travel blog Archives - Page 4 of 5

January 20, 2019January 20, 2019

Above Deck

A nightmare.

I mean a night bus. But that’s what I was thinking it would be. A 14 hour trip up to Airlie Beach on a budget coach.

It actually wasn’t all that bad. Bus travel here, even with a no-frills company, is still 10 times better than in the US. Apart from two girls yucking it up the entire time, I got a surprising amount of shut eye. It wasn’t a recuperative night’s sleep by any means, but it was enough to get me through the day.

I arrived at 9:30am and went straight to the hostel to set down my luggage. I had the day to kill before embarking on my sailing trip the next afternoon.

During a bit of exploring, I got the impression that Airlie Beach was a place where there was a lot of money. It was small and tourist-centric, but everything was nice. There were fancy marinas and houses with views. I guess it makes sense considering the Whitsundays has one of the most popular beaches in the world.

In the morning when I was packing up my stuff, I found out that a dorm-mate was on the same boat as me. Janina was a 19yo German girl with an accent that leaned more UK/Aussie. She’s the kind of person that becomes fast friends with everyone because she’s comfortable carrying the conversation about whatever topic. She had plenty of crazy stories about her experience traveling Australia. Her family also runs a brewery in Southern Germany, so I need to remember that.

When it came time, we walked to the marina together and met the rest of the tour group. Our ship, the Mandrake, held 14 passengers, plus the skipper, a deck hand and a volunteer. What’s funny is of the 14 tour takers, 11 of them were German. There were separate groups of 5 guys, 3 girls, 2 girls and then Janina.

That was a big difference from the Fraser Island experience, which had more solo travelers on it. It meant that the groups kept to themselves a lot more so there wasn’t as much socializing amongst everyone.

After boarding, we got our bunk assignments and dropped our belongings. As we were leaving the harbor, we gathered above deck to get our safety briefing from deckhand Michael, who was our chef, doctor, janitor and source of information for the trip.

Airlie Beach looked pristine from the water as it was slowly disappearing behind us. Once we got far enough out, the sails went up and we were legit sailing.

Mandrake was built in the 80s I think, and it was a cruiser at that time. Its sister ship actually won the America’s Cup back then at some point and I think that was the first time a non-US vessel took home the top prize.

Overall, it was a pretty low key first day. We sailed to a spot called the Hook Island Pass and moored there for the night. We watched the sunset and ate a pretty tasty dinner.

We had a few beers as it got dark and chatted with the skipper.

Everybody turned in because it was an early wake up call the next morning. Myself, Janina and the 2 German girls, Lisa and Tessa, decided to sleep on deck under the stars. I had to find a spot to put my bed sheet and pillow case. It’s not like there were a lot of cushioned spots available, so it didn’t really matter.

It was a relatively solid night in the ocean air. I was woken up by a few chilly winds and a quick sprinkle, but all in all it was nice.

Greg, the skipper, came above deck at a little after 5am to get the motor running and we were on our way shortly thereafter.

We pulled into Tongue Bay by 7am I want to say. We were shuttled over to Whitsundays Island in two dingy trips and from there went up to Hill Inlet lookout. It was high tide, so we had the chance to see the before/after of the swirling sands a few hours later as the water went out. Quite a beautiful site.

We found out that Whitehaven Beach is the most Instagram’d beach in the world. Insane. It’s silica sand is super white and fine. Some of the girls actually did a mini exfoliating session and refreshed some of their jewelry with it.

Since we were there so early, Janina and I were the first ones to set foot on the sand. We got an exclusive exploration session, had a photoshoot at a beached tree and a swim in a lagoon before another group showed up. Later when we left there were around 200 people filing in.

Back on the boat, we ate lunch and made our way to the next location. Turtle Bay was the spot where we were doing our first snorkel.

It took a minute to acclimate to solely mouth breathing, but after that it was pretty sick. Michael threw some food in the water from the dingy as the group was basically surrounded by all kinds of fish. There were a few big and gnarly looking ones that gave me a brief freak out but it was quite exhilarating in the end. There wasn’t much of a reef, but the fish activity made up for it. I could’ve floated there all day watching everything move around me.

At some point we had to re-board the ship and head on. Most of the group were already out of their stinger suits and snacking when Janina and I climbed the ladder. We kept ours half on since the next stop was another snorkel anyway. This was a clutch decision because as we were about to leave, two turtles showed up.

We jumped back in and got to witness them share a jellyfish for lunch. It was a pretty surreal experience. I was almost too mesmerized to mind the little particles that were starting to surface and could still sting. Luckily, I avoided them all.

The next spot wasn’t as good for the swimmy creatures, but there was a much more vibrant reef system that we got to check out. In some spots it was just a foot or two underneath us too, so that was a unique site to see. Again, I had to be dragged out of the water so Michael could get dinner started.

We set up for the night in Sunset Bay, which is a good spot for whale watching.

Kidding. It was a good spot to catch an unobstructed sunset. We also got to see a mass exodus of bats fly overhead. If you’re wondering, there is a word for a grouping of bats similar to a murder of crows. It’s colony or cloud. I Google’d.

In any case, we ate some beef stew and cheesy mashed potatoes and then fell back into the beers and chatting routine.

There were only 3 people that elected to sleep on deck that night, so I got a yoga mat to put beneath me. I’m not sure it made much of a difference but it was a decent night. Still had a few cold winds, a bright moon and then a more substantial shower that forced me inside for the last 30 minutes of sleep.

We had breakfast and an uneventful morning snorkel before we were headed back to harbor.

The sails were up but there wasn’t much help from the wind. The cool thing was that Greg got out his fishing rod and dropped a line behind us as we cruised. Maybe 30 minutes later there was a fish on. He was thinking it was a mackerel but it ended up being a weird tuna which he said wasn’t very good for eating. He still landed it so we could check it out and then tossed it back. It was fun to watch. Fishing used to be a huge hobby for me in my younger days, so it kind of reignited that desire a bit. I’m going to look for a charter when I get up to Cairns and try to reel some in.

That was the last big thing that happened before we were docked back in Airlie. As we were pulling in, I wondered if it was too late for me to become a deckhand. It was a small and super chill group. Sailing, snorkeling, sunsets. I really like being on the water. Something to think about.

Anyway. the experience wasn’t over yet because there was an afterparty that evening at a bar where we got a few discounted items.

I repacked my bags and took a much needed shower before it was time to reconvene with the group.

The 5 German dudes had apparently been at the place since the early afternoon, Lisa and Tessa were an impressive bottomless pit for food and alcohol based on how fit they were, and Janina was going hard with a skydiving trip lined up for 4:30am. This is when I realized, if not for the first time then once more, that I’m an old traveler. At least for the way I’m traveling — hostel life, tour groups, buses, whatever is cheapest. I had 10 years on the majority of the group. Maybe everyone.

It probably wasn’t all that evident until the next morning. I had to get up and check out early to catch my next bus and I think I was still drunk. It was definitely a cloudy situation. I remember being at the second bar and standing in a group yelling over the music to talk to someone. Then the next minute searching the bar without finding anyone. These two instances could’ve been 2 minutes or 2 hours apart. Regardless, I know that’s when I left. Thankfully I made it back to the right place and heard my alarm.

I was sweating buckets by the time I got to the bus station and really hoping the AC worked on that piece because otherwise it was going to be a touch and go ride.

January 16, 2019June 26, 2019

The Birth of MegaPrime…and FIPPL

I had to hustle off the bus and into a safety briefing for the Fraser Island excursion because I was already late. I think the entire group was waiting on me.

There was a group of 26 people that got split into 3 cars.

Car #3
Aida (England)
Kirsty (Scotland)
Marvin (Germany)
Max (Germany)
Nathan (USA)
Sabine (Netherlands)
Sonja (Germany).

