Bluff and Orca

Five hours after my first lift I arrived into Bluff, New Zealand's southern most town. On first appearances Bluff is a place that looks down on it's luck - A grotty harbour town with empty shops and closed down hotels. It epitomised my gloomy mood following attempts to hitch a ride out of Dunedin.

But first impressions  can be deceiving, and following my first good night's sleep in quite a while, I was ready to explore Bluff the next morning.

The sea was calm, the birds cheerfully tweeting, fishing boats were going about their business, and the day-trippers were getting their photos taken at the yellow distance sign - It's 4810km to the South Pole, and 1401km to Cape Reinga, New Zealand's most northerly point.

Bordering the Bluff coastline is Bluff Hill, with walking tracks heading off in all directions. In times gone by it has been used by Maoris as a whaling post, and by the military as a lookout - The 'gun pits' with their grey concrete daubed in grafitti look quite out of place on the tree covered hill, but provided a great chance to explore. And explore them, in their small entirety, I did!

I walked and explored the area for a good four or five hours - Nothing particularly exciting about that. But, on my walk back along the coast, with a sheer drop into the ocean on my right and forest to my left, I heard an extra loud splash. I looked, and could see nothing (at first). Not even a freak wave. Then something caught my eye in the water - A whale? I continued looking, and there in front of me an Orca came up for air! A brief, but exciting glimpse. My first orca sighting! I watched as the fin settled back into the water and the orca swam off. With an extra bounce in my step I bounded off back to the bakcpackers.

And tomorrow, after a call to the British embassy, I'll be hitting the road to Queenstown! Bring it on!

A Night Under The Stars

I'd been on the Inter Islander ferry three or so months ago - Going the opposite way, upto Wellington to look for work, and a flat share. Now 'm back on it and looking forward to new adventures, exploring the South Island again.

I hadn't an idea where I wanted to go when I first disembarked, so I asked the first few lifts to take me somewhere nice. They did. Three lifts, and one travel companion later, I was in the mountains near Motueka, bedding down for a night under the stars - Just me, my bivvi bag and the wilderness. I was in the middle of nowhere - No cars, no other people, no streetlights - Just me and the clearest night sky I have ever seen! I witnessed multiple shooting stars, and I swear, with each blink of an eye, more stars presented themselves to me. I was so amazed, mesmerised, fascinated, whatever you will, by the sky that, despite the threat of rain, I left the zip on the bag open - Even the many bites I woke up to in the morning couldn't dampen my spirit.

And in the morning, after about 5 or 6 hours sleep I made my way down to the creek - About a minute away from my bed for the night - for fresh drinking water and a wash. I was in heaven! Freezing cold heaven, but heaven all the same!

I spent the next few days hitching rides between rivers and beaches along the north and east coasts; topping up my tan in Kaiteriteri, witnessing seals in the wild on the deserted beaches just outside Kaikoura, and marvelling at Gore Bay's wild waves. I then decided it was time to head to Dunedin - It was time for a beer or six.

My lift to Dunedin was with Cam, a 17yr old lad, who'd just returned to school after the 3month summer/Christmas break! The time flew by as we chatted about the great hikes, fishing and hunting in the Oamaru/Dunedin areas. I was quite envious of all the pursuits Kiwis get up to in the great outdoors.

*Sorry, no pictures - My camera's still good for nothing except drunken pics on a night out*

A (very) Brief Update

Well, it's been quite a while since my last blog post, so I'll have a go at very briefly summarising since leaving The Sandcastle; New Zealand have won the World Cup, I've lived in, worked in, and since left Wellington, I've met some fantastic people, I'm still poor, got drunk a lot (probably related to the previous point), and I now find myself back in the South Island.

Now I'm back on the road intention is to try and keep this regularly updated. Let's see how that goes.

The Sandcastle

"You don't wanna kip out in the open tonight. It's going to rain. Go on up the hill over there and speak to Steve - He'll be able to sort you out with work and accomodation."

