A long overdue update: Christchurch to Wellington

Nugget Point

  I left Christchurch at the end of August and traveled further south. My first destination was to Dunedin, a city known for it’s architecture, hilly geography, and is the home to the University of Otago. Dunedin gets its name from, Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. After spending two nights I left for the Catlins, an incredibly underrated, rural and gorgeous part of New Zealand. I spent an incredible three days down there based in Owaka. I stayed at the Split Level hostel with manager, Jean Pierre, a South African transplant who migrated to New Zealand when he was 27. Jean manages the hostel full time but is also a member of the local fire brigade as a volunteer firefighter.

Wild, untamed Catlins

  There’s so many sights in the Catlins that it’s nearly impossible to write them all down, some popular tourist destinations and some only accessible with local knowledge. The easiest way to see much of the sights in the Catlins is to drive along the Southern Scenic Route. On my way to the hostel, I stopped by Nugget Point on the northern end of the Catlins coast. The point gets its name from the rocky islets known as The Nuggets that surround the lighthouse. From Owaka, I headed to Purakanui Falls, then the Matai/Horseshoe Falls, then to McLean Falls. Of all the falls, McLean had to be my favorite due to the opportunity to climb up the falls (for those with a keen eye, you can climb up the waterfalls to the tree that hangs over the falls themselves, be very careful, don’t say I didn’t give you fair warning).

The Heron Lodge

  From the Catlins, I continued west to Invercargill; I didn’t stay long enough to see anything there unfortunately, then continued to Manapouri, the lakeside town where you can take an overnight cruise in the Doubtful Sound. The cruise itself was an amazing experience, and what made the experience even better was that you can kayak around the sound with a guide. Fortunately for us, it was drizzling that day, so there were waterfalls cascading off the cliff sides everywhere, a gorgeous sight to behold when you’re on the water. While in Manapouri, I stayed at the Freestone Backpacker 10 minutes outside of town. Jimmy the manager built the 5 timber lodges in the style of huts complete with gas stove and iron fireplace. The Heron Lodge (click through for description of the lodging conditions) is the only lodge with dorm bunks for $20. It was here where I met my friend Any, who runs the website, Island lullaby (it is in German). After spending three days in Manapouri and doing a horse trek with him, it was time to move along to Te Anau (only 20 minutes drive away from Manapouri) the lake side town where most travelers base themselves for the Milford Sound Cruise or the famous Milford Track multiday tramp. Continuing on with my travels for the West Coast, it was imperative that I visit Wanaka again to see my friends -which whom I hadn’t seen in five months- and attend a mate’s birthday party.

Beautiful day on the West Coast

  I arrived in Wanaka around midday to perfect, sunny weather, very characteristic of Wanaka and was in the mood for some quality food and drink. So I parked my car at my former work hostel -it was surreal seeing that place again, so many great memories were made there over the summer- and headed over to Relishes Café. It was great seeing them again and even better catching up with everyone at Paul’s birthday. As much as I wanted to stay longer in Wanaka, I needed to continue on for the West Coast. Only spending the day and one night on my friend’s couch, I made my way up highway 6 for the Haast Pass and the West Coast, but not before running into some travelers I stayed with in the Freestone Backpacker. After catching up, we all agreed we’d travel together to Franz Josef and ultimately take a guided tour on the Franz Josef Glacier. The drive through the pass was incredible, as the sights were vast with snow capped mountain ranges, dramatic valleys, rivers and of course, sand flies! Driving, lots and lots of driving, we eventually make it to Franz Josef and stay at a rather large hostel that doubles as a hotel, Chateau Franz: Sir Cedrics Backpackers. With $20 for a bed, free popcorn, dinner, breakfast, AND wi-fi, this was an incredible come up. This backpacker was massive and can host a large amount of travelers, we were lucky enough to arrive to a minimally occupied 9 bed dorm room. This place had many amenities readily available for cooking a decent meal for the four of us so we did take advantage and made a decent pasta dinner which consisted of real, fresh ingredients.

