Last night I went to an industry party. Stray Travel had their brochure release party at the Dakota bar in Auckland. Nothing beats and open bar and the gathering of the travel industry peeps! I had to work until 8:30pm yesterday as I was doing an info session for IEP. I wasn’t even aware of the party until I got a text from my boss telling us to come down and have a drink. I guess the theme was the 80′s ski scene – it def took me back to my childhood. There were a couple of skin tight ski suits, their was a dude in a bunny costume aka the ski bunny, some legendary 80′s fluro all in one ski suit, lots of toques or as kiwi’s say beanies, headbands and big hair, goggles and mirrored sunnies. It was great! Everyone was really into it and it made the party that much better. Unfortunately I didn’t have camera on me or I would have documented some of the awesomeness that went down. Today was a long day at work, but definitely worth it!
Next week I will be off on my work road trip for three weeks. Im pretty stoked for it. Ill finally be getting some travelling in and seeing a little bit more of the country. The best part is that work will be forking the bill! Sweet as! I will visit Palmerston North, Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch and Hamilton. I have a weekend to myself in Dunedin, of course Im hoping to rent a mountain bike and check out their local trails. From what I have researched they have a pretty good scene that should be accessible for myself. I also have a day in Christchurch and have found a place to rent a bike and hopefully get a guide or at least directions to some trails. Time is flying by and Im sure the next three weeks will go bye even faster since I will be on the road. Life is good!
This weekend I met up with some local mountain bikers, Kev and Mario who were kind of to take myself and another traveller Jay (from the UK) out to ride some of their local downhill spots. I haven’t ridden any downhill in about a year so I was a little nervous before getting on the bike. Plus, Kiwis are bloody extreme and have a ‘go big, or go home’ mentality, so I was def wandering what type of stuff they would be riding. They have been building a trail out at Riverhead called, ‘The Punisher’, sounds inviting doesn’t it. Riverhead is a very hilly area that has sections of forest that have been clear cut. There are trails running all over through out the property, some easy, some extreme and some just plain stupid! With no lift access it’s all hike-a-bike to the top of the hill. Takes about 15-20 min to get to the top pushing your bike and then about 2-3 mins ripping back down. That’s the life of a downhiller I guess.
First ride down I pretty much avoided all of the big jumps and hit some of the smaller drops as I wasnt quite feeling up to the big stuff yet. They then took us to a couple trails in the area and we rocked a couple runs – no spills, but I def wasn’t pushing myself. We agreed before we went out to help them work on their trail. It’s only fair in my eyes, if you are going to ride it, you should help build or maintain it. So we picked up the rake and spade and we all worked on a section of the trail. Jay and Kev started putting in a new jump and Mario and myself started to clean some of the lines. After about an hour of clearing trail Mario and I headed down to the section of trail where Kev and Jay were putting in the jump. They killed it and had it almost done in that hour! It wasn’t a big jump – maybe a 3 foot drop that runs into a berm – pretty sweet. We started discussing the trail and felt there should be a double just before where they put in the 3 foot drop. We grab some logs ands started to dig and build. Initially it was going to be two logs, but of course in Kiwi style that got double and jump got bigger! We got that built up and it was time to test it out. Kev decided he would do the first run and took at stab at it. He approached the jump a couple of could times and the speed wasn’t there. We talked about adding a berm and then decided we would just try to level off the run in, as you would loose quite a bit of speed because you back wheel would be washing around in the loose soil. We levelled it out a little and then Kev hit it up for the first attempt. Well, he cleared it, but the soil was pretty dry and washy so it caused his front wheel to dig in upon landing sending him over the bars doing his best superman impression. Dude flew for about 10 feet. He wasn’t injured, just had some scraps from sliding along the ground. Good on him for taking the first run at it. Props to you Kev! We discussed on how to fix the run in and came to the conculsion that a berm would be our best bet. With the soil being so dry if we were to put the berm in today, it would have just been loose and not really helped the situation. So the plan is to head back out hopefully when it is raining or after a good rain to pack it down and make it smooth as possible. I can’t wait to get back out! Kev and Mario then asked if we wanted to hit up another trail with some ‘fucked up shit’ on it. Of course I said yes. That meant more pushing the bike up another huge hill. Now when they said there was some ‘fucked up shit’ on these runs, they weren’t kidding. Who ever build this trail was a) crazy b) amazingly skilled on a bike c) never built a trail/jump before. Some of the lips leading into the jump where lower than the transition on the other side.. interesting! While others had tree stumps in the landings, just soil packed in around – wtf? Other lines you would’ve had to hit at lighting speed to make it across the gap. We finally made it to the top after 20 mins of walking and decided to hike up another hill where they were some another trail that was a little bit better built and maintained. These trails ran through a forest and some some really nice drops and jumps. I actually hit a couple of these and my confidence on the bike started to grow. Im not saying there wasn’t stuff I rode around – ahaha. That was the last trail of the day. It was 4:00 pm and we had been out since 11:00 am. It was a great day of riding and building. Thanks to Kev and Mario for picking me up and taking me out to their trails. Above is a short clip of their trail ‘The Punisher’. It’s short, but gives you an idea of the start of the trail.
