Nicks Big Adventure

At the time of my last post I was about to drive back to Auckland to enjoy a Thanksgiving evening with an american that worked at the Holiday inn and some of her USA friends. She said that they would meet at a brewery and gave me a general area to find the place (Victoria Park). I drove all the way back to auckland and did some business in downtown and got to the nicest Brewery I have been in. I was expecting a laid back atmosphere and craft beers. I was let into the place by the doorman with a velvet rope and 3 piece suit. Inside was lots of business people and fancy stuff. Chairs that are made more for looking than sitting. Tables of miss matched heights to create art. I found a corner and fired up the computer to check on her progress using the bars wifi. I was a marvel to the staff that I was dressed so shabbily that the often brought me beers, which were amazinly tasty and expensive. The news on the computer was not much better. She was kinda sorry, but she might miss out on being there..... What!? I have no clue whom her friends are and she has not given them or I any guidence on meeting up. This was a bust. I wasted gas and time coming back. I decided to go to another place to have dinner and sleep in my van when it came to bed time. Right across the street from my sweet home was a bar called The Drake. The clientelle was more of my speed. Beer drinkers playing music trivia. I was given free wifi (unheard of here) and cheep beer prices. I met and hung out with some of the locals and they were my Thanksgiving family. It worked out. The next morning I had a delema. Go back up north or Coromandal Penensiula? I flipped a coin and north was the way to go. I stopped at a home depo type place and got a table and some supplies. I was planning on going to another out of the way campsite and be alone with my thoughts. I was most of the way through Whatangi (pronounced farangi) when I saw a hitcher in the rain. After a few blocks I thought "that might be me some day, I should pay it forward". She was going to Paihia and my pull off was well before then but I eventually wanted to go there. So after another coin flip and a few right hand turns I was on my way to Paihia. She was a nice UK girl hitching around the world with a RTW flight. I got here and found a campsite along a river and took it easy and read up on what was around. The next day I want to the Waitangi Treaty house where the Maori tribes and the English crown signed a treaty creating New Zealand. THe tribes had stayed on the same ground I was camping on. It was pretty cool. I will come back for Waitangi day and stay in the same place. There is a huge celebration and Tribes bring their War Wakas out to show off and have a paddle. I found a local kayaker and tried to get as much info that I could. Turns out there is no good place to get seafood. Everyone who lives here get it from the sea. So I booked a fishing trip for Sunday morning. I had a blast, I got 2 keepers and that was enough for 2 nights supper. It was a long day, I was exhausted. As I was preparing to go to sleep I heard singing. I found that it was coming from a school/church on the Waitangi grounds behind my campsite. I listened for 30 or so minuites it was amazing to hear those traditional songs. I even caught the closing Haka, way cool. Monday I explored Russell, a small town across the bay from Paihia. It really reminded me of Catalina harbor. I wandered around for a few hours and even found a secluded beach and tide pools. Its been fun here. I will be moving along on Wednesday. I am booked to hike the cape brett track on Thursday and stay on the cape that night and hike back later. It will be my first big hike since I have been here. The end of the trail leads to The Hole in The Rock, a major tourist attraction. I also realized I have made it 25 days here. I feels like it has been a blink of an eye. I love yall! Talk to you soon, please email me.