Tuesday, August 16th
No nightmares for me last night. Can't say the same for AJ who woke bolt upright, probably steering us away from some cliff in his dreams. AJ woke first and packed up the camper, while I hunkered down in the double comforter, plus sleeping bag lair.
AJ drove to Mangamaunu and stepped outside to check the surf. He was gone too long for it to be right. When he returned, he said, "There needs to be a little more light on it."
And I asked if he wanted his headlamp. He crawled back into bed to wait for sunrise. At sunrise, he went back out. It was big and disorganized. Winds ripping and not so inviting. I made mushroom and cheese omelets, and AJ made coffee. We were giving the surf a little time to get itself in order. Besides the road south was still closed, and an update wasn't due until 9am. Manga's did not get organized and the winds didn't suddenly cooperate either. We drove to Meatworks to check the surf there; it was even bigger and disorganized.
So back into town...to wait for news of the roads and to sample another cafe. Two mochas and a shared bagel later and we were off to explore Kiakoura's south peninsula and bay. We saw heaps of seals!!! They are freaking adorable. All wiggly and bounce. We had made a seal friend at Manga's. He/she may have been sick, or if a she, possibly pregnant. Let's call him/her Sam. Sam was sprawled out on the beach the first afternoon we checked the surf. AJ almost walked right into him/her, and Sam barely picked his/her head up. I was wishing I had some seal rescue knowledge at that moment. The next day, we thought Sam was gone, but we found him/her camped out under a tree, and we saw a smaller seal coming in from the ocean to be with him/her. I accidentally scared the little seal because I was so excited to see it swim onto shore and jump onto a piece of driftwood. Apparently, Sam was gone today. Perhaps feeling better or having birthed some seal pups. I don't want to consider any of the less cheery versions.
But back to Kaikoura...we saw hundreds of seals around the southern peninsula. There were a few at Keen Point and horde of them relaxing on rocks as we took the footpath to Whale Bay. There were also several signs reminding you to keep ten meters from the seals. 10 meter! I was way closer to Sam at Manga's each time we saw each other.
A light drizzle was starting to fall so we hurried back to the camper and drove around the other side of the peninsula, and then we decided to see where the road actually closed. The national weather and transportation websites said Rt 1 was closed, but when we approached, a man with an official looking fluorescent orange vest told us the road was open. Woot!
As we headed south, snow began to litter to pastures, and we past sheep with a dusting of snow on their backs. Soon we were chugging up our first mountain pass; it was a bit slick, but AJ kept the camper in 3rd gear primarily. One mountain pass down.
We stopped in Cheviot for gas, and the clerk assured us we were one of the first few. The road had been closed for almost days. He didn't think Arthur's Pass, the road to the snow fields, was open, but we planned to go to Christchurch first to see about our GoPro.
An hour later we were cruising Christchurch, even passed a store that claimed to be "The World's Largest Gun Store." Really? Christchurch, NZ?
Unfortunately, Southern Approach was not open and we weren't able to have our GoPro fixed or replaced. I should mention that the last help email I received was totally shitty, and customer service is going to hear about my dissatisfaction with their product and their online support staff when I return to the states. On their contrary, their phone staff is quite helpful and pleasant.
It was difficult to leave Christchurch, as many roads were blocked off or detoured as a result of the quakes. And many of the motels and hotels displayed no vacancy signs, which indicated displaced folks may be living there now.
We finally found our way to 73 and began the snowy trek toward Arthur's Pass. We knew the road would be closed around Springfield and decided to get as far as we could. And we have.
We're parked on the side of the road at the western edge of Springfield, a few meters from the last gas station, pub, and convenience stores for hundreds of kilometers. It's the last rest stop of sorts before one arrives at the ski clubs. But we're not going anywhere tonight, and we may not be going anywhere tomorrow. The road is officially closed here, and even AJ conceded that it's not safe to push further in our camper van. If we were in the Element, well, that's another story.
We emptied our grey and black water and refilled the fresh water tank before we left Kaikoura. And we've stocked up on propane for our heater. So we're in an ideal condition to be stranded here, though Kiakoura was a much better town to hang out it. It even had a secondhand book store!
But there's a pub, which probably serves fish and chips and pies, AJ's NZ grub favs, and I'm sure the convenience store sells chocolate, the only necessity we're running low on (only one bar left).
Off to read with our headlamps.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Stranded in Kiakoura
On Monday, August 15th, Emari and I camped up at a spot called Meatworks, really exposed to the wind, rainy and cold which eventually turned to sleet. A her request we parked on slightly higher ground as we were not sure where the high tide line would be. I woke many times which has not been uncommon, frequent driving nightmares have woken me, perhaps these roads have contributed to a mild form of PTSD? It was around 6:00am when I decided to get out of bed. it was cold, I could see my breath and I peeled back the side curtains of the camper van to see a blanket of snow and Meatworks looking uninvitingly angry.