Jérémy at Okarito

  Come next day, we head into town for our heli ride onto the glacier. Now, the West Coast is notorious for having constant wet weather because it is a temperate rainforest, but we were lucky enough to be welcomed with two glorious days of unadulterated sunshine, glorious, glorious sunshine; which made our tour of the glacier a real pleasant experience. The next day we went to explore the area of Okarito and walked the coastal track. Unfortunately this day was overcast and cloudy with light rainfall so we couldn’t see the mountain ranges we were advertised, but we enjoyed the track for what it had to offer. After spending a total of four days in Franz Josef, we continued northward towards Greymouth. This time, we experienced what wet weather on the West Coast was like: torrential downpours then light rains, then torrents again. We had planned on visiting the Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki, but due to the poor weather conditions we decided to head for Nelson; I really regret not making it towards Karamea, because I had heard many great things about the area.

Jacee and I at Cape Farewell

  Nelson was a nice break from the wet weather. From Franz Josef, we had picked up two more travelers Jérémy, from France and Jacee, from Malaysia. Resting up for a bout two days, I took Jeremy and Jacee to Takaka and Puponga. Playing tour guide, I took them to the places I had been before: Pupu Springs, Cape Farewell, Wharariki Beach, and the Rawhiti Caves. It was great revisiting these beautiful places with fresh, new eyes to experience them. Our first stop, Pupu Springs, the water was the same clean turquoise color as I had remembered it to be. We continued to Cape Farewell. Windy as ever, we took in the sights of emerald rolling hills, dramatic cliff sides, and turquoise ocean water of the Tasman. We then headed over to Wharariki and had lunch in a cave where we watched the waves break upon the massive land formations that stand along the shoreline. From Puponga, we made our way to the cave in Takaka. The hike was a demanding one as much of the track needed maintenance, but due to its remoteness work has yet to be done. Upon arriving at the cave, the sound of our footsteps and the constant drip of water resonated throughout, making the cave not only a visual sight, but an audible experience as well. Making our way back to Nelson, the sun had begun its descent behind the mountains making the drive up Takaka Hill a spectacular yet difficult drive in the dusk. After adventuring through Nelson and the surrounding areas, it was time for Jacee and I to make our way back to the North Island. We hop on to the ferry and sail our way back to Wellington.

A moody Wellington

It was here where we parted our ways as she needed to be in Auckland for work. Following the same route as I took, Any, my friend from Manapouri, arrived in Wellington only a few days after I had arrived. He too continued up to Northland where I plan on heading. It begs to mention that I had been approved for a five month visitor visa so that a few mates and myself can walk the Te Araroa trail, the track that spans the entire length of New Zealand from Cape Reinga to Bluff; roughly a 3000 kilometer walk. I’m basing myself in Wellington for the time being so I can take care of logistics and plan accordingly what my next step will be. Over the next few months I will have limited or no internet access at all, so this blog will have random updates from life on the trail.

Stay tuned in for our adventures from the Te Araroa; adventure is what you make it, so go out and do it!

Thanks for reading,

Caesar.

All is Silent.

Christchurch provided to be a place that I’ve drastically underestimated. Upon arriving, I immediately thought, “oh shit, this place is bleak,” and, “this place has nothing going for it”; but talking with locals and digging into Christchurch’s history, I’ve grown to appreciate what this city has and will have to offer. It was here where I’ve managed to work various jobs in construction, landscaping, and even glass manufacturing (the most interesting job I’ve had so far). A friend and I both scored a steady job at Metro Performance Glass, New Zealand’s largest producer of windows for the South Island. The entire time I’ve been working here I realized I’ve attempted to passively work one job while gaining experience for myself, as if my departure from a job wouldn’t affect my coworkers, but as soon as I began working at Metro, that passivity soon began to turn on me.

