Travels

quick update here... more to follow later about our awsome adventures in the whitewater of Rotorua. Im still looking for a name for the van, but right now the best option seems to be Wakarui which, in maori apperently means... waka: boat or vessel, and rui is silver (among many other things... the maori languige doesnt have alot of words, so some things mean many random things.
-Jesse

Hello,
Yesterday, the water was finally low enough to open them up for caving, we got down to the caving office to check, mark runs out beaming "aright mates, we're on!". First thing you do, is suit up in a full 5mm wetsuit, with a fleece jacket on underneath, as well as helmets and white booties. We had two guides, Louisa and a Maori named Hop, who were both really good. After about ten minutes of checking us out on the abseil practice course, its time for the real deal. You start out on a platform over a black hole in the ground and lower yourself down into the black abyss (which ironically is what the trip was called). About halfway down the hole, it starts getting a lil tight, the guides had warned us about this, but it definitly was a lil tighter then I had first imagined. Once your through the tight section it opens up into a huge cavern where you can quickly let yourself down to the bottom... the whole abseil is about 35m but it doesnt feel that much and unfortunatly its really hard to look down because of your harness.
When the group got all assembled at the bottom of the abseil, we followed one of our guides down the first passage, clipped into a safety rope (at first i thought this was a lil overkill, until you start walking on metal planks with black holes beneath them). She stopped us a few times so that we could look at and learn about the various stalagtites, stalagmites, cave coral and various other amazing deposits on the walls of the cave. Then we kept walking until we came to another set of ropes, I was in the lead so I clipped on first, the guide turned my headlamp off and said go.... it was a flying fox through the darkness, with glowworms EVERYWHERE. So after a couple seconds of flying through the darkness, I got pulled to a stop, a light came on, and Hop was standing there ready to help me off the line. Once our whole group was down (there were 10 of us including two guides), and after we had all finished laughing at the screams coming from the two japanese girls on their way down. We sat down on the edge of the water, and had coffee and "Cave Cookies", which in hindsight, I think goes under the same principle as when your climbing, because those cookies were one of the best damn cookies I have ever had.

After letting us enjoy our awsome cookies, and chat about the various things we had done, the guides gathered the group and got us all tubes. Again, I got nominated to go first (the guide had some crazy idea that I wanted to do all the scary things first, I wonder where she got that?), So I got put on this edge, were its about a 15 foot drop into the water, even though you cant really see it. Your told to jump, and land ass first on your innertube in the black water below, course I didnt need any convincing, and landed with a satisfying bang as my innertube hit the water. After which, everyone pulls themselves along ropes, and otherwise paddles a ways upstream, its really hard to tell distance of course because its so dark, but after awhile, the duie joins us all up as a train, and pulls us downstream through the river, all you need to do is relax and look at thousands, and thousands of glowworms. It is really hard to describe what a glowworm cave is like, they look like stars, but some are really close, and your moving through the cave so you come into these huge chambers that have literally thousands of them.

Time is a strange thing underground, just when I thought I had just gotten in, I checked my watch and it had already been 2 hours. The float under the glowworms was absolutly amazing, so it was kinda sad when we had to get off the tubes for the next section of our tour. Although that said, as cool as the tour was, I was just excited for the rest. This time we left the tubes behind, jumped off a small waterfall (only 4 feet) and started floating along the river (just like back home down the elbow, except in a cave, and in wetsuits). Similar to the tubing, except you float on your back, with your feet in front, and you go through some pretty small passages... some with only about a foot of room above the water for your head, all the while being pushed along by a nice current. One of the Japanese girls had trouble with small spaces, and this section was starting to get her nervous, so she started asking lots of questions. Which also included "are there any fish in here?" to which the guide replyed "do you want to know now, or after we are out?", he said this because there is a very large amount of cave eels down there, we knew this because we had checked out the info center the day before, but I didnt realize they could get up to 2m long!.... that said they are perfectly harmless, even if they decided to bite, their teeth are only 2mm long, and our wetsuits were 5mm, although lemme tell you guys, it felt VERY strange when one swam past or brushed against you.... I had to tell myself a few times that the suckers wouldnt do anything.

