not in Los Angeles. After a few emails back and forth we determined that I would pick them up at LAX and that they could stay at Jeff's house for two nights while we all figured out what they should do to maximize their stay in the states. And oh how many people rallied to make it a good time in the states for the Germans! Their first night, my mom, Jeff, Scott, Melissa, and I took them to Mijares for their first Mexican meal. (When asked if they'd ever had Mexican food they answered, no. When asked if they'd had a margarita before they looked at us like we were insane.) The next day, my wonderful friend Rob took us on a tour of the Paramount Lot on a golf cart. Marcus and Sebastian were particularly stoked with their little gate passes with a map of the lot and a ticket that reads "Paramount Pictures Welcomes ___(name)___" Great souvenir, and I've got to hand it to Paramount for stepping it up since my days writing gate passes. We then did the touristy-ist thing - Hollywood Blvd and the Chinese Theater. Marcus and Sebastian really enjoyed picking out the other German tourists. That place is a zoo. That afternoon I had some work to do so Melissa met the boys in Old Town for a bit of shopping. They had some great success. That night, we went to a Dodgers game. Oh how I loved the look of, "is this for real?" on their faces during the seventh inning stretch! They did point out one thing though - why is the baseball championship a world series when the US is the only country in the world who participates? A bit narcissistic... And then to top it off, the next morning, Jeff's brother, Johnnie, drove the boys down to my grandparents house in the OC! Marcus loves the show OC (he also loves Gossip Girl...) It's not really my adventure at this point, but we've been getting really fun reports from my grandparents about their stay. Marcus was a sous chef and insisted on cooking a big dinner for them that my grandparents sound over the moon about, they got a picture I'm dying to see of my Grandpa (Poppy) sprawled out on a surfboard, my grandparents told them where to go one night when the were going OUT (and didn't get home until 3am!) Tomorrow my grandparents put the Germans on a train to San Diego (my grandmother is uneasy about the fact that they have no where to stay there) and from there they have an action packed week - Las Vegas AND San Francisco!
It's been fun seeing my part of the US as an adventure through their eyes... le sigh, I miss traveling...
So remember when I wrote about our hike in Abel Tasman National Park near Nelson, New Zealand? Well, so insignificant it didn't make it onto this blog, on the hike we stumbled upon a group of kids about my age while crossing a beach at low tide (it was very time sensitive because the beach didn't exist at high tide, so we were racing the clock!) They asked us to take their picture and so we did. They seemed like a really fun group. We ended up walking at about the same pace for awhile and ended up chatting with a young man from Germany. He explained that he was really only there with his one buddy from home and that the other three girls they had just met that day on that hike. Did we get his name? No, but he stayed back with us as we had to take off our shoes and cross the swelling ocean water "creeks" filled with sharp shells. He told us that he and his friend were on a world tour similar to the one I was just nearing the end of: Australia - New Zealand - Fiji - Los Angeles! Of course we had to ask their plans and it turned out they had none. I gave him my email address and told him to get in touch with me if he wanted any help trying to figure out what to do. And that was that!
Flash forward to about a week later when another kind stranger, Donna, put me up my last night in Auckland. When I asked her at the end what I could do to repay her, she simply said, "Pay it forward."
It was that day that our German friends, henceforth known as Marcus and Sebastian, sent me an email. They were in Fiji and needed an address to give US customs on their arrival and wanted to know of a good hostel. Hostel? Not in Los Angeles. After a few emails back and forth we determined that I would pick them up at LAX and that they could stay at Jeff's house for two nights while we all figured out what they should do to maximize their stay in the states. And oh how many people rallied to make it a good time in the states for the Germans! Their first night, my mom, Jeff, Scott, Melissa, and I took them to Mijares for their first Mexican meal. (When asked if they'd ever had Mexican food they answered, no. When asked if they'd had a margarita before they looked at us like we were insane.) The next day, my wonderful friend Rob took us on a tour of the Paramount Lot on a golf cart. Marcus and Sebastian were particularly stoked with their little gate passes with a map of the lot and a ticket that reads "Paramount Pictures Welcomes ___(name)___" Great souvenir, and I've got to hand it to Paramount for stepping it up since my days writing gate passes. We then did the touristy-ist thing - Hollywood Blvd and the Chinese Theater. Marcus and Sebastian really enjoyed picking out the other German tourists. That place is a zoo. That afternoon I had some work to do so Melissa met the boys in Old Town for a bit of shopping. They had some great success. That night, we went to a Dodgers game. Oh how I loved the look of, "is this for real?" on their faces during the seventh inning stretch! They did point out one thing though - why is the baseball championship a world series when the US is the only country in the world who participates? A bit narcissistic... And then to top it off, the next morning, Jeff's brother, Johnnie, drove the boys down to my grandparents house in the OC! Marcus loves the show OC (he also loves Gossip Girl...) It's not really my adventure at this point, but we've been getting really fun reports from my grandparents about their stay. Marcus was a sous chef and insisted on cooking a big dinner for them that my grandparents sound over the moon about, they got a picture I'm dying to see of my Grandpa (Poppy) sprawled out on a surfboard, my grandparents told them where to go one night when the were going OUT (and didn't get home until 3am!) Tomorrow my grandparents put the Germans on a train to San Diego (my grandmother is uneasy about the fact that they have no where to stay there) and from there they have an action packed week - Las Vegas AND San Francisco!
It's been fun seeing my part of the US as an adventure through their eyes... le sigh, I miss traveling...
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
An historic event...
A true blog worthy adventure - Missoni launches it's line for Target, September 13, 2011. Stores open at 8 am. Morgan and I were there at 7:05am.
Anticipating a line that might wrap around the building (we'd heard of such things happening on the east coast) imagine my surprise when this is what I was met with:
Yup. ONE lone super hardcore fan ready with a chair, chatting away on the phone, on the Internet. Morgan and I were shoppers two and three. Chrystal (our new shopping mentor) was really there for the bike (there were only two in the store and she was going to get it - the last designer bike target had sold she had narrowly missed out on). Just in case she was unsuccessful in her endeavor, her parents were in line up at a store in the bay area and ready to pounce as well. She instructed Morgan and I (total amateurs) and our new friends right behind us, Emily and Harry (also amateurs), that what we needed was a plan of attack.
By 7:50 the line looked like this:
Emotions were beginning to run high. A few people tried to cut the line (us hardcore folk were stunned that a person would bring such bad juju upon themselves). Morgan was a genius and insisted we go to a Target off the beaten path (I won't say which for fear that another super sale will happen and our hidden gem will be hidden no longer) and OH MY GOD was that the right choice. We wouldn't have standee a chance at say, the Hollywood location.
8am the doors opened. I made a mad dash for my designated point - SHOES. We ALL had our eyes on the flats so I had A TON to grab. Then I headed for the accessories and hair stuff, the homeware, and the clothes.
By 8:30am everything, and I mean really, ALL of it, was gone.
One of the many empty racks.
Our team had a powwow and trade off. Lasting friendships were made. And excessive shopping was had by all.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Anticipating a line that might wrap around the building (we'd heard of such things happening on the east coast) imagine my surprise when this is what I was met with:
Yup. ONE lone super hardcore fan ready with a chair, chatting away on the phone, on the Internet. Morgan and I were shoppers two and three. Chrystal (our new shopping mentor) was really there for the bike (there were only two in the store and she was going to get it - the last designer bike target had sold she had narrowly missed out on). Just in case she was unsuccessful in her endeavor, her parents were in line up at a store in the bay area and ready to pounce as well. She instructed Morgan and I (total amateurs) and our new friends right behind us, Emily and Harry (also amateurs), that what we needed was a plan of attack.
