Wellington - Part One

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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Our Endless Summer - Raglan

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.

Mount Maunganui and Tauranga

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

Ahipara - Surf and Fish n Chips

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

Piha and the Black Sand Sprint

	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.