Pushpin Pilgrim

Australian Animals are the Coolest

2011-02-12T20:35:00.010+11:00


When we landed I asked Caz, “What’s the first thing you want to do in Australia?” and before I finished the question she karate kicked me in the face and screamed, “SEE KANGAROOOOOOOOS!!!” So on Boxing Day, Uncle Tony took us to see some crazy Aussie animals.

	The Healesville Sanctuary, which focuses on breeding and release programs for endangered species, is located 65 kms from Melbourne. In an effort to create a natural environment for Australian bush animals, it boasts large enclosures filled with native flora. The Tasmanian Devil viewing area only has one Devil because, unless they’re mating or ferociously dining on a communal carcass, they like to be alone. The authentic setting makes the animals comfortable and the experience for people more genuine and personal, allowing guys like Uncle Tony to reach over a fence and stroke the neck of an emu. If you haven’t seen an emu, they’re five-foot tall birds with oily feathers, massive beaks, and crazy looking talons. Tony didn’t care, and the bird loved it. She got so into her massage that she sat down, almost fell over, and pooped everywhere. We also saw goannas (huge lizards), dingoes (“A dingo ate my baby!”), three of the most venomous snakes on earth (freakin Australia), platypussesesesses (no one can agree on a plural form of this super cute misfit), koalas (also wicked cute), echidnas (spiky, egg-laying mammal thing), wombats (super sleepy), and a “Birds of Prey” show featuring hawks, owls, and cockatoos that was surprisingly good. We even saw a boomerang show, where I purchased a left-handed boomerang. It comes back to me every now and then. The one let down was the kangaroo area. Kangaroos are most active during dawn and dusk because of the cooler temperatures. We arrived at 2:00 pm on a hot day, so the kangas were all taking a nap. A few of the bigger ones bounced around for a bit, but mostly they just sat there. We later realized the best time to see some action is during the scheduled “Keeper Talks”, when the keeper gives a short spiel about each animal and throws them some scooby snacks to wake em up.

All in all, it was a great way to see Australian wildlife and learn about some of the quirkiest animals in the world. Like did you know that platypuses have poisonous spurs on their feet that they can jab predators with? No, you didn’t. Thanks to the Healesville Sanctuary, you’ll never die trying to hug a platypus. You’re welcome.

Go to the Rooftop Cinema because we said so

2011-01-08T22:55:00.005+11:00


Caz and I got heaps of tips and recommendations for our trip to Melbourne. It's great that everyone has something you "have to see," but when twenty people give you tips about where to eat or the best bar in a city, it quickly becomes white noise. That’s why it was so refreshing when everyone we talked to about Melbourne gave us the same tip for a great night out - the Rooftop Cinema.
	Situated on Swanston Street, this kitschy gem resides on the 6th floor rooftop of one of the many buildings that create the CBD skyline. Home to a lively happy hour crowd of both professionals and hipsters, we found ourselves transported to Brooklyn for the afternoon as we reclined on astroturf lawns with a cold beer amidst the skyscrapers of Melbourne. For anyone not interested in seeing a movie, either because you don’t like the selection (they only screen one film each night) or it’s sold out (tickets go fast), the bar is open and happenin' most of the afternoon. It closes for an hour at 7 pm to allow the staff to transform the hip beer garden into a romantic outdoor movie theater with incredibly chic and comfortable lawn chairs. Doors reopen at 8pm for the 9 o'clock screenings so arrive early for the best seats. The bar re-opens for pre-movie cocktails but the prices are dear ($9 beers and $10 cocktails), so maybe just enjoy the hot chocolate and coffees like we did (they're only $3). Once the sun goes down it gets wicked cold, so bring a blanket. If you forget, don't worry - they rent em for $5. Caz and I lucked into seeing Inception which is friggin awesome regardless, but when viewed on a rooftop set against the skyline as the sun sets on a clear summer night – fuhgeddaboudit. One of the pitfalls of traveling the way we do (staying in one place long enough to get jobs and really plug into the area) is that sometimes we get lax about venturing out and doing touristy things.


That’s why I’m stoked that we’ve already checked the rooftop cinema off our list. It was an amazing first experience in Melbourne, and will stick out in our minds as one of the best things we’ve done on our trip. P.S. It’s also an awesome place to take a date. Tickets cost $20, but chicks dig it.

Christmas Down Under

2011-01-06T16:16:00.006+11:00


Spending Christmas alone is something that every long-term traveler has to accept. All the special days – birthdays, graduations, and the biggies like Christmas – aren’t spent eating your grandmother’s pie with your cousin Brad as your Dad sleeps in front of the TV. Nope. We travelers spend these holidays in a hostel common room drinking a bottle of €2 wine with SvÜrgen, the Viking dude in the bunk above you. And I’m here to say there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s awesome actually - everyone should spend at least one holiday with a Viking. So as a weathered traveler, it was strange yet awesome for me to head to Melbourne this Christmas to spend the holidays with my Uncle Tony, Aunt Angela, and cousins Mick and Pat. I was finally spending time with the fam. And traveling. Living the dream… Let’s just say it was sweet. We’ve never spent Christmas in such a different place. Instead of two-feet of snow (what up NY) we had 41 C heat (that’s 106 F America). Instead of deep-fried turkey (what up Tennessee) we had jumbo shrimp, salmon, and a lobster like shellfish called a Moreton Bay Bug. Needless to say, the food was amazing, but the craziest part was that CAZ ATE SEAFOOD. It was an Aussie Christmas miracle. The weather is different, the food is fresh, and the summer is just getting started. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a cooler way to end the holiday season than with the start of summer. And I’m pretty sure that all the reindeers down here have red-noses. You know…sunburn. Hey O.

We're back!

2011-01-02T20:30:00.002+11:00

When we stopped updating the blog seven months ago, I never thought restarting it would take a freaking New Year’s resolution. I can’t believe we put off posting for that long.

But I’m writing to let everyone know that the blog is back. And it’s gonna be sweet.

We’ve just arrived in Melbourne, Australia for the second leg of what is hopefully turning into a world tour, and we’re picking up the posts from here to keep everyone updated on where we are in the present. But we’ve still got heaps of stories to tell from New Zealand so don’t be thrown off when we pepper in backdated posts from time to time.

Also, the blog is evolving to include more topics than just our quirky little trip, so we’ll be featuring guest bloggers, travel book and website reviews, video blogs of destinations and events, and a growing interactive role for you – the reader. We want you to send us recommendations of where to go, what to see, what to do – anything that you’ve done or hope to do on your travels. Guess what? We’ll probably do it. We’re here for a while and are looking for the best trip possible. That means taking advice, tips, and even ridiculous suggestions from anyone and everyone.

Pushpin Pilgrim is going to grow as our trip unfolds. We started 2010 in Fiji and we’re starting 2011 in Australia, so who knows where it’ll end? The answer could be up to you.

Thanks for reading, guys.

Sincerely super duper sorry about the lull in posts,
Shawn and Caz (that’s Carolyn’s new nickname...don’t worry it’ll grow on you.)

Hurunui Campsite

2010-05-30T17:37:00.000+10:00


There isn’t much between Kaikoura and Christchurch except for a few stretches of seal covered beach. It’s nice, but we had a tough time finding a campsite. Luckily, our handy dandy atlas had a tent icon at Hurunui River Mouth, just south of Cheviot, so we headed to where the river meets the sea. The lovely bomb shelter-esque bathrooms and deserted camp sites were intimidating at first, but the sign that said “This camp is run on the honesty of campers” and the sunny weather decided it for us. We stayed and it was the best idea ever. Turns out the camping fee was only $4 per site – not per person, like most campsites in NZ – and the creepy bathroom had a mirror, two nice sinks, and full-on flush toilets…simple pleasures these days. There were even a few apple trees with apples still on em, not that we ever want to eat apples again. After night two, we went on a sweet barefoot hike along the river. The mud squishing through our toes was disgusting at first, but then we noticed thousands of bubbles coming from under the water and curiosity had us excitedly digging in the mud to find the source. We never could figure out what was creating the bubbles - maybe oysters or geothermal activity - but in hindsight we’re glad our digging didn’t lead to a geyser exploding in our face. Even though a few other campers came the second night and the mud ended up smelling pretty bad, we’ll remember Hurunui River as our own private getaway. We enjoyed a full moon, cooked some good dinner, and got some much needed quiet time on New Zealand’s beautiful East Coast. Two thumbs up.

Kaikoura

2010-05-22T14:53:00.001+10:00


Kaikoura means "eat crayfish" in Maori, and while we hear the local giant crayfish are a must-have delicacy, we spent all of our time in Kaikoura looking at seals. THERE ARE SO MANY SEALS IN KAIKOURA! Today's post is dedicated to my 2 year-old nephew Colt. He's one of our most faithful readers, and he likes seals. Enjoy buddy.
Peek-a-boo Mr. Seal!	Seals love to swim, just like you.
Can you count how many seals there are?	Seals love naptime, and so should you!
Baby seals are called pups.	This is an adorable little seal pup that made Shawn scream like a girl and run away because he swears it was a big, angry mommy seal.
This seal is on a rock.	This seal is on the grass, and Shawn has a new mullet haircut. Silly seal! Silly Shawn!
This is my new friend.
We shared a moment.
Then I had to go!
For even MORE seal photos (and some really awesome seaweed pics too), check out the full album. There's a sweet photo album here, but it looks like your device doesn't support Flash. No worries! Simply view the web album on Picasa.

Blasting Blenheim

2010-05-20T13:57:00.003+10:00


Care and I were so excited to see some new scenery after what felt like an eternity in the Nelson/Marlborough Region, so we just drove as far as we could before sunset. That got us to Blenheim, a small town in the heart of New Zealand wine country. We freedom camped just south of town, near a mountain bike track. The parking lot was fine, but it didn’t have any facilities, meaning every morning we had to wake up and speed to town so we didn’t pee our pants. We make every effort to be responsible freedom campers because we want to diffuse the negative stereotypes that locals have about budget travelers. A lot of Kiwis hate freedom campers because there’s always one disrespectful vagabond that litters and poops in the bushes, ruining things for everyone else. There was one small surprise about sleeping among the Blenheim vineyards…hearing constant gunshots. That’s right – constant gunshots. At one point, we thought we were being attacked by canons. It put living in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn to shame. Apparently there’s a large NZ Air Force base just west of town, and they like to practice…you know in case freaking New Zealand gets invaded. After listening to how much the Royal NZ Air Force practices, I pity any country dumb enough to attack the Kiwis. A highlight of Blenheim was the Sunday morning farmers’ market. A charming old man from a local olive orchard, Tussock, took the time to explain several types of olives they grow, and let us taste the difference in the oils. We were impressed, so we bought a really tasty bottle of garlic-infused olive oil. People keep asking if we think New Zealand is “backwards” or “twenty years behind”, and we’ve always been confused by the question. I mean, things are slower here, but that’s mostly due to the smaller population (4 million), not the lack of any technology or convenience. Sure, free internet is a little tougher to find, central heating doesn’t exist, and don’t even get Carolyn started on how crappy the laundry dryers are here. But other than that, it’s sweet as. Anyhoo… The farmers’ market was one of the only times where saw what people mean about going back in time. The farmers’ markets here are held by…real farmers. It’s not like the pockets of “rural consciousness” that pop up in Union Square or abandoned K-Mart parking lots on a Saturday morning in the States. These people head to the horse grounds in town and sell their produce. Little kids run around getting their faces painted and listening to the “Story Time Lady”. It’s not a pretense at capturing the lost agrarian utopia. It’s just farmers. At a market. Same thing goes for the endless number of fruit stands and “fresh eggs” signs you see on every road and motorway in New Zealand. The simplicity and functionality made me feel transported in time. The only question is, with the frenzied rate that people in the States seem to be going “back” to organic produce and grass-fed animals, is New Zealand a land frozen in the distant past, or a country light years ahead in the future? I know, mind blower, right? You’re welcome.

