Today
was another adventurous and exciting day in God’s Own Country. I awoke at 6:30
after having another strange dream last night. I’ve been having so many strange
dreams lately, including one where I was in a prison and I climbed a 20-foot
stone wall and then jumped, landing softly on the beach sand. Anyways, Nikki
was up and she told me that Sheree was heading into town about an hour later,
so I decided I’d go with her so I can say goodbye to everyone here. I washed up and made
my morning tea. Steve, Kali, and everyone else was waking up by the time Nikki
was ready to leave for work. I gave her a hug goodbye and thanked her for her
excellent hospitality. I then had another cup of tea. Steve kept telling me to
enjoy the journey and not worry. Kali gave me one of their prayer books. As I
was looking at the beautiful view from the house, I realized how much I’m going
to miss it. Steve told me that I’m more than welcome to return at anytime and to
just show up at the door; no appointment necessary. Last night, Lance gave me
one of his shirts; it has a bright green mark on the front which makes it good
for hitching. It was raining, and Sheree told me that I didn’t pick the best
day for hitchhiking. At about 8:30, Sheree had to go and it was time to say
goodbye. I gave everyone a hug and I told Steve and Kali that I’d probably be
back later in my journey. We drove down the hill. I had to get out and open the
gate because the cows were all over, and then close it after Sheree went out.
We drove to the end of the road and then Sheree dropped me off. I gave her a
hug goodbye and thanked her for everything. I put my stuff in the calf pen on
the road, just in case it rained. I only waited for a few minutes and someone
picked me up. He was on his way to Tairua, which is the next town south of
Whitianga. The skies were grey but it wasn’t raining. He dropped me off at his
turn off. A few minutes later I was picked up by a couple that was heading to
Auckland. They were an elderly couple, about 70 or so. The roads are very hilly
and winding in the Coromandel region, and I sometimes get a bit of motion
sickness in such areas. They’ve done a bit of travelling; they were telling me
about Vanuatu and a few other places they’ve been to. They live in Whitianga
but, surprisingly, they don’t know Steve. I’ve met hardly anyone living in or
near Whitianga who doesn’t know Steve. We drove for over an hour and they
dropped me at a Mobil station right near Thames. The skies were still grey but
at least I had something to stand under in case it started to pour. I went
inside and got two mincemeat pies and then asked around. A truck driver stopped
but he was heading toward Tairua. However, he came back like five minutes later
and said he’d take me to Paeroa. That was nice of him. His name is Jonathan and
he is from Indonesia. It was my third ride of the day. He dropped me off in
Paeroa and pointed me in the direction of the road that would lead to Hamilton.
I walked up there and waited and waited for like an hour. A few police cars
passed me but I’m not afraid to hold out my thumb for them here. In some
countries that wouldn’t be recommended. Finally a gentleman named Steve picked
me up. He was headed to Te Aroha. He told me that there is a geyser here that
goes off about once every half hour. Unfortunately I’m going around all the
geothermal stuff during this journey, but I plan to get to Rotorua again. Steve
dropped me off at a corner that is on the road that leads to Hamilton. I only
waited for less than five minutes before a man named Adrian picked me up. He is
the father of seven children and is an appliance serviceman. He is one of the
few Kiwis I’ve met who doesn’t hold a passport. He was heading to Morrinsville,
which is the town between Te Aroha and Hamilton. He dropped me off on a street
in Morrinsville and then I had to wait again. I waited for about 15 minutes and
then a young man named Nicky picked me up. He works for Coca-Cola and the
exterior of his vehicle has Coca-Cola all over it. Some young people like to
pick up hitchhikers because they have someone to talk to along the way. Nicky
made sure to go a little bit to the outside of Hamilton so I’d have an easier
time finding a lift. The road leads to Waitomo Caves, so I was guessing I’d
have an easy time finding one. He dropped me off on the outskirts of Hamilton
near a petrol station. I ran in and got a Red Bull and then waited again. This
time a nice Maori couple picked me up. They knew the area quite well, and were
telling me a little bit. We drove for at least a half hour, passing through Te
Awamutu and stopping in Kihikihi. They wished me a safe journey and I was
holding out my thumb again. After seven rides, I was wondering but certain that
I’d make it to New Plymouth by nightfall. I told myself that if I don’t make it
and someone invites me to stay at their home, then so be it. The skies were
clear with a few clouds. I haven’t seen the sky this blue in over two months!
