Summer in New Zealand!

Hi everyone, hope you had a good Christmas - was the weather kind? - I hear some of you managed walks between meals, so that sounds good.
I had a very 'different' Christmas Day. Most things were closed, of course - people go away for 2-3 weeks apparently, as of course it's their summer holiday time. But I met an English lady in the hostel on Christmas Eve, and we agreed to walk together the next day. But from 10am until we got back at 6.30pm, she never drew breath. I thought I could talk, but she didn't give me a chance! She was a strident lesbian socialist feminist veggie. All those things pose no problems for me - but nothing was up for discussion. I now know about the Red Walkers' Group, the Socialist Choir, the Women's groups for this and that - you name it! Very educational, I'm sure, but I had a headache at the end, and was far more exhausted than the walk warranted - which in fact was a lovely walk through a redwood tree plantation. "Serves her right for going away at Christmas" I hear you say. But hey, it could have been worse... I finished off with a curry in Rotorua - the only restaurant open - couldn't face a shared meal at the hostel!!!
Rotorua itself is like the curate's egg - good in places. The lakeside is lovely, mostly, but if you wander around the bay you come across the thermal pools, and they STINK! You are supposed to get used to the smell, but it made me feel really queasy. They are fascinating, though - pools of bubbling mud with steam emanating - in the middle of a field sometimes. Some people have built their house by one, and use them to cook their meals...
I was happy to move on to Taupo, where I had the best walk so far - supposedly the best one day hike in NZ - the 18.5 Km Tongariro Crossing (labelled 'challenging'). It hadn't been open for a few days because of poor weather, and when I got there (4.30am get up!) the bus driver said "oh, looks like there's quite a bit of snow up there". I was in a panic, as I'm scared stiff on snowy slopes now after a bad experience in Austria, but I hired a walking pole and set off in great trepidation. The first half, the 'up', was exhilarating, but scary in places, scrambling on hands and knees over rocky bits, and quite steep in places. I think on the whole, though, I was more scared of what was to come - the downward slopes on the ice. Which just goes to show you shouldn't be afraid - it may never happen, and it didn't! The walk turned out to be fabulous - I reached snowy heights, and walked on the saddle between two volcanic mountain peaks - access not allowed because of the weather. I saw the beautiful Emerald Lakes - see 2nd picture. Then, coming down on the other side, all the snow had gone, and the terrain changed from volcanic rocks to grassy slopes, then woodland, waterfalls and streams. Absolutely beautiful... I was so glad I'd done it.
Interestingly, although most of my fellow travellers in the hostels are Asian - Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean etc, few of these go walking. I met one group of Chinese guys on the path, (they walked a bit behind me luckily, as I kept forgetting my pole and they would pick it up and meet me as I retraced my steps looking for it, oh dear) but otherwise it was Germans, Dutch, Canadians and a few English people.
The difference is also noticeable in the hostel kitchens, of course - the Asian people are busy cooking themselves rice and noodles for breakfast, while the Europeans are munching on their muesli. I'm still hunting a decent 'all you can eat' breakfast place at a reasonable price!! I WANT A PANCAKE!!! I'm actually amazed at the meals people produce in these kitchens. They are eating gourmet meals while I'm on my beans-on-toast or pot noodle (I've found quite a good variety!). Seriously, I'd rather alternate a very cheap and easy snack one night with a reasonably cheap fish n chips/shepherds pie type meal out the next, rather than faff about cooking... see, I haven't changed at all yet!
So I'm getting to know a lot about different cultures, but not too much about New Zealanders themselves yet. I'm thinking I'll treat myself to a couple of nights B&B soon, so that I can chat to some locals as well as have a peaceful night in a single room. When I get to the South Island on Monday I'll start thinking about some casual work too - that may be the very best way to meet people. I've been put off WOOFing a bit by my Christmas Day companion, who is a WOOFer. (Working On Orgainic Farms)!
Taupo, by the way, is a lovely place, by Lake Taupo, which is the size of Singapore, or the Isle of Wight. NZ medium-sized towns just feel so spacious - the roads are wide, there are lots of flowers, it seems so laid-back. I could happily have stayed there a while, but my schedule for New Year's Eve, which was tricky to book, meant I had to move on.
So here I am in Wellington, poised to cross over on Monday to the South Island. I had a good trip down on the Magic Bus - a good driver, who gave us a lot of info about the countryside. We passed the army practice ranges; he said that they cull wild horses because they damage the terrain, but what damage do the army do? He also told us NZ has effectively no air force now - just a few patrols protecting the 200-mile sea radius. I guess a coachful of mainly young, impressionable people is a good platform to get across your political ideas, but I found it interesting, anyway!
The weather is improving now, you'll be glad to hear! The sun is out today, so I'm about to explore Wellington. The cable car and botanical gardens, I think. This wretched email system has lost the photos I carefully uploaded last night, and I'm out of time now, so I'll come back when the sun's not shining temptingly through the window and send this off.
I wish a very Happy New Year to all my faithful readers - here's to a great 2008 for us all...