My role at the factory was a general hand labourer. I was placed in one of the most busiest and physically demanding departments in the factory with my supervisor, whom I worked beside. In the production process, when glass is cut from the stock sheet and beveled, it was one of my responsibilities to unload numerous batches of glass, some of which had over 200 pieces with varying thicknesses and heights, that were to be “toughened” or tempered at the furnace. Weeks into the job, I still had in mind that I’ll be leaving the job soon anyway, so what would the point in befriending my coworkers? Alienating myself from the rest of my coworkers was the worst decision to make. Though my title limited my range of skilled work, my work ethic had drastically expanded my responsibilities. A month into the job, I was managing machine malfunctions and organizing sheets of glass that were to be loaded into the buffering machine, all the while working alongside my supervisor (he’ll be known as, “super” from here on), the one man team became two. Throughout the duration of my employment, I began to get to know and bond with my coworkers, I actually liked working along side them! This is where my internal struggle began. What was I to do, make friends with these guys, work as hard as I can for my coworkers, and then bail on them whenever it was convenient for me, or do I remain here and work as a “general hand?” I struggled with these thoughts, but in the end I ended up choosing the former over a permanent job offer. In a way, I could feel the disappointment from my super because as much as he denied that it wouldn’t matter to him if In left, him having another skilled worker managing our department made it easier on both of us, the disappointment is what really hit close to home. I realize that I’m coming of age where I’d like to find a career that I actually enjoy, I’m searching for my vocation and it wasn’t found at the factory, I needed to push on. The guilt of leaving my coworkers behind is a fucking pain to manage, but if anything, its presence means that I did do my best at what I was assigned to do, and that in itself is gratifying.

It’s the middle of August, my visa expires in October, and I still have much of the south to explore. Majority of July and August have been two intensely introspective months, rife with personal, relational, and career development, all of which I can’t be without. These past two months have placed a strain on my relationships with not only myself, but with everyone around me and the ones back home. In desperation to decompress and mull over everything, I needed to escape from Christchurch for a weekend. I had recently taken a trip to Methven to visit some friends whom I made back in Wanaka during the summer. While there, my friend Kem and his coworker Tom (hodor), both work at the Mt. Hutt ski field, brought up the idea to hike the entirety of the Te Araroa Trail. Without any doubt in my mind, my intuition was saying, YES, YES, YES!!! and I heeded its beckoning.

So now that my plans have shifted slightly away from Australia, I need to restructure and take care of business so that I may stay in New Zealand on a visitor visa this time around. We are planning on beginning the trail in November.

Footbridge to Mt. Sunday (Edoras)

Photo Dump

Just a few photos I’ve taken while traveling, some are featured on my Instagram and Facebook and some new ones. Enjoy 🙂

Morning Sun on the glacier in Wanaka.

Winter camping in Kaikoura

Remember how I said I wanted to take a trip up to Kaikoura? This past weekend we made it happen. A mate of mine here at the hostel wanted to make the weekend a surfing trip, but as luck would have it, the board wouldn’t fit in my car; but we still went anyway. We arrived in Kaikoura around half past two in the afternoon to be greeted by sunshine, cool weather, blue skies, and clean surf breaks, unfortunately this would only be a camping trip.

The Kaikoura Peninsula seen in the background from SH 1.

After driving around, we checked out Kaikoura’s iSite to find a place to camp and decided to base ourselves at the Puhi Puhi doc site, just a 25 minute drive north of town. Kaikoura is a beautiful small coastal town on the east coast along State Highway 1, just about two hours north of Christchurch – this makes for an amazing change of scenery and is well worth the drive. The town is well known for its abundance of marine life, ranging from Sperm whale watching, swimming with dolphins, or throwing down $$$ on some great cooked crayfish, as Kaikoura is still a mass producer of crayfish within New Zealand. You can also observe a Fur Seal colony on the eastern edge of town. It also begs to mention, that with a 30 minute drive north of town, you can reach the Ohau Stream Walk where you can watch fur seal pups hanging about in the waterfall pool.

Fur Seal pups curious about us tourists, coming in for a closer look.