A good mix. We worked through a few rounds of paperwork and a horrendously old 12 minute long informational video. Then most people went their separate ways to sort out the alcohol and snacks they were going to bring.

Aido
MegaPrime 4×4
Down & Up the Dunes

All 26 of us reconvened around 6am the next morning to grab a quick breakfast and pack up our vehicles. That’s when we also met our guide, Aido, who endearingly referred to us as “critters” the entire trip.

Our SUVs were equipped with very necessary 4wd, an AUX cable so everybody could DJ, and a CB radio to communicate with the convoy.

Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and stretches over 120km. There’s very little infrastructure, so it’s mostly camping. To get around, you’re either driving on the beach or some incredibly sandy and bumpy paths.

Aida volunteered to take the first driving shift which seemed to be a fun one. She got to load us onto the ferry and do a bit of inland driving right off the bat because it was high tide. Ended up being a pretty good chunk of time which the group used to start getting to know each other.

Our first destination was Lake McKenzie. It was a beautiful, crystal clear natural lake. For my money, I think this was the best stop. We all took a dip in the water which was the perfect temperature. The sad part was that we didn’t get to spend much time there. But, on the bright side, this is where we settled on the name of our vehicle: MegaPrime. It was a mixture of Megatron and Optimus Prime (the best parts of the good and the bad) and also the new Amazon delivery option we invented. When you choose MegaPrime shipping, your item is delivered to you immediately upon payment. Let us know how much you’re willing to buy that Service Mark for, Besos.

Everybody was hungry and the next stop was lunch, so at least we were getting to satisfy that urge. On this leg of the drive, Car 2 started to develop a reputation of being the black sheep of the group. “You’re too far to the left Car 2!” It was a common refrain, followed by an abyss of silence on the CB and no adjustment of course.

In the deep sand, it was important to follow the existing tracks and avoid oversteering the car. There are plenty of people that have gotten bogged or flipped from fighting what the car naturally wanted to do. It was sort of comically tense for a minute but thankfully it all worked out.

We arrived at Central Station, the old logging hub, and set up a wrap buffet. Wraps. We got to know them very well as that was our lunch for all 3 days. I think everybody wrote that down on the feedback form.

In any case, the entire group got a chance to mingle and then go on a walk through the forest. There was a creek that was practically invisible because of how clear it was. The short loop track brought us back to the pavilion and then we headed out.

We made it to basecamp in the early afternoon where Aido gave us the lay of the land and a brief talk about snakes, spiders, and other animals we might encounter. Everybody claimed a tent, unpacked some gear, and gathered back up to crack the first beer.

The majority of us went for a stroll up a large sand dune to watch the sunset. There was initially some worry about clouds, but it ended up being a solid one.

Once we got back to camp, we fired up the BBQ and had community dinner. There were card games, lots of chatting and all the good stuff associated with group bonding. Several hours into the night, a small group went for a quick walk to the beach to look at the stars. The sky was brilliant without any light pollution and you could clearly make out the Milky Way. It ended up being a relatively tame evening by the time we were all zipped into our tents and ready for bed.

Personally, I got a pretty shit night of sleep. First off, it was smotheringly hot. There wasn’t really a way to ventilate the tent because you had to keep out the bugs. And that was the second reason I was partially on edge the whole evening. The spider talk was in the back of my mind and I found a weird cricket trying to share rent just before I turned off my headlamp for the night.

I was half conscious when our 7am wake up reggaeton started playing. It took the group around an hour and a half to have breakfast and get ready to depart for our day 2 activities.

It was the best day.

First we drove for a while on the beach to a spot called Champagne Pools. The rocks and waves created a pool like formation that you could swim in. Or you could stand out on the edge and attempt to get swept away by a rogue wave crashing on the rocks. Most people just chilled and watched the “swoosh” happen.

Next we went for a short walk up Indian Head to a cliff outlook with awesome panoramic views. We realized pretty quickly that it was a well-crafted green screen and Dolby 8.12 surround sound. I think that was the number. It still looked really amazing for being fake so we didn’t let it disrupt our experience.

Then we did a quick scoot back to camp to have lunch. Obviously wraps. Before we left on our next adventure, somebody found a huntsman in their tent. Aido picked it up and a few people had a run letting it crawl on them. Gnarly.

Once that excitement died down, we made our way to Eli Creek which was kind of a lazy river. I mean, it was really lazy in the fact that it couldn’t be bothered to be high enough to easily float down it on a tube. It also was pretty short and crowded. Still a chill situation with awesome weather.

Two groups took a quick plane ride around the island. It was a tiny little prop guy that took off and landed on the beach. By all accounts, it was worth the $60 price of admission.

On the way back to camp, we stopped at a shipwreck to scope out the rusted SS Maheno. It was nifty to see the skeleton of a ship so close up. I wonder how many years it’ll take to completely rust it away.

For dinner, it was a group effort to cut up a bunch of veggies and get a bolognese together.

As it was the last night, it was the go hard night. Miracles happened that night, some would say. They would mainly be talking about the creation of the world’s newest and carb-friendliest drinking game — PastaPong — and the league that supports it. CLICK HERE for a list of the official rules.

That’s what happens when you combine alcohol, a huge community table and a bunch of leftover penne.

The night digressed a bit from there. Although we did make up a game for cleaning up the errant pasta. There was never a chance it was going to last long enough to get it all though.

After a few other miscellaneous games, there was a good vibe at the campfire. Xavi, a guy from Barcelona, was playing some songs on his guitar, as is fitting, and everybody was digging the situation. At some point Aido came down and was crushing some tunes as well. There were some good jams and I think marshmallows? I didn’t catch that part.

Gradually, the group petered out. A small contingency went to find the party beach but got lost along the way and ended up stargazing again.

I’m not sure how many people were ready for the 7am reggaeton alarm, but there it was again.

It was our last few hours on the island. We packed up our stuff and said goodbye to the campsite.

MegaPrime was sadly infiltrated by two people that wanted their chance to drive. We later found out that they weren’t even supposed to because they didn’t attend the briefing. Our convoy also got stopped and breathalyzed by the island police at one point, which Aido said was like the third time that had happened to his tour in 6 years or something.

Anyway, our only destination for the day was Lake Garawongera. It wasn’t as picturesque as Lake McKenzie, but it was substantially less crowded and offered us a great place to have a swim and chill.

We had our final round of wraps and drove to the ferry to be shepherded back to the main land.

We returned to the hostel around 4pm. The consensus was to keep it going with some dinner and more beer. We played a few games around a nonexistent campfire and made one last pilgrimage to the beach to check out the stars.

The next morning was bittersweet in that everybody was leaving. It was nice how everybody got up and was intent on seeing each other off though.

I was the last man standing, waiting on a 7pm bus.

What an amazing experience. It’s hard for me to rate Fraser Island based on the island though. I think it was really the group of people that made it such a worthwhile trip.

My two hopes are that we keep our Party Pippies Puppies chat alive for a long time and that my Whitsundays sailing excursion can somehow compete with this outing.

January 13, 2019January 13, 2019

Surfers Paradise & Brisbane

Even though I was only about 70km away from Byron Bay, I was in a new state and time zone. Queensland.

I didn’t do much research on this spot but I was able to find an AirBnB that was like half the price of all the hostels over the New Years period.

I found out why when I got to the house. I was in a shared room, which was just two mattresses on the floor. The kitchen was a mess, there wasn’t really any fridge space, there were…5 Brazilians living there and there was only one bathroom. Plus the place was hot as shit without any air conditioning.

I was intending to relax at the place but the amenities weren’t really all that pleasant. There was decent internet which was a silver lining.

One cool thing about Surfers Paradise is that there was water everywhere. There were a ton of random islands and inlets weaving all over the place.

I met up with Karalee (20yo Canadian), a fellow traveler I connected with on a FB Backpacker group. She was dogsitting for a family friend in a sweet house a block away from the beach.