PS Just added 3rd picture for you cricket fans out there - I was watching a game in the park in Wellington, and was amused to see that when a batsman is 'out', he has to walk through this gate to get off the field. Reminiscent of 'Blazing Saddles'?!

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Happy Christmas to you all! Happy 21st birthday tomorrow Alex!

Kia Ora! (That's a catch-all phrase for Welcome, Hello etc.) And I always thought it meant 'horrid bright orange squash with bits in'...
I am getting the lingo here - instead of 'OK' or 'cool', the kiwis say 'sweet' or 'sweet as'.. as in "I'm on your bus tomorrow" -response- 'ah, sweet!' or "I had a really good day" -response- 'sweet as!'. Also the letters Wh are pronounced like Ph i.e. the place I stayed on Wednesday night was spelt Whitianga, but pronounced Fitianga (soft g). I'm getting so fluent I'll be indistinguishable (?) from a real kiwi soon..
But back to Christmas, the first picture (if it gets sent, I'm having problems with them) is the flower on the kiwi Christmas tree - the Pohutakawa. I don't seem to have a picture of a whole tree, sorry, but they look gorgeous with the red flower and the white blossom. Perhaps you can google a better picture?
I'm back in Auckland today and Christmas is a bit more in evidence - a few inflatable santas scattered here and there in shops, and fliers about school and church carol services; The Messiah at the local concert hall; and I saw some Christmassy wrapping paper in a shop yesterday. Not much more than that, though, and there are no crowds in the shops at all. I haven't seen any houses decorated, but haven't seen many normal residential areas. Our hostel has a decorated tree. The locals are saying that it is getting more commercialised, but it has a long way to go to catch up with the UK - hope it doesn't, it's lovely, just festive enough so you know it's happening, but not OTT!
Anyway, hope you all have a really good Christmas with your nearest and dearest - I shall be a long way from mine, but they (you!) know I love and miss them, and we can have a get together on a different day when I'm home again...
I've been away on my travels since I last 'spoke' - to the appropriately named 'Northland'. I am travelling with the Magic Bus company. This is a backpackers' travel company, but hopefully with fewer of the 'Club 18-30 - lets get as drunk as we can and shout very loudly' brigade. Oh dear, what a party-pooper I sound. But so far I've met up with some nice people - mainly in their late twenties and thirties, and mostly women. Why don't men travel on their own I wonder? There are groups of women, women on their own and couples, but few male groups if any in the hostels, and few loners. I spent a couple of days with Thelma and Louise(!), nice girls, one from Rotterdam, other from Brighton. Louise and I went sea kayaking together - great fun, but scary at first. There was quite a strong breeze, we were soaked through and had to bale out our canoe; we struggled to make any headway at all, at one point blagging a tow from the group leader! Pretty fast coming back with the wind behind us, though. It was a bit cold and I suggested lighting a fire at the back of the boat, but the leader said it would burn and sink - after all, you can't have your kayak and heat it!!! Ouch, sorry, couldn't resist, but the old ones...! We went out and around an island, and back through a tunnel in the middle of it, and felt quite proud of ourselves. I have the bleeding knuckles and blisters to show for it now, though! I've also been sand dune boarding - the second picture - couldn't get snap of me actually doing it - too much sand for cameras! I was scared at the top - you lie face down on the board and hurl yourself down a steep dune towards a stream... but once I was a third of the way down I'd stopped screaming and was actually enjoying it!