Hiking the Abel Tasman National Park

2010-05-18T11:45:00.001+10:00


Carolyn and I loved the kayaking portion of the Abel Tasman, and while we would have been happy to just hop on a water taxi back to town, we decided to explore the trail back on foot. We started Day 3 at Onetahuti where we dropped off our kayaks the night before. The hiking trail actually goes further north past Onetahuti (the entire thing is 52 km), but spending six or seven days in the wilderness seemed a little out of our league. We’re a bit lazy if you hadn’t noticed, and generally unprepared, so we skipped the most northern portion of the park and headed south. The trail hugs the same golden sand beaches and granite rock formations we had seen from the kayak, but it was fun to see it all from a different perspective. Right off the bat we plunged into rich forest environs filled with birdsong (thanks again to the Birdsong Trust). I whistled my face off to the fantails that filled the tree branches, and within a few minutes we had a pretty good crowd of birds hopping from tree to tree along with us. They are incredibly social birds, and will dance for anyone that seems interested. They also like to swoop right in front of your face. It's a jolting experience. A lot of the trail is nestled in the trees with frequent scenic lookouts, keeping you fairly cool as you wind your way up and down gradual (and some not so gradual) ascents of the granite cliffs. We took the occasional break for photo-ops and snacks, but for the most part the hike is extremely do-able. I wore hiking boots, but Care did the whole thing in Chacos. A unique feature of this particular Great Walk is the existence of four tidal crossings at Bark Bay, Torrent Bay, Onetahuti Bay, and Awaroa. The tide depth in the park can fluctuate by as much as 5.2 meters, meaning that at high tide, some of the trails are submerged. Low tide and high tide are generally 6 hours apart, so most of the crossings are only passable during a 4-hour window, 2 hours before and after low tide. Get a tidal chart from the Nelson or Motueka i-site and do some planning ahead of time, or else you’ll have to: Take the high tide trail (which can add several kms/hours to your trek) Swim. Not recommended. Wake up at 5 am because you have 6 hours of hiking ahead of you and the next low tide isn’t until 5 pm. Of course Care and I didn’t time our tidal crossings well, forcing us to take Option A at Bark Bay, and Option C at Torrent Bay. Don’t stress about the Onetahuti crossing – there’s just slightly less beach to walk on at high tide. In contrast, the Awaroa crossing further north is long. Don’t muck around with it. Time it right, or you’re going for Option B. As disgruntled as we were about our early start at Torrent Bay on Day 4, the stillness of the morning was pristine. The best part is when the track emerges from the tree line to expose amazing views of the park’s bays and islands. One of the most stunning views is from the peak atop Anchorage Bay, looking north at dawn. New Zealand is called “Aotearoa” in Maori which literally means “land of the long white cloud”, and Care and I have been lucky to see an almost non-stop parade of epic cloudy sunsets. The sun lights row upon row of clouds on fire each evening…probably every morning too but we catch wayyyy fewer of those. It’s always amazing, but the Abel Tasman was exceptional. We bought a tent just for this trip, and in retrospect, I wish we had bought a small cooker (cookers are not provided in the Abel Tasman DOC huts or campsites). Cereal, PB&J sandwiches, and cold pasta held us over for four days, but the first thing we did after the hike was inhale five pizzas at 623 Bar’s all-you-can-eat pizza night. Ignoring a few sandfly issues (don’t forget your DEET!), it’s easy to see why the Abel Tasman National Park is the most visited park in New Zealand. Whether it’s by land or sea, everyone can easily and affordably enjoy the pristine beauty of the natural surroundings. We definitely recommend the kayak/hike combo. It’s a sweet taste of both worlds.
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Possums vs. Birds

2010-05-14T23:00:00.003+10:00

The story of our third day in the Abel Tasman actually begins in the middle of the night. Scrounging and snuffling sounds outside the tent woke us up (and by “us” I mean Carolyn).

“What’s that noise?” she whispers. “New Zealand doesn’t have any bears, right? RIGHT?” she pleads.
“I don’t think so…” I mumble (in my sleep).

Then we remembered what it does have...possums.

Not to be confused with the North American opossum (on the left), the New Zealand brushtail possum is less rat-like and more creepy, furry, lemur-like. Here’s some back-story to help explain the possums’ impact on New Zealand:

When New Zealand split from Australia and other parts of ancient Gondwanaland, the small size of the North and South Islands couldn’t support large predators, leading to unique bird evolution. Without the fear of predation, many birds shed their ability to fly and developed thicker, solid bones and sturdy legs to carry them around the ground in search of food.

The most extreme example is the moa, which stood at over two meters tall and was similar to large land birds in other parts of the world like ostriches and the “terror birds” of South America. Sadly, early Maori tribes hunted the moa to extinction around 1500 AD.

Another iconic New Zealand bird is the flightless kiwi. These birds have thick leg bones with marrow in them (in contrast to light hollow bones of other birds), and the tiny vestigial wings hidden at their sides are essentially useless.

The pukeko is a good example of an in-between bird. While still technically capable of flight, its primary response to danger is to run on its speedy, sturdy legs. These bright blue birds are everywhere on the North Island, and when they get startled crossing the road, it’s hilarious to watch them try to run/fly away with their small wings and big, awkward, dangling feet. They can barely clear paddock fences.

These bird populations lived in relative safety for millions of years, but the introduction of new predators like possums, stoats (weasels), and rats to the ancient New Zealand ecosystem has led to a rapid decline in native bird populations. The possum was first introduced to New Zealand by Europeans in the 1800’s to create a fur trading industry, and it bums me out that their greed and thoughtlessness is destroying the present diversity. Possums target the eggs and young of endangered birds like the kiwi and some penguin species, as well as eggs of the now endangered reptile, the tuatara. The response by the government has taken years, but now the verdict is clear - birds get to stay and possums must go.

At first it struck me as odd that possum-hunting is a patriotic duty for New Zealanders. It’s actually disturbing how many possum carcasses I see on the road. However, after our trek through the Abel Tasman National Park, I’m beginning to understand. The native animals are so disadvantaged by these new predators that they depend on a certain amount of human protection, enter the Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust.

I looked into it, and there are approximately 30 million possums in New Zealand. That’s how many kiwis used to roam the forests, but now the kiwi population hovers in the low thousands. The fact that kiwis even still exist is only due to extensive efforts by the New Zealand government to establish island sanctuaries and breeding programs. Bottom line, possums are killing the rare and wonderful wildlife that can only be found in New Zealand.

Ok, now back to our second night in the Abel Tasman Park.

When we woke up the next morning, we found that the three tents next to us at the Onetahuti Bay campsite had holes chewed through the sides and any food hidden inside had been snacked on by a sneaky possum. The only reason Care and I escaped unscathed was because we didn’t want trash in our tent so we tied it up and left it outside. The possum tore a hole in that and dined on a banana peel, ignoring our tent and the precious food supply inside. We’re smart as.

Later that morning we discovered that justice had been served – the body of a possum hung limp from a trap only a few feet from our tent. The Birdsong Trust sets hundreds of traps along the trail to protect birds that nest near the coast. It was sad to see an animal get killed for doing what nature dictates it to do – eat – but it’s also nice to see that the native bird populations stand a chance.

I hate that it’s necessary to hunt down and kill the possums because I think they are actually really awesome animals. It’s a sad state of affairs here; the only way to preserve the shrinking diversity is to slaughter innocent animals just trying to survive themselves.

Anyone looking to support the preservation effort and be stylish too can buy “merinomink” or “ecopossum” garments, which are made from a super soft blend of sheep wool and possum fur. Proceeds often go toward groups like the Birdsong Trust, and these groups are making progress - there were 70 million possums during the 1980’s (more than twice the number that exist today). Some shops even sell novelty items like possum fur nipple warmers. Seriously guys, New Zealand is a weird place.

So…sorry about the possum rant, but it’s an important topic to all Kiwis (both the birds and the humans). The next post will be about our 2-day hike back to Marahau. Promise.

Kayaking the Abel Tasman National Park

2010-05-12T14:36:00.000+10:00

After three brutal days picking apples, Care and I decided it was time for a well earned vacation, so we headed north to Marahau, the gateway to New Zealand’s most popular national park – Abel Tasman.

Trips in the Tasman usually vary between one and seven days, though most people spend just one or two days hiking, kayaking, or just cruising on a water taxi. We opted for a four-day combo adventure – kayaking north and then hiking back south. FYI, campsites have to be booked ahead of time, and reservations for heaps of different kayak companies can be made for free at the Nelson or Motueka i-sites. We chose Kahu Kayaks because they were the cheapest, and they turned out to be a really awesome, friendly company too.

A bunch of factors such as wind direction, weather, water taxi schedules, and most importantly the high tide charts should play a part when planning your itinerary. We had to decide which was the better option – kayaking north against the wind and then hiking back south, or taking a water taxi up and kayaking south. So after thinking about it for like five minutes, we chose to kayak first…cuz we felt like it.

We ran into a few bits of chop and wind, but all in all the two days kayaking were amazing. We explored Fisherman’s and Adele Islands – homes to seals and penguins – and had lunch on a secluded golden sand beach that can only be reached from the water. We shot some “rapids” (which just means we got a little too close to the rocks) and splashed around for a while. Our first night’s stay in Anchorage Bay was a bit sandfly-infested, but the great facilities made it a worthy stop.

Our second day in the kayak was a lot more steady (Carolyn steered). I heard a rumor that she’s used to spending time in a boat, but I can’t remember where…

We lucked out with a little blue penguin sighting early in the morning – apparently they’re really shy and spend most of their time way out in the ocean fishing, so we were really excited to see one float past us in the bay. In the afternoon after a solid paddle north, we passed “Foul Point” where we tried not to capsize so we could investigate a lesser known seal colony at the northern edge of the Park. Our efforts were rewarded when a few of the males danced in the water for us and played hide and seek under our kayak. We also spotted some 4-month old baby seals on the rocks, but Care was disappointed that she couldn't convince them to jump into the kayak and ride home with us.

Day two ended with another secluded beach picnic and a mellow paddle into Onetahuti Bay Camp. There Kahu Kayaks picked up our kayaks and garbage and dropped off our backpacks, all at no extra charge, letting us prepare for our two day hike back to the start of the trail.

But more on that adventure next time…

"Seal Sighting" - a comic by Shawn Forno

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	Destination Guide: Anchorage Bay, Abel Tasman Park, NZ
	by Shawn Forno
The Abel Tasman National Park – New Zealand’s smallest national park – is by far the busiest, with a wide array of one to five day hiking, camping, and even kayaking options available for the casual to committed tramper. The largest and most popular campsite...read more

Apple Picking

2010-05-08T09:21:00.003+10:00

We already know that NYC is the greatest city on earth, so we came to New Zealand to experience a slower way of life and to get our hands dirty doing some good old fashioned manual labor. Our first (and subsequently last) stop on the NZ Harvest Trail was Motueka during apple season.

We were stoked to get a job, so our first day began with us waking before sunrise and blasting pump-up jams (*cough* Ke$ha) all the way to the orchard. We met our boss “Gonzo” (one cool Kiwi) and Bob the tractor driver (also awesome), and we began schlepping our ladders down the row of trees we had been assigned to. We were lucky to be working together because, other than the unpleasant visits from the owner, and the “You make my grandpa look like a speed demon” comments from Bob, there was little human interaction. We looked forward to Bob's friendly insults because it was our only source of entertainment - one time he asked Shawn if his last name was “Banana”, then just drove off laughing. I still don’t get the joke.

You’re probably thinking “So why was this job so bad? You guys just sound lazy.” Well, my friends, here are a few apple picking fun facts that we’ve compiled to help explain just how bad this job really was:

Each person’s bag can hold up to 130 apples.
It takes approx. 21 bags to fill 1 bin.
Therefore, approx. 2,730 apples fill 1 bin.

We were paid NZ$26 per bin, but we worked together so we each made NZ$13 per bin.
Therefore, we earned almost 1 penny for each apple picked. Almost 1 NZ penny. Right now that’s 7/10 of an American penny, or $0.007.

It took us about 2 hours to fill a bin – that's approx. 12 apples each per minute.
A skilled picker should fill a bin in 1 hour working alone - that's 45 apples per minute.
Our pathetic pace had us earning NZ$6.50/hour each (US$4.73). The current NZ minimum wage is NZ$12.50/hour. Fail.

On Day 1 we worked for 7 hours and filled 3 bins.
On Day 2 we worked for 9 hours and filled 3.75 bins.
On Day 3 we worked for 9 hours and filled 4.25 bins.
In total we filled 11 bins, for a grand total of…drumroll please…30,000 APPLES!!!

Here’s the sad part – despite picking 30,000 APPLES!!! in just three days, we were also 30,000 apples off-pace. To pick enough apples to earn minimum wage, we were supposed to have picked 60,000 apples in three days.

Now, add to that awesome paycheck the fact that you spend the whole day with 130 apples strapped to your chest, lugging around a 10 ft metal ladder (or almost falling off the top of it), while the summer sun beats down on your face and sandflies bite your neck. It’s the worst combination of back-breaking physical labor and mind-numbing monotomy.

The cherry on top is that the orchard owners have a very specific way that the apples must be picked and would storm down the rows yelling if they saw otherwise. You’re supposed to delicately use two hands to cup the apple, then tilt it up and twist. This technique prevents bruising, keeps the stem on, and ensures the trees stay in tact for next year. Quick tip for orchard owners – you want us to actually do that? It’s gonna cost you a lot more than $0.007.

There’s also a cryptic scale to determine whether an apple is ripe:

If it’s 60% “block red” and 40% green, pick it.
If it’s 100% red, but it’s “stripy red”, don’t pick it.
If it’s “stripy red” with a yellow tint (which, by the way, looks exactly like green), pick it.

I spent most of my time rotating apples going, “Hmm…is this 60% red…or just 55% red?…it seems to have a slight golden undertone that would indicate ripeness…or is that a hint of lime green that indicates non-ripeness…” Then I would remember how little they were paying us and just chuck it into my bag. Or eat it. The one good thing about apple picking is that you never go hungry.