We walked around the town and boardwalk while eventually formulating a plan for New Years Eve. There was a small group of other travelers from the same FB group that were interested in getting together too.

Everybody assembled at pool for a BBQ and hangout. I was the elder statesmen of the crew, which felt kinda weird. The next in line was a 25yo guy from India, then a 23yo German guy, 21 and 20yo German girls and Karalee.

Really pleasant people though. The mood was light and friendly. We had good conversation, took a dip in the hot tub and grilled up some sausages. Nobody was hitting the booze hard or anything. I actually got a 6-pack of Goose Island IPA to have that familiar taste of home.

As it got closer to midnight, we changed venues to Karalee’s place so we were closer to the beach for midnight. We marveled at the dog and played the Australian version of Cards Against Humanity to kill some time. The youngest German girl crushed us all, even with the language barrier.

We got out onto the beach and prepared for midnight. We were in one of the first time zones to ring in the new year. There was a decent fireworks show over the ocean. After the show, the group shared a few lessons learned from 2018 and some goals for 2019.

It ended up getting whittled down to just me and Karalee at some point. We posted up under a blanket on the beach and took a short nap before waking up for the sunrise. That was a somewhat popular idea as there were a decent amount of other people scattered along the beach. A few dudes even went for a chilly swim.

It was close to 7am by the time I got back to Casa de Brazil. All of the tenants seemed to be away so I zonked out for a while and pretty much did nothing until I had to catch a bus up to Brisbane the following day.

Brissy, Brissy, Brissy can’t you see?

It was time for another Workaway. The house was in a suburb about 40 minutes via public transport outside of downtown.

I was greeted by Lozz, the very gregarious host. There was also a pretty Colombian Workawayer, Carolina, that arrived a little bit before me.

Lozz walked us through the basic everyday tasks and was very loose and informal about any other stuff we had to do.

Our daily charge was to walk the dog, look after the chickens and tidy up the pool area. We had a few other random tasks here and there but nothing extreme.

Carolina and I tackled pretty much everything together. We also cooked some super solid vegetarian meals, as that was everybody else’s dietary preference. The chili tofu tortillas we whipped up were pretty dope.

I was helping her with English and she was sharing miscellaneous Spanish phrases with me.

We all got on very well. It was one of those situations where everybody felt immediately comfortable and familiar with each other. Lozz was so appreciative and positive about everything we did. Her kids, Ryan and Bri (30s), were cut from the same cloth as well. Just awesome people; really bright and energetic.

As far as exploring went, there was a day where I went to a Koala Sanctuary. The koalas (which are large marsupials and not bears) usually sleep for 20 hours a day but I showed up at the right time because the staff was changing out the eucalyptus leaves which meant feeding time. They were up and moving around which was cool to see. Super cute little things munching away. I also got to pet a kangaroo finally. And I was stared down hard by an emu. Unnerving.

I bussed downtown to wander around the city center and a few of the good suburbs. I went to the Gallery of Modern Art which was neat. My kind of museum.

In the evening, I met up with Jonathan, the guy I did Abel Tasman with back in NZ, and we did a touch of brewery hopping.

A few days later, I did a quick 40 minute walk up to the Mount Coot-tha summit, right by the house. Then I walked a few other suburbs, explored a park, checked out the artificial beach in the city and gave a few other beers a try.

Brisbane has a few unique things to offer that some other Australian cities don’t. It might not be as hip as Melbourne, or have as much going on as Sydney, but it still seemed like a good spot to be.

I was actually a bit sad to be leaving. I totally could’ve kept with the vibe and the people for longer.

Next up on the agenda was something tasty though. I was heading north to do a 3 day excursion on Fraser Island followed by a 2 day sailing trip around the Whitsundays.

January 9, 2019January 9, 2019

Central Coast & Byron Bay

I arrived in Gosford after an uneventful train ride and met my host, Peter, in the parking lot.

He gave me a lift to his place which was about a 20 minute drive. Insane property and house. Basically a mansion. It was 3 levels and I’m not even sure how many bedrooms. This was the first Workaway I’d done with fellow Workawayers and we all had our own rooms if that says anything.

There was also an indoor and outdoor pool. Huge bonus.

José (18yo Mexican), Leena (20yo German), and Luca (21yo French) had all been there for a few days already and were doing garden work starting at 7am. I, on the other hand, would be working inside helping Peter make some videos for his personal development business. He was looking to gain more of a following on social media as well as drum up interest for his year-long 2019 program.

It was back in saddle for me. Did I remember how to make a video out of nothing? I was working with very little creative direction and assets. That was the norm for the job I left back in the States. It was an experiment to see if I could still apply myself and harness the old creative problem solving skills.

We started by having a conversation about exactly what he was looking for and how he viewed his business. I had to some of his insight in order to utilize it in the vids. Plus I had to bone up on the whole personal development scene. I didn’t know any of the intricacies.

After diving into some YouTube clips and digesting the info session, we began the production phase. He had a daily series of videos called “For Pete’s Sake” where he discussed a particular topic a person could address to make an easy change in their lives. Sometimes he would take on a more controversial subject to get a rise out of people. His stance on the “traditional Christmas” that people celebrate was unique and hilarious. Likely offensive for the average person as well.

We started small by making a simple one and getting the look down. Once that was dialed in we cranked out a few more so the rest of the week was stocked up. Then I began to tackle the promo/teaser for his Odyssey program. That was the big boy because it was supposed to be intriguing, enticing and inspirational. And we had almost no footage of past success stories or anything.

Over the course of the week, I fell into my old pattern of spending way too much time on something to make it perfect. I overworked the hell out of this joint. I completed the requisite amount of Workaway hours in like 2 days. I even edited another video for him on the train after I left. Needless to say, I have a weird relationship with video editing. It’s an awesome exercise in creativity but probably an unhealthy level of commitment.

Outside of all the time I spent staring at my computer and pressing buttons, it was a fun time. Peter and Mel were both interesting people who were very accommodating.

The group went on a field trip out to this park with the promise of being able to see and pet wild kangaroos. When we got there, there was a lady who’d blocked off access because she was their “caretaker” and thought they were being mistreated by the public who was visiting them. The thing was, it was at the entrance of a mental hospital, so we weren’t sure if she was legit or just a random patient. It was a really strange and unlucky situation. We took a brief walk in the bush and ended up seeing a ton hop off from afar. I really wanted to see a buff ass, gym rat ‘roo but I’d have to save that for another day.

That was the most socializing the group did. Dinners were usually pretty quiet and they all went to bed early since they were waking up to work.

Everybody left on the Friday before Christmas. I had a different arrangement since the editing was working out. Peter and Mel were comfortable letting me stay for a party they had planned.

They hosted a few of their friends and kids for a day and night. It ended up getting pretty wild because they were crushing beer and wine like water. There was beer pong (undefeated) with some random streaking, a gift exchange with some scandalous presents and a late night swim and hot tub sitch. All good fun. Super nice of them to let a relative stranger take part in that.

I waited too long to book my transportation to the next place so I ended up staying on Christmas Eve and helping with more videos. They were also totally cool giving me a lift to the train station on Christmas morning.

I spent almost all of Christmas Day in transit. It was a gnarly 10 hour train ride followed by an hour+ bus to Byron Bay.

The only interesting thing about the train ride was that two super drunk dudes rode it for like 4 hours before getting kicked off because they didn’t have tickets. They were hammered at 10am when they boarded too, so it was mildly impressive.

I was told how nice Byron Bay was from a few different travelers. The added bonus was that Stephany and her friends were there too. That was a partially motivating factor to go there in case any holiday loneliness set in.

I woke up at the ass crack on Boxing Day and took a 40 minute walk up to the Cape Byron Lighthouse to see the sunrise. I think it might be the most eastern point in Australia? At least in Byron Bay. It was a pretty solid morning. I also got to video chat with some of the fam as they were opening gifts.

