Quick Update on New Years Eve

Sam and I have left Hairy Berry and headed toward Wellington, which is where we are now. We took our time getting down here, stopping by places where LOTR was shot, like Matamata, known for its location of The Shire, and saw other places like Mount Doom and the Land of Mordor, along with parts of the Anduin River. I'd post pictures, but as you know, no camera, and I don't have the time to upload at the moment.

Stayed in Rotorua the first night, went to a hot spa, which was really nice and relaxing, except for the smell of rotten eggs because of the sulfur from the thermal areas in Rotorua. The next night was in Turangi, and the third in Ohakune. We went on some really great walks around Tongariro National Park (which is where Mount Doom is located). In Rotorua we also went luging, which is like go-carts, but better! You sit on these plastic luges, and basically zoom down a mountainside on a paved track, and the only way to slow down is to pull back on your handles. No pedals. We only went twice because it was really busy (I won the second race!), but Sam and I are definitely gonna do it again.

Now we're in Wellington for New Years. We were really stupid and didn't book any beds in advance, and so we started calling around a couple hours before arriving, and everywhere was completely booked (because everyone wants to celebrate in the city, of course). We lucked out on 4 beds in a backpacker called Rowena's Lodge, but only for yesterday night, and had to check out this morning. They now have 2 singles and a double, and we booked those even though they're more expensive (we won't find a bed anywhere else). I don't like sharing a double with Sam, because we both end up not sleeping well, so the two other guys took the double. They'll be drunk later on so it won't really matter. About 5 more people we met at Hairy Berry are now in Wellington, so we're gonna meet up with them in a couple hours for a New Years Eve Party/Dinner, then head out to the pubs. Should be a fun night, but I've decided that I don't like alcohol, especially beer. I'll have the occasional peach schnapps or fruity drink for big parties like tonight, but after my 21st birthday, I decided I won't really drink. I don't like it to begin with, and it sucks out so much money.

Anyway, I've got to update on what's happened the past couple weeks 'cause a lot of stuff went on, but I don't know when I'll get around to it. Have a look on my pbase album if you'd like pictures. Have a Happy New Years!

Movin' On

So Sam and I have left Hairy Berry. Alex from Germany and Stuart from England are traveling with us, and although I was a bit sad to leave Te Puke, it's fun to be on the road, ready for our next adventure. Unfortunately, this means no more free/easy-access internet, so I won't be able to upload pictures or update frequently. Currently, we're in a little town called Turangi, south of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. See if you can find it on a map.

I'm only online at the moment because my digital camera got stolen and I've got to order another one. The stores here don't have much variety, and it's cheaper to buy from the US anyway. How'd I lose it? That's a story for another time. Gotta go!

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and has an awesome New Years!

A "Batch" is a Beach House

Plans change. That's one of the things I love about backpacking. Sam and I had originally decided to stay at Hairy Berry and work until January, but just the other day we decided we're gonna head down south with Stuart and Alex after Christmas. We'll sightsee a bit on the way, celebrate New Years near Wellington, then go on a 6-day kayaking/camping trip on the 4th of Jan. After that Sam and I will head back up to Auckland, and go on a month-long tour of the entire country with a company called Flying Kiwi (that part was already planned, we've already paid for it).

Ooh, so if you guys were planning on sending anything for Christmas or whatever, make sure you send it to the first address I posted, in Auckland, not the one I put up for Te Puke, since we won't be here much longer. I'll just repost it I guess, since some of you lazy folks won't even bother to go looking for the address.. ::coughdavemooncough:: Oh, and if you do send something, please make sure it's portable or can be used up. If it's heavy or whatnot, it's a possibility that we'll leave it behind or give it away.

Fat Camel Hostel
c/o Lois/Sam Kwon
Mailbox #5403
38 Fort Street
Auckland CBD 1010
New Zealand

Other news:

My sandfly bites are getting worse, I swear. It looks like I've got some contagious disease, and it itches like crazy. They're all over my arms and legs. Anyone know how to treat these things? I finally got some antihistamine cream (after 1.5 weeks!), but I was wondering if anyone knew other remedies.

These next pictures are from Mt. Maunganui. This past Sunday we went for a hike up the mountain, then went to the beach. I wanted to swim, but I totally forgot it was saltwater, and after half an hour, I couldn't stand it anymore and so I took a nap on the beach.