Following the owner’s meticulous methods made it impossible to work quickly. If we treated the apples like precious flowers, we would get in trouble for working too slowly. If we sped up, we got yelled at for our bins being too green and for leaving too many branches on the ground. It’s a lose-lose situation with fear being the only motivation. The most valuable lesson that Bob the tractor driver taught us was to spend five minutes rotating the apples on the top row of our bin so the red side was up and the green side was hidden. Genius.

The 30,000 apples we picked were shipped to the US, so if you’re ever at the grocery store and come across Royal Gala apples from New Zealand that are bruised and half green, you’re welcome.

We decided after three days that we had learned more than we ever wanted to know about apples, and had gained a lasting appreciation for field workers and the power of human labor. So we quit.

We haven’t eaten a Royal Gala apple since.

Motueka

2010-05-05T23:00:00.001+10:00


Motueka…man this place haunts my dreams. Care and I came to this hamlet in apple picking country with high hopes of landing a job in the fields and getting our hands dirty with a real “Kiwi experience” underneath the summer sun. Little did we know that the worst thing that could happen to us was getting our wish. Our job search started with online applications and endless phone calls to uninterested orchards who were “full for the season” even though Motueka's harvest hadn't even started. We persevered and enlisted the help of the local picking job agency for over a week to no avail. Freedom camping near the ocean fed salt baths on the edge of town lost its appeal, and we wore out our welcome with the librarians/guardians of the only free WiFi in town. After some more time bashing our brians against message boards and job listings we pulled out our secret weapon – charm. Oh that’s right, we got mad charm. We’d visited the same lady - Anne - for over a week in the picking job placement office, and she'd come to recognize us amidst the sea of eager backpackers. We were bright eyed, polite, deferential, and now – desperate. We flattered her and thanked her and did everything to put this lovely middle-aged lady in our pocket. After a few eyelashes were batted and a sighing, “thank you so much for trying” was given, we left her office ready to give up and head south. No more than an hour later our phone rang. Who was it? Anne offering us work with Birdhurst Orchard the following morning. Shazaam - mad charm. Little did we know our Motueka fairytale was about to become a nightmare. But more on that next time…

Kaiteriteri Beach

2010-05-03T23:00:00.003+10:00


Kaiteriteri Beach is a small golden sand beach just north of Motueka, and honestly is something that Care and I would have overlooked were it not for my Dad. For those of you who don’t know, my dad was born in Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand. He was raised in Waimate (Otago) for most of his young life before moving to the States when he was 18. He’s told us kids a few stories about life on the farm in New Zealand and about some of the stuff he did as a kid, but New Zealand was always so far removed from my suburban Californian childhood that the memories he shared never really stuck - they just didn't have enough context. That’s a large part of the reason I'm in New Zealand for this year of tramping and exploring – to sharpen the hazy edges of my family history here and to give those stories context. This finally happened when my dad told me about a little beach he used to visit as a kid – Kaiteriteri Beach. Kaiteriteri is a popular holiday destination, especially with kayakers eager to explore the Nelson coastline near Split Apple Rock. The beach is great and sunny weather typical of the area (Nelson is considered one of the sunniest spots in New Zealand) greeted Care and I as we lazed around on the sand. But the best part was actually setting foot in a place where my dad played as a kid. I’m a big fan of physically experiencing the sites of historical events - like walking around Rome on the same paths that great Romans had tread millenia before. It fills me with an indescribable sense of connection to the things I've read or heard about. It’s magical. So even though I know the waves aren't the same ones my Dad swam in, the sand he played in washed out to sea long ago, and the sandflies that attacked me are only distant ancestors of the ones that bit my dad here 50 years ago, I felt kinship to a dormant side of my family tree. I found context amidst the sand and waves and bugs on this little bay in the South Island of New Zealand. And it feels really good.

The Gypsy Fair!

2010-04-30T23:00:00.001+10:00


Lately I’ve been going on and on about freedom camping – mostly because Care and I are getting into the “renegade” aspect of life on the road, but also because we spend a good deal of our day in the van. However, as cool as our van Flash is, and as good as we think we're getting at freedom camping, we can’t hold a candle to the folk that comprise the Gypsy Fair. I’d heard about these “houses on wheels” from other experienced freedom campers along the way, but I’d written off the stories of fully functioning house-trucks as elaborate exaggerations. How would the house trucks drive around? Wouldn’t they fall off? Where would they park at night? Turns out everything I'd heard was true. The Gypsy Fair is a conglomeration of lifestyle freedom campers throughout New Zealand that build and maintain their own uniquely designed wooden frame houses on the backs of trucks, big rigs, converted vehicles of all shapes and sizes, and even hitched trailers. They drive around New Zealand setting up at fair grounds and parks on specified dates to entertain locals and tourists alike, sell their handicrafts, food, and goods, and to basically educate people about their alternative lifestyle. These amazing structures are all “self-contained” and compliant with the strict regulations New Zealand places on freedom campers, but they do so with an amazing flair for design and detail. Honestly some of these houses are bigger than my apartment in New York City. They have wood burning stoves, fireplaces, second-floor bedrooms, and even back porches complete with rocking chairs and flower pots. It’s really incredible to see what some of these artisans and craftsmen put together.

The coolest part of this hodge podge nomadic village is that they are always seeking new members. The only stipulation is that applicants be self-sufficient and provide a marketable service or sell a unique good that is not already in the group. That’s what really got me interested in the Gypsy Fair – they're not just hippies driving love buses trying to change the world with “good vibes”. Nope. They've got marketing savvy. They're a viable economic entity that understands that while independence and freedom are crucial to an alternative lifestyle, so is making that lifestyle sustainable. Just like the rest of us, they have to make money, pay for things, sell goods, and keep a healthy community running. It’s great to see that the obstacles that we all face in normal society are the same as those in the Gypsy Fair. They just choose to solve the same problems from a slightly different perspective – the driver’s seat. Care and I were so happy to see this unique New Zealand experience, and we spent the rest of the afternoon daydreaming about what we could contribute to earn a spot in the Gypsy Fair. Wooden swords? Nope, they already sell those. Cotton candy? Old news. Musician? They’ve got five. Miniature ponies? Aluminum can artwork? A tattoo artist? Got it, got it, and, ouch, they got it. After running out of ideas that the Gypsys hadn’t thought of first, we gave up the dream of joining their clan and continued down the road Hans-style...solo.

Nelson

2010-04-28T23:00:00.003+10:00


Oh Nelson…what can I say about you? Robbery, apple picking, all you can eat pizza deals, freedom camping, the beach, the library – all of these things shaped our time in the principle city of the Nelson Region on the South Island. Freedom camping is the only way to stay in Nelson for any extended period of time, and Care and I parked at our fair share of locations. The three that were the most effective were (in order of ease): The Kinzett Terrace carpark at the north end of town Tahunanui Beach on the west edge of town The carpark near the yacht club – surprising but true The overall attitude of people in town towards freedom campers is begrudgingly accepting. Nelson is a focal point for trampers headed to the Abel Tasman National Park and the West Coast, as well as backpackers looking for fruit picking work, so they get that people are going to be loitering for a bit. The economy in the area depends heavily on tourist dollars and low-paid backpacker picking labor, so during the apple season the town sets aside a few areas where they turn a blind eye to campers – most notably Kinzett Terrace. We actually got a printed flyer from a security guard telling us it was ok to sleep there. But Tahunanui Beach has more amenities like water, cold showers, toilets, beach access, and a small library annex with free WiFi, so it's a better fit for a lot of short-term campers. For long-term campers like us, pricey holiday park accommodation simply isn’t an option. So we did run into some hassles, and we had our car broken into at one point, but that was in the middle of the day and didn’t happen at any of the sites mentioned above. We saved a lot of money by staying in Nelson 16 nights over the course of a month, but we're still a bit undecided on whether it was worth all the effort. Freedom camping really makes you appreciate the simple luxuries of running water, sinks, and toilets inside a house.

Aside from all that, Nelson is great. The Information Site is helpful and well staffed, public bathrooms are everywhere, the movie theater has current films, a few bars in the area serve great brews and have WiFi, and there is free (but slow) WiFi at the central library. Care and I were at the library a lot – it’s where this blog was born - and we enjoyed our stay in town. Drink and food deals exist at different places throughout the week, but our favorite spot was 623 Bar. On Wednesdays they have all you can eat pizza for $15. Done. Care and I actually went there for St. Patrick’s Day and scarfed ourselves into a coma on five different gourmet pizzas, including one deliciously rich banana chocolate dessert pizza. We waddled out of that place exhausted but proud. It’s hard to sum up Nelson into one post, yet it’s not quite worthy of being split up into more. Should we have stayed as long as we did? No. Were parts of it really cool? Sure. Freedom camping, free WiFi, and pizza, pizza, pizza. Not a bad combo, but Care and I were happy to move on.
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The Elusive Kiwi and Pelorus Bridge

2010-04-26T23:00:00.003+10:00

Our first decision on the South Island was to vote against heading north into the Queen Charlotte Sound, even though it’s highly recommended. The tours are pricey, the roads are unpaved, and while the hiking is supposed to be epic, we’re more stoked to hike/kayak the Abel Tasman National Park – a five day excursion. We don’t want to peak before we get to the Tasman. So we headed west.

On the way to Marahau (the entry point for the Abel Tasman Park), we found a great little DOC campsite called Pelorus Bridge.

I’m a big fan of freedom camping, but this Serviced DOC campsite is one that I can highly recommend. The facilities at Serviced sites are a lot nicer than the Basic or Standard DOC sites and traditionally feature gas cookers, flush toilets, ample space for camping, excellent trails through the woods, and a hot shower – so worth ten bucks a night.

We planned on hiking down to the river, but as I was shoveling down some cocoa pops, nature came to us.

Out of nowhere Carolyn freaked out behind the van. She squealed, “KIWI!! I SEE A BABY KIWI!!! BLAAAARGGGRAAAAAGGGGRRGRH KIWIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

I dove out of the van to see the elusive bird, confused that it was out during the daytime (they’re nocturnal) and saw instead a little brown bird with huge feet. It resembled a kiwi, but didn’t look quite right. The beak was too short and the talons on its feet were gargatumongahugical.

Much to our dismay we found out the bird wasn’t a kiwi – it was another flightless bird, the weka. It didn’t matter though because it was fun to feed the curious family.

Pelorus Bridge provided us with a nice hot shower, our first kiwi false alarm, and our first weka sighting.

Not too shabby.

	Guide to DOC Campsites in New Zealand
	by Shawn Forno
The Department of Conservation – or DOC – is a campervan or backpacker’s best friend in New Zealand. This government established organization exists to ensure that a large number of recreation areas, rest stops, dive and snorkel sites, locations, protected habitat...read more


"Kiwi Sighting" - a comic by Shawn Forno

Next stop, the South Island!

2010-04-23T23:00:00.004+10:00


After an excellent week in Wellington, we finally bid farewell to the North Island. The North Island has been good to us, but we’re stoked to head down to the beautiful South Island before the weather turns too cold. Apparently once it happens it’s brutal. Our tickets for the Interislander ferry were actually pretty affordable - NZ$220 total for 2 people and a van. Bluebridge is the other Cook Strait ferry, and we found that one isn't consistently cheaper than the other, it just depends on the day. Also, prices are a lot lower if you've done your planning and can book a ferry date in advance (as per usual, we had not). But we were able to book a mid-morning sailing – the most beautiful part of the ride is when the ship enters the Queen Charlotte Sound during the last hour of the trip. So we settled into our comfy reclining seats by the window and lazed away the morning. The ship we were on wasn’t what we imagined – a hollowed out freighter with rickety car ramps. Instead it was a nine deck marvel. I’ve worked on cruise ships in Hawaii, so I’ve seen luxury vessels underway, and while the Interislander ship might not be up to those same standards, it is way more impressive than it has a right to be for the quick three hour voyage. It comes equipped with a movie theater on the lower deck, several cafés and eateries, coffee shops on the upper decks, fully reclining seats, kids’ areas where boisterous youngsters can watch cartoons or burn off their unending energy away from other passengers, full length windows fore and aft for viewing while underway, a fully licensed bar with a back patio, video game arcade room, satellite tv, and a top deck for taking 360 degree pictures of the Sound. It’s pretty slick.

When the ship landed, Care and I drove Flash onto Southern soil and into the little hamlet Picton. The beach in town is a good place to relax – we took a nap in the grass because we’d to gotten up before dawn to catch our boat – and is a natural gathering place for other travelers. People-watching is pretty good, and there’s a small mini golf course just off the sand. After a quick swim and a spin around the local library (free wifi), Care and I headed to the Kahikatea DOC campsite on the eastern bay of the Marlborough Sounds. It was a removed location with access to the water and great hikes along the sand. We made friends with a paradise duck – they’re usually really skittish, so that was cool – and also chatted with some humans. One elderly couple, Graeme and Jackie, came over to compliment us on our van setup (mostly the twinkle lights), and next thing we know we’re sitting in their snazzy camper talking about the realities of travel, freedom camping, camper van associations, solar power, fruit picking, the harvest trail in New Zealand, glue-gun crafts, and the life that they’ve lead on the road for the past six years. They were such happy, friendly, helpful people who taught us so much about what we’re doing on our trip, but more importantly, what we might do better. It was a great encouragement for us to continue the nomadic lifestyle, and a rad way to get pumped up for the second leg of our trip.
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New Zealand Citizenship!