If you’re looking to do some hiking, there’s the Mt. Fyffe track in the Seaward Kaikoura Ranges which gives you a panoramic view of the peninsula from the summit, a must do for the outdoor enthusiast.

Emlyn wishing he was surfing and not standing about.

24 May 2015 Update

Time sure flies when you’re not paying attention. I arrived in Christchurch nearly three weeks ago, staying this long was probably one of the dumber decisions I’ve made so far. I came here to look for work, but living costs seem to overtake my wages. As a backpacker, you’re able to get work, but the trick is finding something that brings in a steady income. I’ve only had a few days work the entire time I’ve been here and I’ll probably have better luck finding steady work elsewhere; but at least I accomplished what I came here to do, get my car fixed. It’s rather disorienting going from a nature reserve to an urban setting in such a short time that I forget that New Zealand does have cities like Christchurch. Now my next step is to figure out which direction to go, do I head north up to Kaikoura with my car or do I head down south to the Catlins? I’ve toyed with the idea of leaving my car here at the hostel and taking the bus up to Kaikoura for a few days. It’s relatively small and I wouldn’t need a car to get around, if I were to stay there for a few days, Ideally I’d like to camp out in my car and save on hostel expenses; But being that it’s nearing winter, the temperature does drop into the negatives and I’m not quite sure if I have proper sleeping equipment to stay warm throughout the night. Talking with travelers along the way, I’ve learned that the Catlins are pretty remote and that supplies aren’t located conveniently, so it’d be wise to come well stocked with food, water, and cooking devices, as camping out there could be necessary. A former coworker of mine mentioned a few need-to-see spots while I’m down there, mainly Curio Bay and the Petrified forest. I’m sure there’s heaps to see down there.

until next time!

Until next time Wanaka.

Yesterday I left behind the comforts of Wanaka to head over to Christchurch to get my car repaired, and now I’m tempted to start working again to make more money to fund my travels. It is nice to be able to travel again, but when necessary evils like car repairs, booking hostels, and buying food/drink, begin to pop up, and it helps to have an amount of cash that can ease the burden of having to take care of those things.

Update: I’ve decided to stay in Christchurch for a stint to work and have my car repaired. Transmission and clutch repairs are around $700-$800 (fuck me sideways). I’m going to need work so I booked an interview with a construction agency for me to find work for the time being. This should be interesting.

The travelers I’ve talked to told me that Christchurch is bleak, they weren’t wrong. I took a stroll through the city with some guys I had met that Foley Towers and there are construction sites everywhere. Amongst all the city rubble lay a scheme for new opportunities for new development and growth for this city. The city is congested with traffic cones, construction signs, shipping containers, and building scaffolding; but behind all the metal and dust, street art thrives. From tags scribbled discreetly on building corners to massive murals on entire building facades, art is everywhere; watching over the city’s residents juxtaposing the bleakness of its own construction. Christchurch currently has an exhibit dedicated to street art hosted at the local YMCA, featuring artists local and international, it’s completely worth checking out.

Featured Image provided by streetart.co.nz

Fall struts its stuff, Wanaka pirouettes in its splendor.

    It’s April, and Fall is here. Since my arrival in February, I’ve watched the hills surrounding Wanaka transform from a golden, amber hue into a drab, muted, brown. But like how the Tui’s song breaks the morning drag, the poplar trees that line the lakeside break the dampness with their golden brilliance. I sit silently observing the surrounding area, the silver clouds that hang from the mountains shroud their peaks, as if the giants shy away their own extravagance. The falling, cool, moist air fills my lungs and brings my eyes to tears from its revitalizing bite. This brings back memories of when we would bask in the sun’s warm embrace. But now, like the summer season since passed, the sun’s warmth is now an ephemeral entity. It’s a privilege to witness first-hand the magnificent changes New Zealand undergoes–at times I’ve taken Wanaka’s beauty for granted and I chastise myself for doing so, but I redeem myself through exploring rogue territory and rekindle my wonder for New Zealand’s endless natural beauty. The landscape changes as drastic as the weather is mercurial and it’s surreal to witness it change before your eyes; as if you were riding the passenger’s seat of your mind.