The other exciting thing I did was in the Bay of Islands, where I went on a day's sailing on a catamaran. It was choppy, and I got pretty wet, but we saw lots of dolphins leaping really close to the boat. I have several photos... of the sea, curse the delay on digital cameras!
We went to the top of New Zealand, Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet - which was, I must say, truly awesome. Then we drove back down 90-mile beach. This is actually 90km - long story - but you really drive on the beach all the way, tide willing. The coaches are specially adapted buses made from trucks, and the drivers sit on a huge spring, and bounce up and down... sweet!
As an aside, why do I keep seeing signs that say 'Last cheese for x Km'? What's that all about?
I also did the famous 'footprints' dusk trail - you go into the forest with Maori guides, who sing traditional songs, tell you about the history of the area and the forest flora and fauna (well, trees, mainly!) and show you the biggest tree (biggest trunk area) in the world, a kauri (pronounced cody) tree called Tane Mahuta, about 2,000 years old (the oldest in the forest was about 4,000 years old, imagine that?). It is a very mystical, moving experience at twilight; the guides make it very special.
Changing topics, I have eaten the best fish ever here. Fish n chips will never be the same again... and the scallops are to die for. I have to stop eating out so much, though, it's getting too expensive - not like Asia! I am now carrying around an extra bag (thanks, Intrepid, for the freebie!) containing cereal, bread and tins of beans. I know how to live...
One of the things that I love here, among many, is that I feel so safe walking in the forests and mangroves - there are no nasty creatues lurking there. One guide scared me by saying there are 200 snakes in NZ - then added that they are all in parliament...
So, I've just about covered what I can of the territory north of Auckland, so I'm setting off south tomorrow to Rotorua, where I'm booked for Christmas. Then on to Taupo and Wellington, crossing over to the South Island to Picton for New Year's Eve. I had wanted to see the new year in at Gisborne on the East coast of the North Island, supposedly the place which sees the new year first (what about Fiji? They seem to have forgotten that!); but can't get a bed on the East coast for love nor money. But anyway, there's been a 6.8 earthquake over there overnight, so maybe I'm better off where I'm going. I've had to move south a bit faster than I wanted, because of booking hostels over the holiday period, but once in the south I can relax a bit. Maybe look for some work to allow more eating out!
Enough for now. Be sure that I'm thinking about you ALL - I have time to think on my travels, but an hour on the pc seems to go by very quickly, so I don't correspond individually as much as I would care to.
Have a great Christmas, and hopefully I'll be in touch before the New Year.
ALEX, best of sons, - have a great 21st birthday, will try and speak to you tomorrow, but will have to time it when we're both awake!!! Sorry I'm not there with you, but hey, I was there in 1986 on your real 'birth' day, wasn't I? I remember it well, even if you don't...!!! xxxxx