By 7:50 the line looked like this:
Emotions were beginning to run high. A few people tried to cut the line (us hardcore folk were stunned that a person would bring such bad juju upon themselves). Morgan was a genius and insisted we go to a Target off the beaten path (I won't say which for fear that another super sale will happen and our hidden gem will be hidden no longer) and OH MY GOD was that the right choice. We wouldn't have standee a chance at say, the Hollywood location.
8am the doors opened. I made a mad dash for my designated point - SHOES. We ALL had our eyes on the flats so I had A TON to grab. Then I headed for the accessories and hair stuff, the homeware, and the clothes.
By 8:30am everything, and I mean really, ALL of it, was gone.
One of the many empty racks.
Our team had a powwow and trade off. Lasting friendships were made. And excessive shopping was had by all.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Home sweet home...
Sadly, this chapter of my big adventure has come to a close. I cannot say enough how happy and fortunate I feel to have had the support and the ability to do what I have just come back from. It's amazing how big the world is and how despite how much ground I've covered, there is SO much more to see and do. The biggest thing I've learned about myself on this adventure is how much I do enjoy doing and trying new things and yet how lucky I feel to come from where I do. I'll post a longer "reflection" at some point.
As for the blog- I've really enjoyed keeping this and find that I am a lot better at putting something online than I am at holding myself to a journal. As you can tell though from my posts getting less and less frequent, when I'm doing less frequent "out of the norm" stuff, it is harder to motivate to write every day. It's also less interesting to read something when it just turns into a "dear diary" situation. So my plan is to update every once in awhile, especially with something blogworthy, so if you want to check in sporadically to see what I'm up to, feel free, if not, don't read!
As for the blog- I've really enjoyed keeping this and find that I am a lot better at putting something online than I am at holding myself to a journal. As you can tell though from my posts getting less and less frequent, when I'm doing less frequent "out of the norm" stuff, it is harder to motivate to write every day. It's also less interesting to read something when it just turns into a "dear diary" situation. So my plan is to update every once in awhile, especially with something blogworthy, so if you want to check in sporadically to see what I'm up to, feel free, if not, don't read!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Milford Sound and the All Blacks...
We took a day trip to the Milford Sound. It was so beyond beautiful and proof that we just completely lucked out with the weather. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Mom and I at the start of the day.
The mountains perfectly reflected in the Mirror Lakes.
The perfect natural mineral water rivers.
Because we got there within 24 hours of a rainfall we got to see all the waterfalls that form. This little quartet is called the "four sisters."
Interestingly enough, the Milford Sound is actually a fiord not a sound because it was carved out by glaciers.
That night, though exhausted from the long trip to Milford, we found our way to a pub to watch a big New Zealand/Australia rugby game. We are shocked at how easy rugby is to follow! Sadly, our team (chosen because we are in New Zealand and we like the chic-ness of the color black and silver fern mascot) lost. But fear not, they are still one of the favored teams to take the cup that starts in two weeks!
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Mom and I at the start of the day.
The mountains perfectly reflected in the Mirror Lakes.
The perfect natural mineral water rivers.
Because we got there within 24 hours of a rainfall we got to see all the waterfalls that form. This little quartet is called the "four sisters."
Interestingly enough, the Milford Sound is actually a fiord not a sound because it was carved out by glaciers.
That night, though exhausted from the long trip to Milford, we found our way to a pub to watch a big New Zealand/Australia rugby game. We are shocked at how easy rugby is to follow! Sadly, our team (chosen because we are in New Zealand and we like the chic-ness of the color black and silver fern mascot) lost. But fear not, they are still one of the favored teams to take the cup that starts in two weeks!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Make new friends...
Sunday night in Queenstown we started out as losers. Unsure of where to go for dinner and a bit beaten down by the prices everywhere, we ended up eating an early bird special in a semi empty restaurant. Dinner was done at 6:45 and we had no plans for the evening, then things turned around. We walked down to a pub on the wharf aptly called "pub on wharf" where we decided to brave the cold and sit outside overlooking the water at a very nice fireplace. We had a few drinks (me and my cider - god it's so good) but wound up chatting for quite a while with a couple from Australia. We were feeling slightly less loser-ish afterwards and continued onto the ice cream and chocolate shop we had both noticed and read about in my book. Our reasons for wanting ice cream were twofold: first, we had beard fabulous things about New Zealand Ice Cream (every ice cream I'd seen in Asia was labeled as new Zealand so I had some interest), and second, because they were one of the ONLY places I've seen in New Zealand that boasts free wifi (I know, this was a remarkable thing - it's everywhere in Cambodia but in New Zealand, good luck), so it just seemed right to patronize it. Apparently everyone else in town thought the same and the place was packed. We lucked out with a booth and within minutes a nice Asian couple came over and asked if they could sit at the table. Their accents sounded American so my mom immediately asked where in the states they came from. They laughed and responded with, "the Filipines". They were completely born and bred there but could easily have passed as Americans, which really blew us away and started a long and fun chat. We even planned to have dinner together the next not except they sadly ended up wine tasting and so that didn't work out. Still we were feeling very fun and social. So then we decided to go to another bar we had liked for a little night cap. We walked in and found two New Zealand women sitting on one side of the room chatting away with a group of girls from Australia on the other side. My mom immediately said, as they all looked up at us, "how fun is this? You don't even know each other and you are all talking!" and then within minutes we joined the fun. Donna and Cheryl were exactly the sort of fabulously and wildly fashionable Auckland women that my mom had walked around the city at the start of our trip here looking for. When they found out that I was staying in a hostel my last night in the city, and that we were on the same flight, Donna immediately offered to put me up for the night. She happened to live in the one part of town, Mission Bay, that we walked through after going to the aquarium and that helped us "get" the appeal of Auckland. A little while later in the night a group of three guys walked into the bar that was at this point filled with just us girls. My mom shouted out, "BOYS!" and we all had a good laugh. It was just a very fun night, and considering we had walked around New Zealand meeting almost no one, and now I had a new friend to stay with!
So yesterday, rather than spend my last night at a hostel, I had a lovely evening with Donna and her husband, Clive, in a very new (like less than a month old) groovy area of Auckland, eating fresh fish and chips and hearing tons of insider info about different local personalities and city history.what a way to end my trip.
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So yesterday, rather than spend my last night at a hostel, I had a lovely evening with Donna and her husband, Clive, in a very new (like less than a month old) groovy area of Auckland, eating fresh fish and chips and hearing tons of insider info about different local personalities and city history.what a way to end my trip.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, August 28, 2011
I did it...
I'm in Queenstown, New Zealand, adventure capital of the world! Obviously, some serious adventuring has gone down and I have a lot to update as I've been a bit of a blog slacker since my biggest fan has been with me (and she's still very upset with me for not updating more often).
Queenstown is a stunning little city on the south island and I'll be talking more about what we've done in the scenery, but another thing it is famous for is being the birthplace of the bungy. Yes - I said it early on in planning this trip - I was going to jump. And jump I have. Earlier today I set out for the first jump in the world - the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, which is off a bridge and is 43 Meters. Was I looking forward to it? No. Did I feel it necessary to do? Yes. When in Rome, right?
