I’m going to warn you right now. This is going to be a rambling post and probably all over the place. There were a number of random thoughts/experiences I noted to write about that never made it into my other posts. This will probably also end up including more memories and notes of my travels that I failed to mention previously.
As this was a road trip I’m very proud to say not once did I get lost! Ok, so maybe once google maps thought there was a road that didn’t actually exist but not once was I truly lost. I had the foresight to download the offline version of the maps so even when I had zero cell coverage I could still get around. I used Waze most of the time though, I much prefer the way Waze calls out the directions. And only twice, maybe three times but I can only distinctly remember twice, did I miss a turn. Ok, actually three times. Once because I was lost in thought and not paying enough attention until after it was too late to squeal around the corner and twice because the roads were coming together at odd angles and I was momentarily confused. Thankfully I’ve always been good with maps. Just ask my mother, I’ve been a pro at reading a Thomas Guide since I was about 11 years old! If you are more than a few years younger than me you probably don’t even know what a Thomas Guide is.
The car. Yes, it totally sucked having an accident immediately with my first rental car but in hindsight I am so glad I ended up driving my replacement instead. The little Mazda was cool with great upgrades but the basic Toyota RAV4 they gave me my second go-round was perfect for me. I used to drive a RAV so I am very comfortable with them. And for me, I felt a little sense of irony doing this journey that brought unexpected self discovery in a RAV4. When I graduated college many years ago I bought myself a brand new RAV4. I loved that little car, I survived a couple pretty decent accidents in it, I had it paid off in full before I even met my ex-husband, and then I had to sign it over to him as part of my divorce settlement. That was over three years ago and this was the first time I’ve driven a RAV4 since. She did me well. Not only did she get me around but many times she acted as a clothes drying rack, a changing room, and more than once, her doors opened to shield me and create my own little bathroom stall! Come on, we’ve all done that. As I unloaded my bags at the airport to return her a little lady bug was crawling around the back of the car. Lady bugs are a symbol of luck. Seemed right. I made sure to release that little lady on a plant nearby.
This car took me all over the country and in doing so I had many brief conversations with folks from all over the world. And by god the world thinks Americans are dumb. I can’t tell you how many folks, upon hearing I was from the U.S., asked me how the hell he-who-shall-not-be-named was elected president. Apparently the rest of the world is just as shocked as I am that a year later he is still in office. One gentlemen went a little further with the political discussions, laughing as he asked me how the heck it works when your government shuts down because nobody could come to an agreement. So yes, the rest of the world watches us. And much of it laughs at us.
Speaking of home. I realized a few days into my trip that most people, when asked where they were from, simply named the country. But not us Californians. The two locals I met at Hobbiton and my new friend Sophia from the Maori dinner, all when asked said “California” instead of a reference to the country. I was guilty of doing the same. Being cognizant of this, when I met the Belgian orthodontist and he asked where I was from, I said simply “the States.” He looked at me and said, “well that’s a big place, which one?” Sheesh, the one time I tried my hand at not being California-centric that was the response I was met with!
Unlike my experience at most US landmarks, I found folks in New Zealand to be very respectful and clean with the great outdoors. In 8 days of adventure, I am pretty sure I can count how many pieces of litter (not counting that godforsaken downtown Auckland) on one hand. On the entire Tongariro Alpine Crossing we saw two pieces of trash. Two. And graffiti? Nope. I saw graffiti ONCE. On the back of a road sign in a town.
Speaking of signs, this was one that amused me. It was taken at Hell’s Gate. Is it just me or does it look like it’s indicating not your throw your children or spouse into the steaming water?
I don’t know what the actual crime rate is in New Zealand, I do know it’s rated as one of the safer spots for backpackers. The sense of safety I felt overwhelmingly the majority of the time, especially as the days went by and I got more comfortable, was incredible. At first I was worried about having all my bags in the car between my nightly accommodations as I was out and about exploring but I quickly realized I had nothing to worry about. The sense of safety I felt was amazing. I felt safer than I do at home. Safer hiking by myself than I do walking two large dogs most nights. I’m going to have to dive into my feelings of safety some other time, but man was it freeing.