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The Antipodes

Yes, here I am, hanging on upside down by my fingernails on the underside of the world...
Do you like my new travelling companion? He's promised to protect me against all evils - especially England rugby players... (shame).
Culture shock has been lessened by the fact that Auckland is a very multi-cultural society, and there are Thai restaurants everywhere! (And Chinese and Indian). So I can indulge in some sentimental eating if I wish. But actually, on my first night here I'm ashamed to admit I allowed myself to be tempted by fish and chips in the London Pub. Shocking. But delicious - the fish was out of this world. Auckland is all about water - called 'City of Sails'. In my ignorance I hadn't realised that you are never further than 20 mins from the shore. What a fabulous city for one who loves the sea! The terrain is very strange - bumps on the landscape like molehills with upside-down conical holes in the centre, formed by volcanoes. I've been busy since I arrived 3 days ago - went to the top of the Sky Tower (I didn't do the 'Sky Jump' from the top - it was very pricey. That's my excuse...); had a boat trip across the bay to Devenport and walked up the volcanic hills there. Walked along the shore - good paddling, loads of interesting shells, people surfing with kites. I've found the local naval base (had to be done!). I've celebrated Christmas in the Park - 200,000 locals picnicking, wearing shorts and t-shirts and santa hats, singing carols - bizarre. I've done the 'coast to coast' walk (17 km) in pouring rain - got drenched, but stubbornly wouldn't give in, although I must have walked much further as I got completely lost several times. But that meant I spoke to loads of locals and I saw lots of suburban Auckland. Had yummy pie n hot choc on the way, though; met up with Jean's brother Tom in quaintly named 'The Bog' Irish bar; had best scallops I've ever eaten before; and today I've been to Rangitoto Island - which didn't exist until it rose out of the sea in a volcanic eruption 600 years ago.
Now I'm drawing breath before I head north on Wednesday on a 'magic bus'. The weather isn't brilliant, so don't be too envious - it's raining at the mo' (but not cold, hoorah!).
Just off to hang around the naval base... on that note, Helen and Dave, please note that the bananas here are twice the size of those in Vietnam... memories of Eckernforde Naval Base...!!

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Extra

Just a quick blog, as the last 48 hours have been noteworthy for some highs and one low - let's get that over with...
If you can imagine me cowering in the back corner of a boat, screaming (to my shame, sorry, folks) "sh*t, sh*t, don't let them bring it on the boat" repeatedly in a high, shrill voice, you'll know that while I seem to have conquered my chicken phobia on this trip, the same hasn't happened about the snakes... The theory of deep breathing and thinking how fascinating they are went straight out of the window, as a little boat approached with one draped around a little girl's shoulders. Hysteria set in, and although the offending reptile was hurriedly shooed away, it took a while for the knots in my stomach to untie themselves. Back to the drawing board, or therapist, I'm afraid, if I'm ever to venture to India or Africa. New Zealand gets ever more attractive, and Australia less so...
The highs were compensatory, though - the best being a meal in a little village cooked by a family for us, ending in a dancing session with the 16 children (3 sets of parents!). A mixture of western disco, hokey cokey and asian dance - all waving fingers and bobbing up and down in a sexy (well, we tried!) way. Loads of fun and a definite highlight.
The Dancing Road from Siem Reap (sic - I've misspelled it before, sorry) to the border with Thailand lived up to its name - about 100 miles took over 4 hours. It has been known to take 9, so it's improving!
It's the king of Thailand's 80th birthday today, and he is well-loved. All his subjects (and I mean EVERYONE), is wearing a yellow shirt in his honour - he was born on a Monday, which is a yellow day here, apparently. So the streets are a sea of yellow. Luckily it suits the Thai complexion.
That's all for now, folks, just need to say 'ouch' to Pete's punny comment on previous blog - 'Angkor management' - oh, you do take after your father!
See y'all in Auckland...