The one thing I really wanted to be sure of was that I got a good jump in. First, because I NEVER wanted to feel like I had to do it again. And second, because a bad jump can leave you injured (not very badly, but the thought of whiplash so bad that the blood vessels in my eyes pop just didn't sound appealing, at all).
Mission accomplished!
Queenstown is a stunning little city on the south island and I'll be talking more about what we've done in the scenery, but another thing it is famous for is being the birthplace of the bungy. Yes - I said it early on in planning this trip - I was going to jump. And jump I have. Earlier today I set out for the first jump in the world - the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, which is off a bridge and is 43 Meters. Was I looking forward to it? No. Did I feel it necessary to do? Yes. When in Rome, right?
I was pretty much rethinking my decision right about here.
Here I go!
The one thing I really wanted to be sure of was that I got a good jump in. First, because I NEVER wanted to feel like I had to do it again. And second, because a bad jump can leave you injured (not very badly, but the thought of whiplash so bad that the blood vessels in my eyes pop just didn't sound appealing, at all).
Mission accomplished!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Nature...
On Wednesday we went for a day trip to Abel Tasman National Park, which is a little over an hour away from Nelson. We signed up for a boat/hike combo and a return bus ticket. Note - this bus was only supposed to be a bus ride, NOT a tour. The pickup was early so I pretty much planned on napping for the drive. Unfortunately for us, our fifty-something-passenger coach had only one other girl on it, and the driver, Reneè fashioned himself much more than a bus driver. So both ways, not only did he talk ( about everything), but he would also wake you up if you were sleeping and make out of the way stops to show us irrelevant sights.
Some sample topics that would get him started on long tangents:
On the topic of his pet pig: "Oh yeah I have some pigs... Just imagine a grown man being chased by a pig! It was hilarious!... wife's too scared of her for me to be able to leave for a few days, that's why I got to get rid of her... We'd keep one or two of the babies for breeding but eat the rest as pork!.."
On the topic of North America: "...back in the '70s you could just travel with greyhound $99 for 99 days... I stayed illegally in Canada for a few years... then that marriage didn't last..."
It was impossible to get him to stop talking. He was really a character and a half. But the best part of the whole thing was when we were in town the next day in a jewelry store and we told the woman who was helping us about our bus driver who wouldn't stop talking and she said, "is he, perhaps, called Reneé?"
The park itself was incredible. In the summer it is apparently a buzz with people everywhere, however, being here in the middle of winter (but on a spectacularly clear and temperate day) we had the whole place to ourselves! While hiking we settled into being alone with all the native birds who sang us along and only the steady sounds of our footprints.
The famous split rock. This rock was split, they don't know how!
A look back at the beach where we were dropped off.
Super rickety bridge. No more than 5 people plowed at a time.
The silver fern. A symbol of New Zealand and THE symbol of the All Black Rugby team. Early in the team's history they wanted to make the Kiwi bird the mascot but the Maori team members insisted that would give the wrong message because they don't come out during the day, they can't fly, and the Maori people used to eat them. The silver fern is a symbol of strength.
One of the crystal clear beaches.
Anchorage, the beach we were to be picked up. On arrival. It was so peaceful and beautiful. And then the sand flies found me. They are my new enemy - mosquito-esque insects that I appear to have horrible reactions to. This wasn't the last time we met them either...
Just a little beach doodle!
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Some sample topics that would get him started on long tangents:
On the topic of his pet pig: "Oh yeah I have some pigs... Just imagine a grown man being chased by a pig! It was hilarious!... wife's too scared of her for me to be able to leave for a few days, that's why I got to get rid of her... We'd keep one or two of the babies for breeding but eat the rest as pork!.."
On the topic of North America: "...back in the '70s you could just travel with greyhound $99 for 99 days... I stayed illegally in Canada for a few years... then that marriage didn't last..."
It was impossible to get him to stop talking. He was really a character and a half. But the best part of the whole thing was when we were in town the next day in a jewelry store and we told the woman who was helping us about our bus driver who wouldn't stop talking and she said, "is he, perhaps, called Reneé?"
The park itself was incredible. In the summer it is apparently a buzz with people everywhere, however, being here in the middle of winter (but on a spectacularly clear and temperate day) we had the whole place to ourselves! While hiking we settled into being alone with all the native birds who sang us along and only the steady sounds of our footprints.
The famous split rock. This rock was split, they don't know how!
A look back at the beach where we were dropped off.
Super rickety bridge. No more than 5 people plowed at a time.
The silver fern. A symbol of New Zealand and THE symbol of the All Black Rugby team. Early in the team's history they wanted to make the Kiwi bird the mascot but the Maori team members insisted that would give the wrong message because they don't come out during the day, they can't fly, and the Maori people used to eat them. The silver fern is a symbol of strength.
One of the crystal clear beaches.
Anchorage, the beach we were to be picked up. On arrival. It was so peaceful and beautiful. And then the sand flies found me. They are my new enemy - mosquito-esque insects that I appear to have horrible reactions to. This wasn't the last time we met them either...
Just a little beach doodle!
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Thursday, August 25, 2011
Eat, drink, and be merry...
Foodies and winos, prepare to be jealous- We have spent the past few days in the northern town of the south island called Nelson. It is a place where the sun shines virtually every day of the year. This makes it a very desirable place to live and a truly lovely place to visit. It also has more culture than I feel we have experienced anywhere see in New Zealand up to this point.
We could tell upon our arrival at our cute little English-cottage-style hotel that we were going to like it here a lot. And we have.
Thanks to our new friend, "the cuddly cook," we knew there were a few restaurants we needed to try while we were here. The girl at the front desk gave us a few as well. Everything was really spectacular. I will now lay out for you our meals:
1) Cafe Affair - we went for a light lunch the day we arrived in town. (sadly I left my camera at home this day so much of the charm of the downtown area I'll need to commit to memory and you'll need to imagine, or google-image, you're pick). It was bright and sunny and we sat outside. Our waitress was the exact kind of friendliness that seems to embody the south island (which is only just 25% of New Zealands population!). she had plenty to tell us about the area and was all too happy to make us a dinner reservation at a restaurant across town!
2) The Boat Shed - this was dinner the first night. Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere! It felt like Maine (or, since I haven't actually been to Maine, like what I imagine Maine to be like and what my mom says reminds her of Maine). A charming restaurant over the water (stilts). We got there just at sunset and though I did not have my camera, I was able to take the following picture with my iPad:
I mean, heaven!
The Cuddly Cook had given us specific instructions on what to order, however, neither option was on the menu so we just went with the servers choice. Ohh! What a treat! We were delivered one mouth watering dish after another.
3) Orangerie- the following night (I'll write about this day in a separate post) we stayed in to dine at the hotel restaurant. We'd had a big day and also the chef was new and had some hype, so why not? It was a darling little French restaurant.
4) wine tour!!! Nelson is one of those pockets of the worked that is pretty perfect for some varieties of wine. Today (as in the day I'm writing this, Thursday? I'm not sure I've completely lost track of days...) we went for a full day wine tour. We were promised that the tour would be no more than 13 people. We were not promised that we would have it to ourselves, but as it is the off season in an off year we did. Our sober driver/ tour guide, Lyall, picked us up for a day we had really been looking forward to.
The beginning of the day at our first stop - the Richmond Plains and Te Mania Vineyards. We got to choose 4 of 8 wines to taste. My mom quickly declared see did not like Riesling, which Lyall took as a challenge to fond one see would like for the rest of the day.
Lyall and Angela, the super fun enthusiastic italian expert at Richmond.