And thanks to bumping into Steve's mate Joe, on the beach, I found myself Wwoofing at The Sandcastle. And how amazing my time at The Sandcastle has been!  In return for only four hours(ish) work a day I get amazing food and a roof over my head. The work has been varied - Path building, fence building (and taking down), sheep moving, yoga hall building (sort of), and gardening. But that's only the half of it.

On the first Sunday here I was given the opportunity to take part in rowing on a Waka - The canoe type boat which the Maoris arrived in New Zealand on - with Steve, his kids, and Claire. We were one person down, but that didn't prevent us doing more than a few rounds of the nearby harbour. The unique design of the Waka all but prevents a capsizing in this situation, and despite my clumsiness, we stayed up right! But my arms and shoulders were soon on fire and my (lack of technique) quickly under fire from those towards the back of the boat. This only got worse as my fatigue grew. And yesterday I took my second spell on the Waka. My technique hasn't improved, and I gave the boat a bit of a battering, but we did at least manage to make it out of the harbour! And it's great to take part in something uniquely Kiwi!

Before and after sailing a ritual takes place. You must place your hands on the boat and (in my case at least) read from a script, in which the boat is blessed. Following this you touch foreheads and noses with your fellow sailors. I, being a reserved Brit, struggled slightly with this aspect!

I've actually found myself staying at a bit of a hippy haven. Shortly after Abby and Jillian, a couple of American girls touring New Zealand, arrived it was the full moon. Steve and his friends introduced us to the medicine wheel. As far as I can gather, the medicine wheel is a shamanic Native American Indian tradition involving a fire ceremony and paying tribute to various spirits. We ate, had a horoscope reading and then did a tour of the wheel, before sharing travel stories and enjoying a cuppa chai. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it all.

And it was all hands to the pump in order to get the yoga hall perfected before Steve hosted his inaugural yoga retreat. As a thankyou for the work we were doing Steve had arranged for us to be in on the first session. The first session consisted of going through some basic iyenga yoga poses followed by a lengthy relaxation - in which Sika, Steve's friend, a world renowned didgeridoo player played a major part. Whilst we were all slowly moulding into the floor, he was playing and swooshing his didgeridoo over us. It was actually quite surprising to be able to see the vibrations through my closed eyes. No, really.

And so, when I haven’t been hippying it up, or working I’ve been taking the opportunity to explore the area. Hitching rides all over the place, to Wharariki Beach, Wainui falls  and swimming in sea and exploring the many beautiful beaches in the area, with their golden sands and limestone cliffs.

And now, looking forward to Monday, when I’ll be hitching to Picton for the ferry to Wellington – Looking for a job and somewhere to live.
  

Wharariki Beach

Pohara Beach

Me at Tata Beach

Wainui Falls

The first couple of months in NZ (PT2)

My intention was to leave early Saturday morning, and get at least as far as Kaikoura, or Picton. The reality was a tad different. Following a bit of a sesh the night before, I woke up a little late, and very hungover. At least I knew a good hitching spot, following a drunken hitch to Karitane with Tamati, following a Saturday night in Dunedin. The slight walk up the hill helped me sober up, and by the time I was flying along State Highway 1 with a couple of lads off to see their in-laws I was almost recovered. I was dropped off in Oumaru, and found Paddy already there, trying to hitch to Christchurch. We decided to hitch up there together, from where I would continue up to Wellington. He had to make Christchurch by 15.45 for a flight ton Wellington, where he was going to watch the All Blacks match. He was already being pushed for time.
 Travelling as two lads I was surprised at how quick and easy we got lifts. In Europe my average waiting time, as a solo hitcher, was probably about an hour - but the longest we had to wait was 45mins or so. We jumped from ride to ride and Paddy was really pushing his luck making his flight in time. But he did make it! He called his friend David, who kindly came out to meet us outside Ashburton and race to the airport. Paddy made his flight with five mins to spare. David kindly offered me the chance to stay at his and watch the night’s rugby – I left three nights later! - Spending a really enjoyable time in South Brighton, Christchurch. We explored Akaroa, watched LOTS of rugby and did a few tours of the Christchurch damage following the recent earthquakes. It’s a shame to see the area still in such bad shape. I also took the chance to meet up with Brad who I’d met in Seoul last year. It was great to catch up over a pint or two. 

