Yep, I’m now upside down and on the other side of the date line! Just flew into Auckland this morning, so I haven’t really had time to get my bearings yet, but it appears to be a biggish city with a lot of tempting Asian-food places.
Definitely a shock after four days in Rarotonga (one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been, BTW, despite the lousy weather – the trouble with these beautiful green islands is that it takes a lot of rain to keep them that way). Lots of good snorkeling, though, and plenty of neat places to explore in the interior – which is like another world after the beach, mountainous, tangled, green, and completely quiet. Most of the tourists don’t seem to do much hiking, which is a great shame. The whole island is only about 12 miles around; I biked it in half a day with lots of stops for lunch and gawking at the scenery.
celestina – you’ve got a postcard on the way.
About to run out of time at the cybercafe (and I suppose I should do some proper sightseeing) but I’ll keep y’all posted on my adventures.
BTW, if any Kiwi dopers want to meet for drinks / coffee / what-have-you, please e-mail me; I’ll be in NZ until June 7th (bound for Christchurch and points beyond first, then back to Auckland to catch my flight out).
Hey, Fretful. Glad you’re having a blast. It’s just the same old same old here. So, stir up some trouble for me, okay? And, thanks in advance for the postcard. Take care.
Hey, hey, GuanoLad – it does not “always rain in NZ”. Maybe in Dunedin (how’d you survive the icy cold, mad varsity students, and the haggis, mate?), but in Auckland we’ve had beautiful weather right through summer and autumn.
Have a great trip, Fretful. Everything I hear about EnZed indicates it’s a truly beautiful country and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Hope you get to spend a lot of time on the south Island.
Posting from Rotorua now – a very surreal place, full of spurting geysers, pits of boiling sludge, mysterious gurglings under the earth, and sulphurous steam rising from rocks as barren and alien-looking as the surface of another planet. It’s a bit like being present at the Apocalypse, only with more souvenir shops. And in the background there are rolling green hills that look perfectly peaceful.
GuanoLad – I’m certainly going to try to make it as far as Dunedin (I’d love to see wild penguins, and I hear that’s the right area for them). Can’t say for sure, though – I’m making my slow way down to visit BrotherPorpentine in Christchurch, and what we do after that depends on what I can drag him along for. But I’ll keep an eye out for your street if the opportunity arises.
We went to NZ three years ago to visit my wife’s parents, who lived in Auckland. Spent two weeks roaming around the North and South Islands. Beautiful country, but the thing I (unfortunately) remember most was the graffiti displayed on virtually every vertical surface in the bigger cities. What’s the deal? Does NZ have a gang problem?
They have a high unemployment problem. And a bored teenager problem.
As far as Gangs go, they aren’t usually the taggers or property abusers - they’re just violent between each other. The Mongrel Mob is the most infamous, but they aren’t usually the primary movers and shakers of unrest, surprisingly.
Mind you, I haven’t been living in NZ for a couple of years, so I may be out of touch.
Wow, I hope you have a fabulous time and keep us updated on your adventure. I would love to move to NZ (and not only because of a 15 year mad crush on Neil Finn), but that’s a long move from Florida. I suppose I should visit first…
Kipper! You’re in NZ! Wow!! Where the heck have you been all this time, I thought I was all alone!
BTW – any of you thinking of coming to Auckland – let me know, okay? I’d like to meet people from this board IRL. Coffee, maybe a nice meal … Right now, I think I can afford a McDonalds.
There have been a few people from NZ on the board off and on, I think mostly off now. The Straight Dope has been featured as Site of the Month by a few providers and publications here so I suppose it picked up a few people then. There was also a brief “Ask the NZ Guy” thread which I am happy to say had nothing to do with me.
Nice to meet you, Kipper! I’m actually in Christchurch right now, after a couple of days of constant traveling (I’m sorry to say that all I saw of Wellington was the inside of the Backpackers and a kebab shop, but I’ll catch it on the way back.) I’ll probably be here on and off for another ten days or so, with a few side trips thrown in.
I’m staying at my brother’s place (Ilum flats – Canterbury University housing). Where are you?
I’ve also noticed the graffiti thing … also, the huge number of deer farms. I must admit I hadn’t realized you could domesticate deer, but they seem to be perfectly happy doing their little herd-thing, for all the world like a bunch of cows.
And, thanks in advance for the postcard. Take care.