Even the wineries are very excited about the rugby world cup.
Because it was just the two of us and we told him we like the art culture here, Lyall took us to an amazing glassblowing gallery. It was filled with some of the most incredible glass blown objects I have ever seen. I also got to showcase how much I remember from the glassblowing class I took senior year of college.
We continued on to Seyfried winery where we had a lovely lunch and four more tastings (after that I lose count of how many I got to taste...) we continued to love the Sauvignon Blanc's (not a huge surprise - this is what the region is know for, "full bodied whites.") Mom was still not a fan of the Riesling, but what she hated was a wine neither of us had heard of with a German name.
Yup. There's the name (but don't be confused, this is from a different vineyard).
We then went on to Woollaston, a beautiful winery that really reminded us of a chic Napa vineyard. No surprise it's a joint venture between a wealthy American and an established New Zealand winemaker.
Really big fans of their branding.
View from Woollaston.
We finished off the day at Waimea. Here Lyall hid the names of the varietals and tried to get us to guess the varietals. Still determined to get mom to find a Riesling she could stand he brought one out that severely grossed us out. Up to this point I had drunk the full taste of every wine put in front of me. This one I simply could not do. It smelled like skunk! But the Pinot Grijs there I thoroughly enjoyed. It went down like water (although mom thought it tasted like water so that may have been why).
We were returned to the hotel and had a big dinner reservation coming up. I was not hungry and feeling pretty icky so I went for a little run. Nelson has an amazing system of bike and running trails. You could just go and go, everything is marked with distances and to point you in the right direction. I mean really, what a gem of a city/town!
5) Hopgoods - everyone we talked to told us at Hopgoods is the best restaurant in Nelson, so obviously we had to go. Still not all that hungry we shared an entree (which is a starter in NZ and Australia) and a main to share. Entree: goat cheese soufflé over matchstick cut apples, beets, and candied walnuts. Mom wants to recreate this badly. Main: pan seared flounder like fish (native to the sea around here) over cauliflower cream and paprika sauce, mushrooms, and herb gnocchi. It was just a stunning meal. I couldn't bear to pair it with any more wine but luckily New Zealanders take their beer just as seriously, and they had a perfect pairing for our meal.
6) Macs Brewery - just because we were done with dinner didn't need to mean the night was over. Just across the street from Hopgoods is a bar (that was once the brewery for a beer brand, Macs, that you now see all over New Zealand and Australia). I have fallen pretty in love with their cider. We sat down with our drinks and tried to teach ourselves some more rugby. This is when we saw a grown man and athlete get pantsed on live tv, and NO ONE MADE A BIG DEAL OF IT. In the middle of a play, the opponent caught a guys shorts as he was running and pulled them down all the way. The other guy kept running. This went on for at least 5 seconds!!
And with that, I'm out. I'll write soon about the day I alluded too. Night!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We could tell upon our arrival at our cute little English-cottage-style hotel that we were going to like it here a lot. And we have.
Thanks to our new friend, "the cuddly cook," we knew there were a few restaurants we needed to try while we were here. The girl at the front desk gave us a few as well. Everything was really spectacular. I will now lay out for you our meals:
1) Cafe Affair - we went for a light lunch the day we arrived in town. (sadly I left my camera at home this day so much of the charm of the downtown area I'll need to commit to memory and you'll need to imagine, or google-image, you're pick). It was bright and sunny and we sat outside. Our waitress was the exact kind of friendliness that seems to embody the south island (which is only just 25% of New Zealands population!). she had plenty to tell us about the area and was all too happy to make us a dinner reservation at a restaurant across town!
2) The Boat Shed - this was dinner the first night. Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere! It felt like Maine (or, since I haven't actually been to Maine, like what I imagine Maine to be like and what my mom says reminds her of Maine). A charming restaurant over the water (stilts). We got there just at sunset and though I did not have my camera, I was able to take the following picture with my iPad:
I mean, heaven!
The Cuddly Cook had given us specific instructions on what to order, however, neither option was on the menu so we just went with the servers choice. Ohh! What a treat! We were delivered one mouth watering dish after another.
3) Orangerie- the following night (I'll write about this day in a separate post) we stayed in to dine at the hotel restaurant. We'd had a big day and also the chef was new and had some hype, so why not? It was a darling little French restaurant.
4) wine tour!!! Nelson is one of those pockets of the worked that is pretty perfect for some varieties of wine. Today (as in the day I'm writing this, Thursday? I'm not sure I've completely lost track of days...) we went for a full day wine tour. We were promised that the tour would be no more than 13 people. We were not promised that we would have it to ourselves, but as it is the off season in an off year we did. Our sober driver/ tour guide, Lyall, picked us up for a day we had really been looking forward to.
The beginning of the day at our first stop - the Richmond Plains and Te Mania Vineyards. We got to choose 4 of 8 wines to taste. My mom quickly declared see did not like Riesling, which Lyall took as a challenge to fond one see would like for the rest of the day.
Lyall and Angela, the super fun enthusiastic italian expert at Richmond.
Even the wineries are very excited about the rugby world cup.
Because it was just the two of us and we told him we like the art culture here, Lyall took us to an amazing glassblowing gallery. It was filled with some of the most incredible glass blown objects I have ever seen. I also got to showcase how much I remember from the glassblowing class I took senior year of college.
We continued on to Seyfried winery where we had a lovely lunch and four more tastings (after that I lose count of how many I got to taste...) we continued to love the Sauvignon Blanc's (not a huge surprise - this is what the region is know for, "full bodied whites.") Mom was still not a fan of the Riesling, but what she hated was a wine neither of us had heard of with a German name.
Yup. There's the name (but don't be confused, this is from a different vineyard).
We then went on to Woollaston, a beautiful winery that really reminded us of a chic Napa vineyard. No surprise it's a joint venture between a wealthy American and an established New Zealand winemaker.
Really big fans of their branding.
View from Woollaston.
We finished off the day at Waimea. Here Lyall hid the names of the varietals and tried to get us to guess the varietals. Still determined to get mom to find a Riesling she could stand he brought one out that severely grossed us out. Up to this point I had drunk the full taste of every wine put in front of me. This one I simply could not do. It smelled like skunk! But the Pinot Grijs there I thoroughly enjoyed. It went down like water (although mom thought it tasted like water so that may have been why).
We were returned to the hotel and had a big dinner reservation coming up. I was not hungry and feeling pretty icky so I went for a little run. Nelson has an amazing system of bike and running trails. You could just go and go, everything is marked with distances and to point you in the right direction. I mean really, what a gem of a city/town!
5) Hopgoods - everyone we talked to told us at Hopgoods is the best restaurant in Nelson, so obviously we had to go. Still not all that hungry we shared an entree (which is a starter in NZ and Australia) and a main to share. Entree: goat cheese soufflé over matchstick cut apples, beets, and candied walnuts. Mom wants to recreate this badly. Main: pan seared flounder like fish (native to the sea around here) over cauliflower cream and paprika sauce, mushrooms, and herb gnocchi. It was just a stunning meal. I couldn't bear to pair it with any more wine but luckily New Zealanders take their beer just as seriously, and they had a perfect pairing for our meal.
6) Macs Brewery - just because we were done with dinner didn't need to mean the night was over. Just across the street from Hopgoods is a bar (that was once the brewery for a beer brand, Macs, that you now see all over New Zealand and Australia). I have fallen pretty in love with their cider. We sat down with our drinks and tried to teach ourselves some more rugby. This is when we saw a grown man and athlete get pantsed on live tv, and NO ONE MADE A BIG DEAL OF IT. In the middle of a play, the opponent caught a guys shorts as he was running and pulled them down all the way. The other guy kept running. This went on for at least 5 seconds!!