2010-04-21T23:00:00.002+10:00

I just heard back from the New Zealand Citizenship Office. Guess what?

As of now, I am officially a New Zealand citizen.

Oh yeah.

Who’s a kiwi? Oh that’s right – I am.

I got the citizenship by descent through my Dad (he was born in Waimate on the South Island), and even though the process took a while, I’m beyond stoked about it. As soon as I get a passport I’ll post my sweet New Zealand passport photos.

Man…so excited.

Wellington - Part Five - Freedom Camping

2010-04-19T23:00:00.003+10:00

Alright. I’m taking this opportunity in the fifth and final installment of our (S)Wellington Extravaganza! to talk about something near and dear to my heart – Freedom Camping.

Freedom Camping is the subtle art of living in a van, camper, hollowed out VW Bug, what have you, allowing travelers to enjoy a country for much longer than they could if forced to pay for conventional accommodation like hostels, campsites, or hotels. The average price of a single bed in a Wellington is $26 – not ridiculous, but the cost for Care and I to stay for 7 days would have quickly mounted to $364 for the week, without including the savage parking fees our van would have incurred (some streets charge $6 per/hr Mon – Fri 8 am – 6 pm). For just five weekdays of parking we might have had to pay $200. Not on my watch.

Instead we drove 3 km outside of downtown to a lovely parking lot situated on Oriental Parade – a major street leading to the waterfront/museum district of downtown. When we pulled up we saw a half dozen other freedom campers in their garishly painted campervans all cooking, sitting out in the sun, or going for a quick swim at the adjacent sandy beach. Score.

The parking lot is one of several hugging the western side of the bay, and acts as a fishing area during the daytime hours. At night, freedom campers descend on the lot which also provides a bathroom to wash up, clean dishes, and…you know…use the bathroom.

Freedom camping in New Zealand is a strange tradition. It’s not illegal which is cool, but it is becoming more and more restricted in certain parts of the country. I get that some communities don’t want travelers squatting their neighborhoods, but the best and most surprising part about Wellington was that they had set aside these areas for travelers. We were never hassled about staying there, we never felt unsafe, and we had access to awesome beach front views, swimming, and amenities just a thirty minute walk into downtown Wellington.

It’s funny, the city was hosting a 15 km “Fun Run” that used Oriental Parade as the route, and at 7 a.m. a race official actually came around knocking on windows informing each camper that the road would be closed for the next four hours if we needed to leave before we got trapped. It wasn’t done maliciously or with the intent to roust us from our perch. It was an actual courtesy. Care and I decided to stay and watch the race.

Carolyn and I enjoyed one of our best weeks in New Zealand in Wellington, and while it was in large part due to Rich and Merridith, the great museums, cafés, and nightlife of Wellington itself, I’m not sure how much of any of that we would have been able to enjoy if we were paying over $500 to stay for one week. Freedom camping, while controversial and a negative side effect of travel to some, was the thing that really opened up doors for us in Wellington. Without it, we wouldn’t have loved Windy Welly enough to write this five part extravaganza.

So, thank you Wellington. Thank you for realizing that just because some travelers don’t have a lot of money it doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy your city.

Wellington is Swellington.

Wellington - Part Four - Cable Car & Gardens

2010-04-16T23:00:00.002+10:00


Now that we’re on the downward slope of our Five Day (S)Wellington Extravaganza! I thought we’d travel uphill to enjoy the view. Wellington’s hip vibe and artsy culture are widely celebrated by tourists and locals alike – and rightly so, it’s a cool place. However, it’s easy to forget the history and pockets of tranquility that exist in this little metropolis by the sea. Two of my favorites are the Cable Car and the Botanical Gardens. The trip to the Gardens starts with the classic cable car. Situated on Lambton Quay, this centrally located treasure is a testament to the city's efforts to preserve this quaint attraction. Honestly, when Care and I bought our $2 tickets, I thought there was a mistake. I was expecting a higher price for this sweet ride up to a great view of the city, so we boarded the shiny red cable car with a weird sense of... foreboding. Within 30 seconds – literally 30 seconds – the car made its first stop. I could still see the details of our initial destination as commuters from the first stop boarded. Why would they put the stops so close together? I wondered. Oh, well. 40 seconds later we stopped again. What? More people got on and off, and the car filled up to standing room only. School kids jostled with businessmen as we all took our short slanty ride up the steep hill past Victoria University to the next stop. Wait…is this the last stop? I thought as everyone disembarked. Yup. Last stop. Three stops in under three minutes and we were at the end of the line – the top of the hill overlooking the city. If Care hadn’t had the camera ready when we got on we might have missed it all. I will say that while the ride wasn’t a San Francisco style tour of the town, it was something much more rare - a functioning mode of transport for students and commuters, that has managed to last over 100 years. At the top of the rise, views of the water and city below spread out in all directions as far as Lower Hutt on the eastern edge of the bay. We lucked out and got a clear, sunny, hot day. The area up here features a small restaurant, benches, and the start of the Botanical Gardens, as well as two astronomical observatories. I love the observation domes with their classic antique look. After a well deserved nap on a grassy slope (we have a hard life), Care and I headed down the “Rose Garden Path” enjoying flowers, trees, and plants of all sorts. Prehistoric ferns stand next to conifer trees, and dazzling lilies. I used to be a flower delivery boy in college, so I like plants. What up. Near the end of the hour long trek we came upon one of the highlights – the Lady Norwood Rose Garden. This sprawling flower garden quartered into areas depicting hybrid and pure bred roses of varying shades that march across the full spectrum of colors, and it was a relaxing break from our relaxing hike. We sat at the fountain and just…smelled stuff for a while. The path eventually leads back into downtown (near the Beehive) but not before taking pedestrians through several cemeteries dating back to the colonial settlements of the city. Some of the gravestones are worn smooth by rain, wind, neglect, and time, while others are overgrown by wild bush and ivy. A few crypts feature elaborate obelisks and well polished marble, while most are simple granite slabs with name and date. The cemeteries are a stark reminder – as always – that time is short. Without being too cliche, it was a somber end to a peaceful day, and I’m glad we had a few hours to ourselves to revel in the beauty, history, and past of Wellington before we plunged back into the bustle of city life. P.S. I don’t care what you say – I think flowers rule, and Carolyn likes that about me, don’t you Care. Care?
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Wellington - Part Three - Downtown

2010-04-14T23:00:00.004+10:00

Part Three of our (S)Wellington Extravaganza! continues with a more in depth look at downtown and all the rad stuff to do there.

Aside from our awesome time with Rich and Merridith, Care and I settled in to enjoy the other pleasures of Wellington – namely the cafés. Wellington houses more cafés per capita than any major city in the world – even Seattle – which makes perfect sense after a few days huddled around a warm cappuccino. The wind that kicks off the bay can be brutal, and is a major reason for the plethora of chain and independent java vendors. Our favorite spot in Windy Welly was a little place called “Café Mon Ami.”

This little gem on Bond St., near the waterfront, the main shopping on Courtenay Street, and a stone’s throw from the museums and culture of the library and civic block was a real find. Cheap coffees and tasty croissants are just the start of this restaurant come kitsch café. They not only have excellent wi-fi service free for their patrons, but the owner/manager Francois (yes he’s actually French) runs a free bike rental service. That’s right – you give him your ID and he gives you his bike. When you’re done, come back and your ID is returned – no charge. It’s a mindset like this, as well as the comfy chairs, that sets Mon Ami apart from the slew of competition in the area, but if you’re a Francophobe, other joints like Goblin Café, and even *gasp* Starbucks are available on every corner. Literally.

Care and I also enjoyed the infamous “Beehive” Parliament building on the northern edge of the waterfront. This monument to 1970’s atrocity is an eyesore/icon that somehow escapes a lot of tourists’ notice. It could be the location – way north - or the obscurity of the governmental system in New Zealand – technically a “Constitutional Monarchy" ruled by Queen Elizabeth II (not the Prime Minister, much like Canada), but I’d have to say it’s at least partly to do with the building itself. I’m no architect (although I helped build our sweet van), but the 1970’s idea of the future is pretty ridiculous.

Care and I also lucked into the Chinese New Year celebration along the waterfront – a popular Wellington destination for festivals and concerts – like Homegrown (another concert we happened to hear during our stay).

Downtown and the surrounds are a tightly woven mix of museums, cafés, open spaces, and places to relax and enjoy the vibe. Care and I liked it so much we even wrote this little song about it. Enjoy.

	Destination Guide: Wellington, New Zealand
	by Shawn Forno
Wellington is so much more than just the capitol of New Zealand and second largest city in the North Island. It’s a center for culture with world class museums like Te Papa – a completely free six story mecca of natural history, cultural collections, visiting world class exhibits...read more

Wellington - Part Two - Te Papa Museum

2010-04-12T23:00:00.004+10:00


Next stop on our (S)Wellington Extravaganza!...the standout attraction in Wellington is their world class museum – Te Papa. Loosely translated as “our place”, Te Papa is a beacon of art, culture, history, and sophistication that attracts over 1 million visitors each year. Six stories and an external “Bush City” display art, natural history, and interactive exhibits intertwined amidst an ever changing tapestry of visiting shows from around the world. They even have these sweet shiny mirror thing-a-ma-jigs outside. Admission is free (suggested donation, but really who are we kidding) to all but the special collection galleries like “A Day in Pompeii” and other limited engagements, and it includes access to some mind blowing sights. Most notably, the Colossal Squid on display in the natural history section on the first floor. This specimen, encased in glass and formaldehyde, and stretched out for viewing is eerily like the alien autopsy scene in Independence Day. The total length of the squid is 4.2 meters, and the eyeballs are the size of soccer balls. Care and I spent a pretty large chunk of time in the natural history section – mostly because I’m a huge nerd – but the “Reactive Architecture” exhibit was another one that caught our attention. This green architectural think tank showcases new ways that energy is thought about in several different designs, ranging from simple umbrella photic displays to full fledged floating “barge” cities. For other examples of green architecture, check out “Building Green on Montrose”, an innovative, eco-friendly renovation of a 100-year old rowhouse in Philadelphia. We spent hours in the museum, pointing things out to each other, watching captivating movies and reenactments, taking 1840's immigration surveys, gawking at fossils, and enjoying ourselves while we soaked up New Zealand culture, art, and history. Te Papa became “our place” by the end of the day, and this amazing collection is something that every visitor to Wellington needs to make part of their trip. And don’t forget to take at least 500 pictures in front of the shiny mirror thing-a-ma-jigs out front. Yeah, in your face, Chicago Bean. New Zealand has reflectve surfaces too.
"Seen It" - a comic by Shawn Forno
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Wellington - Part One

2010-04-10T22:01:00.004+10:00

We finally made it to Wellington!

Home to Parliament, the Te Papa Museum, diverse culture, the ferry to the South Island, surf, sand, nightlife, friends, and more cafés per capita than any major city in the world, “Swellington” is just too much to write about in one post. So we’ve split this amazing metropolis into a Five Part (S)Wellington Extravaganza!

Part One – Thank You Note.

My mom always taught me to write thank you notes right away before you forget, so here goes – Thank you thank you so much to Rich and Merridith, and to Joan for setting us up with them. You guys were amazing tour guides and cultural ambassadors for Kiwis – never mind that Merridith is from Maryland.

These two rock stars not only drove us around the cool parts of town, they made us feel like we were part of a “group” – a hard feeling to get on the road.

The first stop was the beautiful rugged west side of the bay where we enjoyed even more tide pool exploration, hiked a bit, snagged some epic views, and talked about travel blogging – check out their award winning travel blog to see how the pros do it.

If that wasn’t enough, they took us out to dinner and introduced Care and I to the deliciously weird Taiwanese treat – bubble tea. Even Care liked it, so that’s saying something.

Just when we thought we’d worn out our welcome, the fun continued.

Rich was all, “Oh hey guys, you wanna go check out my family’s rad bach?” (NZ for “beach house”). We tried to play it cool, so I was all, “Pssht, I guess. I mean we have a few minutes to kill...”
And Care was like, “Whatevs, yo.”

It was AWESOME. We surf kayaked (insanely fun/hard) and then got the best fresh fruit ice cream in “sunny Otaki” on the Kapiti Coast – home to the most expensive ice cream in New Zealand...per capita.

Later that night they drove us up to see the view from Mt. Victoria at night. The twinkling lights that hug the bay are lovely.

The hits kept coming when we went to a small group session for their church, ARISE, and got to take part in a fun evening with Kiwis in an apartment above busy Courtenay Street. It was so welcoming to interact like a local. Finally, we went to the Sunday night service of ARISE and got to see an active, young church in New Zealand – a real treat for us. The people in the congregation were wonderful, and we enjoyed a great afterglow dinner with some of them at a café.