We've got a whole new bunch of people at Hairy Berry. One girl is from Denver, Ashley, a graduate of University of Colorado. Very cool girl, easy to talk to, got great music on her ipod. The other interesting person is a Korean girl from Seoul. She has the oddest last name ever, even my mom hasn't heard of this one: Hyung. Seriously. Anyone met a Korean with the last name "Hyung"? The great thing about her is that her English is really good, and so there's no awkward language barrier. I get to practice my Korean speaking on her too, so it's pretty cool.

It's late, gotta sleep, otherwise I'll be tired for work tomorrow. I hope everyone's finals are going(or went) very well! =]

It's a "Lolly," not Candy

At work the maori sometimes bring candy so that you can chew/suck on them while working. At first it took me awhile to realize that "lolly" is their exact word for candy. I intially thought that lolly referred to a specific kind of treat. One girl thought the word candy was pretty funny. They've heard it before, but I think she said that it refers to some specific brand or type, so it's rare to hear.

Also, I've noticed that every single maori at work smokes. But since I don't want to sit in the boring and quiet non-smoking section of the smoko area, I sit with them. I gotta say, I find it ironic that even though they're slowly killing themselves by lighting up a cancer stick (or two) at every smoko, I'm voluntarily killing myself secondhand, haha. But a small note: Until now, I never understood why teenagers begin or try smoking (or drinking) simply due to peer pressure or to look "cool." But sitting and chatting with the maori everyday (and living at hairy berry, where everyone smokes and drinks), I finally get how something so self-destructive can be enticing, 'cause it really does make you look like you're "one of them." At times I also find myself wondering what it must taste(?) like, and it's interesting to watch them roll their own cigarettes. Pre-rolled cigarettes are really expensive here, so a majority just buy tobacco, filters, and paper separately, and roll them by hand.

We've been talking about drinking in relation to my 21st birthday as well. 21 used to be a big deal here as well, because the drinking age was lowered to 18 only recently. I don't really know what'll happen, if anything does. Some suggest that we head to the big city nearby - Tauranga - to a bar or club. I don't even know if that's what I wanna do. I guess I should try a beer, at the very least? I dunno. It's just weird because I'm not at home with my usual group of friends, but these people are fun as well.We'll see.

We went to the beach again last saturday. I rested on the sand reading a book, while sam and the three british dudes went swimming. It was a really nice, sunny day, pretty hot but also windy. The downside? I got sunburnt a bit, but that's nothing compared to getting bitten to death. There were these sand flies that kept landing on me, and I swatted them away occasionally, but then it started getting really annoying. A couple days later I realize that I'm itching all over with tiny little dots covering my arms and legs. It looks like I've got the chicken pox. It's so bad sometimes that I can't fall asleep at night, and it bothers me a lot at work. Who knew that such tiny little things could cause so much trouble? I swear my skin feels like it burns even when I try to rub away the itch. Couldn't find any anti-itch cream at the store (they don't stock the stores like dominicks, so there are barely any pharmaceutical items), and the next-door pharmacy wasn't open. Oh well.

Side note: So far, the weirdest thing I've seen in NZ?
Two boys wearing Santa hats. Doesn't sound out of place, right? Well, let's add in the fact that we're at the beach. On a hot summer day. They're wearing wetsuits, and are holding those boards you float on (kickboards?). I had a picture of it, but I accidentally deleted it before uploading it onto pbase (sorry). But really, how weird is that?

The next day Sam and I went whitewater rafting! It's gotta be one of the coolest things I've ever done. There were nine of us, and we had been planning it for a week. We weren't gonna settle for any lame rafting, so we chose a level 5 course. Sam sat in the back of one raft, and I sat in the front of the other. Being in the front, I definitely got wet the most (that is, if you can be more wet than being soaked, and everyone was from head to toe). We were on the river for about 1.5 hours, and man, oh man, was it exciting! That blackwater rafting we did in the caves before, was okay. Something to be tried once but not worth doing again. Whitewater rafting? We are SO gonna do it again. We're hoping for a multi-day trip, where you raft for about 6 hours a day, and then camp out on the riverside for the night before starting again in the morning. (Oh, and the person standing next to Sam is that british guy, Stuart).