On the way home they stopped at another local spot to shows us a trail. Bloody madness! Started with a 25-foot road gap, that shot you in to a big berm (that if you missed/overshot you would be hugging some big trees) and then onto a series of jumps that definitely made me nervous. It was a great day and I cant wait to get out with them again.
Monika has finished up school and decided to head over to Ireland this summer on the SWAP program. I’ve been following her blog and it’s great. I would definitely recommend checking it out. She’s off to Ireland in 13 days , so you can imagine how excited she is! I can totally relate to her as just 4 weeks ago I was boarding a plane to New Zealand. Go Monika!!! http://klukowski.wordpress.com/
Diver Victor Huang was exploring off the coast of Wellington, New Zealand, when he happened upon the octopus. The octopus decided he liked Victors camera and decided to take it.
“While trying to get video of a wild octopus, it suddenly dashed towards me and rips my shiny new camera from out of my hands, then swims off, all while the camera is recording! he swam away very quickly like a naughty shoplifter. after a 5 minute chase, I placed my speargun underneath him and he quickly and curiously grabbed hold of the gun as well, giving me enough time to reach in and grab the camera from out of his mouth. I didn’t feel threatened at all during the whole ordeal. he seemed to be fixated on the shiny metallic blue digital camera. the only confusing behavior was how he dashed off with it like a thief…”
Another right of passage when you come to New Zealand is your first meal at Burgerfuel. All of the locals rave about it and those who have been to New Zealand will tell you, “Bugerfuel is amazing! You will have to try it.” I myself am a bit of a burger connoisseur. From an early age that is all I wanted to eat. I actually interrupted by sisters christening by screaming ‘I want a hamburger!’ My passion for burgers runs deep. The tagline for Burgerfuel – life is too shore to eat bad burgers! And I totally agree with that.
They do some odd things to the burger here and it’s not all bad. Here you will find toppings like; eggs, beetroot, peanut sauce, aioli, avocado and the list goes on. Definitely not your standard North American toppings.
Well the other day I took the plunge and got myself the biggest burger on the menu, some kumara fries and a cup of L&P. All I have to say is, “You have to try Burgerfuel, it’s amazing!”
This weekend Michelle and I decided we would take the ferry over to Rangitoto Island. If you catch the 7:30 am ferry it cost $15/person, but after 7:30 am the ferry ride will run you $25. We caught the early ferry to save some coin and beat the crowds. There are no shops on the island, so make sure you take plenty of water and food, wear a good set of hiking boots-shoes and take a torch as well – ill get to that later. Our ride over was pretty quick, only about 20 mins and there were only 15 ppl on the ferry. Once we docked most people took the most direct trail to the summit, but we decided to take the long way around.
Taking a breather on the beach at Rangitoto Island
The first part of the hike was pretty easy, gravel/lava rock roads and it was fairly flat. I did wonder how they cleared the road – all the lava rock everywhere – hell of a job! We checked out some beaches a long the way and had a snack at one of them. After about an hour and a half of easy walking the trails started to get a little steeper and the grind had begun. It took us about 2.5 hours to get the summit and we only ran into one other set of hikers, which was great! Made us feel like we had the island to our selves. Once we got to the top of there were loads of other tourists who had taken the ride up and skipped the hike – lazy bastards! They have a tour you can purchase where they will drive you to the summit trail, which most people opted for.