Despite all the radness, the best part of our new homies was that we finally had someone to use all of our free text messages with. We got 100 free txts within NZ when we loaded up our phone, so we blitzed them with nonsense txts. “hey bff! wut r u up 2 now guyzzzzzz? LOL! ttyl, xoxo.” Sorry yo.

Rich and Merridith are stalwart travelers with huge hearts and a real sense for what it means to be away from home. The craziest thing about their selfless generosity is that they had just gotten back from their 9-month trip around the world, the day before we called them.

Who has the energy to do all that for two people they’d never met, right when they got back? Rock stars – that’s who.

It was the best way to experience Wellington, and Care and I will always see the city through Rich and Merridith colored glasses. That doesn’t sound quite right, but you get the idea.

Thanks a million guys. Hope to see you again soon.

	Destination Guide: Courtenay Street, Wellington, NZ
	by Shawn Forno
The best food, fun, nightlife, and culture of Wellington is found on Courtenay Street. This funky locale just off Manners Mall at the south end of the civic center houses a pedestrian thoroughfare where tourists and locals alike meander past dozens of designer shops...read more

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Palmerston North

2010-04-09T22:01:00.011+10:00


I have to start this post with the best part of Palmerston North – Judy and Steve – my Uncle David’s sister and her husband. Thanks so much guys, your hospitality was amazing. They not only put us up in their lovely home but also: Cooked us two awesome dinners. Fed us two awesome breakfasts. Let us do laundry. Taught us about rugby – go Crusaders! Gave Carolyn a camping toaster for the cooker - an incredibly thoughtful gift, and while I love the raisin toast, it sets the bar pretty high for anything I give Care in the future. Thanks a lot. Sent us on our way with parting gifts of wine, candy, and hot cross buns. But most importantly… Judy hand sewed us a Tetris “L” shaped fitted sheet to match the changes we made to the cushions in the van. The hinged area of the bed that lets us convert it to a seating area now has a removable cushion with its own sheet case. You rule, Jude. They also gave us a great insiders’ tour of Massey University (one of the biggest schools in NZ), an awesome breakfast at their friend’s coffee shop, and a spin around the central square with its park, shops, and venues for bands. We people watched for an hour, sipping cappuccinos sheltered inside from the gale force winds that occur from time to time. In fact, the wind is so strong that Palmerston not only built a huge wind farm to supply energy for the town, they were the first city to wire the surplus energy into the national grid. There is some contention about whether these massive turbines are an eyesore and noise disturbance, but I’ll leave that debate to the Kiwis. I personally think they're awesome – the wind blew so hard that when I jumped, I technically flew for at least two seconds. The only downside is that the wind blew away my braided headband that my friend Kristyn made me in Italy. Carolyn does not see the loss of this headband as a downside.
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"Inspiration" - a comic by Shawn Forno

Mt. Egmont, or Mt. "TaraNOTki"

2010-04-08T22:01:00.013+10:00


Mt. Taranaki (the Maori name) or Mt. Egmont (the English name) is supposedly one of the most beautiful and iconic mountains in New Zealand. Its solitary snowcapped peak is so stunning that it was used as a stand-in for Mt. Fuji during the New Zealand based filming of “The Last Samurai.” Unfortunately, storm clouds and fog shrouded the mountain for a week, so we never got to see it…Mt Taranaki I mean, not “The Last Samurai"…I saw that and it was awesome. After six days of waiting around New Plymouth, Oakura, and even on the slopes of Taranaki itself, Care and I decided to give up on getting a rad picture and moved on. The slopes show potential though, and I’d love to come back on our way north and go for a hike. Until then, I’ll just rent “The Last Samurai” and practice sweet sword moves in front of my little laptop screen.

1:13 in...check it out:

	Destination guide: Mount Egmont, New Zealand
	by Shawn Forno
Mount Egmont, also known as Mount Taranaki in the local Maori language, provides one of New Zealand’s most iconic landscapes and is home to a multitude of tramping tracks, camp sites, huts, and dozens of other outdoor activities...read more

"TaraNOTki" - a comic by Shawn Forno

Oakura Tide Pools

2010-04-07T22:01:00.006+10:00


Freedom camping is a strange thing – once you start, it’s hard to stop. The fun of freedom camping started when Care kept track of the nights we paid to camp and the nights when we found a great spot and just winged it. Over the past few weeks the list showed a growing number of freedom camping nights until the scales finally tipped to make “freedom camping” our accommodation of choice at Oakura Beach. This little stretch of boardwalk and sand 10 km south of New Plymouth isn’t all that much, just a public restroom, showers, and water taps, but waking up thirty feet from the water makes up for a lot. For example, on our second day here grey clouds moved in, snuffing out any hope of a sunny day on the shore. However, for some reason we took a nature walk along the beach to the scattered boulders and shallow tide pools just a half km from our campsite. Next thing we know we’re picking up eleven-armed sea stars (we looked it up and that’s their actual name), pointing out other smaller different starfish (which we didn’t look up, but are pretty cool regardless), getting into staring contests with crabs, touching the sticky tentacles of sea anemones, fording streams, and planting stick trees. Care loved it, and it reminded me of home. What can I say, living for free is addicting.
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The Three Sisters

2010-04-06T22:01:00.009+10:00


The atlas that came with our van has these great little icons for all sorts of interesting places to hike, camp, surf, and generally…see stuff. To Carolyn’s never-ending frustration it even has Lord of the Rings film location sites, like Mt. Doom. The icon for these spots is – you guessed it – a golden ring. Anyway, a different one of these icons - a shiny star - is for geographical landmarks, which is cool because as extensive as our cough “research” is, we could never read about every great thing to see and do in New Zealand. So, luckily it was one of these icons that showed us the location for today's blog. A place called “The Three Sisters.” When we pulled over at the location of this site we just followed the brown signs and parked by the beach. More signs pointed us to a short hike around a cliff. Only problem was that the tide was obviously coming in and the cliff blocked whatever it was we were supposed to see. After a second of "what do you wanna do? I dunno, what do you wanna do?" we ignored the rising tide which promised to cut off our exit. What can I say, we had faith in that little star on the map. It’s a good thing we did. The Three Sisters is this amazing rock formation jutting out of the water along the rugged sandstone coast. It’s a lot like the Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road in Melbourne, Australia. Erosion wore away the soil around the base of each pillar leaving each majestically stranded in the sea. Turns out a few years ago one of the pillars fell over, so technically it’s just the Two Sisters, but there are a few other bluffs and arches forming, so I’m sure the two ladies will have a younger sibling in a few hundred years. In case you’re wondering, yes, the tide did come in, and yup, we got pretty wet walking/swimming back to the van. But we loved our little off the grid adventure because we didn’t have any expectations, so they were more than exceeded. We love not knowing what each day will bring, and while we might get a little wet for not planning according to the tide charts, the adventures are worth the smelly shoes.
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Carolyn Gets Older in New Zealand

2010-04-06T09:53:00.003+10:00

Today is my 27th birthday, which I've been told bumps me from my fun and carefree "mid-20's" to my old and worrisome "late-20's". While living in a van in New Zealand hardly fills my life with anxiety, I still can't escape from the word "old" just based on the fact that I've been around since the early 80's...that's almost vintage!

So I hadn't exactly been looking forward to this day, but then I came across a touching letter that was written to me 23 years ago.

Well that proves it! I'm not old! If I were, I'd be living somewhere in Alabama married to my preschool boyfriend, Luke. Whew, that was a close one.

See ya tomorrow, I'm off to enjoy my youth!

Oh and before I go - it's my birthday so I can do whatever I want.

Shaun Rice
Age: older than you think

Our Endless Summer - Raglan

2010-04-04T22:01:00.011+10:00



Have you ever seen The Endless Summer, arguably the most influential surf movie ever made? No? You should, it’s awesome. Anyway, this 1966 classic follows two surfers on their quest for perfect waves in a season jumping jaunt around the world. One of their most impressive stops is the little known (at the time) break at Raglan, on the west coast of the North Island, New Zealand. The movie catalogues the insanely consistent break with a peeling left that stretches over 100 meters. For you landlubbers, that’s a looong wave. I was obviously stoked to surf “the best left in the world.” However, when we finally got to Raglan – which was a few hundred km out of our way to Wellington – I was greeted with an ocean as flat and smooth as glass. Seriously, no waves at all. Anger. Disappointment. Waste of gas money? What happened to everything magically working out for us without any planning? How is it possible that one of the most reliable waves in the world pooped out on the one day I came to shred it? That’s right – I said “shred.” Meh. It happens. I guess the summer had to end sometime. It just stinks that it ended when I came to see it. Maybe next time I head up to Raglan I’ll even...oh, I dunno...check the surf report.

The drive to Raglan wasn't a total waste - here are some pics from the beautiful Waikato region. This photo album requires Flash. If your device does not support Flash, you can view the web album on Picasa.

The Tongariro Crossing - a.k.a. "Mt. Doom"

2010-04-04T10:40:00.010+10:00

Lake Taupo – the largest freshwater lake in the southern hemisphere – lies two hours south of Rotorua. You might ask, “Shawn and Carolyn, what do you do at the largest freshwater lake in the southern hemisphere?" Well, if you’re anything like us you eat a sandwich, splash around for a while, then play backgammon until naptime.

While we were eating sandwiches we watched literally dozens of people fall out of the sky. Taupo is home to the cheapest skydive in NZ, so at any given time you can look up and see someone screaming their face off as they plummet to the earth.

Care was stoked to kayak, but the lake doesn’t have a lot of twists or anything, so we decided to wait for the Abel Tasman to get our kayak on. Instead, we drove south to what many consider the best day hike in New Zealand – the Tongariro Crossing.

	This 19 km hike up and through the saddle of two active volcanoes followed by an undulating descent through the Red Crater, past the Emerald Lakes, and down the alpine landscape of the lakeside mountain face is home to an ever changing tapestry of stark beautiful images. We finally got to wear our hiking boots! The start is a climb up “The Devil’s Staircase” (exactly like it sounds) with imposing Mt. Ngauruhoe filling up the landscape. For most trekkers, this volcano is just another unpronounceable Maori name, but for me it’s the famous Mt. Doom from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson scoured the New Zealand landscape for a mountain imposing enough to be the throne of all evil. The fact that he chose this peak should tell you something about the area. Luckily we started at 7:30 a.m. so the heat of the climb was refreshing. At the peak, we trekked across a wide crater that looks like the surface of the moon. The temperature drops significantly and wind whips across the exposed face of the volcano, but the desolation is really beautiful. We lucked out with the weather – it was clear and sunny – but clouds and deep fog can descend on the summit in minutes, making the trek dangerous if not impossible. People have gotten lost and died on the mountain before. Once we crossed the crater and climbed some more we hit the high point. After a few hundred meters of sliding down the loose rock scree we came upon the Emerald Lakes. These three pools of turquoise water are heated by sulfur vents in the volcanoes’ crevices creating a welcome splash of color on the otherwise monochromatic scenery. The lakes are insanely blue. Like, Crayola 128-pack of crayons “cerulean blue”. After the lakes the hike sort of plods on, a little up, a lot down, until we reached the far side of the mountains and head down through ever greener alpine landscapes. It was like a science fair diorama – these plants live at this elevation, this bush lives at this elevation, trees sprout here – until we descended amongst a rushing stream and lush forests of the foothills. I have a bum knee which flared up on me, especially on the descent, so the last eight kilometers took forever. It was nice though because Care and I took our sweet time getting down the mountain. She waited for me when I needed to crab walk down a steep hill, and we got to really soak up the scenery all around us instead of just pushing ahead like I’m prone to do on a hike. All in all, the Tongariro Crossing lived up to the hype as the “best day hike in New Zealand.” We saw Mt. Doom, volcanoes, craters, lakes, rocks, trees, streams, nature stuff, and I hurt myself. What more can you ask for?

	Destination Guide: Lake Taupo
	by Shawn Forno
Taupo is a wonderful jumping off point for dozens of activities on the lake or in the centrally located Taupo district of the North Island. Kayaking, sailing, para-sailing, swimming, skydiving, snorkeling, tubing, and more are all available for booking at either the information...read more
Destination Guide: Tongariro National Park
by Shawn Forno
Forty kilometers south of Lake Taupo, the lush blues and greens of the bustling tourist locale succumb to the rugged landscape of the Taupo volcanic fields, home to three active volcanoes – Mt. Tongariro, Mt. Ngauruhoe, and Mt. Ruapehu. The trail winding between...read more

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"One Ring to Rule Them All" - a comic by Shawn Forno

Lions and Trout and Pigs, Oh My!

2010-04-03T11:23:00.008+11:00


The sweetest part about booking our hangi at the information site was the free bonus stuff. Not only did we get access to the geysers at Te Puia, we got two free tickets to Paradise Valley – Rotorua’s Trout and Bird Sanctuary/Petting Zoo/African Lion Safari. For real.