The main draw to Byron Bay is all of the beautiful beaches. I was determined to darken my shade of whiteness so I hit the sand in the afternoon (Main Beach). The trick was to not get burnt. And that was actually quite difficult because the UV index was continually at a high of like 14 – “extreme risk.” I used an extreme amount of sunscreen so I was safe after day one.

On day two, I met up with the crew at a different beach (The Pass) and chilled out. The water was insanely blue and refreshing. Beaches, man. They’re pretty awesome apart from the sand. I’m not the only one that thinks it’s a nuisance, right?

We all got cleaned up at our various places after getting our fill of sun and reconvened at the girls’ AirBnB for dinner. They went HAAM on buying food when they first arrived so it was one of those meals with a collection of miscellaneous sides that was awesome. There was promise of going to a brewery after but everybody bailed from sun fatigue.

I went back to the hostel and met up with one of my roommates. Philip was from Sweden and he was hanging out with a few guys who lived in the Netherlands. We all went out to a bar that had live music for a beer. It turned into several.

We changed venues to a place called Woody’s, a pseudo-club. One of the dudes was the most friendly drunk ever. Pretty sure he introduced himself to everybody in the establishment. Toward the end of the night he was going around and collecting half-empty drinks. Bold move. He has herpes now but he saved a decent amount on alcohol. Worthwhile trade off?

In the morning, I met the group at their spot again. We had a pretty solid breakfast and then went to yet another beach (Little Wategos). It was a somewhat secluded spot that also had a nice shady area for me to take refuge in after I felt the burn coming on. The sun variety, not the herp. I didn’t share any of the foraged drinks.

The Pass Beach
Surfers Going In
Little Wategos

It was everybody’s last night in Byron, so we planned to go to the brewery for real and then go from there. After a sunset beverage, they called an audible. I couldn’t take a two-day brewery tease with no payoff so I split from them and agreed to meet up later. I rendezvoused with Philip and we started walking.

We were almost there when some people heading the opposite direction told us they were at capacity and not letting anybody else in. Dammit.

We ended up going to a converted railway station. It was a super popular spot with a large outdoor area. They also had music on and the band was crushing it. They did pretty exceptional covers of Bohemian Rhapsody and Hey Jude.

Once the band was done, we met everyone at a bar called the Sticky Wicket where there was also live music. It was all relatively well behaved until things moved upstairs to the dance floor. The night seemed to end in a quick blur from there. We closed the place down and I said a brief and segmented goodbye to all of the lovely people I’d hung out with there and in Sydney. Then I went back and got terrible sleep in my sauna of a dorm room.

In the morning. I repacked my bag and hopped on a shuttle bounds for Surfers Paradise. This is where I would spend New Year’s Eve.

January 5, 2019January 4, 2019

Sydney Pt. 2

Even though the trip to Blue Mountains was a long and draining day, I was up at 6:30am the following morning. Not just because the heat and city noise in my room was next level, but because I was headed to watch a soccer game.

Tottenham were playing an important Champions League match away to Barcelona and the 7am kickoff time was manageable. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to watch it with the local supporters group. And my hostel’s internet was dog shit so I wouldn’t be able to stream it or pull up a replay later.

The Sydney OzSpurs met at a hotel (bar) in walking distance, so that was convenient. There was a turnout of probably 25 people. There were having projection issues for the first 5-10 minutes so a few people had pulled it up on their phones.

It got sorted out and we all watched anxiously as it took to the 85th minute for our boys to draw level and get the result they needed to advance to the next stage of the competition. It was actually a super fun moment when we scored. The place went nuts and I pumped my fist so hard my bracelet flew off (it was later found). That meant everybody was leaving happy, to start their days at 9am.

I bumbled around town for a little bit. Nabbed some internet from a cafe and had a small bite to eat. I went back to the hostel around noon and ended up taking a critical 4 hour nap. It felt like work to rouse myself from the dead.

Once I was alive again, I went to check out the architecture of the Queen Victoria Building and The Strand Arcade. Both were nice looking indoor malls.

Then I walked down to the Circular Quay to scope the Opera House at night. I had a good time finding different setups and learning some new capabilities of my camera.

In the morning, I checked out of my hostel and transferred all of my stuff to Stephany’s place in Bondi. Maria returned home, so Steph was nice enough to let me crash on the couch.

After a lazy afternoon, we caught a bus down to the beach and she showed me some cool spots. We hopped on some rocks to a lookout called Ben Buckler, then walked North Bondi to Dudley Page Reserve, which had a great view of downtown Sydney.

Our intention was to watch the sunset there. Instead, we were watching a gnarly lightning storm over the skyline. Some guy set up a full news-style camera next to us. That should’ve been a hint. It seemed like the clouds were moving closer to us, but not at an alarming rate. I had just stopped filming myself when lightning struck incredibly close to us. I could feel a small electric pulse from my camera. The dude next to us “beat feet like a fuckin track star.”

It was for sure the closest I’ve been to being struck by lighting. We immediately headed for the bus and hoped it would be there before the downpour came.

Thankfully, we were still dry when we got scooped up. By the time we got dropped off, though, the rain was comin on down. We had to wait under an awning for 10 minutes before it was tolerable enough to brave. Even then, we had to wade through an ankle deep river in the street.

This started a trend of intense evening rain after getting off the bus.

The next morning, Steph and I put on our walking shoes. We were set to do a coastal walk from Watson’s Bay back to Bondi with a few detours here and there.

It was a warm day. We were getting some good views and an obvious sweat on. A few kms in, we reached a sweet bluff and cove called Diamond Bay Reserve. She took me down a pseudo-secret path that led to this gateway to death.

I took out the drone and was getting some tasty footage. I was starting to get good at 3 part simultaneous movement.

Then I crashed it on some rocks close to the water. Oops.

We followed its position on the map and Stephany spotted the lights. It was in a dangerously inviting spot. There was a few ropes and a ladder that sort of led down to where it was. But it was way too unsafe to venture down there without a harness or any sort of safety equipment. Stephany was game to climb, but I didn’t feel good about that optjon. As much as I wanted it back, even if it was damaged, it was too risky.

I hopped on a few Sydney forums to see if I could get in contact with somebody that had done the climb before without any luck. We had to leave it behind. Brutal. A very costly mistake. So many thoughts in hindsight.

An hour later when we got off the bus near her apartment, it started raining heavily yet again. That along with waves crashing on the rocks would’ve claimed the electronics anyway. Still sucks. A repair is cheaper than a full re-buy. Also, the sweet footage.

But that was that. The only way to make it better was to have a beer.

The solution to that was Marta’s office Christmas party. Coincidentally it was in a WeWork space, which is the company my brother works for.

The event was catered and there was booze galore. Draft beer FTW.

All of Stephany’s friends from the pool party were there. I also met a few other people throughout the evening. Potentially the most miraculous thing is that I lost at tic tac toe like 3 times. Not even sure how that happens. There was some rough karaoke to take my mind off of it.

Once it wound down, the group went to a place called Retro where there was dancing. I saw the real-life version of that Dane Cook joke about girls putting their purses in the middle of the floor and dancing around them.

After coming out of the bathroom, I got approached by a random dude. He was trying to sell me hard on photographing his friend’s wedding on some island in a few months. I kept trying to tell him I was amateur at best and couldn’t even figure out how he knew I had a camera to begin with.

Eventually, it came time to eat a late night kebab and catch a bus back.

The next day Stephany was working a concert. I went back to the scene of the crime to see if 1) drone baby had been swept into the sea or 2) people were out for their Saturday afternoon climb and could help a brother out. The answer was ‘no’ to both scenarios. Still didn’t have a solution of how to get it back so I said a fond farewell.

Apart from arranging my next Workaway, that was pretty much my entire day. Cool.