Last thing to note: we made omu-rice! Or should I say that Sam made it. He's the one who cooks our dinners. Anywho, every once in awhile we like to cook different dishes, and our mom gave us this recipe. We've tried out gijae's pasta sauce - which is great, by the way, thanks geej! - a couple times already. We'll try out jessi's soon, and sam says a friend emailed him another recipe. Sam was so proud of the omu-rice that he made, and honestly, it tasted just like our mom's. Good ol' korean cuisine! (Note: Sam's hair is growing long, eh?)

Party and Papamoa Beach

So lately Sam and I have been getting along well with the newer group of people who've come to stay at Hairy Berry. Sam particularly likes this guy named Stuart, a british guy (with a very strong accent), who's funny, wacko, and obviously fun to be around.

This past Saturday there was a party/bbq. Technically it was for the return of one of the staff from a week-long holiday, but we all know that it's also just because everyone wanted to have a good time, and Lingham's return was merely an excuse. He knows it too, considering the fact that he spent half the evening trying to get everyone to eat and not really eating anything himself, haha.

A couple of people brought out some guitars (Jimmy can actually play harmonica and guitar at the same time!), and so there was a good amount of live music, particularly the blues, with random people inventing different verses (all about the horrors of working hard for very little money), in the end calling it the Kiwi Blues - it's no secret here than you might work at a job that is very tough physically and also ungratifying. I actually got most of the song on video, so you'll get to see it when I come home. Kim, who volunteered to grill the food (sooo good), also did some fire-twirling, or fire tricks, or whatever it's called, which was a nice source of entertainment.

The next day, about 10 of us decided to head to Whakatane, a coastal city about 60km east (almost 40miles). We were planning on going on a nice walk/hike they have, then hang out at the beach, maybe take a swim. There being 10 people, we had two cars. Unfortunately, Sam and I got into the car that happened to break down only 12km into the trip. The first car made it down there, but my group was stranded, wondering why the engine was smoking, and trying to figure out how to prevent the car from overheating. We made it to a petrol station, bought some coolant, worried about the radiator, etc etc. Nothing worked, and we couldn't figure out what was wrong (although we deduced that something was leaking - it was later determined to be the water pump?), so we had to drive a couple minutes, stop the car when it overheated (sometimes it would start smoking again), and rest for 15 minutes waiting for the engine to cool down again so that we could drive another 2 minutes. In the end, a nice older man stopped by and offered to tow our car back. He already had rope, which was well worn - looks like he's done this before for other people. Good man! Especially considering the fact that he was heading in the opposite direction when he stopped, and towed us all the way back, which was about a 10-minute drive.




It would have been a waste of a nice day, but another guy had a van, and we decided to head to a nearby beach (we'd been stranded for 2 hours on the road!). Papamoa Beach was only about 15 minutes away, and even if we couldn't swim, it was really nice. After a couple hours, the other group had come back and joined us at the beach. Sam was itching to play ultimate, but since no one had a frisbee, they resorted to using Sam's racquetball. I got to collect some gorgeous shells, spend some time trying to remember my French - practicing on a girl named Nollwen from Lille, France - take pictures, etc. Several of us also spent about an hour making a massive mountain range out of sand, haha. The beach was absolutely beautiful.








A very good weekend, despite the car troubles. Next weekend I think we'll be going whitewater rafting!

"Piccies" is slang for Pictures

I finished my work at the packhouse last friday, and since sam's packhouse isn't closed yet, I started working there today. I would have started yesterday (monday), but the guys who normally drove decided to quit that job for another, and we didn't know how we were supposed to get to work. Luckily there's another guy, a german dude named Alex, who has a car and has also decided to work there. The packhouse is a much smaller company than my previous one, but the people are so much nicer and really fun to talk to.

The thing that surprised me most is how popular sam is! Seriously. At my old packhouse, people just kept to their own groups, and half the repackers were temporary workers like me. But at this new one, most everyone works there throughout the year, and so they know each other really well. They all took an interest in sam, who - unlike the guys who switched jobs - spent time talking to them. The german and finnish guys from before kept to themselves, so the regular workers didn't even notice when they didn't turn up on monday. But we walked in tuesday, and everyone was like "sam, where have you been?" When I was working, the group I was with would bring up questions about sam or refer to sam when talking to me. Pretty amusing, haha.

