Farewell Hangdog

Well it looks like I stayed in Takaka a lot longer than expected. It seems that every country I visit has one special place that sucks me in for longer than planned. There's a great community of people here and always something going on around camp. 

Check out this awesome outhouse next to my hammock. Easily the coolest poo throne I've ever had the pleasure of using. 

The other day we went climbing in the nearby town of Pohara. The views from the tops of the climbs never got old. Around every corner was a pristine and beautiful beach. 

Today I'm finally making moves. Tantiana and I have befriended a guy from Ohio by the name of Mike. Mike has offered to drive us down the west coast in his van. We'll be checking out some canyons, coastline and probably a couple climbing spots on the way. It shall be a jolly good time. 

Takaka and Hang Dog

The ferry from the north to south island was a treat. The channel getting into Picton on the south island was especially beautiful. 

Once I got to Picton I noticed a few others trying to hitch a ride out of town. I decided to take my time, pick up some groceries and prepare a tasty pb&j lunch. After I hiked out of town a bit and found a nice spot to sit and hope for a ride. After about 20 minutes I was picked up by a woman who was heading south for work. She was able to drop me off at the next highway that would get me to Nelson. Another 20 minutes of thumbing and I got a ride by a young American/Swiss couple who were on their way to the Abel Tasman National Park. So my original plan to make it to Nelson was upgrading by getting a ride directly to Takaka where there is great climbing and camping. Woo!

The hang dog camp is a 3 minute walk from some really good camping. It's packed full of mostly jobless climbers with a smattering of other free-spirited transient folk. The laid back vibe and friendly community made it very easy to settle in. By dinner time I had some new friends as well as plans for climbing the next day. 

One of the shining features of this camp is the river located across the street. Fresh Glacier water, deep water soloing and epic rope swings are only the highlights. By 5:00 the majority of hang dog camp can be found here. 

My last goal for climbing here is this massive roof located 60 feet off the ground. It goes at about 5.11d so it's a reasonable goal. A group went last night around 10 to climb it but I didn't have the skin or the energy to join. Maybe today!

I think I'll be staying another day or 2 but then I must move on before I get sucked into staying here for good!

Wonderful Wellington

I'm not much of a city guy but Wellington is rather nice. Not super crowded, very clean, insanely friendly people and lots of wonderful things to eat, look at and do. 

Jenna's brother Jonathan was kind enough to offer a spare bedroom for a couple nights. 

Lots a craft beer here which made me very happy (even if a pint cost $12 NZ). I also did lots of walking around the city. The Sunday market was wonderful. Delicious food trucks, super fresh produce and live music.

They've recently installed a diving platform, complete with a free solar heated shower. I actually had dinner and drinks with Jonathan and the man who manages everything on the waterfront. The diving platform was his idea! 

Nearby is the Te Papa museum. Totally free and full of information about the history of the island as well as the native people that have been living here long before British colonization. 

During dinner we were greeted with a phenomenal sunset complete with a very beautiful rainbow. A fitting farewell for Wellington. 

I'm now on a ferry that will take me from the north island to the south island. I'll attempt to hitchhike from Picton to Nelson, which is home to lots of great wine and beer. The cheapest hostel is $55 so I need to see if I can camp somewhere nearby. 

The Natural Beauty of NZ

Warning: long post

First off, my apologies for complaining about being in New Zealand. Jet lag mixed with "economy shock" was a bit much at the time. The fact that Auckland is a disappointing city didn't help either. 

Getting out of the city and into nature was exactly the cure I was looking for. Took the bus down to Taupo. From there I walked a half hour in the direction of Kinloch until I found a good spot to try and grab a ride to town. To my ecstatic surprise, a guy picked me up after only 5 minutes of awkwardly thumbing at passing cars. He wasn't even heading to Kinloch but had some time to kill and felt like helping a stranger out. +5 points to the people of NZ. 

The moment I got dropped off at the shoreline I knew I made the right decision. I still didn't even know if I'd meet anyone at Kawakawa Bay and the forecast called for rain every day, but it felt good. 

My first view of Kawakawa Bay. Seclusion at its best. 

The hike took over 2 hours and my shoulders felt like they were going to implode, but the amazing biodiversity kept me distracted. 

When I arrived at sunset, there were 2 couples already there; an American couple on their honeymoon and a German/Swiss couple that just wanted to see everything NZ had to offer. Best part being that they all were there to climb. We immediately connected and the 5 of us talked about all the climbs we wanted to do the next day. 

Kawakawa Bay was absolutely stunning. We were the only 5 people for miles. There was a toilet and spacious shelter and plenty of spots in the woods for camping, all right next to the water. The best part being that the lake was so clean that we could drink the water without any filtering or purifying. I don't think I've ever been to a lake this clean. 

A 15 minute hike in the morning got us to a beautiful rhyolite cliff right at the shoreline. Tons of bolted sport routes and established trad lines, all of them 30-45 meters tall. Both couples brought trad gear and it felt so great to be plugging gear again. The clouds came and went but didn't get any rain all day. The lake looked especially spectacular when the sun came out. 

Tonsai had amazing climbing and views but the seclusion and cleanliness of Kawakawa certainly gave it an extra special vibe. 

Sunset on day 2 was especially breathtaking. 

Any time you come near the shoreline all of the ducks come swimming over hoping to get some scrap food from your dishes. 