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The Kingdom of Cambodia - Angkor Wat

I'm playing catch-up now - we have been in Cambodia for a few days now. We travelled from Saigon to Phnom Penh on a public bus. This was quite disappointing, as I had pictured us crowded in, hanging out of the windows, sharing our seats with varied farm animals and grubby children. In fact it was an air-conditioned en-suite coach, shared with elegant Cambodians (Khmer people). Doh! Despite the fact that Cambodia is a VERY poor country, our facilities here are good - they are developing the tourist industry with foreign, e.g. Korean money, and we are staying in a fairly swish hotel (I have a window and a hot shower!). It's my turn to have the single room - we three single girls have been alternating, which has worked out well as you are not as isolated as you could be alone, but every few days you get some privacy...
Back to Cambodia (was Kampuchea) - very poor, with a corrupt government. Our guide warned us to ask political questions one-to-one rather than in the group, as he had to watch what he said... Scary. The people here look very different from the Vietnamese - much darker skinned, with longer features. We are now dealing in US dollars, with change under a dollar given in local currency (can't tell you what it's called as it's written in sanscrit...). I was a millionaire in Vietnam, one million dong being the equivalent of about 30 pounds sterling. The local teachers here earn $60 a month; most people live on 50 cents a day.
The countryside is lovely - like a bowl, hills around the South and North West, flat in the centre. The roads are very rough and dusty.
Phnom Penh was a difficult place to visit in some ways. We visited an orphanage one day, and the next we went to Tuol Sleng - the genocide museum, and saw where prisoners were held during the rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Only 7 people survived imprisonment. The rest were tortured until they died or confessed and gave information on others, at which point they were killed. Then we went out to see the Killing Fields; the mass graves and hundreds of skulls and bones piled high. As you walk the dusty paths, you can see bones emerging beneath your feet.
On Saturday we flew on to Siem Riep - home of Angkor Wat and many more temples. This is definitely on the list of places one should visit. But not in the hot season! It is roasting here now, so must be unbearable in the summer. We rose at 4am yesterday to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat (that's me there in the first picture). Unfortunately, just as the sun was about to appear, a cloud covered it completely! Hmmm. A thousand cameras put back in their cases! But we carried on and visited several temples - Angkor Wat lived up to its reputation and was truly awesome. The second temple was interesting as it has been left in mainly original condition, overgrown by jungle. The group photo shows one of the trees growing into the buildings. This is where 'Tomb Raider' was filmed, for all you movie buffs. We saw five temples in all - a small fraction of the ones there, but these each had unique features. One of them was only open to males if they had permission from a female to enter - women are top dogs in Cambodia - only recently have they had male generals in the army, according to our guide. Think I'll stay here... The third picture was taken at Angkor Thom - a 3km sq walled and moated city (never seen such wide moats, by the way). I chatted to this local, but he was very stony-faced and didn't reply...
We then visited a land mines museum. Not much to say about that as you can imagine it for yourselves...
We lightened our mood by watching sunset (no clouds this time) over another temple. This was enlivened by my purchase of a whistle (recorder-type, not referee!) from a small boy who then delighted me by singing 'doh a deer' from start to finish. I managed to record most of it on my phone (hoorah, at last, justification for having a multi-functional phone!)
We had dinner in a restaurant with a display of Apsara dancing - this was a highlight of the trip for me, the girls were so beautiful and moved so gracefully; the boys were agile and cheeky. The dancing was in turn dignified and then flirtatious.
Some of the group then embarked on a mission to complete the 24 hour marathon - intending to party until the next dawn came up. I was dead on my feet - the heat and lack of sleep finished me off. I haven't heard whether they made it, no one has emerged for breakfast yet!
Sorry this has been so long. It's probably my last from S.E.Asia, as we go back to Bangkok tomorrow via the Dancing Road (named thus because of the bumpiness of the ride, I'm told), and then on Thursday I leave for Auckland. Really looking forward to that.
I'll reflect on the whole of my trip in a separate blog - impressions overall of Indochina, feelings about group travel vs lone travelling...
My travels in New Zealand will not be so frantic, so my blogging will be more leisurely. I've missed so much out of the past 4 weeks, but I've still written more than enough for anyone's attention-span. Thanks for reading thus far, and for your many interesting and amusing comments. Hang in there - see you again when I'm in NZ!

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