On Sunday, we hung out for a little bit by the pool. Then we went to another person’s place to have a few bevs and snacks on the way to see “Christmas Carols” on Coogee Beach. Unexpectedly, it was a full on concert with a ton of different acts and a million people. They did have a pretty good firework show at the end before everyone dispersed.

Since it was my last night, Steph busted out some solid Japanese whisky and we debriefed on my time in Sydney.

Her hospitality and guidance around the city was an obvious highlight. The lowlight was clear. Tried not to dwell on it. We had a nice chat and then I repacked my bag as is necessary every few days.

I got up the next morning to catch several modes of public transportation up to the Central Coast.

January 4, 2019January 4, 2019

Sydney Pt. 1

Sydney is not the capitol of Australia FYI. From what I heard, the rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney led to a compromise which saw Canberra receive the honors. I thought that was an interesting tidbit.

My bus had a quick pit stop in Canberra on the way to Sydney but I can’t say I saw much of it.

We arrived in Sydney around 930pm. The Central Station stop was right across the street from my hostel. Clutch. Sydney’s CBD was much more spread out than Melbourne’s but being by this hub was perfect.

I checked into my hostel, Wake Up!, and had a look around. It was a relatively new place with modern amenities. It had good reviews and reflected that in the cost.

I was in an 8-bed dorm. The first night I was woken up to a guy pissing on the floor at 6am. The last time I experienced something like that was in college. Bros. Ugh. My bag was so close to the danger area too. The dude checked out in a cloud of shame the next morning. Or he was just moving on anyway, but I’ll pretend.

A big benefit was that the hostel offered a free walking tour so I hopped on that. It was a big group and the tour took around 4 hours. I enjoyed the walking aspect and the places we stopped, but it was less informative than I thought it would be. Either way, it was a good intro to the city.

It was Friday and the adjoining bar was offering free drinks to hostel guests, so I capitalized on that. It seemed like watered down Goon (Australia’s Franzia). In any event, there was a limited amount so bottoms went up.

That led to a few hours of dancing. There was a DJ that played live saxophone along with a few songs. I hadn’t experienced that before. It made the set marginally more interesting.

The next morning there was another group walk to the Glebe Markets. At first I was underwhelmed by the amount of thrift clothing tents but then I found my jam. It was a guy making one-of-a-kind items from up-cycled materials. There were some fresh hats. Two for $50 which really wasn’t bad but I didn’t neeeeeeeed it. I did a few more laps around the market to see if it continued calling to me. I popped my head in a few more times but couldn’t pull the trigger.

I still want one.

I never got a card and don’t know what the shop was even called. Amateur hour. I did overhear the guy saying he was working on getting his website and Instagram accounts up and running. Damn. I may never find them again.

Regardless, I had somewhere to be that afternoon anyway. There was a pool party going down in Bondi. I was connected to this sitch through a friend of a friend (thanks, Makaye!). Stephany used to live in Richmond but has resided in Sydney for the last 2 years. She’d been advising me on cool shit to do and also invited me to hang out with her and her friends. One of whom, Maria, was in town from the US and formally lived in Richmond as well.

Pool. Party.

I was mad excited to chill at a pool with a group of people my age who were residents of the place. There was a BBQ, there was beer, there was sun and everybody was really nice to talk to. It was also an informal congratulatory party for Jules and Denise getting engaged.

I later ended up going back to their place to borrow some clothes from Jules to go out. He also took me on an impromptu tasting of some whiskeys and piscos. Incredibly fun and passionate people.

We rejoined the rest of the crew at a hoity-toity cocktail bar called Mrs. Sippy’s. Everybody there was paying someone to bleach their teeth and their assholes. Separate people, probably.

It wasn’t really that bad. But it kinda was. Also, the only piece of my outfit that belonged to me was my underwear. I’d like to think that played no part in my assessment of this bar.

Eventually, we moved to the Coogee Bay Hotel & Bar. As an aside, “hotels” are largely just bars. I don’t think they let drunk patrons sleep there, or anyone for that matter. I don’t know. Maybe they were all hotels during the Gold Rush but then converted to restaurant/bars at a certain point.

Either way, this place was massive. It had several bars, a live band with a dance floor, and a grill with some delicious looking sausages.

There was a moment where two of Stephany’s friends dragged me on the dance floor and told me that I had to enjoy this song because it was the most Australian song ever written. I have no idea what that song was. I recall it being relatively dad-rocky, but have no clue beyond that.

Around 3am, I decided it was time to head back. I got a bus card and rode that puppy home.

The following day was a Santa-themed pub crawl around Manly Beach. I caught the ferry out of the city in the early afternoon. On Sundays, it only costs $2.50 for unlimited public transportation which was sick. Nice to get that perspective of Sydney for so cheap.

Myself, Stephany, Maria and Marta lounged in the sand for a bit before donning our Santa gear. The girls all looked great and I looked ridiculous (on purpose). I was wearing a scandalous apron. Notice the strategically placed mistletoe.

The crawl began. Apparently it had been off to the races for a while. At the first bar we went to, which seemed completely chill, a chick vomited through her hand onto the floor. It was 2:15pm at best. Giddyup. The second place had music blasting and a saucy dance party happening insane. The line outside, however, which we were in, came to a stand still right when it was getting good (video doesn’t do it justice).

We went to another hotel (bar) and chilled on the balcony for a few beers and snacks before catching the ferry back to downtown. Stephany took Maria and I to a semi-classy rooftop spot with a solid view of the Opera House.

In case you were wondering, I was still wearing the apron. Two people were kind enough to mime some extremely sexual actions while I ordered my drink. It was an experience.

We ended the night by watching a holiday light show displayed on St. Mary’s Cathedral. It was a story for children about making friends or something. The voice actor had to do some weird singing and “meowing.” Nonetheless, a solid cap to the evening.

The following day I wandered around the city some more. I retraced a few of the walking tour steps to spend more time at a few places and checked out some carnivorous plants. Then I met up with Stephany and Maria to head to the fish market. It was almost closed, but we were able to snag a sushi donut for $10, which I’m told is a steal. I wasn’t familiar with the concept before. To clarify, it’s various types of sushi in the shape of a donut. There is no actual dough. The construction and taste were quite fantastic. I’d highly recommend if you’re ever in the area.

ANZAC Memorial
The Calyx #2
Sydney Fish Market

Next, we took a train over to Newtown, an artsy suburb, to walk around. That meant finding a brewery and getting a flight. I was in my element. The beer was aight. We went to yet another hotel and I got a local Strong Ale. Again, deece/sub-deece.

We made a plan to venture out to Blue Mountains in the morning, so we went back to our corners to rest up.

It was an early morning rendezvous at Central Station to catch a train to Katoomba. We had visions of doing a 3 hour trek around the Three Sisters before doing a 3 hour canyon walk. The guy at the information desk essentially laughed at us because there just wasn’t enough time in the day to complete it all.

Instead, we hit the lookout and also walked down to touch the Three Sisters. Then we went on some crazy track down the Furber Steps. Aptly named because there were so many steps.

Along the way, we heard a sonar-like ding, echolocation noise happening that was really bizarre. Turned out to be Bell Miners (birds), even though we couldn’t see them.

At a junction on the trail, we came to one of the strangest signs I’ve ever seen. There were two options that would both take 45 minutes — one was “medium” and the other “moderate.”

Very curious if there will be a clear consensus on this question.

Anyway, we chose the moderate path and continued on. I was leading the group and we walked through a section that was very much in the bush. I kept thinking that I was going to either get webbed and bitten by a spider or step on a snake. Thankfully none of those things occurred. We found a cozy picnic table under a canopy and had lunch before furiously climbing a shit ton of steps.

In the town of Leura, we had a victory drink and then boarded a train back to Sydney.