I've been trying to upload pictures this past week, but the restrictions on these computers are getting really frustrating. So you'd better be glad I took the energy and time (precious internet time) to do this. I'm gonna see if the staff can lift some of these restrictions so that I can upload better, but I doubt that'll happen. Some of these pictures you might find boring, but I'm putting them there to accompany my many little thoughts.

1. This crater you see is the top of the dormant volcano called Mt. Eden in Auckland. It's huge! In the second picture, you'll see a large hill/mound of grass and trees. It's one of the many dormant volcanoes that New Zealand is built on top of.

2. Just a few flower/plant pictures. I have no idea if these exist in the US, but I keep an eye out for plants now just because I know that there will be some plants exclusively kiwi (aka of New Zealand). The first one is just a really pretty red flower I found walking along a road. The second is really interesting: it grows all over on its tree, and it looks like a bright pink pipe-cleaner. The third is just some pretty flower bunches I found on a bush. I love the blue/green mix.





3. I'm guessing this is why Auckland is called the "City of Sails." There were so many!



4. In KeriKeri we stayed at a hostel that was right along a creek. Very cool.



5. Here's Lucky, the bunkhouse cat, dozing in one of her favorite spots. I've yet to get a picture of UC.



6. A group picture from Halloween Night (Sam went to bed early because he had work the next day).



7. I found footprints indented onto a concrete sidewalk while walking to the grocery store. My theory as to how it got there is that some kid was walking barefoot (which is actually really normal in NZ), and accidentally stepped on wet concrete. The footprints are very small, looks like it'd be from a 5-year-old.



8. My fingers, all cracked and peeling, along with my blister - from handling green kiwis for 8 hours a day.




9. James in his huge jungle gym (a tree with pipes built around it). James and Anna. James jumping onto his trampoline. He really wanted me to take his picture, as you can see. Also, you should note that he has cows for neighbors, literally, haha.





10. Pigs at the dairy farm down the hill - fyi, they smelled really bad. The farm only had two, and I asked Anna what they were for. With complete bluntness, she said, "We eat them for holidays like Christmas dinner." What makes it even more interesting is that she talks to them as though they are pets.



11. Cows being milked. Tim tells me that the price you can get for their milk is about the same as petrol. Not bad, huh. And Anna clearly knows a lot about cows and dairy farming, having no problem informing me of the processes of running such a farm and the types of different cows.



12. The O'Dea's (Tim's family) own their own avocado orchard. These green ones aren't ripe yet, but it was pretty cool to go and pick my own avos.



13. Tim getting me oranges fresh off the trees. They're really good. The second picture: the orange season is ending, and so all the oranges are very ripe and easily fall off the tree. Look how many are lined up on the ground! Unfortunately, all those will go to waste, because you don't know how long they've been lying there in the sun.




14. Me waiting to go to work at 7:45 in the morning. It's chilly in the mornings, and I knew I'd be working inside a coolstore, so that's why I'm all bundled up.



15. The repacking station I worked at before (no, I do not work alone). Then me, in my work outfit. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I had to wear an apron and a hairnet (I also wore that hat, sweater, and jacket everyday). And please excuse the cheesy grin.




16. It's normal for people to own some sheep. And they can bleat really loud.



17. A picture of a meadow for Jean. The grass/flowers/plants reached up to my hips!



18. My backpacker is on No.1 Road. And the second picture shows you what my backpacker actually looks like. If you want to see more, I believe arthur made a promotional video that shows the inside. Look on youtube under the same person who posted the halloween video. Sam shows up on the video too (although the video itself is kinda boring...).




19. There was a gorgeous sunset the other day from our view up at the top of the hill.



20. Lastly, a picture of Sam. His hair's grown long, and he wears a bandanna everyday now. He's doing some logic puzzle problems in a book I bought the other day.




A couple of other notes:

The weather's been getting really hot. I think the temperature broke 90 degrees today! How am I supposed to get excited for Christmas with all this hot weather??

I kinda poured out about my struggles on my previous blog, and I was hoping people would respond to that, give me their thoughts, opinions and advice. But I guess most wouldn't know how to since few did? But thanks to those who did for putting in their thoughts.

Ooh, and before I forget, a HUGE muchos gracias, merci beaucoup, danke schoen, ko-mahps, and thank you to mike for sending me the USB card reader! Geej, you'd better say thanks too, haha =]