    Change, change is the underlying theme of this post and I’m offering some insight as a solo traveler. It seems that every stop becomes a little part of home, only to be torn away from you, as you want to make the most of your time here. The people you choose to be a part of your story can become markers of where you’ve once been. Places lose their romance and can be alienating for those who have stayed in one place. But that’s the nature of the traveler life, things are constantly changing for the better or worse–it’s here wherein adventure lies. For the two months I’ve stayed in Wanaka, I’ve met numerous acquaintances and made lots of friends that I hold dear. I’ve realized I’ve become complacent in the duration of my stay and are a bit nervous of becoming transient again. Back home I was escaping complacency, only to find it here in Wanaka again. As nervous as I am to move along again, I’m rather excited to see things I’ve never seen and meet all sorts of new people, it’s an adjustment. I have to keep reminding myself that even though change is good, finding a bit of stability once in a while does grant you time to decompress and recenter. As the winter season approaches, the weather is going to change again, New Zealand goes along with it and I should do my part and flow along as well.

Thanks for listening.

Rob Roy Glacier Track

Walking this track is worth the hour and 45 minute drive outside of Wanaka. As you continue along Mt. Aspiring Rd, the pavement literally ends and a gravel road begins (side note: it helps if you’ve have a 4×4, rather than a 4 door sedan, my poor wheel alignment!!!). You’ll cross numerous fords, pass by sheer cliff faces, towering over you as you drive along side them, numerous waterfalls, and vast pastures of sheep and cattle; but even more sheep. As you continue, looking in awe at everything around you, you’ll begin to see the glacier peek its face from behind the mountain side, greeting you with its cold, inspiring views, and instilling a thrill of excitement (I know, I was giddy enough to get out of the car to take a selfie with us approaching the mountain), see below:

But I digress, you’ll continue along the road for a few more meters, then you reach the Raspberry Flat carpark; from here the walking tracks begin; the track itself takes about 2-3 hours return. 10 minutes walk from the car park, a swing bridge crosses the West Matukituki River. Continuing along the track, you’ll walk through beech forestry until you’ll reach some vegetation at the head of the valley, from here you can get some pretty amazing views. For those with a more adventurous spirit, you can follow a small unmarked trail down to the river that runs along the base of the cliff face. From there you can get a closer view of the glacier and incredible views of the valley, click through for a video.

It’s been an interesting and smooth month here in Kiwi Land

It’s March now and it’s almost been a month since I came back in February; February 6th to be exact, the day when (some) New Zealanders celebrate the signing of New Zealand’s founding document, The Treaty of Waitangi, aptly known as Waitangi Day. I landed in Queenstown International and hitched a ride into town. Upon arriving, I thought I could try my luck in scoring a hostel room simply by walking in and asking for one; big mistake. After being rejected numerous times from nearly every hostel, I thought I’d try one last time before I called it quits and found myself a park bench to sleep under (mind you, this is all happening at 10 in the morning, after a 17 hour flight from SFO the day before). I try my luck at the Alpine Lodge Backpacker hoping they have a room for the night. I walk in and Tim, the receptionist, greets me with a cheery, English accented, “Hello!” (for what it’s worth, even though you English folks are in every, single, hostel I stay at, you guys make some decent hosts) I ask, pretty much in desperation, if there were any rooms available, and just my luck, he did (FUCK YEAH!) and I book for two nights, which came out to $56 NZD. After chatting it up with him, I noticed that the hostel can also book adventure tourism at a discounted price, if you’re a BBH member. I recalled a promise to myself that the first thing I’d do when I got back to New Zealand was that I’d go skydiving. With no hesitation, I asked Tim to book me a time slot at 8 am for the next day. After exchanging pleasantries, I quickly drop my bags in my room, thanked Tim (again), and began wandering around town with new found energy. First thing I did was check out the local supermarket, J.F.C were groceries pricey in the south; ~$5 NZD for 2 litres of milk, my rather large appetite isn’t very sustainable for my limited NZD funds (I eat for a family of three unfortunately ]:). It definitely pays for itself when you have two people cooking for both, pool your resources!! Don’t get me wrong Queenstown is stunning, but deer lord is it pricey. Below is a picture from the waterfront looking out at Lake Wakatipu, pretty.But don’t let the inflated prices dissuade you from visiting Queenstown, by all means, do come to see this beautiful place. There’s free things to do like, climb the Ben Lomond Track; the views are stunning from 1748 metres high. . 