And with that, I'm out. I'll write soon about the day I alluded too. Night!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, August 22, 2011
The smelliest place...
We've spent the better part of the past two days in Rotorua, New Zealand, which is a small town in the center of the north island. It is a sacred place for the Maori people and has some of the craziest terrain. It also smells. The second you enter the area you are overwhelmed with the smell of sulfur. It's everywhere and in everything. If only I could bottle up a smell to share...
The town sits on a milky blue lake of shallow water that's full of sulfur rising from below the earth. There are geysers a plenty. And then there are the mud pools. Now I had foolishly thought that all the mud pools that I had read about in planting this were like hot springs you find in the states - like natural jacuzzis that you could just climb into and enjoy. The reality is that they can be deadly. They can be so hot that they often actually rise above 100degrees Celsius (which, if you think back to sixth grade science, seems impossible).
Yesterday, upon our arrival we aimed to be cured of our "arthritis" - neither of us has it but one ancient story tells of the mud pools curing the disease and we wanted to feel the cleansing muddy waters for ourselves - so we set out for a place called "Hells Gates" where you can bath in the famed mud and sulfur waters and also check out some of the natural hot mud baths. We noted what a strange name this place had considering so many others have kept their Maori name and then upon our arrival we learned that the name came from none other than George Bernard Shaw! (my mother the thespian was SO happy to find that one out). First we got to put our feet in a shallow mud pool (and but shallow I mean no more than 5 inches deep). Somehow I managed to lose my balance and fall completely into the muddy water, completely clothed. Oops! At first I just looked wet, but as I dried the mud consolidated. Yup, I'm that klutzy American. We walked around the pools where we heard every kind of bubbling noise you can imagine. At some points the terrain looked forest-y and then at others it looked like we were on the moon!
Those bubbles formed and moved so quickly... Like bats out of hell.
It's hard to understand how much of a threat that is unless you are there.
And then you would turn a corner, and you'd find a nice little waterfall. This is the one that warriors would bath in to heal after war.
Then we got our mud baths. Considering how much I've always loved clay, it was no surprise how happy I was getting in the water. My mom crudely said I looked like a pig in sh**. She did not look as happy and anxiously awaited the 20 minute time limit (for health reasons) to be up.
Me, covered, and mom.
We are both happy to have done this but even now, over 24 hours later, sent quote sure that the smell of sulfur is out of our skin...
Today's big event was Te Puia. We knew part of it was getting to see the famous Pohutu Geyser, which spurts out 5meter high boiling water multiple times per hour, but that was about it. Included in the tour was a Maori cultural show. This was so impressive. From our group, in order to enter the tribal performance area, a man had to come forward and be the "chief." Our greeter taught us all what he must do in order to gain us all entry - accept a leaf offering from a very scary tribesman and then upon entry, touch noses twice with each man.
We were both really shocked at how well done this very touristy attraction was. The singers and dancers so clearly were trained and well versed in their craft. We learned a lot about their songs, dances, games, and hunting tools.
The main guy showing the main warrior move (tongue out) used to intimidate the enemy.
The women spinning these balls on strings used to mimic native birds in flight.
Me with the warriors..
Mom becoming a warrior...
We then began the tour part where we got to learn about the skill that goes into Maori carving (men) and weaving (women). Would you believe that the skirts they are all wearing above are made out of leaves? I wouldn't have until I was let in on how...
After that we got to see a pair of kiwis. Not the biggest bird people, we had actually decided against another opportunity we had to see these strange flightless, long beaked avians, but here we were on a tour. So glad I saw them. they are about 10X the size I thought they would be! Also, they are an insanely territorial bird and thus can on,y be kept in twos (male and female) or they will kill each other. Not a great thing when you are already a very endangered species.
Then we finally saw the geyser.
I don't really know what to say about it... Bur it certainly was powerfully pushing up heaps of HOT water (we could feel the steam).
Me and all the steam.
We finished the day at a fun pub called the Pig 'n Whistle (named because it used to be the police station). Determined to learn a bit more about rugby in anticipation for the world cup (we are now totally poser All Black fans), my mom asked the bar tender (a Brit) what the main difference is between Rugby and American Football are. His answer, "Rugby is better, and is for men." So that was one answer, I have a feeling my mom will keep asking around though, so stay tuned on that one!
Now Lisa (my middle sister who is feeling forgotten without a shout out) - we've spoken about you CONSTANTLY. It's mainly been a game of "would or wouldn't Lisa enjoy this?" And here's our thoughts:
- Waitomo caves: you would have loved this but would have been WAY WAY too cold. Our suggestion should you ever come- do yourself and whomever pi come with a favor and opt for the boat float trip. It doesn't involve wetsuits and you can bundle yourself as much as you want.
- Rotorua: you may be the one person I know who would welcome the strange smell. You would also be fascinated with the bubbling mud pools and shooting geyser.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The town sits on a milky blue lake of shallow water that's full of sulfur rising from below the earth. There are geysers a plenty. And then there are the mud pools. Now I had foolishly thought that all the mud pools that I had read about in planting this were like hot springs you find in the states - like natural jacuzzis that you could just climb into and enjoy. The reality is that they can be deadly. They can be so hot that they often actually rise above 100degrees Celsius (which, if you think back to sixth grade science, seems impossible).
Yesterday, upon our arrival we aimed to be cured of our "arthritis" - neither of us has it but one ancient story tells of the mud pools curing the disease and we wanted to feel the cleansing muddy waters for ourselves - so we set out for a place called "Hells Gates" where you can bath in the famed mud and sulfur waters and also check out some of the natural hot mud baths. We noted what a strange name this place had considering so many others have kept their Maori name and then upon our arrival we learned that the name came from none other than George Bernard Shaw! (my mother the thespian was SO happy to find that one out). First we got to put our feet in a shallow mud pool (and but shallow I mean no more than 5 inches deep). Somehow I managed to lose my balance and fall completely into the muddy water, completely clothed. Oops! At first I just looked wet, but as I dried the mud consolidated. Yup, I'm that klutzy American. We walked around the pools where we heard every kind of bubbling noise you can imagine. At some points the terrain looked forest-y and then at others it looked like we were on the moon!
Those bubbles formed and moved so quickly... Like bats out of hell.
It's hard to understand how much of a threat that is unless you are there.
And then you would turn a corner, and you'd find a nice little waterfall. This is the one that warriors would bath in to heal after war.
Then we got our mud baths. Considering how much I've always loved clay, it was no surprise how happy I was getting in the water. My mom crudely said I looked like a pig in sh**. She did not look as happy and anxiously awaited the 20 minute time limit (for health reasons) to be up.
Me, covered, and mom.
We are both happy to have done this but even now, over 24 hours later, sent quote sure that the smell of sulfur is out of our skin...
Today's big event was Te Puia. We knew part of it was getting to see the famous Pohutu Geyser, which spurts out 5meter high boiling water multiple times per hour, but that was about it. Included in the tour was a Maori cultural show. This was so impressive. From our group, in order to enter the tribal performance area, a man had to come forward and be the "chief." Our greeter taught us all what he must do in order to gain us all entry - accept a leaf offering from a very scary tribesman and then upon entry, touch noses twice with each man.
