NEW ZEALAND!

Week 1  Auckland and Raglan

November 27, 2011

I have officially landed in New Zealand and the feeling is fantastic.  The journey here was tiresome to say the least, starting yesterday with only a few hours of sleep as I said my final goodbyes to my hotel room in Manila.  An 8 hour flight found me in Sydney’s airport with a 12 hour layover.  Determined to save some money I chose to spend the night in the terminal rather that spring for a hotel to only get up at 4 am.  Unfortunately sleep was not to be had as I attempted to doze among other travelers, all hugging chair seats in ways that would have a chiropractor cringe.

I’ve heard from other travelers that Auckland is the worst part of New Zealand.  If that is true than I think I am in for a real treat.  The city has a pleasant disposition and I am elated to walk the streets and feel the brisk summer air.  It is unnatural to hear English spoken so freely and strange to see so many white people surrounding me, many much bigger than I.   After 7 months in SE Asia I had grown accustomed to linguistic and cultural differences and yet within hours they have all sought to shift again, back to some semblance of my previous norm.   Physiologically there are changes as well and my lungs are the first to notice.  I think they will enjoy it here more as well, distancing themselves from the toxic air that was continually ingested throughout Asia.  It’s only been one day but I feel my time in New Zealand will be thoroughly enjoyed.

November 28, 2011

I have spent my first full day in New Zealand.  I was supposed to meet up with a couple of French travelers who have a car and join them as they travel through the country.  [They] arrived 2 hours late and we finally met to find out if we would like each other enough to tolerate the trip.  We have gotten along well so far but as we were finishing lunch it became apparent to me that I was interviewing for the open seat.  As it turns out they had also heard from a couple of others that were arriving later this afternoon.  The car will not hold 5 plus bags so it will either be me or them and the fact that they are 2 is a strong argument when it comes to splitting fuel costs.  Petrol is definitely not cheap here and I cannot blame them for wanting to reduce expenditures.  The French cousins, Nelly and Vincent, are an enjoyable pair and I would be happy to travel with them if it works, otherwise I will search some more here at my hostel or perhaps board a bus to a new location.  Auckland is a big and beautiful city but I want to leave it for quieter country.  I think if I make my way out of the city it will be easier to roam the country roads and extend my thumb as means of transportation..  Currently this behemoth of a hostel, although it holds many people, does not seem to hold many people I want to travel with.

December 2, 2011

How easily it is for time to slip past without making any mention that it is escaping.  I have now come upon the completion of my first week in New Zealand.  My time in Auckland was greatly improved after I moved hostels.  The need to relocate occurred after the French and their car no longer became an option for any of us as it broke down the morning we intended to use it.  I had become sick of my first hostel and ventured a change of scenery would improve my demeanor.  My first place, Base Hostel (an appropriate description I might add), where I started was too much of an impersonal attraction that it was leaving a bad taste in my mouth.  I have since met other travelers who also spent their first night at Base, only to make similar comments and be nothing but content to have departed from its wretched dorms.  Since I was quite unsure of my plan after separating with the French I chose to give Auckland some more time and found a smaller and much more pleasant abode just outside of downtown.  It was here that I began to have genuine conversations with other travelers and it took but moments for me to feel more at home than at the processing facility of Base that I had just departed.

December 4, 2011

So I write from my latest spot here in Raglan.   On Thursday I took a bus south from Auckland to the town of Hamilton.  I knew there was another bus leaving for Raglan but I was determined to try my hand at hitch hiking.  While it may still be considered somewhat of a risk by some there is a general understanding of the ubiquity of hitching as a frequent method of travel.  Having read some tips on how to be successful I had already bought a marker and made a stop at a mechanics to ask if he had any spare cardboard.  Luck was on my side and within seconds I had my own personalized sign requesting a ride “Toward Raglan”.   I succeeded in catching a lift with a lady on her way home and only made it out of the city of Hamilton where I again raised my sign until getting a lift with a local farmer, taking me all the way to Raglan.  We chatted about his sheep farm and weather and the like until the dropped me off at a hostel.

Raglan is a small beach town that sits on the Western coast of New Zealand.  Popular for surfers this spot reminds of the small towns that pepper the Oregon coast.  It is a place that many people come to with intentions to stay for a few days and end up staying for months.  While I don’t surf I have found a similar attraction with it here and enjoy its modest offerings.  I have made a good friend with a fellow traveler in my room.  Although he is the only other American here I don’t believe that is the main reason we have gotten along so well but it’s a hard case to prove.  We have barbequed steaks, sampled the local beers and even taken some jogs on the beach together.  Friendships, while fleeting, can still be as authentic as those one would have with persons over a greater period of time back home.  Oscar and I will split ways tomorrow though as I will try to make my way out of Raglan and move along southward.