Anyway, back to the caving part, we finished our float, and had another little break as Hop explained the Maori importances of the cave that we were in, they even buried a chief in one of the chambers years and years ago. After we were done that, and our little snack of hot juice and chocolate, we started up what became my clear favourite portion of our trip, the CLIMB. We started up another small chamber (too small to walk, you had to crouch and sometimes crawl) with a tonne of water coming through.... the guides said this was one of the most fun times to go through because of the huge stream. At one point Louisa the guide turns to me and asks my favorite question "you want to do the normal route, or that challenging one?" which truly, isnt really a question. After this, I can say I am definitly not scared of tight places... the challanging route was through a passage where there was literally about 2 inches of room between the roof, and the water, and the whole passage was a little over a foot high, the idea is that you lay on your back, with your face out of the water and pull yourself along the roof. The whole thing lasts for about 10m, and then its back to the same passage as everyone else took, there were about 4 of us who did the "challenging" section, and all were very excited about it. After this, the guides told everyone that the next section was, "full on" (a very kiwi thing to say), meaning that because of the amount of water coming through, it was kinda sketchy, and anyone who didnt want to do it, no worries, there was another, easier, route out. The "Full on" route, consisted of two waterfalls, the first being straight up a chimney, that you had to climb up, then crawl along another passageway until you came out in a nice little room where you could sit and wait for the group. Finally we emerged out of the last waterfall into the stream above.

When we got out of the cave, it was already dark out, so we walked out of this incredible rainforest valley at night with our headlamps, and watching the stars.... it was definitly a fitting end to an AWSOME day of exploring these amazing caves. If anyone reading this decides to go to NZ and doesnt mind small spaces... do yourself a favour and get our caving, because it is WELL worth it.

We all jumped into the van after we had showered and had our fill of free soup and bagels.(Im thinking about naming her angie, although i still have yet to hear any suggestions from you guys.... toyota lite-ace thats silver... come on guys!) and hit the road for Rotorua, where I am writing from right now. The city is pretty cool, its built on a huge network of hotsprings, which means that our hostel has a hotsprings pool, and that there are tonnes of amazing gardens in the town, but it also means that the whole town reeks of sulpher... it smells almost like they were setting of fireworks for days on end. Today we are going to check out the street luge down a local mtn, and over the next two days we are going whitewater sledging (swimming down a class 5+ river with a glorified flutterboard) and then whitewater rafting (I wasnt going to go whitewater rafting, because of how cheap i can do it back home, but Mike told me about this place... the famous Kaituna river... it has the highest commercially rafted vertical drop in the world (a 7m waterfall!).

Again, please keep sending your awsome emails, and everyone keep thinking about a suitable name for my awsome van.
Hope all is well back home...
-Jesse

Hey Everyone,
Before I came here, I had heard about this "Land of the Long White Cloud" business, but never paid much attention. Now that Im here, it becomes only too evident as to why this name describes NZ, when it gets weathered in, the whole bloody place is socked in. I left you all in Paihia were it was really storming with high winds and a tonne of rain coming down, we decided that making the run for the Cape probably wasnt the best idea, because it would just be pouring up there as well. So although it was a really tough decision because the bay of islands is absolutly gorgious, we decided to try our luck down a little bit more south. The three of us jumped into our yet-to-be-named van, and drove down to Waitomo in search of the elusive glow-worms and "blackwater rafting". We were supposed to be black water rafting today, but because of the rain, everything was flooded out. Now I know everyone is wondering what blackwater rafting is, which makes sense, especially because you arent ACTUALLY using a raft, but merely an innertube. Blackwater rafting is basicly caving (or spilunking) in a cave with a river running through it. I wont tell you much more because I have yet to actually do it, but after exploring this area, I can atleast tell you, it looks REALLY cool.