Paradise Valley is situated twenty minutes west of town, which alone makes it worth visiting (seriously it’s really smelly in Rotorua). We made sure to arrive an hour or so before the 1:30 pm lion feeding – but we’ll get to that in a bit. Care and I thought we’d be killing time watching trout and petting some half dead goat, but it was awesome. Our first stop was the kea enclosure – home to New Zealand’s alpine parrot. Care pointed out that New Zealand is so backwards – they have alpine parrots and warm water penguins. The sign at the door describes these colorful birds as “cheeky and curious.” They’re notorious for stealing shiny things left unattended – the metal pieces of windshield wipers are a popular target. Next, were the cutest pigs in the world. I cannot do these pigs justice. They catch the food you throw to them, and are so earnest it made us want to give them all our petting zoo pellets. Pigs rule. After that were the most entrancing trout ponds in the world. I’ve personally never been fishing, so I don’t know anything about trout, but watching these things swirl around in concentric circles in crystal clear mountain spring water was a highlight of the trip so far. That’s right – trout watching was a highlight of my trip. What. After this we entered the best petting zoo I’ve been in since I was young enough to freak out about farm animals. Goats, sheep, ponies, wallabies, wild turkeys, other different goats, boar, and alpacas all ate pellets out of our hands. Care liked the sheep, but the wonky teeth and “giant black eyeballs” on the alpacas freaked her out. The goats and I were bros. The petting zoo was so great that we almost forgot about the lion feeding (not really, but the goats were rad). Care completely disregarded both the teeth of the lions and the electrified fence to get safari style photos. I think she’s got a career as an adventure photographer. I'll never understand how she can be so scared of alpacas, but lions aren’t a problem. Women… I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Even though it was completely inauthentic to see lions in New Zealand, it was one heck of an experience. And I ain’t lion! Ba-dum-bum-tchh! Hey-O!

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Fool Me Once, Shame on Shawn

2010-04-01T13:02:00.005+11:00

When I woke up today, I thought "Hooray! A brand new day!"

I did not think "Today is the first day of April," nor did I think "Happy April Fools Day!" My lack of date and time awareness was unfortunate.

When I mentioned that I was hungry, Shawn jumped out of the van and said, "I'll get it for you." I thought it was uncharacteristic of him to voluntarily arise before 9 am, and to step out into the chilly morning air just to pour me a bowl of cereal.

But it was such a sweet gesture, so I brushed my doubts aside. When he passed a bowl of delicious cocoa puffs my way, I could hardly contain my excitement. Breakfast is my absolute favorite part of the day - I love it so much I actually look forward to it when I'm falling asleep the night before. So I started to salivate as I sliced a fresh banana into my bowl.

We started an episode of "How I Met Your Mother" on my ipod to enjoy while we ate breakfast, and I brought a heaping spoonful of cereal towards my mouth. Turns out the moment I'd been waiting for since my tummy first grumbled this morning was a moment Shawn had been anxiously looking forward to as well. That first gulp of what should have been pure chocolately goodness hit my tongue and was immediately purged back into the bowl.

"MUSTARD?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! BLEHHHHGHGHHHHGH!!!!!!!!"

Horrified, I looked up to Shawn for reassurance that he had accidentally poured my breakfast into his dinner bowl from the previous night. BUT HE WAS LAUGHING! And not just, 'Wow she's making a funny face' laughing. It was cold-blooded, 'I just ruined your entire day on purpose' laughing.

"APRIL FOOLS!" he exclaimed proudly.

Let's just say in the seconds that followed, things got a little messy. Shawn was soaked from the shoulders up with the mustard-rinse water I spit in his face. The ground just outside the window was splattered with mouthwash, milk, cocoa puffs, banana slices, and the bane of my existence, mustard. Shawn continued to laugh way too hard and pat himself on the back for remembering what day it was. I juggled between rage and betrayal and sincere confusion on why someone would ruin something so holy as my bowl of chocolate cereal.

Sadly, I've been unable to come up with a revenge-prank that wouldn't also affect me (it's close quarters in the van, you know). And that's why I need you, America! (and NZ and Australia and Canada and Italy and France and wherever else people are reading this) All suggestions welcome! Please, help this day end in justice!

Rotorua Smells Bad

2010-03-28T10:32:00.015+11:00

Rotorua means “stinky egg smell everywhere” in Maori. Ok, it actually means “second lake,” but I’m sure they meant to call it “stinky egg smell everywhere.”

Care and I were pretty pumped to hit our first real tourist destination on the trip. We’ve managed to steer clear of organized excursions so far (see our Whangarei posts), so it was actually a treat to head to the i-site (information center) in town to book our traditional Maori hangi – a feast similar to a Hawaiian luau.

We chose Te Puia’s smaller hangi because it came with a Maori show, haka lessons, a feast (so good), and free access to the geyser field located on the marae (village) grounds. The welcoming ceremony was cool – a warrior came out and challenged us. The singing and dancing were pretty, and the weapons demonstrations by some of the guys was sweet...though it reminded me a little of the Star Wars Kid.


The best part though was the audience participation. Carolyn learned the poi dance, and I got instructions on the haka. Care did awesome. The only part she had a hard time with was catching the poi. My haka however was a disaster. I couldn’t stop smiling. I would make the least intimidating Maori warrior ever. Watch both below and vote for your favorite awkward dancer.

After the show we got to eat the hangi – mostly pork and chicken steamed in a pit – along with delicious seafood and pavlova – a popular Kiwi dessert. Once we’d scarfed down our food, Care and I rushed out to catch the eruption of Pohutu, New Zealand’s largest geyser, which erupts hourly and sometimes as high as 30 meters.

The smell of sulfur was overpowering, but the range of bright colors from mineral deposits and the heat from the steam were really exciting to see firsthand. I’ve never been to Old Faithful, so this was my first encounter with geysers. Rotorua is covered with geothermal fields, bubbling mud pits, and geysers.

By the end of the few days we spent there we were pretty over the smell, but for the rest of my life rotten eggs will remind me of New Zealand. That's probably not the best travel endorsement, but it's true.

The hangi experience was well worth the NZ$90, and I whole-heartedly recommend it. Just don’t eat anything within ten hours of the show. There’s a lot of food at the hangi.

Seriously. It's like "trying to eat your money's worth at a $12 buffet" amounts of food. You always think you can do it, but inevitably stuff yourself with mac and cheese and never finish that third plate piled high with shrimp tails and some kind of pudding.

	Visiting Rotorua, New Zealand
	by Shawn Forno
Rotorua, the city of sulfur and unofficial capital of tourism in the North Island, is home to traditional Maori hangis (feasts), geyser tours, thermally heated basins like the Champagne pools, mud baths, sky diving, bungee jumping, zoos, animal parks, sled luges, 4WD quads...read more

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Whakatane and Playgrounds

2010-03-26T22:00:00.004+11:00


It seems like everywhere we turn New Zealanders are doing something active; and not just kind of active – insanely active. Marathon swims, 20 km “fun” runs, 100 km bike rides, there’s even this guy, Shaun Quincy, who just finished rowing a boat from Australia to New Zealand. Solo. (For those of you who have no idea about geography down here – that’s over 1,350 miles). Obviously this abundance of energy seems excessive and confusing to us lazy Americans. However, Care and I think we’ve discovered the reason behind all the famed Kiwi “Can-Do” activities. Playgrounds. That’s right – playgrounds. The high-quality and overwhelming number of playgrounds in New Zealand is staggering. Well-designed skate parks litter tiny neighborhoods. Full scale climbing walls are placed
right next to see-saws. Tire swings and a monstrosity called the “Roktopus” cozy up to these spinning platforms that are designed to fling you off. The best part is that most of these places don’t have the safe spongy floors that play areas have in the States. No, these Kiwi kid death traps/awesome centers are paved with sand, wood chunks, and even straight-up big rocks. One of the best playgrounds we found was in Whakatane, in the Bay of Plenty. (Remember “Wh” is pronounced as an “F”…shockingly enough in this case). This thing had a massive zip line, swings, slides, climbing, skate park, pirate ship replica, fitness center, pull up bars, balance beams, and even hurdles – all just steps away from the beach. Carolyn and I got so swept up in the awesomeness that we competed against each other in a grueling obstacle course comprising everything in the park. It was so sweet. The secret to all this Kiwi exercise insanity is the simple fact that Kiwi kids are provided with no end of slightly dangerous, but extremely awesome, playground equipment. They learn young that climbing, swinging, running, and flipping off stuff is super fun. How else do you think New Zealand invented zorbing? I have a feeling that if we installed a few more zip lines in American preschools, we’d have some kid continuously backflipping his way across Nebraska…or some other equally hilarious middle state.

Mean People Suck

2010-03-25T15:36:00.002+11:00

Well, I hate to interrupt this chain of happy-go-lucky, “New Zealand is the best place ever!” posts, but it’s time for a harsh dose of reality. Yesterday Shawn and I were robbed. At 10 am we parked Flash in a spot that seemed like a great find because A) it was free, and B) it was walking distance from free wifi at the library. But in hindsight it was a sketchy lot hidden behind bushes where nobody would see the glass of our side window shattering. Why can’t foresight be the one that’s 20/20?
By the time we came back to the van at 1:30 pm, some jerk had invaded our cozy home and run off with my wallet, my American phone, and two of Shawn’s small bags. The wallet makes sense – it was a really cute Coach wristlet I received as a gift in my mortgage brokering days, and inside was: $150 NZ and $200 US, my NY driver’s license, 2 debit cards, 5 credit cards, 2 Starbucks cards, a sweet money clip, oh and only the keys to the ignition and Club on the steering wheel! We were lucky the van was even still there. Shawn’s bags held more eclectic treasures. Had the stupid-dummy-head robber looked inside the bags before stealing them, he would have seen: a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, razor, shaving cream, deodorant, wool gloves, $2 ladies sunglasses (you know, the gold ones Shawn always wears in the photos…), magic markers, pushpins, surf wax, a California Raisins figurine, and worst of all, Brendan. That plastic dinosaur really tied the room together.

Despite small frustrations (have you ever tried to cancel 7 cards from overseas?!), we’re feeling incredibly grateful. Yeah it sucks to lose money, and it kills me knowing that the things that meant heaps to us, but had no monetary value, are lying in a ditch somewhere. But we're counting our blessings because we still have 2 laptops, 2 ipod touches, our camera, NZ cell phone, passports, and Shawn’s money (hehe). Other than the one scumbag, the Kiwis have been nothing but awesome. Terry, the police constable, drove us to a used car parts lot where we found a perfect match for our 1987 Townace window. He even haggled with the owner to get us a good deal – “Come on mate, they had their money taken too,” he said and winked at us. Julie, another officer, drove out to us the next morning and fingerprinted the van while we ate breakfast. A young rafting guide we met in a coffee shop today heard the story and bought Shawn a flat white.
	To top it off, some complete stranger was a rockstar when he saw the broken glass. He crossed the parking lot, walked straight up to us, and put a $10 bill in my hand. He said, “I saw what happened to you and it’s just awful. Take this and buy yourselves a drink or something.” Then he ran off towards his car and added over his shoulder, “We’re not all bad!” I didn’t even have time to thank him. Woolworth’s parking lot dude – you’re my new hero. UPDATE FROM SHAWN: Deep breath. Ah… The window is fixed, the damage erased, and we’re shaking ourselves off, chalking one up to bad circumstances and rotten luck. Care and I are moving on – a little bit wiser, a lot warier, but by no means jaded. Traveling is all about exposing yourself to the elements, and it’s ridiculous to think that we’d only encounter sunshiney days and lollipop forests.
I came across a quote on my sister Cherise’s facebook page, and it’s eerie how appropriate it is to our current situation: “Any idiot can face a crisis – it’s day-to-day living that wears you out.” - Anton Chekhov. We’re bummed about what happened, but a robbery is small peanuts to the everyday stumbling blocks of monotony and apathy that sometimes crept into our lives in the States. While we may be low on cash at the moment, it could be a lot worse. I could be in a cubicle right now.

	How to Theft-Proof Your Car in New Zealand
	by Shawn Forno
New Zealand is best seen from the open road. The spread out nature of the country, limited public transit options, and affordability of self contained camping make exploring from a personal vehicle the best choice for any tourist regardless of length of stay...read more

Mount Maunganui and Tauranga

2010-03-23T15:35:00.004+11:00

It’s a strange feeling to head east, leaving the safety and familiarity of Auckland behind us. We’ve taken our time getting to the jumping off point of the trip - vacationing in Fiji and staying in Auckland for weeks building Flash. Even driving up to Northland felt safe because we knew we’d swing back through Auckland to stay with Pete and Michelle again. But now that Hot Water Beach is behind us, we seriously have no idea what we’re doing. It was the last destination that we knew anything about. We're finally traveling by the seat of our pants, and it's an awesome feeling.

	The first stop on the “we’ve got no plan at all” leg of the voyage was Mount Maunganui – and it was sweet. We freedom camped right next to the water, and climbed the deceptively tall mountain at the mouth of the harbor. The 360 degree views of the bay, the beach, the ocean, and a long, thin, sandy island that’s actually a forest preserve are amazing. But the best part is that from the peak you can see the waves stacking up like corduroy. Carolyn chased down a few pocket-sized sheep for a photo-op on our way down as I ran to get my board. Seriously – best waves of the trip. Good size waves (overhead), peeling rights, beautiful sun, and best of all – no insane paddle out define Mount Maunganui's surf. A few hours later I got out, exhausted but happy, and Care and I watched the sun go down on the water. It wasn’t as cheesy as it sounds. After that we saw Avatar. Speechless. The “we’ve got no plan at all” plan is awesome.