(Yours truly looking out at the horizon)

The next day, not even 12 hours after I’ve landed, I hop onto another plane, and (willingly) jump out of it; only this time, we’re flying at 15,000 ft. Watch it here. Spending a week in Queenstown had definitely hurt my bank, so I used the last trip on my Nakedpassport, from when I was here in October of last year, and booked it to Wanaka, my next destination. Wanaka, this lakeside town is nestled in the mountain ranges in the southern end of Lake Wanaka and is similar to Taupo up in the north island. There’s a TON of cheap and free things to do here, like swimming in the lake when the weather is warm, standup paddle boarding, tandem kayaking, hike the numerous tracks scattered throughout Wanaka, camp over in Albert Town at the DOC site for a small fee, or surf/boogie board the wave at the Hawea Waterpark (you’ll be lucky if you manage to have this place to yourself, as there’s many freestyle Kayakers that frequent the spot). The river right off Mt. Aspiring Rd is a great place to go rock jumping or rock climbing. For time being (read: until I have money again), I’m currently basing myself here in Wanaka, ideally until June, New Zealand’s snow season. TL;DR: Stranded in Wanaka, New Zealand is awesome.

Welcome!

Some back story here,

The last time I was here in New Zealand was back in October of 2014, but had recently began to log my adventures online when I returned in February of this year. I had my first serious case of wanderlust when my friends had planned a hitchhiking trip to follow the cherry blossoms throughout Japan. I was inspired and determined to travel on my own; so I brainstormed all the places I could start, and ended up choosing New Zealand, I love the outdoors, so this place was meant to happen. I had managed to grab three weeks holiday off of work and left October 24 2014. Most of my photos from the first part of my trip can be found via my Instagram. My itinerary involved mostly the north island and a bit of the northern territory of the south island:

• Auckland
• Paihia
• Rotorua
• Taupo
• Wellington
• Nelson/ Golden Bay

I had arrived in Auckland at 5:25 in the morning. Sleepless and jet lagged, I booked an airbus from AKL to my first hostel in Mt. Eden Village, Oaklands Lodge; a 30 minutes drive from the airport. The hostel is tucked away in a cul de sac at the foot of Mt. Eden. The area itself is very suburban with lots of shops within walking distance from the hostel, just along Mt. Eden Road. Public transportation is fairly easy to use, you’ll sometimes need to know your destination number, as the bus pay system works in “zones” to determine what your fare will be. Aside from that, Auckland’s public transportation is incredibly efficient, from Mt. Eden Road into CBD, is about 25 minutes using the No. 277 bus to Britomart, the fare costs about $2.00. It was in Auckland where I did my first (but not last) bungee jump; a 40 metres jump right off the bridge that crosses over the harbor.

Fast Forward to my departure from Auckland and to my next destination, Paihia, Bay of Islands.