As Stephany napped, Maria and I had a solid conversation about spirituality, death and legacy.

I’m abusing polls now for some reason.

I walked back to my hostel as they caught their connecting train back to Steph’s flat. It was nice to do a decent walk in Australia. I’d been missing that since leaving New Zealand.

December 26, 2018December 29, 2018

First Impressions of Oz

It’s big. It’s hot. There are lots of people.

I flew into Melbourne and took the bus from the airport to the CBD. My hostel was in the thick of things — Flinders Street. I walked 1km to get there and was embarrassingly sweaty when I got to reception. It was 10am.

I dropped my bags off and looked for a quiet corner where I could lounge for a bit. I got less than 2 hours of sleep the previous night and didn’t sleep much on the plane.

After struggling with internet connectivity and keeping my eyes open, I found the TV lounge. An oasis. There were 3 levels of bean bag type chairs. Booyah. I sat down and put Horrible Bosses on. That movie is hilarious so, again, I didn’t sleep much. Then somebody came in and started No Country for Old Men.

By the time the movie marathon was done, I was able to check in. Thankfully, I drew a bottom bunk. It was in an 18 bed dorm. I honestly didn’t know you could fit that many beds in one room. It was real. And actually not that bad.

Partially because like 12 of those 18 people were attractive females. Something I noticed about Melbourne as a whole. So many attractive people. A combination of the amount of people and Melbourne being a popular destination for backpackers I guess. Fine by me.

I got my SIM card sorted out and nabbed some groceries. By the time I was situated, I was ready for a goodnight’s sleep.

I went down in the morning and was stoked to remember that this place had free pancakes, cereal and toast. So clutch. They also had free rice and pasta available any time. It was a real coup in the complimentary food department.

There’s this company that does free walking tours of the city each day. Choice. I missed the departure from the hostel but was able to rendezvous with them before it actually began. There was probably around 20 people or so in attendance. A surprising turnout.

Our guide, Nicole, took us through the cozy laneways, showing us the cool shops and street art. We went past the art gallery, Federation Square, the train station (where the phrase “meet you under the clocks” became popular), and several other arcades/malls.

Under the Clocks at Flinders Street Station

Interesting tidbit: Melbourne was originally called “Batmania” after its founder. We also learned about the Ned Kelly gang who were Robin Hood-esque. I forget why that story was so influential. It was a 4 hour tour, so there was a lot of information being thrown about.

The tour disbanded and I did a lot more wandering on my way back. There was a free team zone that covered about a square kilometer of the CBD which made it easy to get around.

I relaxed for a bit when I got back to the hostel and made a decent dinner. Yes, it involved pasta. This was actually the first time I’d made pasta and sauce even though everybody pegs that as the quintessential backpackers meal.

I decided to take the advice of our tour guide and go to the Shrine of Remembrance to try and catch the sunset over the skyline of the city. It was a 20 minute walk from the hostel and a pretty nice vantage point. There was a tower I could’ve gone up but that junk cost money.

Sunset Over the Skyline
Shrine of Remembrance
Night Colors at the Shrine

The following day was somewhat lazy. I obviously capitalized on free pancakes. From there I went to a cafe and worked on some photos.

In the early afternoon, I did a hidden bar crawl with the same company that did the walking tour.

It was an interesting group. Two 20 year olds that barely knew what drinking was, a British couple that mostly kept to themselves, a dude from Minnesota, a miscellaneous Chilean and a chick who was working in New Zealand but originally from Charlottesville (an hour’s drive east from my house). Classic travel encounter.

To my relative disappointment, we weren’t really “uncovering hidden laneways bars” as the name of the crawl suggested. There weren’t any secret knocks or passwords to enter. The first stop was right off a main drag. That being said, the places did have a sweet divey feel.

First, we went to a whisky place where I ordered a Boilermaker. It’s the same as an RVA Happy Meal. For those who still don’t follow: it’s a shot and a beer. I chose the Australian variety, because when in Australia…

Apparently whisky and craft beer are really starting to catch on but there isn’t much supply so it’s all expensive. I think the bartender said Jack Daniel’s produces in 11 seconds what the entire Australian industry produces in a year. Yowzers.

Then we went to a converted shipping container (beer bar), a basement spot (cocktails) and an old brothel rooftop (cocktails).

Now that I’ve written that out, I suppose the places were decently unique.

Boilermaker
Whitehart Bar
Beneath Driver Lane
Dark & Stormy

A few people elected to go to another area of the city and explore. It was time for my free pasta fill up though. I did have a night cap at the downstairs bar with a few people before calling it a night.

The next day, I checked out the National Galley of Victoria and the ACMI museum, which is an exhibit dedicated to moving images. I enjoyed Federation Square once more and walked along the Yarra River for a bit.

I decided I would create my own informal rooftop bar crawl that evening. I was attempting to find another good spot to catch the sunset.

Unfortunately, I set out too late and my first selection was only a 3-story roof that was dwarfed by high rises. It was still a really cozy spot. I had a quick beer and moved on.

The following place was really close by but I was having trouble finding it for some reason. I noticed two ladies having the same issue so I joined forces with them and we immediately located the door because it was right in front of us.

We rode the elevator together and chatted a bit. Then we were going to part ways once we got inside but they invited me to hang out with them. Sweet. They were also babes.

We had a really awesome chat. One was an American living in Melbourne and one was from Melbourne living in Seattle. Odd things. They were super nice and offered me a place to stay if ever I was in their cities again. They also bought my beers which was incredible.

I went to another hip spot where I had the opposite experience of talking to no one. Thems the breaks.

I got up early the next morning to catch a bus tour along the Great Ocean Rd. There were probably about 18 of us total. It was a full day thing and I was looking forward to seeing some sites.

First, we pulled over at the official sign marking the starting point. I mean, ok. It was a sign with predictable words on it. Nothing crazy. There were some decent views on the drive to our next stop. Again, somewhat similar to the California PCH, but with bluer water.

Next was a brief stop to interact with some wildlife. And it wasn’t really by choice. There were two types of parrots that were very keen to land on peoples’ heads and chill for a minute. There was also one koala sleeping way up in a tree. I saw its furry bum.

From there, we had a break for lunch in Apollo Bay. There wasn’t much view of the bay from where we were though. I chatted with a Dane, a German and a Brit.

Shortly after that, we did a brief nature walk in Mait Flats. There were some large trees and a slight concern about a poisonous black slug but I didn’t come across any. Seemed like kind of a pointless stop.

The next 3 were the main attractions anyway. There was two large rock formations in the ocean named Gog and Magog. I took the Gibson Steps to get a view from the beach as well.

Then there was the 12 Apostles, which are also rock structures in the ocean. It was a straight zoo of people though. By far the most touristy situation I’ve been in since leaving home. Kind of undesirable.

Finally, we were given just under an hour to explore Razorback, Shipwreck, Loch and Gorige. I hustled to see all of them cuz I was missing a good walk. I saved the best for last because I was able to actually dip my feet in the water. It felt nice.

Gog and Magog
12 Apostles
Loch and Gorge

Overall, that was the highlight of the day. I was disappointed in all of the stops being insanely crowded with people. I wasn’t expecting that so it threw me off.

We had roughly a 3 hour drive back to Melbourne. The upside was that we got dropped off at the Queen Victoria Market, which just so happened to have a night market going on.

It was a large tent with a ton of food and craft vendors, bustling with people. The smells and styles were cool to take in. The city backdrop was quite nice as well.

I captured a few of the night scenes on my way back to the hostel. Then I packed up my stuff.

In the morning I checked out and boarded a 12 hour Greyhound to Sydney.

December 19, 2018February 22, 2019

In Summary: New Zealand

Aotearoa.

The place of kiwis. The place of mountains. The place of bays and glaciers and unique wildlife.

The people were kind, the scenery was stunning, and the hiking was next level.