The next day involved nonstop rain; literally from waking up to going to bed, until waking up the following day. Luckily we had a super nice shelter and we passed the time cooking food, doing yoga, talking about future travels and making up games like this one, which was a sort of ghetto version of cornhole. Our beer can bowling game was also a hit. 

The next morning we hiked out in the rain, went for a swim and grabbed some food. We decided to go in on an Airbnb together. With 5 of us it was cheaper to rent an entire house than it was to stay in hostels. For dinner we cooked burritos which were exactly as delicious as expected. Also, it was my first time in a month that I didn't have to sleep in a dorm and it was such a relief. 

The next day the Swiss/German couple offered to give me a ride to Wellington since all 3 of us were planning on heading there. This was my first taste of the luxury of having a car in a foreign country. I got to see just how easy it is to make plans and see different places when you own your own form of transportation. A tease, but I was also grateful to get a free ride to my next destination. 

On the way we stopped at the Tongariro National Park, a place I wanted to see anyway. The low lying rain clouds were abound and we worried that we wouldn't be able to see anything. They came and went and we got some nice views while hiking around.

This is me pretending to have a horrible time in NZ. I still haven't seen the Lord of the Rings but I was told that the volcano behind me was Mordor or something. 

As we drove away, the clouds disappeared. Here's an even better view of this so-called Mordor. A worthwhile stop and I'm excited to see the even better beauty of the South Island. 

I'm now in Wellington at a Burger King reconnecting with the world that I've ignored for the last week. Tonight I'll be staying at the home of Jenna's brother, Jonathan. I'm excited to meet him as I've heard a lot about him but haven't had the chance to meet him yet (since he's been living in NZ). Tomorrow I figure out if I stay in Wellington another night or take the ferry to the South Island.

Side note: to all of you faithful readers of my silly blog, thank you for your continued support. Knowing that you gain something from my endless ramblings certainly helps motivate me and inspire me to continue this blog as well as my travels overall. Many thanks!!

I See Why Working Visas Are Popular Here

Nearing the end of day 2 in Auckland and I have to admit that stress levels are high. I knew it would be expensive, but I'm realizing it will be much harder to travel freely and really experience New Zealand without dropping more money than I'd ever like to. The cheapest hostel I found in Auckland was $20 per night for a bed in a 12 bed dorm and offers only barebone ammenities. Internet access and towels are extra and the shower might work if you're lucky. The hostels here have kitchens but the groceries are expensive too...

After hours of internal deliberation at the library I've decided to take a bus in the morning to Lake Taupo (buses are pricey as well). There's a bunch of climbing there and hopefully I can just camp near the water. From the bus station in Taupo I'll have to figure out how to get to Kinloch. Then from Kinloch it's a 2 hour hike to the bay and the climbing so I'll also have to figure out how to handle water and food while I'm out there (I'm also trying to ignore that my pack weighs 45 pounds).

The biggest unseen aspect of traveling is most certainly all of the logistics required on a daily basis. Maybe I'm still learning how best to do it, but it's quite draining. It has been just under a month and there's already a small part of my brain thinking about home. 

Must power through! I think the raw beauty of the south island will restore my batteries once I get there. The photos of the snowpocalypse back home certainly help too. 

The warfs were kinda cool. 

This massive volcano crater atop Mt. Eden was definitely my favorite part of Auckland (nice views and it's free!).

Talk to y'all in 4 or 5 days!

Later Malaysia

Checking in from the KL airport. The rest of my stay in KL was nice. Had time to unwind, wash the salt water out of my climbing gear, and plan the next leg of my trip. Thankfully I decided to purchase my flight from NZ to Australia because during check-in at the airport I was asked to provide proof of leaving NZ. That could've been disastrous. 

During sunset yesterday I decided to walk to the Petronas Towers. These buildings looked incredible in photos and even more spectacular in person. At the base of the towers was a neat water display with tons of light-up fountains that danced and moved to various songs. Really fun to watch!

If I budget properly, I usually end up at the airport with a small amount of cash left, not enough worth exchanging to a different currency. I really like when this happens because I can have a "treat yo self" moment and splurge on things I wouldn't normally buy, like this delicious cup of famous amos ice cream. 

While I might not be looking forward to the high prices of everything in NZ, I cannot wait to explore the beautiful country! It'll be a good opportunity to try couch surfing as well as do some hitchhiking and camping. 

Kuala Lumpur

Peace out Bangkok!

Hello Malaysia!

I guess I didn't know anything about Malaysia but I was surprised at how wealthy and prosperous Kuala Lumpur is. It's incredibly modern and really clean. It's also about 95 degrees here every day. With the recent foot of snow that has fallen in New England, I'm not complaining at all.

Malaysia has a heavy influence of both Chinese and Indian people. Upon arriving to the city I found myself in the Little India neighborhood. I treated myself to some authentic Indian food that I couldn't even pronounce the name of. It was far to spicy for me, but delicious nonetheless. 

My hostel is located in Chinatown. I had a really nice time walking around exploring all the street food and markets. The hostel is really nice but everyone just seems to lounge around and stare at their phones. I decided to take a stroll around and drink some crappy beer. I ended up meeting some other travelers at a bar and proceeded to have a great night talking about all sorts of stuff.

Today I shall brave the heat and see what other interesting stuff this city has to offer. Tomorrow I fly to New Zealand!