Bay of Islands, its name implies exactly what you think of it and Paihia is full of coves and beaches for you to explore. The drive was pretty incredible as the landscape was dense with evergreens and ferns; it was like being back home in the Bay Area when we would visit the Marin Headlands or explore Muir Woods. I arrived in Paihia the same evening from my departure from Auckland. I looked around for a hostel along Kings Road and came upon Mousetrap Backpackers; it was here where I had made friends with two Germans, Michael and Laura, both of whom I’d be meeting again later down the road. Kings Road is where most (if not all) hostels are situated; 70 meters from the beach, this spot is prime location to rest yourself. In Paihia resides the treaty grounds where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. Across the the treaty grounds begins the trail to Haruru Falls, the track itself takes only about 3-4 hours return. This beautiful track takes you across the Waitangi River, along a boardwalk that meanders through the mangrove, through lush forestry and abundant wildlife, and eventually the falls themselves. Mousetrap also books tours up to Cape Reinga and Ninety Mile Beach, the northernmost point of Northland.

From Paihia, it was on to Rotorua.

I didn’t know much about Rotorua when I arrived other than the famous free natural hot springs pools and I’m sure I missed out on a lot. From here you can book a tour to the Hobbiton movie set in Matamata, a rural township northwest of Rotorua. I had only spent two days there, and had heard that you can rent mountain bikes and go through trails throughout the redwood forests there, a possible revisit is in store.

From Rotorua on to Taupo (a personal favorite in all of north island)

Where can I even begin about Taupo? It’s a trap! and when I mention, “trap” I mean it in all ways endearing. I had previously mentioned to both my German friends from Paihia that I would be headed to Taupo after Rotorua. Soon enough we all met up again, along with other travelers Michael and Laura had met along the way to Taupo. It was great meeting them again and made staying in Taupo that much better, but I digress. This place is amazing, it’s the perfect outdoor playground for people like myself who love being outside (I compare Wanaka to Taupo in terms of numerous outdoor activities at your disposal). In terms of accommodation, I (unabashedly) recommend any backpacker to stay at The Rainbow Lodge, their facilities are maintained very well, staff are super friendly and helpful, and their location into town is only a 5 minute walk. The Rainbow Lodge offers free pickup/drop off at the bus stop. The lodge also books reservations for the Tongariro Crossing and whitewater rafting, both of which are incredible fun and worth investing time and money. If you’re keen, you’ll walk along down Spa rd. behind the lodge, after about 15 minutes walk overlooking the Waikato river, you’ll come to the park where the hot springs feeds into the river. Imagine completing the Tongariro Crossing and heading there right after to relax your sore feet, because that’s what we did, it was amazing. The next day, still glowing from the alpine trek, a few travelers and I went whitewater rafting. Taupo had left such an impact on my intention to return to New Zealand, that it pretty much solidified itself in my future plans.

From beautiful Taupo to ‘Windy Welly’ Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city.

After spending three days in Taupo, I booked a bus all the way (8 hours) to Wellington to meet up with with my Couchsurfing hosts, Bob and his partner Paul; both reside in a quirky house overlooking Wellington’s harbor. Due to its location close to the mouth of the narrow Cook Strait, Wellington is vulnerable to rather strong southerly winds, leading to the city’s nickname, “Windy Wellington.”

Having arrived rather late in the evening, there wasn’t much for me to do other than aimlessly wander about this new, foreign city. The next day, Bob had taken me around showing me most of the sights, Te Papa Museum, the Botanical Gardens “Wellywood”, Cuba Street, just to name a few. Though we traveled Wellington by car, the Tranz Metro is an easy 20 minute ride from the Petone train station into the city. I would recommend anyone to visit, i’d like to go back and say hello again as I travel northward. I spent my last few days in Wellington hiking around the hills behind Bob’s place. Next day, I hopped on the Interisland Ferry en route to the south island.

Wellington to Nelson via Picton.

The ferry ride across the strait was about two hours, enough time for me to grab some food and get some sleep. I awoke to the sounds of children squealing excitedly while scurrying about the floor, good thing too. I looked out the window to see that we were approaching in the Picton harbor. We passed by small, uninhabitable islands that sheltered the harbor entrance as we came to the dock, the color of the water was a surreal turquoise blue color; this was something out of a video game. Yet again, I hopped on a bus that I had reserved and headed into the town of Nelson.