So now we are just hanging out in Waitomo, waiting for the waters to lower, we have actually been in the sun most of the day with just scattered showers, and the raft center said we should be on for tomorow. Waitomo is totally what I would expect for the interior of the North Island in NZ, rolling hills, filled with sheep, and super windy roads. If I can get this stupid computer to read my card, I will update some pictures, it really is gorgious.
hope everyone is well,
keep sending your great emails, and dont forget we still need a van name.
cya,
-Jesse

Hello Everyone,
Yesterday was pretty interesting... on my last update I said that on wed. I would hopefully finalize my van buying, which on hindsight, the key word was HOPEFULLY. When I went in to look again, the one I was super interested in was there, but the lady behind the desk kinda gave me the downlow... that the guy was asking too much ($2500 NZ) for this time of the season, for that van. She pointed out another one that was a lil cheaper and a much better van, and she could tell me it was checked out legally (in NZ all the legal stuff goes on the car/van so if you dont do a legal check, you can actually end up with someone ELSES tickets and such.... crazy kiwis). So I decided to check this other van out, I got the mechanic to come, and he was very helpful with things, (he better have been, he put me back $120)and after he checked it out he talked about how old vans stand up, and what he normally sees, but this one has a leaky head gasket, and that it could stay like this, but if it gets worse, the engine is basicly screwed (which brings down the resale value no?). By the time this happened, I had ruled out the original van i was looking at because of price, another van because the mechanic and the owners told me about a gearbox that "might make it through the 6 months" and then this.... so I took a deep breath, and walked home kinda pissed off at stupid vans. I made dinner for a big group, and then met up with everyone and even some Canadian girls (Emma and Kelsey from Grande Prairie) and we went out for a drink, with the one rule that nobody is allowed to talk about vans (the girls are trying to buy something too). So yesterday, I woke up, again a little hungover, but set on resolving my vehical issues, and getting the hell outta Auckland (fun city, but everyone there goes and partys everynight, and i needed to go and experience some actual NZ). So after a quick walk down the waterfront to clear my head, I headed back to the dreaded Backpackers Car Market. My luck seemed to have turned around, the lady at the desk pointed out another good one, and after poking around for a bit and determining that I liked it, I got my good buddy Mr. Mechanic (actually, im sure he thinks of me like that with the money I shelled out.... but after seeing two lemons in a row, i am absolutly positive it is money well spent. He is also kinda funny, drives up in the shiny, brand new Ford. Its pretty flashy, something i havent seen before in north america, and he has it running at around 600bhp and is apperently just amazing.... which is suprising because I was under the researched opinion that ford ummm, Sucked.) Anyway, back to the story, he checked this one out and gave it the ok "It's a runner, thats for sure mate", the only problems are some wear on the tires and little things like a should get a fluid topup and always watch the oil and water (same with every car there because everyone of them is as old as me). So after 2 days of car buying hell, I took a deep breath, went and got my hired muscle (car market is in kinda a seedy part of town, so I got Adrian to come with me because I didnt love the idea of walking around with a huge roll of hundreds in my pocket), and went to the bank. The Van actually ended up costing me the same as the original that I looked at, which rounds out to about $4000 Cdn, except it is MUCH nicer.... Its in great condition, Toyota Lite-Ace with a Turbo (yes... turbo, i can pass trucks, going UP HILL when theres two lanes without pissing people off behind me) diesel so it is nice and cheap to fill up (1.27 a litre as opposed to 1.70) and it even has skylight windows in the roof that can come out. So now that it was done and I had all my papers in order, I was free to go (I should also mention insurance, 6 months of insurance for me costs $235, with any driver in the car, being insured.... try THAT at home). The Backpackers Market is just off K-road (its not actually called K-road but thats what everyone calls it because it starts with a K, and is about a meter long, and hard to pronounce like everything else here) which is one of the busier roads in central Auckland. So here I am, driving on the wrong side of the road, shifting with the wrong hand, and driving a van thats as old as I am for the first time..... When I stopped to turn onto K-road, I decided it was kinda sink or swim time... Suprisingly, I didnt have any troubles, the only problem is the right-of-way rules in NZ... people turning right have priority, so if your turning left (your side of the road) and someone oncoming is too... they have right of way, it didnt cause any incidents, but it sure is confusing...