The ultraviolet radiation is very powerful and I have no hat or sunglasses.
After waiting for about a half hour, a young man named Cam picked me up. He
drove through Otorohanga, which is famous for its kiwi house and is known as
the “kiwiana” capital of New Zealand. There is a mural in Otorohanga featuring
kiwis, gumboots, and other New Zealand-related stuff. We passed the turnoff
that leads to Waitomo Caves. One of these days I’d like to do the more
adventurous “black abyss” blackwater rafting trip. We drove for a good while,
and Cam dropped me off in Te Kuiti. I was standing in an area where children
had just got out of school, so I was thinking that I’d be waiting a good while.
I saw one truck that had “New Plymouth” on it, and I was thinking that I could
have gotten all the way there in one go had he of picked me up. I waited over a
half hour in the sun until and elderly couple stopped for me. They were headed
to Piopio, which was about a half hour ahead. All of today I was admiring the
beautiful New Zealand countryside, with its many sheep, cattle, and green
rolling hills. I simply love this place! I was in Piopio at about 3:30. My
prediction is that it was take me a dozen rides to get to New Plymouth. I went
into the superette and got a mincemeat pie. I wanted to get some Grain Waves
but they didn’t have my favourite flavour. I waited for like 20 minutes and
then a girl named Heidi stopped for me. She was going all the way to New
Plymouth, which was about two hours away. I put my bags in the boot, got in,
and we were off! She really seemed to enjoy talking. She lives in Auckland but
she is on her way to New Plymouth to pick her daughter up from her mum's house.
The scenery was amazing and I had the ocean on my right. We just kept driving
and chatting away for about two hours until we caught sight of Taranaki. It was
covered in clouds. Heidi told me it means it's going to be cold tonight. She
was going to stop to see her sister, Danielle. That’s my sister’s name, only
spelled a little differently. She said I could check my email to get the
address of the couple I’m staying with. Danielle lives in a small back house,
and has a 10-month-old daughter who is just learning how to crawl. She let me
use the phone to let Barbara and her husband know that I’d be there shortly. We
left at about 7:00 and stopped at McDonald’s so I could grab a bite to eat.
I’ve eaten fast food hardly at all on this journey because I've had such good
food at my hosts' homes. Heidi then drove me to Barbara’s home and I gave her a
hug goodbye and got her email. She told me she looks forward to hearing about
my travels. Barbara met me at the door. She told me that the weather forecast
doesn't look so good. She was also telling me that I need crampons and ice
equipment at this time of year. However they don’t have any and they don’t know
of anyone I could borrow some from. I'll just hit Taranaki tomorrow and hope
for the best. If there isn't a clear path and I can’t find anyone who'll let me
use a set of crampons, then I'll have to descend and tackle it the following
day after getting my hands on some crampons and an ice axe. Barbara had just
made sausage rolls, so I had a few and then had a cup of tea. Today I predicted
that I’d make it here in 12 rides, but it only took me ten. There was a pretty
rainbow outside, so I went outside for a photo. I then relaxed for awhile and
then took a shower. Today I crossed more than half of the North Island just by
using my thumb, and it was my longest hitchhiking journey by far! "Aotearoa tonui ma" means "New Zealand via thumb" in Maori. A bus ride from Auckland to New Plymouth would have cost me
$68. It was dark out and I had another cuppa. I relaxed for a good while and
browsed the internet for awhile. I'm back into “civilization” because I have
regular internet access and electricity. I glanced at a guidebook about Korea
because I have a fascination with North Korea. At about midnight I called it a
night and lay down to go to sleep. I have to be up early so I can tackle
Taranaki! Today's hitchhiking journey has concluded but it's only the beginning of many more! See you soon!