Nelson, sunny Nelson. Even in November Nelson retains a warm, dry temperature; it’s very much like certain parts of Northern California in terms of temperate weather. I had arrived at the i-site midday and set off to find myself some accommodation. I had read in the hostel guide that Paradiso would be worth staying, the guide didn’t lie. This had to be one of the better hostels I’ve stayed at. Here they provide you with unlimited wifi access (read: not having to buy internet), and free food (soup and bread); to me this was the ultimate hostel experience. In the back of my mind I knew my trip was coming to an end. I had to make the most of my visit in Nelson and Golden Bay, so I rented a car. This would be the first time in my life that I would be sitting, as driver, on the right side of a car, on the left side of the road, that was an interesting first time.

Now that I had my own means of transport, I had all of Golden Bay to explore. I had met another German tramper at Paradiso and we both ended up traveling together for a stint. He had come from Golden Bay and was more than enthusiastic to go back; our main stop, the Farewell Spit. We made our way up to Takaka from Nelson, stopping at all sorts of off-beat and local spots, some of which you’d never expect to see as you drive by. Continuing on through Nelson we stopped by a few more attractions like the Rawhiti Caves (pronounced “rah-fee-tee”), the Wainui Falls track, and the PuPu Springs. The challenge about driving to Golden Bay is the notorious Takaka Hill. This drive has innumerable twists and sometimes hairpin turns. It isn’t scary per se, but it is a rather challenging, steep, and winding road (for those who get carsick, be wary). But aside from the challenging drive, the views are incredible on the way up, the peak, and the drive down. While in Takaka, we did a bit of freedom camping along the Takaka River; setting up a campsite on the bank, making a fire, and cooking our dinner as the sun set behind the mountains. At times a few campervans would stay the night and we’d all sit around the fire, recalling stories of all our travels around the world, all the while stars illuminated the southern night sky. I had only seen the Milky Way in photographs before I came to New Zealand; never have I seen the Milky Way in such resplendence. The next day, we head back to Nelson and we part ways.

November comes around and as my departure date slowly creeps up on me, I realize I made a HUGE mistake of booking my outbound flight out of Auckland. Realizing my stupidity, I booked a flight from Nelson airport to Auckland for about $200 NZD, an unnecessary expenditure that easily could’ve been avoided with more planning. Arriving in Auckland again, still thinking I could easily grab a hostel bed as I did in October, I walked into the closest hostel only to find that all beds had been booked. Disheartened, I called all the hostels in Mt. Eden only to find that all of them are fully booked (*SHIT!!!*), my flight was in two days. I turned to any motels that had any openings, as a last resort (pun not intended), and within a few phone calls I had found some availability within walking distance of where I was. This was a bit of a blessing in disguise, it was enjoyable having a private room, clean bathroom, and unlimited Wi-Fi all to myself for two days, I couldn’t complain. After a refreshing two days, I head to AKL for my flight back home. I had toyed with the idea of coming back and had every reason to, so I wrote down a few important deadlines and marked them in my calendar, it was settled.

Upon arriving back home in California, the first thing I mention to my parents is that I’m resigning from my job at UCSF, not quite the greeting they expected. Within a few months of working, I saved up the last bits of my paychecks, bought a one way ticket back to NZ, donated most, if not all my clothes and belongings, moved out of my flat in the Sunset, and came back. Now, I’m sitting here in the Matterhorn South Hostel in Wanaka writing this entry all in retrospect. Some asked why I would give up having ‘it all’ in the city, I simply responded with, “I wanted a change in my life.” I yearned for a change that would strip me of my comfort zone, that would shape me into a being that my peers, teachers, and professors could only speak of, and sought change that would inherently shift how I perceive myself and the world around me. The voice of change was louder than ever. I listened to my gut, and stuck with the plan that I had laid out 3 months ago, I can never regret that decision.

TL;DR: First time ever in New Zealand, had a blast; so much that I went home, quit my job, and came back.