We were both really shocked at how well done this very touristy attraction was. The singers and dancers so clearly were trained and well versed in their craft. We learned a lot about their songs, dances, games, and hunting tools.
The main guy showing the main warrior move (tongue out) used to intimidate the enemy.
The women spinning these balls on strings used to mimic native birds in flight.
Me with the warriors..
Mom becoming a warrior...
We then began the tour part where we got to learn about the skill that goes into Maori carving (men) and weaving (women). Would you believe that the skirts they are all wearing above are made out of leaves? I wouldn't have until I was let in on how...
After that we got to see a pair of kiwis. Not the biggest bird people, we had actually decided against another opportunity we had to see these strange flightless, long beaked avians, but here we were on a tour. So glad I saw them. they are about 10X the size I thought they would be! Also, they are an insanely territorial bird and thus can on,y be kept in twos (male and female) or they will kill each other. Not a great thing when you are already a very endangered species.
Then we finally saw the geyser.
I don't really know what to say about it... Bur it certainly was powerfully pushing up heaps of HOT water (we could feel the steam).
Me and all the steam.
We finished the day at a fun pub called the Pig 'n Whistle (named because it used to be the police station). Determined to learn a bit more about rugby in anticipation for the world cup (we are now totally poser All Black fans), my mom asked the bar tender (a Brit) what the main difference is between Rugby and American Football are. His answer, "Rugby is better, and is for men." So that was one answer, I have a feeling my mom will keep asking around though, so stay tuned on that one!
Now Lisa (my middle sister who is feeling forgotten without a shout out) - we've spoken about you CONSTANTLY. It's mainly been a game of "would or wouldn't Lisa enjoy this?" And here's our thoughts:
- Waitomo caves: you would have loved this but would have been WAY WAY too cold. Our suggestion should you ever come- do yourself and whomever pi come with a favor and opt for the boat float trip. It doesn't involve wetsuits and you can bundle yourself as much as you want.
- Rotorua: you may be the one person I know who would welcome the strange smell. You would also be fascinated with the bubbling mud pools and shooting geyser.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Well, I said I wanted an adventure...
Parts of today were terrifying.
Parts of today were exhilarating.
But any way you look at it, today was CERTAINLY an adventure.
We rented (in this part of the world they say "hired") a car, and headed off for a small town in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand called Waitomo. The town is not the attraction, but it houses the Waitomo Caves, which I had read about and did not want to miss. Because this was the portion of the trip that my mom was meeting me, we left more in the hands of our travel agent, Aspire Down Under (hey Shelley!), and other than telling her I wanted to go, I wasn't totally paying attention to what to expect (except something awesome that looked fake, as I had google imaged them), or what kind of activity she was booking us for - but more on the caves in a second.
My mom started off the day driving. This was her first time driving on the left side of the road and she was such a nervous nelly it was driving us both insane. What made her the most crazy (and I'll have to agree with her on this) isn't the driving on the left side, and isn't the driving in the right seat, but it's using the blinkers on the right side of the drivers wheel. I can't even tell you how frustrating it was to go to turn on the binding light and end up turning on the windshield wipers! For every other "opposite" we were totally on guard and ready for the challenge, but somehow that one... Any who, the first big town we came across, Hamilton, took my mom to her limit. There were tons of roundabouts and she FREAKED. it was pretty clear it was my turn at the wheel (although that almost scared her more). We stopped at a delicious lunch spot, Scottsdale Epicurean, which our new friend from the night before, Annabelle, suggested. It did not disappoint.
And then we were off to the caves! I was surprised at how much my few weeks in Australia had acclimated me to drive on the left side of the road. I'm so used to looking right before a crossing now, that I just seem ton have normalized (although, later in the night it got a little scary and I was relieved to actually reach the motel).
We got to the entry area fashionably early with swimsuits, towels, and a big appetite for fun and adventure (the requirements for "what to bring" in the brochure)! The tour we were booked on was called the Labyrinth Tour and the company was the Black Water Rafting Co, which lead me to believe we'd be sitting in a raft floating lazily along and might occasionally build up a bit of speed and possibly get a tad bit wet. Was I ever wrong. We knew this the second our guides began fitting us for all kinds of wet suit gear - booties, thick undergarments, hard helmets, the total package. The wetsuits and gear were super cold and I am pretty sure I heard every member of our group (nine of us) say at one point or another "what the hell have we gotten ourselves into?" or "who thought this was a good idea?"
The group of us (and last and only picture I have) about to head off with no idea what to expect.
We then loaded a van and were taken to another area where we picked out inner tubes. Here they taught us how to make an "eel" - hold the person in front of ours' feet to form a floating line. We practiced still out in the dry. They told us we'd be doing the eel after we jumped the second waterfall. Uh oh. Whoever said anything about jumping waterfalls?! It was now time to practice the waterfalls, so we all had to jump (more like get pushed) backwards into the freezing cold water. Now that we were wet, cold, and vetted, it was time to get started.
The name of the cave is "Ruakuri," which is a Maori word for "two dogs." We learned the story of how it got its name, but for the dog lovers reading this, all you really need to know is that things don't turn out well for the two dogs that guarded the cave.
We ducked (stalagmites), squeezed (tight tight small openings), and trampled (loose rocks and varying depths of water) through the opening of the cave. The water was so cold, the rocks were unstable, and the cave was DARK! (of course we did have headlamps attached to our helmets (without which I would have cracked my skull open about 50 times. As my mom kept saying, "now we really know we are in New Zealand!" and then we reached a stopping place. Our guides told us to turn out out list and look up. It was brilliant! Hundreds of tiny blue lights hung and glowed vibrantly just above us! These were the Waitomo Caves famous glow worms, and the big attraction of the caves. Or guides took this opportunity to explain to us what these "worms" really are - "maggots with glowing shit." Now I could tell you more but I might just bore you with the details - google would be a great place to start if you are curious, but that pretty much just sums it up. They said they call them worms because it draws the tourists: "who really wants advertise fancy maggot shit?" (they also provided a very fun and very "kiwi" explanation of the life cycle of these maggots - "basically the males shag their mate for 24 hrs, pretty typical of the average kiwi. They then drop dead, also pretty common..." Nonetheless, it was pretty cool, and this was just one little tease of them. A few waterfalls later, we got in eel position and floated through a long complicated hallway where the "glowworms" floated above like our own personal milky way. During that portion, we forgot we were freezing and a tad bit uncomfortable and just stared up in complete awe. We weren't allowed to take pictures (they said it was because they wanted us paying attention to what we were doing, and they took some in case we wanted to buy - we didn't- but my camera couldn't have gone there anyway).
This is a picture from google, but gives you an idea. Just know, it is every bit as cool as the pictures you'll find online, yes, even though they totally look photoshopped.
They then had us all stop in a little area where it appeared to be raining. But how could this be? We were in a cave! Well they told us to squint and loom up. Wayyyyyyy above was a tiny little hole. Actually, it's s big hole, I think the said between 5-6 meters wide, but as we were 210 feet down it looked tiny. The Maori word for water is "wai" and the word for hole is "tomo" and THAT is how the Waitomo caves get their name. From there our guides told us we were going to play a game called "find our way out in the dark". We all had to turn our lights off and navigate through by following the glow of the worms. This wasn't hard, but oh my god did we all start to realize we were cold! Many couldn't feel their hands or feet. It was really staring to hurt. And then we were out and on our way to hot showers and soup to help us thaw out!
All in all SUCH a wild day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Parts of today were exhilarating.