The Lava fields of Rangitoto Island
We took in the view at the Summit Lookout, checked out the crater, walked the crater rim track, snapped a few pics and decided it was time to check out the lava caves. (This is why I recommend taking a torch ie flashlight.) We pulled out our torch and jumped into the lava caves. Some of them got tighter as we progressed deeper and deeper until we reached a point where you could go no further. The lava rocks are very sharp and you really must watch where you are stepping – if you are claustrophobic I wouldn’t recommend doing this part. It would be easy to twist your ankle or loose your balance and take a nasty spill! Some caves you could walk through like a tunnel. There was some vegetation growing through the lava rock – crazy! It was pretty amazing and its something ive never seen before. Definitely recommend checking it out.
Inside the Lava Caves
After exploring for a while, it was time for a good feed. We sat down and started munching on our lunches and then we noticed the time. The ferry returns every 2 hours and we decided that we wanted to catch the next one home – which left in about 45 mins. We were about a 45 min hike to the wharf, so we had to move. We only ate half our lunch, chugged some V and then started to book it. By this point we had been hiking about 3.5 hours and we were starting to get tired. You really had to watch where you were stepping, so rushing is not a good idea. We managed to get to the wharf in time to catch the ferry back. I’m glad we did, as the weather, which was about +20 and sunny up to that point started to change. The winds picked up and the temperature dropped – typical Auckland weather. I really didn’t want to have to wait another 2 hours for a ride back to Auckland.
Once we got back to Auckland we felt we deserved some beer, so we picked up a case and chilled for the afternoon at home. It was a great day trip and I would totally recommend it.
There is a second island you can check out – Motutapu Island. They have a bridge you can take across. originally we wanted to hit both islands but after hiking for 4 hours – that was enough. We will hopefully go back to check it out another day.
Ranitoto Island Info:
Rangitoto is just off of the Auckland coast and is a unique volcanic island that has a very unusual landscape of rugged lava crops, lush green bush and sandy beach coves. About 600 years ago the island erupted form the seas in a series of explosions. Rangitoto is home to NZ largest Pohutukawa forest – there are over 200 species of native plans including 40 species of ferns. Today there is no permanent population on the island. In the early 20th century there was a small community living in holiday houses – ie cottages scattered along the shoreline. In 1937 they prohibited any more building and it now considered a public reserve.
Rangitoto litteraly means “bloody sky” in Maori and is derived from the “phrase te rangi I totongia a tamatekapua” – “the day the blood of tamatekapua was shed”, a reference to an injury to a chief during a battle fought on the island.
Size 260 metres high and 5.5 km wide
Age: Formed 600 yrs ago (ca 1400 ad)
Volume Lava : about 2,300 million cubic metres
Motutapu Island Info
This island dates back to the Jurassic period and is one of the oldest islands in the Hauraki Gulf. The island is home to farmland, walking tracks, WWII gun emplacements and amazing views. It is currently undergoing a 50 yr conservation project. Unlike Rangitoto you can camp on this island – you just have to book ahead. This island mainly consists of farm lands and of course has a variety of plant species.
Motutapu was home to the Maori for many generations, until the eruption of Rangitoto.I look foward to checking this island out.
An IRD is essentially the same thing as a SIN in Canada. I applied for it right after my orientation last week at IEP. It takes about 7-20 days to get and Im still waiting on it – yes I am impatient – I just want to get paid. Ive talked with my employer and have asked not to be paid until I get my IRD. The reason behind that is if you do not have and IRD number you will be taxed 38% on your pay cheque. That is a little too much for my liking, which is why I am holding off on getting paid. That being said, make sure you bring all of the required support funds or more if possible. Starting a new life can be pretty expensive. You’ve got to pay for your apartment bond – which is like paying first and last months rent in Canada. You will want to set-up a phone as soon as possible – for employers to call you. As well if you do not get a furnished apartment you will have to pick up everything for that i.e. cutlery, plates, cups, Tupperware, bedding. You burn through money a lot faster than you think; if you are staying at a hostel – it can add up quickly, travelling and of course hitting the bars with your new friends all will deplete your savings. If you can, try and create a budget and stick to it. Make your lunches, limit your bar nights and maybe put off some of the travel until you have some money coming in. It can be tough though, because when you do get somewhere new you want to explore and of course party, but remember you are here for a year and will have lots of time for all of that. That’s what I keep telling myself.