In reflecting on my time in New Zealand, it’s a struggle to vividly remember it all. Three months is a lengthy adventure.

My arrival in Auckland seems like a year ago. Either that’s because my memory is as shit as I think it is, or time has been distorted by the amount of experiences I fit into that glorious 90-day window.

I met heaps of people. Many of them fleetingly, but a few kindred spirits that I could easily contact if/when visiting their home countries (and vice versa). I also picked up a little bit of lingo if you didn’t catch that usage of “heaps.”

On that note, probably the most valuable part of this trip has been the immersion into another culture. Even though it may have only been a subtle contrast to that of the U.S., it’s still an important process. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m a changed person or anything, but seeing the way other people live everyday life can at least open your mind to a different approach.

I wrote about the “no worries” attitude before and that’s something I hope I’m able to keep with me as I go forward. Everything doesn’t have to be taken so seriously. Things work out. There’s a lot of stuff out there we can’t control, so just take it as it comes. No worries.

By the Numbers

Days in New Zealand: 91
Days at Workaways: 43
Days with a Rental Car: 28
Nights in Hostels: 39
NZD Spent: ~$7,425.84
USD Spent: ~$5,017.46 (Avg. conversion rate of roughly 1.48)

You can see my full cost breakdown here.

For those interested in visiting one day, here are my totally subjective highlights:
(click the top left button of the map to expand the list view)

Favorite Places: 1. Queenstown 2. Wellington 3. Taupo 4. Wanaka 5. Paihia	Favorite Walks: 1. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing 2. Copland Track 3. Diamond Lake to Rocky Mtn 4. Ben Lomond 5. Abel Tasman
Favorite Adventure Activities: 1. Rafting the Tongariro River 2. Kayaking in Abel Tasman 3. The Shotover Canyon Swing 4. Black Abyss in Waitomo 5. Luging in Queenstown	Favorite Attractions: 1. Milford Sound 2. Hobbiton 3. Cape Reinga 4. Te Papa Museum 5. Hamilton Gardens 6. Franz Josef Valley 7. Punakaiki Pancake Rocks 8. Christchurch Street Art Trail 9. The Hole in the Rock 10. Auckland Domain

Also, here’s my Trip Advisor profile. I was reviewing things pretty heavily up until I wasn’t. Maybe one day I’ll finish it out but it doesn’t seem likely.

Finally, I still don’t really know what I’m doing, but I think I’ve taken some decent pictures along the way. Kind of hard to screw it up with scenery that good. Below is an album with my favorite photos from New Zealand.

November 21, 2018November 21, 2018

Stalled

This is where a normal post would be.

Instead, I was hamstrung by rain between Greymouth and Hokitika. Let’s just pretend that some interesting stuff happened and I didn’t spend 16hrs in a brewery mooching wifi and two nights sleeping in the car, eating endless ham and cheese sandwiches.

After 3 days, it was still coming down outside. I was stir crazy and decided it was time to push off. The trouble was that the main highway was closed in the direction I needed to go because of some landslides.

I had faith it would get sorted out when I got to that point. There were a few small walks I was doing on the way to buy some time.

Unfortunately, the key attractions would’ve been a lot more remarkable in better weather. I did a lakeside track that would usually have an awesome mountainous reflection on a calmer day. I went to a sweet gorge with a swing bridge that would usually have beautiful blue water rushing underneath. The river was a curious gray color. Like the tint of the water you rinsed your paint brush in a dozen times.

There were still plenty of awesome sights along the way. The clouds were hovering among the mountains, often hiding the peaks like a jealous boyfriend smothering his girl.

I headed south toward Glacier Country.

My positivity was paying off because the clouds began to break. I reached the landslide area and got lucky. The road was reopened, just condensed down to one line. A short queue to alternate the traffic but no problem.

I was told to take a detour to Okarito. There were supposed to be some good views of the bay on the coast and the distant glaciers. It was a nice scene to start with but the view at the summit was still pretty obstructed by clouds. The inlet, however, was sweet.

I went to another spot that was supposed to be a 40 minute return. Somehow I went down the wrong track and ended up deep in the woods. After 30 minutes, I realized my error and decided to turn around. I did see a wild deer come busting through a clearing. On the way back I passed a guided group that was going in looking for Kiwis. I got a very confused look for being off the beaten path. Oh well.

I left to go camp nearby and planned to get up close and personal with some icy rocks the following day.

November 15, 2018November 14, 2018

The Weather Outside is Weather

I feel a little bad. But should I? It’s complicated.

Was it my fault for putting him through the ringer? Do I blame the lady at the i-Site for pointing me in this direction? Ugh.

These were the thoughts going through my head as we were laying out all of our belongings on a deck to dry off in the sun.

Rewind a few days to me devising a plan to conquer Abel Tasman National Park. I’ve heard it’s one of the best places to see in New Zealand. “So beautiful,” everyone says.

With all the hype, I wanted to get as much out of it as possible.

It’s one of the New Zealand great walks, 51km (32 miles) across 3-5 days depending on your pace. The huts along the track are $75 to stay in though. And they’re the most basic accommodation – no power, no cooking, no showers; just a thin mattress under a roof. Campsites were $30, so that was my play. Still pretty steep, but more manageable.

The thing was, I didn’t want to walk the entire track. I mean, I have the knees of a 65 year old. I’m not sure I could do it in consecutive days even though it wasn’t an intense grade. Plus, there were some awesome kayaking opportunities along the coast that I wanted to hit up.

I went to the Nelson i-Site and got some advice from one of the staff members. Take a water taxi up to one of the highest points the first day, do a loop walk, camp, do a one-day guided kayak, camp, then walk out. A pretty nice combination of everything. Sounded perfect.

Then I got a Facebook message from Jonathan, a Canadian traveler I rafted with in Taupo, asking what my upcoming plans were. I told him the route I was looking at and invited him along. Significantly more fun to have company on a multi-day trek anyhow.

To my surprise, he’s down to join. Sweet.

I met up with him in Nelson after I left Pete and Kyra’s and we miraculously hitched ourselves to a hostel right at the start of the track (which honestly is not that close to anything). There was no cellular service and the wifi allotment from the backpackers was 100MB/day. A bit laughable.

I repacked my bag, prepared my food and got ready for the epic journey.

Jonathan looked at the weather forecast and started getting nervous.

Him: “It’s supposed to rain 9mm tomorrow.”
Me: “Is that a lot?”

This whole imperial vs. metric system issue is 100% confusing. My scale for everything — temperature, distance, weight — is completely off.

The important bit I gathered was a high probability of precipitation.

Ok. Well, everything was already planned, so we’ll just deal with it as it comes.

I didn’t have a traditional rain cover for my pack so I borrowed a garbage bag and fashioned a poncho-type thing just in case.

We woke up early in the morning and went to catch our water taxi at the kayaking company we were using. It wasn’t raining which seemed like a good omen.

Such a pleasant boat ride out to the starting point, too. We made a few stops along the way to drop off the kayak group for that day. Then it was just me, Jonathan and the skipper, Justin. He did his best to get us to a spot where we wouldn’t have to get our feet wet. We disembarked the boat safely but had to cross a stream over a sand dune anyway so the shoes still had to come off.

Anyway, it was really working out. We were crushing our walk under some moderate cover and it still wasn’t raining. The sun actually peaked out a few times. There were some nice lookouts and we even decided to do a side path that took us out to Separation Point to see some seals.

Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the first main checkpoint, Wharawharangi (roughly halfway). We stopped to have lunch and take a breather. We were harassed through the entire meal by some pesky Wekas — a flightless bird that’s always trying to knick some food.

As we packed up and got ready to move on, we were feeling good. There was about another 4-5hrs before we would arrive at our campsite. Manageable. The sign directing us made it seem like it’d be smooth sailing as well. Less kms than our previous leg and less time. No problem.