But any way you look at it, today was CERTAINLY an adventure.
We rented (in this part of the world they say "hired") a car, and headed off for a small town in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand called Waitomo. The town is not the attraction, but it houses the Waitomo Caves, which I had read about and did not want to miss. Because this was the portion of the trip that my mom was meeting me, we left more in the hands of our travel agent, Aspire Down Under (hey Shelley!), and other than telling her I wanted to go, I wasn't totally paying attention to what to expect (except something awesome that looked fake, as I had google imaged them), or what kind of activity she was booking us for - but more on the caves in a second.
My mom started off the day driving. This was her first time driving on the left side of the road and she was such a nervous nelly it was driving us both insane. What made her the most crazy (and I'll have to agree with her on this) isn't the driving on the left side, and isn't the driving in the right seat, but it's using the blinkers on the right side of the drivers wheel. I can't even tell you how frustrating it was to go to turn on the binding light and end up turning on the windshield wipers! For every other "opposite" we were totally on guard and ready for the challenge, but somehow that one... Any who, the first big town we came across, Hamilton, took my mom to her limit. There were tons of roundabouts and she FREAKED. it was pretty clear it was my turn at the wheel (although that almost scared her more). We stopped at a delicious lunch spot, Scottsdale Epicurean, which our new friend from the night before, Annabelle, suggested. It did not disappoint.
And then we were off to the caves! I was surprised at how much my few weeks in Australia had acclimated me to drive on the left side of the road. I'm so used to looking right before a crossing now, that I just seem ton have normalized (although, later in the night it got a little scary and I was relieved to actually reach the motel).
We got to the entry area fashionably early with swimsuits, towels, and a big appetite for fun and adventure (the requirements for "what to bring" in the brochure)! The tour we were booked on was called the Labyrinth Tour and the company was the Black Water Rafting Co, which lead me to believe we'd be sitting in a raft floating lazily along and might occasionally build up a bit of speed and possibly get a tad bit wet. Was I ever wrong. We knew this the second our guides began fitting us for all kinds of wet suit gear - booties, thick undergarments, hard helmets, the total package. The wetsuits and gear were super cold and I am pretty sure I heard every member of our group (nine of us) say at one point or another "what the hell have we gotten ourselves into?" or "who thought this was a good idea?"
The group of us (and last and only picture I have) about to head off with no idea what to expect.
We then loaded a van and were taken to another area where we picked out inner tubes. Here they taught us how to make an "eel" - hold the person in front of ours' feet to form a floating line. We practiced still out in the dry. They told us we'd be doing the eel after we jumped the second waterfall. Uh oh. Whoever said anything about jumping waterfalls?! It was now time to practice the waterfalls, so we all had to jump (more like get pushed) backwards into the freezing cold water. Now that we were wet, cold, and vetted, it was time to get started.
The name of the cave is "Ruakuri," which is a Maori word for "two dogs." We learned the story of how it got its name, but for the dog lovers reading this, all you really need to know is that things don't turn out well for the two dogs that guarded the cave.
We ducked (stalagmites), squeezed (tight tight small openings), and trampled (loose rocks and varying depths of water) through the opening of the cave. The water was so cold, the rocks were unstable, and the cave was DARK! (of course we did have headlamps attached to our helmets (without which I would have cracked my skull open about 50 times. As my mom kept saying, "now we really know we are in New Zealand!" and then we reached a stopping place. Our guides told us to turn out out list and look up. It was brilliant! Hundreds of tiny blue lights hung and glowed vibrantly just above us! These were the Waitomo Caves famous glow worms, and the big attraction of the caves. Or guides took this opportunity to explain to us what these "worms" really are - "maggots with glowing shit." Now I could tell you more but I might just bore you with the details - google would be a great place to start if you are curious, but that pretty much just sums it up. They said they call them worms because it draws the tourists: "who really wants advertise fancy maggot shit?" (they also provided a very fun and very "kiwi" explanation of the life cycle of these maggots - "basically the males shag their mate for 24 hrs, pretty typical of the average kiwi. They then drop dead, also pretty common..." Nonetheless, it was pretty cool, and this was just one little tease of them. A few waterfalls later, we got in eel position and floated through a long complicated hallway where the "glowworms" floated above like our own personal milky way. During that portion, we forgot we were freezing and a tad bit uncomfortable and just stared up in complete awe. We weren't allowed to take pictures (they said it was because they wanted us paying attention to what we were doing, and they took some in case we wanted to buy - we didn't- but my camera couldn't have gone there anyway).
This is a picture from google, but gives you an idea. Just know, it is every bit as cool as the pictures you'll find online, yes, even though they totally look photoshopped.
They then had us all stop in a little area where it appeared to be raining. But how could this be? We were in a cave! Well they told us to squint and loom up. Wayyyyyyy above was a tiny little hole. Actually, it's s big hole, I think the said between 5-6 meters wide, but as we were 210 feet down it looked tiny. The Maori word for water is "wai" and the word for hole is "tomo" and THAT is how the Waitomo caves get their name. From there our guides told us we were going to play a game called "find our way out in the dark". We all had to turn our lights off and navigate through by following the glow of the worms. This wasn't hard, but oh my god did we all start to realize we were cold! Many couldn't feel their hands or feet. It was really staring to hurt. And then we were out and on our way to hot showers and soup to help us thaw out!
All in all SUCH a wild day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, August 19, 2011
How we met a celebrity in New Zealand...
Moms here!!
My mom got in yesterday, which will cut down on approximately 75% of my blog page hits. Oh well, I'm so happy she's here for the big New Zealand adventure! Yesterday we went in search of this fantastic shopping district she had read about. Sadly, she neither remembered where she read about it or what it was called or any store featured in the article, so it wad bait of a wild goose chase. We ended up taking a bus ride, walking around a bit, and then trying to get back, except that we got on the wrong direction (my fault) and by the time we realized, we were on the exact opposite end of the city so we just looped around, so we got a really nice accidental tour of inner city Auckland. We went to a dinner on top of the Mercure Hotel and then my moms jet lag really service in and off to bed we went.
This morning the fun began!
Because of my dads obsession with fish, I grew up going to an aquarium at any city that had one. Seriously, I had pangs of guilt not going to the aquariums in Sydney (although I think I did go the last time I was there), and Melbourne. But this morning we decided to set off for the Kelly Talton's Antarctic Adventure (a draw for my mom because her flight over was full of people headed for the first flint of the season to work in the station in the Antarctic - she learned some crazy things about worming down there) and Underwater World (which was a draw for me because how often do you get to go underwater without getting wet?). The best part? The bus that transported us was shaped like a giant shark!
My mom pointing at the Antarctic.
Me in A LOT of pain, surviving the arctic challenge (keeping your hand in antarctic temperatur-ed ice water for 30 seconds (I made it and then put my FREEZING hand BACK in for this picture, my mom made it somewhere between 4 and 5 seconds...)
Shark attack! Fun fact - sharks have an AMAZING sense of smell and 2/3 of their brain is dedicated to it. They can detect 1 drop of blood per million drops of seawater!
Heinous picture of me on the conveyor belt underwater surrounded by the fish, sharks, and stingrays.
We then walked east along the water and through two or three little bayside suburbs that gave us a real feel for the draw of Auckland.
Mommy and me with Auckland in the background.