After negotiating downtown traffic back to the ACB, I found Mark and we all packed our stuff, booked various crazy and awsome activities (I wont spoil it now, you can stay tuned to find out what they are... i just promise you wont be disappointed), and then said our goodbyes to people around the hostel. After having some pizza, finding the requisite car kit so we could listen to music on our bumpin stereo (for 20 yrs old... it works wonders), and relaxing by our van with John laughing at it and us... "Now Jesse, when you turn left up that road there.... remember, your on the LEFT" and "well, I guess we will cya tomorow.... pushing your van up queen st." bloody brits.... but after all this, it was kinda hard to leave the ACB, it really is a cool place, with some cool people (I would like to say international people, but 95% of them are brits). Even with that though, it was nice to get on the road.... with Johnny Cash blaring (I thought it was suitable) we hit the open highway, in search for adventure, and everything that came our way.

So this leaves me in Paihia, We had hoped to camp, but it was dark when we got in so we stayed at another backpackers hostel. This morning is kinda crappy weather, rainy and supposed to be high-winds later today, and similar tomorow, so my plans of sitting on a sunny beach seemed to be postponed. Although that said, it really is a pretty little town, nice waterfront walkway by the pounding surf, with palm trees and everything. Im even sitting in a nice little cafe, sipping on strong European coffee, listening to the surf as I write this.... I have decided that Im not having fun at all

So there we go, I hope you have enjoyed my update, I will try to update again with pictures of my van. Please keep sending emails, it is always nice to hear what is going on back home with everyone. I also have a challenge for you all, I need a name for her... Its a Toyota, and like any worthy transport, it must be a girls name.

Cya,
-Jesse

Hey Everyone,
I hope everyone is enjoying reading my accounts of life and times in NZ, I really love the emails that people are sending, definitly keep it up.
Aright, I left you guys just before going out on Sunday night, which in hindsight wasnt the best idea, being hungover AND jetlagged isnt the most fun thing to do, but its all good now, and I am starting to not only explore the city but plan for the next couple weeks. I have started to make some pretty cool friends out here, yesterday I was wearing my ski cellar shirt around and a guy stopped me and says "So where in canada are you from?" and after i said Calgary, he goes "great, me to, I saw your cellar shirt and knew". turns out it was two guys and they were just leaving that day for oz, so they gave me all their calling cards (like $40 worth) and then invited me to have breakfast with them, and free breakfasts are always fun. We also had a good laugh about my running joke with the brits, that EVERY single canadian you will ever meet not only knows, but misses a large double, double. Speaking of brits, one of my roommates.. Adrian, as well as another, Mark, are joining me in my roadtrip south, which is great, because since im gonna buy the van, they are gonna pay gas and the ferrie fee. On top of wanting to get out and find some cool adventures, both LOVE to eat great food, and LOVE to cook, I made my burgers last night to much applause, and Adrian and I are gonna make a currie tonight. We are also planning our trip, and it sounds like 4 days on the north island, hitting all the awsome spots, and then down to the south island, so apply in Wanaka, and then touring all over until ski season and work starts. So now I have 2 more nights in Auckland, and then we are hitting the open road with an eye for adventure.
As for today, today was absolutly AWSOME. I woke up with a headache (not hungover, i went to bed early last night, just an annoying headache) but I grabbed a quick shower, breakfast, and then went and checked out a bunch of cool activities to do on the north island before we go south. After that, Mark and I jumped on the "kiwi experience" bus tour, which is run by kiwi experience, but its a free tour all around auckland for people in the backpackers. We checked out a few beaches, and then one of the Mtns, which cant really be called mtns, more a big steep hill... its actually one of the volcanic cones that are everywhere around Auckland. On top of the mtn, was one of the Coastal Defense emplacements that the kiwis built to drive off the chance of a Russian invasion. There is even a huge cannon that is supposed to be the biggest gun in NZ, which was only fired once, as a warning shot to the only russian boat to ever come near the harbour. The gun fired, shattered every window on the waterfront, and the boat promptly turned around and left. There was also tonnes of tunnels and caverns that connect the guns, and provide cover, and it took us a couple hours to explore the area....
Aright, I think that basicly brings everyone up to date, tomorow it sounds like we are gonna try to finalize our search for a van, check out the sky tower, and then finalize our plans for the roadtrip. I also attached some pictures, tryed to keep em small so they dont take up all my space here, but i have bigger versions that i can email if you want.
So Long for now...
-Jesse