This was blatantly not the case.

First off, this is when it started to rain. It was only a sprinkle but we decided to activate our rain gear. Jonathan was well prepared with a cover for his pack and an umbrella. I had my Gore-Tex jacket and my bag poncho.

Feeble attempts.

I was convinced that even if it started to pour, we would be mostly under a canopy based on the type of path we’d been on all day. Again, not the case.

As the rain increased, so did the openness of the track. We were fully in the elements. It was the hardest rain I’ve seen in New Zealand to date. Reminiscent of a Virginia thunderstorm, except it lasted for 7+ hours.

No wonder everything is so green here.

And of course, instead of an easy walk that we could power through, it was an insane climb. Gibbs Hill is a son of a bitch. It wasn’t so much a path as it was a steep wash out. After being continually defeated and disheartened, we made it to the peak. We stopped long enough to appreciate how awesome the view would’ve been in good weather and forged ahead.

We were convinced there was a hut an hour away from our campsite that we could take refuge in — sit next to the fire to dry out for a minute. This was our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It was what we needed. What we were looking forward to.

Then we got to Totaranui after another three hours of walking to discover nope. There was not a hut with a cozy, warm fire. No comfy chair with hot chocolate. No toasty socks to put back on.

“Yeah, nah,” as the Kiwis would say.

The check-in office was even closed. The best we had was a cooking shelter with two open walls. Better than nothing to get out of the rain for a bit.

Now, it was decision time.

There was no way we were camping in the wet, cold rain. The dilemma came in the form of staying there under a pop-up tent that would loosely act as a reprieve from the rain (and getting up super early to make up the extra distance to meet our kayak crew in the morning) or continuing on for another two hours to an actual hut. The upside was, of course, the fire and warmth. And being able to sleep in a little bit since it was closer to the rendezvous point.

The major downside was that we would have to cross the Awaroa inlet. The only way to do so was within two hours of low tide.

We didn’t have that information because we weren’t planning on going that far. Ooof. And there was very fleeting cell service to try and pull it up.

Luckily, I was able to get a sliver of a bar and find the details. It was 7pm and low tide was at 8:13pm. It would be dark, but if we hustled we could make it happen.

The fire. It was everything. The primary motivation. As wet as my feet were and as much as my back hurt, I felt like I could power through because of that prospect.

So on we went into the night. The rain eased up at points, giving a false sense of hope. It wouldn’t stop for several hours yet.

After busting out the headlight and forcing ourselves over some more switchbacks, we came to the inlet. The other side of the track was probably a little longer than a football field away. We were meant to look for a big orange marker to direct us. We didn’t calculate how impossible it would be to see that in the dark. Shit.

It seemed like there was a light off in the distance, so that’s what we headed for.

Then we encountered the obstacle of the tidal crossing. There were probably 6-8 pockets of water that were knee to ankle deep and a few feet wide. Couldn’t see any areas narrow enough to jump over and didn’t really have enough time to go searching. We had been warned that the tide could get up to 7 knots rushing in or out. There was no turning back now.

I just went for it. I didn’t bother to take my socks or shoes off. I was just wading through the ice cold water, semi-directionless. Jonathan took his shoes off, braving the minefield of rocks and shells.

We kept aiming for the dim light, and thankfully, that paid off.

As we got closer, we noticed it was moving — a headlamp from someone at the hut.

Salvation. We made it.

We climbed the three steps up to the porch and saw some blissful flames through the window. Yes, please.

First, I had to rinse out the pebbles and immense amount of sand in my shoes and socks.

The other hikers were shocked that we were just arriving. They also warned us of how strict the warden was. Remember, we had a campsite reservation that was $45 cheaper than the hut fee. Ugh. The last thing I wanted to deal with was a callous park ranger. Whatever.

I started to unpack dinner and a change of clothes and realized basically everything in my bag was soaked. The poncho did it’s job for the top of the pack but it didn’t cover my tent, which was strapped to the bottom. Moisture seeped up from there and reached almost everything. My sleeping bag, camera equipment, and clothes were all wet. Dammit.

I spent like an hour and a half standing next to the fire holding up various articles of clothing. I set my shoes right next to the wood stove hoping they’d be dry enough by morning. I was completely exhausted.

Hooray for moderately shitty but dry sleeping conditions!

By the time Jonathan and I left in the morning, most things were only damp and we escaped an encounter with the warden. But, I left behind my favorite shirt absent-mindedly. I’ll take the tradeoff, I suppose.

We left the hut at 8:50am for what we thought was a 30 minute walk to meet our kayaking group by 9:30am.

Subsequent stressful experience: poorly-worded signs.

There was a point where we should’ve turned left to take the beachside pathway. Instead, we turned right on the 1hr45min track.

Whoops.

After climbing for 20 minutes we realized our mistake but didn’t have much of a choice but to continue, We ran, which is next to impossible after you’ve spent like 11 hours walking the day before. We stumbled onto the beach just as three kayaks were paddling away. It was 9:33am.

This can’t be happening.

Surely, they would’ve waited 5 minutes for us to show up.

I waited on the beach as Jonathan went up to the lodge to check. He came back and said we were at the wrong beach.

I was like THERE’S NO FUCKING WAY. And he was like, yeah, I’m playing. They’re just running really late.

Phew.

We saw Justin and his boat turn the corner into the bay. All was well. And it got better when the guide got off to great us. Nicole. “Holy smokes,” as Jonathan would say.

The remote coast kayaking trip we went on was pretty sick.

It was a small group of 6 people across 3 kayaks, plus Nicole riding solo. She told us the story of Abel Tasman as we got our bearings. Over the course of the day, we saw some seals and sting rays, had lunch in a beautiful harbor, and even used our picnic blanket as a sail for part of the way. It was a lovely contrast to the previous day.

At the end of the trip it was time to decide if Jonathan and I were going to camp for the night and walk out the next day or head back to dry off our stuff. It was a really tough call. The weather had turned nice and the camp site was basically right on the beach in an amazing bay. Plus, we were feeling good after such an awesome kayaking trip.

We decided to stay.

After setting up our tents and exploring a bit of the area, we made a fire and checked in with the warden. We were joined by a Belgian and French guy and shared stories throughout the evening. Once the fire died down we called it a night.

I fell asleep pretty quickly. Around 2am I started waking up every 15 minutes because of how freezing it was. The weather turned and I was in such a shitty tent. I knew it was cheap going in, but I was hoping the quality of my sleeping bag would save me. Unfortunately not. Then around 4am it started raining.

Cool.

I got up for good at 7:30am and started to pack up my tent in the drizzle. It was almost impossible to pry myself out of the lukewarm cocoon I made. But we had to start walking at 9am to ensure we would make another tidal crossing farther down the way. Jonathan surfaced when I was almost finished packing up. I saw a finger and an eyeball poking out of a small unzipping in his tent.

Apparently he’d eaten something that didn’t agree with him the night before. Nature of the beast packing food for multiple days, I suppose. He tried to sleep it off for a little bit longer. I waited in the food shelter shivering, hoping the small pockets of blue would fill the whole sky.

Getting a later start wasn’t a total dealbreaker. It just meant we’d have to take the high tide track which added another hour and a half of walking.

When Jonathan came out again, he just wanted to go back. That was fine by me. The weather was starting to clear up, but another 7 hours of walking did seem daunting.

Justin came back and shipped us home. By the time we re-checked into the hostel, the sun was shining and it was gorgeous.

That brings us back to the part where we were laying out everything in our bags on the deck. It looked like a shantytown. And thus, I was contemplating if I should apologize to Jonathan for bringing him along.

He actually thanked me for inviting him. It was a challenging time, character building, with some brilliance mixed in (Nicole).

In that moment, being able to lay in the sun was kind of euphoric. Also, Cup O’ Noodles never tasted so good.

There’s a lot to be said for being warm and dry.