Now you may not know this bit in a little less than a month, Auckland is hosting the rugby world cup. Rugby is the national sport of New Zealand, but their team, The All Blacks, hasn't won since the very fist world cup. The city is all a buzz with excitement. A HUGE sucker for souvenirs, I decided I wanted some kind of All Blacks memorabilia, so as soon as we went back into town, we walked into the first "official rugby seller" that we saw and started looking around. The sales girl was ECSTATIC to find out we were from Los Angeles and really wanted to talk celebrities with us. (We got the typical "omg! Like, Do you see celebrities all the time?") I'm usually happy to do that, but the only celebrities she cared about were the Kardashians, Real Housewives, and Jersey Shore. Well, considering I haven't watched and make a point of not following exactly that kind of show, I was a huge disappointment to her. All we could do was say, "wow, my sister, Natalie, would really be better to have this conversation with you!". That prompted her to write this:
Now Natalie gets very upset with me that I tell "Natalie stories" to friends and thus she has many fans who don't even know her. I hardly said anything and she made a fan across the world!
But the "celebrity" theme of the day continued...
For a nice dinner, Lonely Planet suggested a restaurant on the North Shore called "eight.two". Getting there required either a semi long cab drive or a ferry followed by either a steep hike or a bus ride up a hill. To get there we opted for a ferry, which was easy, and then needed to figure out a bus. There was one right at the ferry that we RAN to and Burris,y asked the driver if this was the right bus. My mom even started it all by saying "we're tourists!!"
Immediately the bus driver and the woman in the front row told us that this was indeed the bus. The woman in the front promised to tell us when to get off and was telling us that she frequents the restaurant and that both the owner and the chef are her neighbors. Just before she let us off she pontes to the restaurant, and, as we arrived fashionably early, explained how to get inside if the front door was closed. Our bus drover then let us know that the kind woman we were talking to, who we now knew as Annabelle, was a famous New Zealand chef. And that she is! Her name is Annabelle White and she has 10 cookbooks, is on tons of tv programs, and writes for magazines. She's a bit like the Barefoot Contessa here in NZ (I think they told us she calls herself "the cuddly cook")! When we told our manager about our chance encounter and asked him to ring her up to join us, he did, and she came to chat for a few minutes. She was extremely tired and was preparing for a bit job in the morning, but she was so full of energy and fun, and gave us loads of tips on where to stop along our route. We do hope she rings us the next time she's in Los Angeles so we can prove there are SOME fun parts of downtown! We also plan to drop her name throughout New Zealand...
Annabelle and I.
Or meal was delicious and lots of fun (although ODDLY every where we have been has served Spanish cuisine, and here it was just the theme of the month).
Our evening ended with a very fun cab drive back to the hotel with a driver, AJ, who seems to have lived EVERYWHERE and had an accent that sounded like it. He also, was a total foody.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tip of the isle...
Wednesday was my big trip up north in New Zealand to the Bay of Islands. This is a pretty touristy area that boasts good weather year round. Unfortunately my pickup was 6:30 in the morning! Because it is off season there were few other people in my tour. Unfortunately there was an American couple who were so obnoxious I cringed every time they opened their mouths. Do I really sound like that?
It took about four hours to reach our first stop, which was a treaty house between the early English settlers and the native New Zealanders (the Maori). We had arrived late (a timber truck had burst in flames on the narrow pass just ahead if us, putting us 45 minutes behind schedule) and thus we were rushed through. I'm not sad we went, just wished we had more time so I could have learned a bit more. So here is what I DID learn:
1) it took quite a while before England had someone "officially" posted I. new Zealand, but even then he was not given much respect and was dubbed "a man of war without a gun".
2) the Maori were pacific islanders, which is completely different from the Australian aboriginals. They came over by boat and, though stories differ as to where exactly they came from (my guide believes that they came from an island that has since sunk) their language is extremely similar to the native language of those from Hawaii so the relation is pretty undoubtable. Westerners didn't believe that they really knew how to sail from NZ to Hawaii without any modern tools (like a compass), so in recent history (the last 50 years) theyve started an annual pilgrimage to prove it. The trip takes between 11 and 20 days and can only be done at certain times during the year.
The native Maori boats.
3) the Maori people were much less easily taken over than the Australian aboriginals or the American Indians. They clearly were able to be seen as such a force that the earliest settlers depended on treaties and compromises for survival. I am sure there is more to the sorry though.
We then boarded a ferry around the islands. I think I was TOTALLY spoiled by Halong Bay, because this was a small version of it so it was hard to be totally impressed. I think had I been able to stay the night and visit this one small quaint town, Russell, I might have been more wowed. We DID end up getting to see a whole group of dolphins that frequent the area, and that was fun!
I wasn't able to get any fabulous shots of them out of the water, but can you believe the color of the water?! It was an extremely beautiful aqua shade, all around!
We then went to the famous "hole in the rock," which is a rock cave that goes all the way through a tiny island. It is formed by water crashing against the rock. The myth goes that if a drop of water from the top of the hole falls on your head, the rest of your life will be prosperous. However, if a rock or pebble falls on your head, you are doomed. Because neither happened to me, I'm thinking it's kind I'd a wash.
Looking back at the entrance from inside.
We successfully made it through!
Unfortunately the end of the ferry ride meant a other long bus ride back, ugh. There was a spectacular sunset though!
We were moving too quickly to get a sharper image but in was WOWED by the color.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It took about four hours to reach our first stop, which was a treaty house between the early English settlers and the native New Zealanders (the Maori). We had arrived late (a timber truck had burst in flames on the narrow pass just ahead if us, putting us 45 minutes behind schedule) and thus we were rushed through. I'm not sad we went, just wished we had more time so I could have learned a bit more. So here is what I DID learn:
1) it took quite a while before England had someone "officially" posted I. new Zealand, but even then he was not given much respect and was dubbed "a man of war without a gun".
2) the Maori were pacific islanders, which is completely different from the Australian aboriginals. They came over by boat and, though stories differ as to where exactly they came from (my guide believes that they came from an island that has since sunk) their language is extremely similar to the native language of those from Hawaii so the relation is pretty undoubtable. Westerners didn't believe that they really knew how to sail from NZ to Hawaii without any modern tools (like a compass), so in recent history (the last 50 years) theyve started an annual pilgrimage to prove it. The trip takes between 11 and 20 days and can only be done at certain times during the year.
The native Maori boats.
3) the Maori people were much less easily taken over than the Australian aboriginals or the American Indians. They clearly were able to be seen as such a force that the earliest settlers depended on treaties and compromises for survival. I am sure there is more to the sorry though.
We then boarded a ferry around the islands. I think I was TOTALLY spoiled by Halong Bay, because this was a small version of it so it was hard to be totally impressed. I think had I been able to stay the night and visit this one small quaint town, Russell, I might have been more wowed. We DID end up getting to see a whole group of dolphins that frequent the area, and that was fun!
I wasn't able to get any fabulous shots of them out of the water, but can you believe the color of the water?! It was an extremely beautiful aqua shade, all around!
We then went to the famous "hole in the rock," which is a rock cave that goes all the way through a tiny island. It is formed by water crashing against the rock. The myth goes that if a drop of water from the top of the hole falls on your head, the rest of your life will be prosperous. However, if a rock or pebble falls on your head, you are doomed. Because neither happened to me, I'm thinking it's kind I'd a wash.
Looking back at the entrance from inside.
We successfully made it through!
Unfortunately the end of the ferry ride meant a other long bus ride back, ugh. There was a spectacular sunset though!
We were moving too quickly to get a sharper image but in was WOWED by the color.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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