The Great Kiwi Campervan Adventure

Yes, I'm Still Alive!

2pter — Tue, 7 Dec 2010 07:59:00 GMT

Hi all! I can’t believe I’ve been gone a full week already, but it has indeed taken me that long to find a reasonably priced internet connection. Internet access appears to be quite a precious commodity here. Apparently running fiber optic cables out to the middle of the South Pacific costs a fair chunk of change. I talked to a local who said her “premium” internet plan cost $150 a month and had a maximum 9GB cap per month. I guess we Americans have it lucky, with our streaming HD video and hours of aimless surfing.

The end result is that I’ve learned to be very strategic and efficient with my internet usage. Emails have to be composed offline, and I actually have to write down a checklist of websites to visit in my allotted 15 minutes of time (which costs $1).

There’s so much to write about, and no time to type it all up! I’ll just upload as many pictures as I can and update you all personally when I get back. Enjoy!

Photos: main

2pter — Sun, 5 Dec 2010 21:06:00 GMT

Auckward Moments

2pter — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:42:00 GMT

Hi guys! Well, I made it across the Pacific. On the way over, I had an interesting conversation with a nice lady named Linda about her experiences with the new full-body scanner at airport security. As she recounted it, the tech running the scanner (who is in another room to respect passenger privacy) had to radio for visual confirmation that Linda was in fact a woman, and not a man with two *cough* bags of explosives strapped to his chest. Poor Linda…

Anyways, the rest of the flight was uneventful, and we arrived in a heavily overcast Auckland. Two hours later when I emerged from customs, the sky had cleared completely. Auckland feels like what would happen if you uprooted all of Seattle and relocated it to south Florida. The vegetation and climate are definitely sub-tropical, but everything else reminds me of the Emerald City. The populations are roughly the same size. A crunchy/hippie vibe rules parts of the city. There are large populations of Asians and Pacific Islanders here (side note: I bet that’s the first time you’ve seen the term “Pacific Islander” used outside of a government form or a standardized test). Heck, they even have a rip-off of the Space Needle!

My first stop after checking into a relatively clean and B.O.-free hostel was the fake Space Needle, or the Sky Tower, if you must. One thing this version has on the original is the all-glass flooring of the observation deck. This made for some interesting and nerve-wracking photo opportunities. The rest of the afternoon I spent strolling along the waterfront, trying to locate a decent grocery store, and practicing walking on the left side of the sidewalk. This last thing hasn’t worked out so well, since there is roughly a 50/50 mix of right-side-driving tourists and silly-side-driving locals in the city center. Eventually I just gave up and started plowing through the middle of oncoming crowds. The end result was about the same.

Unfortunately I overlooked a minor technical detail and forgot to bring a card reader that’s compatible with my camera’s flash memory. Until I find a competent electronics store, you’ll have to take my word that I actually went to these places and am not just holed up at home in the middle of a Lord of the Rings Extended Edition marathon viewing.

The plan for tomorrow is to take a ferry out to one of the surrounding islands, a dormant (not extinct!) volcano called Rangitoto. If time allows, there’s also a nearby beach known for its great surfing and resident gannet (a seagull-ish bird) colony. To be honest, I’m mostly just counting down the time until I can pick up my campervan and hit the road! Auckland is nice and all, but I didn’t come here just to explore a midsized metropolis…

More to come soon, and hopefully with visual aids!

The Island So Nice They Named It.... NEW Zealand

2pter — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Hello all, and welcome to my online travel journal (and for my sake, please don't call it a blog!). I'll be traveling to New Zealand from November 26 to December 12. Apparently free wi-fi access is somewhat scarce in Middle Earth, so I may not be able to post updates and pictures on a daily basis, but check back often. I'd love to hear feedback, suggestions on things to do or see, travel tips, photography tips, or random expressions of jealousy and envy. Oh, and sad as it is to admit, I haven't written much in the way of prose since I turned in my last term paper (over three years ago), so I apologize in advance if my writing is at times unclear, incoherent, or rambling (as is probably the case right now).