Hey everyone,
So here I am, Im finally here, after god knows how many hours (actually, im not even god and I know on good authority that it is 18 hours on planes and 12 sitting in various airports across the globe) in transit. The biggest worry I had coming into this whole adventure of traveling across the globe, was my baggage, I was told by the airline that I would have 66 lbs TOTAL baggage, and then when I checked in with our wonderfully canadian westjet, my duffel weighed in at 72 lbs, and my ski bag around 33.... needless to say, I kinda wondered how I would do, being that I was almost 45 lbs over weight, and Air Pacific supposedly charges $22 a kilo (2.2 lbs). BUT unfortunatly (actually, I should say fortunatly) Air Pacific did NOT know who they were dealing with.... anyone want to warrent a guess at how much I paid for overweight baggage? when I could have reasonably expected to pay $450........ Anyone?.... If you guessed any number, you were wrong, I didnt pay a cent. and on top of that, after being told about how painfull this flight was going to be because I was going to be flying on a 737 (yes, 737, the same exact aircraft that westjet uses on all their flights), apperently I would inevitably be stuck with no room, in a window seat beside both a crying baby, and the incredibly fat, and snoring man (actually, i wasnt told about either the baby, or the man, but I added them to make a better story.... did it work?) anyway, I was STUCK all by myself, in an entire row... it was really tough, I dont think I have EVER traveled more comfortably, I could literally stretch out and sleep laying down, with 3 pillows. On top of that, the guy sitting in front of me was a brit who was about into skiing as I am (poor bugger had a broken ankle and was going to Honolulu to visit.... but we had a great chat, traded emails and apperently his buddies are gonna be in wanaka this summer... small world eh?)

Anyway, speaking of brits, Im entirly convinced that this country is full of them... I have met one canadian, zero kiwis and a TONNES of brits, my room mates in the hostel (totally awsome, downtown, on the 6th floor, and we have a balcony bar literally 50 feet from our room.... dont worry mom, its not a crazy place, but I cant complain with a nice beer, and FREE smokeys every night for dinner) are all brits, two of them are really cool to hang out with... two hours in the country and I was sitting on the waterfront having a free beer at johns bar where he works as a bartender.

aright, Im gonna go chill in my room for a bit... its only about 7:00 pm here, but I havent slept in close to 30 hrs.... so im kinda tired. I will try to update this tomorow with more stories and adventures.
-Jesse

ps. In Auckland, crosswalks are totally different, a buzzer goes off and EVERYONE goes, and completely fills the intersection because you can walk where you want to go, even if its a diagonal.... VERY weird the first time you do it, but still a cool system.

Im done packing, and I am pretty sure I have everything I am going to need (actually, Im pretty sure I have too much). I found out the airline only lets on 66lbs of total checked baggage, which is really not that much, and a hell of a lot smaller then what I was hoping, especially because I need to bring my ski gear as well as the rest of the standard backpacking fare. So today I sat in my basement, and weighed things, lots of things, and decided what I can afford to bring, and what I cant. Unfortunatly, I just dont even have room for the extra pair of skis that I wanted to bring (I know what your thinking, and its not because I wanted to ski them, but I could get a very good price for a pair of next years skis!).

Other then the fear of getting nailed in both Vancouver, and Fiji with charges for overweight baggage, I think Im actually ready to go. If my amount of sleep (or lack there of) has anything to account for, I think I have finally realized that I am leaving tomorow and that I have one more night in Canada.

Stay tuned for more, Ill try to update when I get into Auckland and I will be able to fill everyone in on how sweet talking the nice checkin people goes to allow me to get away with weighting down the aircraft (I figure it cant be any harder then the FutureShop warrenty people right? )

So long for now, have a good May Long weekend,
-Jesse