	Destination Guide: Mount Maunganui and Tauranga
	by Shawn Forno
Mount Maunganui, the 256 meter mountain that guards the entrance to the city’s bustling harbor, is the namesake for this laidback jumping off point to the Bay of Plenty in the North Island. Mount Maunganui's gradual ascent and beautiful views provide just the right environment...read more

Hot Water Beach

2010-03-22T13:48:00.004+11:00


The only bad thing about New York is that nobody owns a hot tub. And I mean no one. Sometimes I’m all, “Man, living in the best city ever is wearing me out with how awesome it is. I just wish I could unwind in a pool of really hot water.” But I can’t. So when Care and I heard from the Kiwi bartender at the Sunburnt Cow in Manhattan (an Australian themed bar) that you can literally dig your own hot tub in the sand at a beach in New Zealand, we were excited, yet skeptical. Turns out everything he promised was true.

Hot Water Beach (that’s its actual name by the way) on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula is home to a freak collision of geothermally heated underground water and a beautiful beach location. Two hours before and after low tide you can rent a shovel at the café in the parking lot and dig a few feet into the sand. Within minutes, hot water will seep up into the hole effectively making your own tailor built hot tub. It’s crazy. The only thing is that it’s hard to gauge how hot the water will be. Pools right next to each other can vary from lukewarm to 150C (that’s insanely hot). Care and I dug our hole pretty quickly – me shoveling, and Care constructing an awesome sand wall to protect us from the waves and other greedy diggers. We thought we had a sweet thing going – it was warm and certain parts of the sand were hot to the touch – like those hand warmer packets you put in your ski jacket. Then a few people abandoned their pools and we took a walk. A pool ten feet away almost burned my feet off. It was mind-blowing. We actually had to drain other cooler pools into it just so we could get in. We stayed forever, soaking away the stress of life on the road, while marveling at a tourist attraction that actually lives up to the hype. It almost never happens, but when it does it’s nice to kick your feet up and relax in a hot tub. Or at the beach. But it’s double sweet when you can do both at the same time. Hot Water Beach is double sweet.

	Destination Guide: Hot Water Beach
	by Shawn Forno
Every year thousands of vacationers from around the world descend on Hot Water Beach in New Zealand to dig their own hot tub in the sand. The source of the hot water is an underground spring of geothermally heated water located just feet beneath the sand, right next to...read more
Destination Guide: Coromandel Penisula
by Shawn Forno
The Coromandel Peninsula is one of the last true hippie hideouts in New Zealand. The small population of towns like Thames, Coromandel Town, and Whangamata swell from a few hundred to thousands as visitors from nearby Auckland pour into town each summer...read more

"Hot Water Beach" - a comic by Shawn Forno

Travel Bug Bites

2010-03-21T11:18:00.004+11:00

Carolyn here, reporting live with my first special-interest post! I'm half of this talented twosome some call "Carolorno"…or was it "Fornolyn"..."Carno"? It just doesn’t roll off the tongue like "Shiana"…

Anyway, my contributions to this bodacious blogging duo are mostly behind the scenes, so I wanted to take this chance to jump out front and say hello. Also, don’t be afraid to show us some love by leaving comments! We wanna know what you love about the blog, what you can’t stand, and what you want more of (please say knock knock jokes). If you have no opinion, we love you anyway and want to know what you had for breakfast.

But the real reason I’m writing today is to tell you about insects, AND HOW THEY ARE THE MOST EVIL THING IN NEW ZEALAND EVER EVER EVER EVER. I grew up in the muggy South, so I’m no stranger to mosquitos. In Auckland, we breezed past the bug repellant aisle when we were loading up Flash – bug spray is for wimps and DEET can kill you, right? So wrong. A few weeks of beach-hopping and a few thousand bug bites later, we learned our lesson. Maybe we’re spoiled city slickers from New York, but it felt like these Northland mosquitos swarmed twice as hard and bit twice as often as those in the States. And when the mozzies were sleeping during the day, we were devoured by sandflies, a New Zealand specialty. The sandfly is a nasty little bugger because he looks like a harmless gnat to the untrained eye, but up close, his true, evil identity is revealed! Some of their bites are hard enough to draw blood.
We’ve also had bad luck with bees and wasps. I got stung while I was driving on the highway. The angry little wasp bounced off the sideview mirror, down the back of my pants, and stung me 3 times in the butt before I could pull over and jump out of the van (just like in Tommy Boy). Shawn's bee attack was more traditional. He got stung in the face. When we went through Auckland again we spent almost $100 NZ on the war against bugs. We bought itch creams for the bites we already had, spray repellant to drench our skin and clothes (80% DEET yo!), and a Raid mozzie lantern with smoke that kills every bug in a 10 foot radius. Consider yourself warned - this was not an overreaction.

Bayly's Beach - New Zealand's Longest Beach

2010-03-20T03:00:00.014+11:00

Flash has tiny tires - seriously itty bitty - so we’ve done our best to keep him off gravel roads and sandy beaches. However, the densely packed sand at Bayly’s Beach let us take Flash on his first beach sleepover. He was pretty stoked about it. The first thing that attracted me to Bayly’s was the monstrous surf. The beach is a bit out of the way for most travelers headed up to Cape Reinga, but after my session at Ahipara I was craving some good waves with size on ‘em. Bayly’s delivered.
	I’ve never paddled that hard. Ever. Set after set rolled in during the evening session, and just when I thought I’d made it to the line up, the break zone receded as outside sets kept pounding those of us foolish enough to paddle out in the large swell. The worst part was that the current pushed north so quickly that when my exhausted arms and shoulders finally pulled me past the breakers, I was a few hundred yards up the beach.
Poor Carolyn with her camera was a little dot in the distance vainly trying to pick me out of a wetsuit clad line-up with the setting sun in her eyes. It was cute watching her try. I caught a handful of waves, but they kept re-forming off a hidden sandbar. It was impossible to get a good ride, so after an hour of flailing I paddled in, thoroughly humbled. The sunset was nice, though. That night Flash’s solar powered twinkle lights battled thousands of stars as the sound of waves lulled him to sleep. I'm sure he dreamt of flying down the flat packed sands of New Zealand's longest beach at breakneck speeds. In the morning I paddled out for another surf to slightly better results. I've always heard that even your worst surf session can leave a fond memory behind. If that's true than I will forever remember Bayly's Beach.

	Destination Guide: Bayly's Beach
	by Shawn Forno
Many people mistake Ninety-Mile Beach at the tip of Northland in the North Island for New Zealand’s longest beach. However, that particular honor belongs to the sprawling coastal cliffs of Bayley’s Beach on the southwestern coast. Sandy beaches stretch as far...read more

Opononi and Opo "The Friendly Dolphin"

2010-03-19T09:34:00.017+11:00

We stopped in Opononi through sheer happenstance. I’d been driving for a bit and wanted a milkshake (New Zealand makes a really good milkshake) so we pulled over at a dairy/takeaway to grab a bite. Next thing we know, we see these beautiful sand dunes across the inlet and in typical backpacker fashion we said, “Wanna go for a swim?” Guess what - we did want to.

The water was insanely cold - but refreshing - and the people put up with our bizarre antics with typical Kiwi tolerance. Care and I even had a hopping race, where we frantically hopped down the beach. Good times.

The only thing besides the dunes and good milkshakes that Opononi is famous for is Opo, "The Friendly Dolphin," who in the summer of 1955 swam into the inlet and played with human swimmers for several months. Her interactions with the people were so entertaining that thousands of New Zealanders flocked to this tiny hamlet in Northland to catch a glimpse of the friendliest.dolphin.ever.

Tragically, Opo was murdered by local fishermen (allegedly) after the city passed a law giving her special protective status. A bronze statue in town still commemorates her life and death. Opo was even given a full Maori funeral with all the rights of a tribal member.

Here’s a link to a fan site for Opo that even includes a popular 1950's song about the beloved mammal.

Strangely enough, when we first landed in Auckland some of the front page news was of a new friendly dolphin, Moko, at the beaches near Whakatane. He was such a popular attraction that the city council hired three full time minders (lifeguards) that ensured his safety, and that of swimmers. Unfortunately, Moko didn’t stay in Whakatane for more than a few weeks, but the nightly news speculated on possible places that he might head to next, with guesses ranging as far as Gisborne.

It’s tales like Opo and Moko, the friendly dolphins, that put the subtle differences between New Zealand and American culture into perspective. The U.S. erects statues of war heroes, generals, politicians, and business moguls. New Zealand commemorates friendly dolphins. Maybe we could use a few statues of Flipper.

Tane Mahuta - Lord of the Forest

2010-03-12T22:01:00.003+11:00


Tane Mahuta means “Lord of the Forest” in Maori. It’s such a great name for this kauri tree that dominates the area around it. Its age is estimated at 1500 years old, though some botanists think it could be over 2000 years old, meaning it was a seedling when Jesus walked the earth. WHAT? It’s wild to think that this one tree predates so much human history – even the Maori settlement of New Zealand by hundreds of years. It’s hard to see something alive that is so ancient, and to think of how long it’s stood there – growing quietly in the pre-human forest. I get a big kick out of dinosaur bones, but somehow their age never resonated the way this single tree did.
	It’s kind of like when someone asks what I’d do with a million dollars. All these crazy things pop into my head, but when they ask what I’d do with ten thousand dollars I picture investment portfolios and how many tanks of gas that is. The smaller, more tangible number makes me think in concrete terms. That connection to the everyday makes the ten thousand feel like a lot more money. Tane Mahuta’s connection to the living, present day forest makes its 2,000 years that much more impressive. If you crane your neck to look up at the branches near the top, you see a bunch of other bushes, and even other small trees growing on top of the branches. It’s so massive it’s starting another forest on top of the canopy. It’s like “forest-back-forest.” (Hi Don and Maggie). It’s a shame that the pictures don’t do it justice – it’s impossible to capture the size and scope of it. The perspective gets lost because the trunk is set back from the path and it’s so tall. Care and I recommend Tane Mahuta to anyone traveling in Northland. It was a short walk to the tree, but one that will stay in our memories for a long time.

	Destination Guide: New Zealand's Most Famous Tree
	by Shawn Forno
The drive down the 12 highway, a branch of the Twin Discovery Highway in Northland, New Zealand, leads through Waipoua Forest. This ancient kauri forest is an obstacle to some motorists with its steep roads and winding corners, but to most it's home to New Zealand’s...read more

Not impressed? Maybe this can put things into perspective...

Shawn's First New Zealand Birthday!

2010-03-11T22:00:00.005+11:00


Today, March 12th, is my 28th birthday – wow. The best part about celebrating my first birthday in New Zealand is that it’s extra long. Since NZ is 18 hours ahead of New York, and 21 hours ahead of Los Angeles, I can not only rock out here during my b-day, but also I can go online and rock out with my American friends for an extra few hours. Let the celebration commence.

Cape Reinga - The Top of the Island...sort of

2010-03-11T11:55:00.008+11:00


Cape Reinga is the northernmost point of the North Island…almost. Turns out that the Surville Cliffs 30 km away is actually the northernmost tip by a hair - a detail we've chosen to ignore since we didn't find that out until we had already driven 20 km of desolate gravel road and hiked all the way down to the lighthouse at Cape Reinga. Details schmetails.

However, the Cape is significant for more than its latitude. The Maori revere it for its spiritual significance as the departure point for spirits headed to their ancestral home. Signs along the path even ask visitors to respect the spirit of the place by refraining from eating and drinking along the path. So after I read the first sign 500 meters down the path, I wolfed down my sandwich and L&P soda like a good tourist.

We dug the view at the tip of the Cape where two oceans meet – the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The churning white froth and waves offshore look like waves hitting a long underwater reef, but it’s just the collision of the two bodies of water. It’s weird to actually see that oceans have separate currents and directions, and they’re not just one big blob of water.

The collision is so vivid here that it inspired Maori myths about the Male and Female halves of the ocean meeting in a violent concussion of creation. I just thought it looked like good surf.

	Destination Guide: Cape Reinga
	by Shawn Forno
Famous Cape Reinga draws over one hundred thousand visitors each year to this far flung northwestern most tip of the North Island of New Zealand. Situated just three kilometers south of the actual northernmost tip of the island – located at the Surville Cliffs...read more

There's a sweet photo album here, but it looks like you're using a device that doesn't support Flash.
No worries! Simply view the web album on Picasa.