Also freeing, well, actually, just free but I couldn’t pass up the attempt at the transition (you know you would have gone for it too) are plastic bags. One of my lessons this trip, never pass up a chance to grab a plastic bag. They help you carry clothes and other items when you’re too lazy or rushed to pack properly in the morning, act as dirty clothes hampers, serve as trash bags, hold wet clothes and swim suits, organize your snacks, act as gloves, protect stuff from the rain, the list goes on and on.
With that tip, let’s move on to the fact that in New Zealand you don’t tip! Tips are never expected. In fact, from everything I read and the conversations I’ve had, the locals hate it when us out-of-towners tip. Don’t mess with their customs! The only time I broke this rule and insisted on a tip was when I found myself at a full service gas station in Turangi. I didn’t realize it was full service and the man came running over as soon as he saw me lift the nozzle myself. He was so friendly and cheery. While he pumped my gas I emptied all the trash out of my car and he made jokes about my hoarding and insisted on helping. He looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to hand him four one-dollar coins and asked if I was sure. When I said yes, that I really appreciated him, one of the biggest surprised smiles I have ever seen broke out on his already cheery face. It’s so much more fun to tip when it’s a surprise and not an expectation. I really am coming to hate expectations.
No tipping also simplifies meal purchases in New Zealand. And they include the tax on the listed prices so you never have to guesstimate a final bill. I found that the meal prices at restaurants seemed higher initially than at home but once I factored in both the tips and tax differential I think they’re about the same.
Another amazing thing about New Zealand? There are no civil lawsuits! That’s right, they actually passed a law outlawing civil suits. Before I learned of this I had been marveling at all the geothermal parks and “attractions” that there were no waivers involved and no railings most of the time separating you from the could-be-deadly geothermal awesomeness. The teachers I met on the Tongariro explained this to us when another lady passing by heard them talking about being with students and commented how wonderful that was since at home her kids didn’t get to do any good field trips any more because of the liability (she sounded like she may have been from the US but I wasn’t sure).
Speaking of those teachers again, I am still in awe that they do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing as a field trip! It is part of a 5-day outdoor education program that students get the opportunity to do their sophomore year. All the students were boys, I didn’t bother to ask what that was about. But anyways, I think that’s amazing. The teachers aren’t specific outdoor education teachers but are from across the subjects and volunteer their time. One taught calculus, one physics and chemistry, I don’t know about the rest. There are about 200 boys who go through the program, separated into groups of 100ish. The student to teacher ration is 7:1 and the boys’ families only have to pay about $200 to offset the cost of the meals and lodging. Can’t afford the $200? They have special funds to help. With about 100 boys on the trek the same day as us that would mean 14 teachers. I spoke with five of them over the course of the descent and they were all super friendly and supportive. The ones I was chatting with at the end were probably at least a good quarter or half mile back from the rest of the group. There were three of them and they were hanging back because one student, Liam, had been struggling. Their response, no worries, they would go at Liam’s pace and enjoy themselves. Supporting and encouraging Liam was the priority. As we walked and talked with them at least one of the teachers would comment support to Liam on a very regular basis, every 5 minutes or so it was “Liam, you’re doing brilliant, mate!” These teachers take these boys out and do this because they enjoy it and you could really tell. They all said that as long as the program continues they will be involved, and they guess it will probably continue until they lose a boy or something. They said this not in jest but like that really was the reality that some day that would happen! To ensure that day doesn’t come too soon they gauge the boys after the first part of the hike and just before the Devil’s Staircase they send back the ones that they don’t think are physically capable or that have a bad attitude.