Crossing Arthur's pass from Christchurch to the West Coast

David dropped me off at a great spot on the Tuesday morning, and within half an hour I was on the way to the West Coast with Nigel. Nigel was an immensely interesting character, who talked of his travels through Europe and Africa. He thrived on explaining how a fire ceremony in Malawi rid him of all negative thoughts and energy. He had such conviction in his speech it was hard to doubt him. We went to Nigel’s land in Barry town on the West Coast, and I helped him attach his caravan, ready to be sold. He also took in the opportunity to look in on the hippies that are looking after his land at the moment. He had a great location and was looking to permanently move there within a couple of years.

I picked up a couple of rides to Karamea. The last trip an interesting one, with a woman drinking goon and driving at the same time – Not as bad as Mr Boom, the drunken taxi driver in Agra though! 

Karamea

After a couple of days chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool in this rural idyll I decided to hitch to Golden Bay. I’d heard it was a bit of a hippy haven. But I wasn’t quite expecting what was to come…

The first couple of months in NZ (PT1)

The view over Pohara Beach (Nr Takaka), Golden Bay

I'm currently sat over looking Pohara beach, enjoying the last of the evening sunshine, and  felt compelled to write my first 'proper' travel blog - Following a 'sweet as' couple of weeks. So here's my attempt at covering the ups, the downs, and the highlights of the first couple of months (give or take the odd day) in New Zealand. But please don't expect this to be a regular occurence...

All the stories and programmes I had heard or seen on NZ immigration and customs (admittedly not that many) had suggested I'd be in for quite a hard time. So, before arriving, I (not really me, but dad) cleaned my walking shoes, backpack and sleeping bag to rid them of any deadly mud that may try and sneak in. I printed off all my docs and had them all prepared. In the event, none of this was really needed. They were both a breeze, with a slight hiccough around my walking shoes, and I was through them both within half an hour, to forty five minutes of landing. Following a brief acclimatisation and sight seeing expedition in Auckland, I was set for Dunedin - In the cold south.

Upon leaving the airport in Dunedin, and taking the shuttle bus to the YHA (to be my home for the next three or four nights) I got speaking to a couple of passengers who had also been on my flight. Paul was a reporter and informed me that there would be a football match at the new Dunedin stadium the next day. We hastily arranged to meet before the Wellington Vs Brisbane match - Meeting at the Otago cricket club pre match the next day I was delighted to find out a pint was only $5 (£2.50)! Drinks flowed, and before long I somehow found myself at the match. The match was rather dreadful - Brisbane winning 5-1 at the first ever match held there. But the banter was good and the people friendly. Following the match I had my first taste of the Dunedin nightlife; it’s best described as ‘interesting’ - though I did get a taste of snowboarding/skiiing, with an exhibition on in town. The other passenger on the bus was a Liverpool fan born and bred in Kent. Try and understand that!

Football in Dunedin

Ski ramp in Dunedin

 Following a blitz on job agencies and house sharing websites I had pretty much got my little life in Dunedin sorted. Paying $90 a week I was sharing, and drinking with five other lads. The four or five weeks spent there pretty much destroyed my liver, but I had a cracking time sampling the ‘delights’ of Dunedin’s nightlife. I took on a couple of temping jobs, before being placed at a government ministry for three and a half weeks. The office job wasn’t particularly taxing (perhaps you could call it boring), but the cake bake and after work drinks on a Friday were wicked, and the people sound. I made an idiot of myself on more than one occasion though… What’s new?!? ;-)

England Vs Romania. The teams line up for the national anthems.

I also took the chance to see England play a Rugby World Cup match! I still don’t particularly understand the sport, but it was great to see the national team, and hear the national anthem played. I’m definitely not patriotic, but hearing GSTQ sung at the stadium definitely made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. And we thrashed Romania! Though I think it’d be similar to Spain taking on Scotland, Lichtenstein or some other equally inferior team at football – It was pretty much a foregone conclusion before an egg was kicked/thrown/whatever it is they do.
And so, following the end of my contract at the ministry, I decided to hitchhike to Wellington and find myself a new job and house share...

Part two to follow.