I finally got some riding in on Sunday. I rented a car from Jucy Rentals and drove up to the local mountain bike park – Woodhill Bike Park. They really don’t have any trails in Auckland – you pretty much need a car to get to any of the trailheads. So if you want to ride in NZ, either plan on buying a car or picking up a rental.
Driving in New Zealand was a whole new experience in itself. They drive on the opposite side of the road and sit on the other side of the car. Everything was backwards to me – but I managed to get to the bike park without any problems. I did review the laws of the road here before I jumped in the car. I would recommend doing so if you plan to drive in New Zealand, as the rules are similar yet different. If you want to read up on it check out this gov site.
I was so happy to finally be back on my bike. It’s been about 3 weeks since ive been able to ride some good trails and I was stoked to get out! The park was awesome – lots of different terrain – all levels of track. From beginner to expert there was something for any and every rider. They had a massive dirt jump park, lots of north shore skinnies, plenty of drops and step-ups, some nice flowing single track, a little downhill – pretty much everything a mountain biker would want. It was only $7 to get into the park and you could ride all day. I brought my bike with me to NZ, but if you want to check it out and don’t have a bike you can rent one from their shop. Can’t wait to get back out to the park again. Most likely next weekend! Maybe next time I will remember my camera and Ill get some shots of all of the features. Just Giver!
Saturday night I took in my first Rugby game. We saw the local Auckland team – The Auckland Blues – play. They game wasn’t good as they lost, but it was still a lot of fun. Kiwis are crazy for rugby, like Canadians are crazy for hockey. The rugby guys are huge – really, really big!! Ill be watching this game, not participating. One of the most entertaining things at this game was the fan sitting a head of us. He definitely had a few bevies before the game to get into the spirit. He was cheering for the visiting team – The Stormers from South Africa. He was on the ref and some Blues fans from the start – it was hilarious! A couple times during the game he would be cheering for a team that wasn’t even playing – a couple locals reminded him that they weren’t playing. Too funny! Unlike in Canada, you can buy up to 4 beers/visit to the bar and they didn’t even crack the beer open. So you could head back to your seat and drink your 4-pack. I guess they don’t like missing any of the action.
Hopefully the next game I take in will be an All-Blacks – so stoked to see them play live. Ive heard the intensity in the stadium is crazy! Below is a clip of the Haka – pretty damn intense!
Michelle and I at the Auckland Fish Market. We got some good eats!!
This past Saturday Michelle and I hit up the Auckland Fish Market. It was pretty cool, as there were a lot of fish that we don’t get back home. In all honesty my background with fish is Captain High Liner. I occasionally go fishing when Im at the cottage with my brother or dad, but I can’t really remember the last time I caught a fish. I guess I have never had the patience for it. Last week I was walking down at the Quay and there were some locals fishing so I sat down and watched for a while. Of course we got to talking and in typical Kiwi fashion they asked me if I would ‘like to giver a go’. I took the opportunity of course – fished for an hour – never got a bite – thanked them and went on my way. Anyways back to the market – I wish there were some way to add smell to photos because it was ripe! Michelle picked up some squid rings and scallops. She cooked it up when we got home and it was so good! We had it with a side of beer – of course! Below are some pics I snapped at the fish market and I will try to identify each fish.
Fish heads, fish heads, rolly polly fish heads, eat them up, Yumm!
Yummy Crab!!
Gurnard - makes great fish and chips. Had this in Devon Port.
Mullet Fish - busines in the front - party in the back ;P
Sea Perch
Creepy eels.. I would not want to be swimming and see one of these bastard swim by!
This is White Bait - it was $150/Kilo. It's supposed to be yummy but at that price it's not for me.
I don't acutally know the name, but he's UGLY!
Ive got a bunch more pics, but really how many pics of fish would you want to see? Eating them is way better. They did have samples at the market – so for you hungry and poor backpackers hit up the market and score some free food!