More about the Tongariro Alpine Crossing – I told you I’d end up writing more about it – I can’t get over it. I wish I could relive that day over and over again, but with a better pack! At one point during the trek, as we were in the midst of the hardest section, the climb up to the lip of Red Crater, I asked myself if I would do it again. At that point, as I was huffing and puffing and struggling to find my footing I didn’t know the answer to that question. Honestly, I didn’t. But now, I know that without a doubt I would do it again. And again. And again. And I intend to. Even when my heart rate surged, at times upwards of 185 bpm, and regularly over 165 bpm as we climbed, and I felt pained, it was worth it. My body hated me and I hurt like hell from the climb but without a doubt, it was worth it. And apparently that hardest part, that ascent up Red Crater and the slip and slide descent, was optional. I had vaguely remembered reading that it was a side trek in my research. And when I spoke with folks who had done it they billed it as worth it. But in the moment, as we stood in awe so anxious and eager to get even closer to the edge of that magnificent Crater and to the face of Mt. Nguaurahoe it didn’t seem like an option. In the three days since when I’ve mentioned to folks I had just done the trek, as a way of explaining away my audible groans and terrible limp, they were all impressed and shocked when I said we had done Red Crater. Most of the locals I talked to who had done the hike themselves had not done that part! Had I realized as we were swept with excitement at the base of the Crater that it was an option would I have gone for it or would I have wussed out and taken the easier way around? Honestly, I’m not sure. I think I would have gone for it, I usually take the challenge, especially with my comrade Kyra and I together to support each other, but I’m glad I didn’t have to make that decision.
Before we move off of the Tongariro again… one decision we did have to make a couple times… do we try to find a place to hide and cop a squat or do we try to hold out for the next bathroom? There were bathrooms “roughly” every 1-2 hours supposedly, though at times it felt like much longer. For the record, we always held out but as we approached Devil’s Staircase it looked like one us might give in (sorry to tell this story Kyra!). As we were getting close to the start of that dreaded section Kyra had to go. Bad. We spent a good number of minutes thinking we should be coming up on one any time. We stopped for a moment to adjust ourselves (apply sunscreen, zip off my pant legs into shorts, that type of fun stuff), and looked at the only crude map we had that showed the bathrooms. From our calculations it looked like we had somehow missed them! We spent a good amount of time there discussing the situation as we knew there certainly wasn’t one along the staircase. Do we go back? Does she hold it? Do we try to find a big rock? Finally, the decision was made, a big rock was spotted behind us, she would sneak off the path a bit and go for it. As she started up the little hill behind us to the rock she turned and starting laughing. What could she see as she gained height, the damn bathrooms, they were literally within 30′ of us, just on the other side of the rocks we were resting against!!! Just another example of how that perfect day came together so well! I’m sure this anecdote doesn’t read as that amusing, but to experience it, freaking hilarious. At another point on the trek, as we passed Blue Lake, it was me that was desperate. And yet again, as I was eyeing the landscape looking for a place to hide we rounded another corner and came across the crude bathrooms. And we weren’t the only ones excited to see them! There was a group of four guys ahead of us for the single toilet closet. As each came out they made the dramatic expressions of glory, think Superman poses, flexes, and over exaggerated sounds of relief. It was hilarious. I get it guys, I felt the same the same way when I walked out of there!
I still struggle with trying to convey how powerful that trek was. To be up close and personal with those mighty volcanoes, to complete such a challenge, to spend 8 hours trekking with a new friend, sharing parts of our life stories. I left a piece of my heart on that trek. Even at end of the evening, as tired, exhausted, and pained as we were, Kyra and I walked back up to the parking lot from the hot springs where we had gone to soak our aching bodies, an hour away from the end of the trek, and there she was. The sun was setting, the sky was a beautiful pink twilight, and as we rounded the corner at the top of the little hill to the parking lot. We saw them. Our mighty Mt. Nguaurahoe and Mt. Tongariro in all their glory off in the distance with the sun setting across them. Something came over us, our aches and pains were thrown aside and we giggled like little school girls as we ran across the parking lot to see them, because, you know, getting 60′ closer would make a difference! Hah!
Speaking of little school girls (yah, I know that’s a weird segway), on my hike to Cathedral Cove I couldn’t help myself but start laughing out loud. There was a family (?) ahead of me, two adults and two young girls. The girls seemed to be maybe ages 5ish and 7ish. As I passed them on the trail I overheard the older of the two saying, with irony in her voice, “I’m camping and then I have to go to two beaches, and then I have to a winery and get a cupcake. My life is so hard!” I was dying. I pulled out my phone and wrote the quote down word-for-word because it was too good to forget. And at the same time I also wanted to know which winery had cupcakes.
Taking On the World 
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