Ahipara - Surf and Fish n Chips

2010-03-05T15:23:00.015+11:00


One day we pulled over to go to the bathroom. When we got back in the car fifteen minutes later, I had a surfboard. Obviously, our next stop had to have waves, so we headed to Ahipara.
	This sleepy surf town on the west coast officially marks the beginning of famous 90-Mile Beach – the long sandy stretch of white sand blanketing the west coast that attracts 4WD enthusiasts and sand dune boogie boarders. It’s also a magnet for swells coming out of the Tasman Sea. We freedom camped on the beach and woke in the morning to sun streaming through the curtains and the dull roar of waves breaking on the sand. It wasn’t very big, but it was clean, empty, sunny, and warm, with a few little left-hand rides that made the short paddle out worth it. They do two things well in Ahipara – surf, and fish and chips. The surf got blown out a little after one o’clock, so Care and I headed into town for a bite. The two monstrous pieces of fish that came bundled in stiff white paper along with a gazillion chips (fries) was a slice of heaven. My whole life my dad has been going on about the great food from New Zealand. He’s from the South Island originally, which is a huge reason I’m down here in the first place. After the heaping helping of fishy goodness at Ahipara, I’m starting to agree with him. Carolyn HATES fish, by the way. Don’t worry too much for her survival though – turns out this small island nation also produces more ice cream per capita than any country in the world.

	Destination Guide: Ahipara
	by Shawn Forno
Most travelers headed up the Twin Discovery Highways in Northland, will drive right past Ahipara. It’s understandable, since most are keen to reach Cape Reinga to the north it’s fourteen kilometers off the main highway, past Kaitaia. However, a small detour to this...read more

Whangarei Falls

2010-03-04T10:48:00.029+11:00

After the caves we went “chasing waterfalls” at Whangarei Falls (again, the "Wh" is pronounced as an "F"). Carolyn started humming TLC and I can’t get it out of my head. Thanks, Care.

The 25m high falls is definitely worth the forty minute nature walk through Kauri forests and over canopy bridges that lead to its icy pool. We even prepared for our bone chilling swim at the base of the falls with a quick rope swing session at a watering hole along the way, courtesy of a few friendly Kiwis enjoying a swim.



It was a relaxing day, a refreshing swim, and a great chance to get out of the van and explore. I’m glad we didn’t just fuel up and head north - that whole "it's the journey not the destination" thing, blah blah blah. My only regret about Whangarei is that we didn’t see Avatar. I hear that movie is awesome.
Now you won't be able to get it out of your head either...

The Abbey Caves in Whangarei

2010-03-03T11:57:00.019+11:00

The Abbey Caves in Whangerei (pronounced "Fun-gah-ray") are ridiculous. There are no guides, no paths, we had the world's worst flashlight, and we had no clue what we were doing. It was “Kiwi Can-Do” at its finest.

Underground rivers and ponds with eels and crayfish cover the “path” – often reaching up to your hips with no way to see the murky bottom.

Stalactites and stalagmites litter the path threatening your face and knees with scrapes and whacks, but we pressed on because when you turn off/drop your flashlight in the water, hundreds of sparkling blue glowworms shine overhead like beautiful alien constellations.

Car thieves are the only downside, with break-ins reported every day. Signs at the parking lot warn you about it, but what are you gonna do? Miss the caves?

Like I said, the Abbey Caves are ridiculous. Throw a club on the steering wheel, grab a glow stick or whatever you have handy, and head on down. It's awesome.

	Destination Guide: Whangarei
	by Shawn Forno
Travelers headed up the Twin Discovery Motorway to the northernmost tip of the Northland region of New Zealand will want to pass through Whangarei, the last largish city on the east coast before reaching Cape Reinga in the Far North Region. It’s a great place to stock up...read more
How to Theft-Proof Your Car in New Zealand
by Shawn Forno
New Zealand is best seen from the open road. The spread out nature of the country, limited public transit options, and affordability of self contained camping make exploring from a personal vehicle the best choice for any tourist regardless of length of stay...read more

"Kill the Light" - a comic by Shawn Forno

Piha and the Black Sand Sprint

2010-03-02T17:57:00.036+11:00

	Our first stop on the roadtrip is Piha – the famous black sand beach renowned for big surf, and the hottest. sand. ever. Home to the “black sand sprint” – a 100m dash to the ocean over burning black sand – Piha is a fun day-trip just an hour west of Auckland.
"Black Sand Sprint"
We also stumbled upon the 2010 Junior World Surf Championships with grommets (little surfer dudes) ripping hard enough to shame the best adults Stateside. France represented big with flags flying during most heats amidst teams from Japan, Argentina, Italy, Australia, Indonesia, Hawaii, the UK, Mexico, and more. The comp was a great look into the strong surf culture of New Zealand, which often gets overshadowed by Australia. I’m stoked to buy a surfboard. Heaps stoked. Stoked as.
For more on information on Piha, check out my article on Helium.com - Piha Travel Guide.	Click here to view our Piha Photo Album.

Flash the Van

2010-03-01T09:42:00.094+11:00

What’s the best way to see

New Zealand

? Backpack? Hitchhike? Kiwi Experience Tour Bus? Nope. The correct answer is from your very own 1987 Toyota Townace Super Extra– “Flash”.

Here’s what he’s packing:

	Manual Transmission with a little bell that rings when we hit 105 km/h (a blazing speed of 65 mph) Back seating area with a hinged panel that folds down into a bed Electric chilly bin (cooler) that we plug into the awesome set-up that Pete built for us Back pantry area for food and stuff Fold-out table for eating and games 2 fold-out chairs 2 plastic bins for our clothes Curtains everywhere (thanks Jude) 2 sunroofs Gas cooker with two ranges 1 pot, 1 pan, toast rack, a bunch of dishes, and cooking stuff Spice rack Electric Kettle 5 liter water pump for brushing our teeth or rinsing off our feet and stuff Wash bin with biodegradable soap Febreze (nobody likes a smelly home) Tape deck adaptor for our ipods Computer desk Bookshelf Game center with cards, Backgammon, Knucklebones, and travel Settlers of Catan Solar powered Christmas lights Desk lamp Mosquito lantern 6’ surfboard *Acoustic guitar …just to name a few things…

Pete rigged Flash with two batteries – one for the car and another that charges while we drive. Then he hooked it up to a monster inverter that charges our laptops and chilly bin. It’s awesome.

We bought him for $3,000 NZD and spent a few bucks buying lumber, bedding, knick knacks, the chilly bin, etc. and outfitting him the way we liked, but the grand total with registration, Warrant of Fitness, and a handmade super van was $1,500 USD each. Pretty sweet, eh?

It was awesome building the inside ourselves. When we started we just had an empty van, so looking back now, we’re really proud of our work (carpentry is hard). Flash is our home on the road, and he’s taking real good care of us while we explore New Zealand.

Quick Travel Tip: Live in a van. Seriously. It’s awesome.

The best part is that strangers initiate ten minute long conversations about how awesome our van is every time we open up the back to make a sandwich. And we make a lot of sandwiches.

Click the photo below to see the complete awesomeness of Flash

Beached As in Auckland

2010-02-27T09:51:00.088+11:00

Travel is an amazing thing. It exposes us to new experiences, people, and aspects of ourselves that we don’t face at home. That being said, life on the road gets lonely.

That’s why it’s great to land with family and friends to soften the entry into a foreign country. Emma, Mick, Michelle, and Pete have been amazing.

Emma and her boyfriend, Mick cheerily picked Care and I up at the airport with almost no warning from us. My bad. We crashed at their pad, had an awesome home cooked meal, a kiwi BBQ and pool party, a guided tour of Auckland, and most importantly – they showed us the most New Zealand video in the world – “Beached As.” We use it to practice our accents.

Quick Travel Tip: Learn accents and phrases from popular movies, T.V. shows, and internet videos to blend in abroad. When you meet new people, parrot these phrases to show that you know everything about their culture.

After that, Pete and Michelle put us up for way too long at their beautiful home in Henderson – a suburb of Auckland notable for filming the Xena Warrior Princess series (I saw the lake from the title song and got pumped…Carolyn sighed).

They gave us advice for the van and travel in New Zealand, cooked great dinners, threw a nice happy hour, and showed us around town, including a trip to the championship midget and sprint car races. An American won, of course.

They even let us practice driving on the left side of the road. I only freaked out Michelle once.

Our trip would have had a pretty rough start without them; and we wouldn’t have such a great van –which I’ll talk about later.

They helped us “heaps bro”, but it was nice to connect with family and get a better sense of New Zealand. It’s nice to have someone looking out for us on the far side of the world.

If you were hoping for some information on Auckland that is actually helpful, check out my article on Helium.com - Auckland Travel Guide.

And click the photo below to view our Auckland Photo Album

Fiji has Stripey Fish...and Coral

2010-02-26T09:59:00.034+11:00


For anyone who hasn’t been to the Octopus Resort on Waya Island, Fiji for a five day getaway during New Year’s Eve – here’s a dramatization. The names, awesomeness, and level of relaxation have not been changed to protect their identities.
	The heavy Fiji sun pours down from a cloudless blue sky on two sleepy figures strewn haphazardly across a hammock. His right leg droops off the side, toes nearly touching the sand. Her left arm dangles, fingertips twiddling a weathered bit of driftwood. The skin on the tip of their noses and tops of their shoulders are bright pink, like salt water taffy. An ocean breeze glides up the white sandy shore and contemplates rocking the hammock a bit, but then thinks of something better to do and wafts toward the tiki bar for a banana smoothie. The slightly pinker one speaks first. “Hey Care?” He can’t see through her red sunglasses, but he knows she hasn’t opened her eyes as she mumbles, “Yeah?” “Whadda ya wanna do today?” he drawls. The ocean breeze returns from the tiki bar bringing scents of banana and crushed ice as it pushes their hammock from side to side before racing down the beach to flip a woman’s straw hat off her head. The girl shrugs – more a suggestion of eyebrows arching, than shoulders actually moving – “We could eat again.” His stomach groans. It can’t handle anymore beer battered fish and chips and cheesy pasta. “Nah, I’m still pretty full from breakfast and lunch. What about snorkeling again?” She levers herself up and turns toward him, her face in the shade. He can see her eyes behind the smoky lenses. They’re open. “Yeah…but we’ve already seen all the stripey fish, and the coral.” He nods. “True." "We could kayak, hike, stroll down to the shipwreck, swim in the pool, or make shell necklaces again,” he suggests. “I’m still pretty tired from listening to Black Rose – Fiji’s number one band – last night. That was the best beach bonfire/volleyball party ever.” He nods his agreement. “New Year’s Eve was pretty sweet,” he says as he scratches the fresh scab on his left knee. No one told him how hard it was to limbo in a grass skirt. His eyes scan the sand around the hammock. Discarded palm fronds and broken shells liter the area underneath the checker patterned shade their hammock makes on the wavy dunes. That’s when he sees four small coconuts piled at the base of a tree near a lava stone the size of a golf ball. “We could play coconut bocce ball again,” he suggests. A hint of a smile crosses her lips and she turns back to face the sun. “Ok,” she murmurs. “But not right this second. I’m busy.” “Ok,” he agrees. They close their eyes and swing from side to side as the afternoon sun paints them a brighter shade of pink.





Carolyn and I loved our resort. Great people, great New Year’s Eve, great food, great fun, and it only cost us a few hundred bucks for five days in paradise.

Travel Tip:

On any flight headed west - scratch that - any flight headed anywhere, demand a layover in Fiji. I’m pretty sure transferring in Fiji is faster than flying through Atlanta.

Now click the play button to watch our sweet montage song...

There's a sweet photo album here, but it looks like your device doesn't support Flash.
No worries! Simply view the web album on Picasa.

What Not to Pack

2010-02-25T13:19:00.008+11:00

We scoured the internet for tips. We read every travel blog. We grilled other backpackers for info. We even asked a magic 8 ball. But after all of that, Carolyn and I created a simple two step system of packing for a one-year trip to New Zealand: 1) Wait until the night before the flight to pack. 2) Bring tons of useless stuff. It’s working so far.

In addition to the pounds of clothes, jackets, computers, guide books, boots, sleeping bags, and stuff we actually need, here are a few items we just couldn’t leave behind:
Shawn: 1 black wool peacoat 4 pairs of jeans 2 huge metal belt buckles 1 white button down shirt 1 dental retainer 1 plastic brontosaurus named “Brendan.”	Carolyn: 1 Russian style winter hat 1 Italian leather jacket 72 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups 1 4’x6’ American flag 17 pairs of underwear & 10 pairs of socks 1 pair of knee high suede boots

	Quick Travel Tip: If your bag gets tagged as “HEAVY - BEND YOUR KNEES” by support belt wearing behemoths whose job is to fling around super heavy bags all day – you messed up.
Travel experts may say don’t pack jeans, bulky jackets, mounds of chocolate, plastic dinosaurs, and more underwear than you can wear in a year – we’re not listening. In all my travels I’ve found that no one cares how good at packing you are. I don’t need tips on how to shrink wrap my t-shirts. We’re not impressed by your stupid “fknoon” (a fork, knife, and spoon fused together). Actually, a fknoon would be pretty sweet…

The old saying, “Take half the clothes and double the money,” is for crybabies. We say, “Take twice the clothes, almost no money, and a plastic dinosaur.” Do not forget the dinosaur. Like I said before, it’s working so far.