Damn it was cold and damp, so glad we had all our snowboard gear and we were layered up. I fired up the range to boil water for coffee, put out bowls for cereal, a banana, two spoons and two coffee mugs. Tried to fire up the heat but it seemed to only run for short intervals. We ate and headed just north to check Mangamaunuw which was sheltered from the wind, probably waist high, maybe some bigger sets, the tide was dropping and supposedly the swell was forecast to increase. I knew with only a 4/3, 3 mil gloves, 5 mil booties and a cap if I was going to sure today with 20-30mph winds blowing it was only going to be for one session until I was cold. It is an amazing set up and it was one of the spots I wanted to catch.
Emari and I decided to kill some time in Kaikoura, so we headed their, parked the car and bundled up for our stroll. We went into an I-info place to get some information on a Milford Sound and while their we found out the road to Christchurch was closed, we later found out most of the mountain passes and most of the ski resorts were closed as well. Weather reports seem to indicate blizzard conditions in the mountain areas and gale warnings along the coast through Tuesday.....we were not going anywhere. Lucky for us Kaikoura is a really cool town. The lady at I-info, whom I'm guessing is in her 40's told us she had not seen snow in this area since her early childhood. We booked a Milford Sound trip for this Sunday, in addition Emari booked us on the sickest zip-line trip, six lines, fastest speeds could reach 50mph and we take a gondola ride up to where the tour starts.......didn't she know I was afraid of heights, for Christ sake you know we're married and you'd think she knows these things? Zip-line tour this Saturday out of Queenstown. We killed some time at a cafe and ended up chatting with an older couple from England who were looking at missing their flight out of Christchurch scheduled for tomorrow unless the weather cleared.
The incoming tide did not seem to make a difference in the surf, still waist to maybe chest high but really soft and crumbly, winds ripping side-offshore, periods of rain, sleet and snow. We scouted out some places to camp up, it was going to be another cold blistery night. We settled for this spot just north of Mangamauna on highway 1 with a hill-side blocking the ripping SW wind, still right across the street from the ocean with sporadic traffic and once in a while the train has gone by. We cuddled up in bed, many layers with hats on heads and we read. Fuck it was cold and you could see your own breath, this has become our indicator that it is cold. We could not keep the heat going for more than a few minutes, both too cheap to cough up $30NZ for a powered up camper van site.
Bundled up we both started to prepare dinner when Emari realized that the flame on the range has not been as strong and suggested the propane tank be changed. She is one smart cookie. I swapped out the tank, this rig carries two, so we should always have a full one and wouldn't you know range fired up on high and with a fresh propane tank we now had heat blowing in the camper van. We had a wonderful meal, it had warmed up, no longer could you see your breath, but two hours later the heat kicked off and it was back to trouble shooting. The camper van houses at least two possibly three batteries and I realized the indicator was reading low. We now had an additional problem, full propane tank but not enough battery to keep the heat flowing. I started up the truck, lights got bright and the heat fired up. Then I got to thinking about the warning....."turn propane tank off while engine is running"......Fuck!!!
I went out in the dark, it was very scary and turned off the propane. We decided to run the engine for a while to get the batteries recharged. Pretty certain the extreme cold weather drains these batteries quicker. Plan is to kill the engine, turn on the propane and heat but it is unlikely that this will get us through the night. Sleeping attire...first layer, smart wool socks, sweater type layer, hats and even possibly light gloves. We will then pile under a sheet with a double comforter and possibly a sleeping bag...we will spoon provided Emari is on the outside, eliminating the possibility of pressing her cold nose anywhere near me.
With a little luck I'll get to surf the high tide in the morning, fingers crossed the road to Christchurch will be open and possibly Arthur's Pass so we can get up to Temple Basin with hopes of three days of riding and looking good for powder. We are then off to Queenstown for our Zip-line tour and then Milford Sound. I am really disappointed our fucking Go Pro is not working! We will then get three days of riding at Cardrona, next Thursday our 5 day Summit to Sea begins, with all the recent snow, it could be unreal, either way it will be unreal. Thinking of all my riding friends from VT.....Tim, Kyle, Jay, Justin and Gin, Dave and Jen......Ginz007 and baby carrots wish you were all here.
Bundle the fuck up baby, it's COLD!!!
AJ
Damn it was cold and damp, so glad we had all our snowboard gear and we were layered up. I fired up the range to boil water for coffee, put out bowls for cereal, a banana, two spoons and two coffee mugs. Tried to fire up the heat but it seemed to only run for short intervals. We ate and headed just north to check Mangamaunuw which was sheltered from the wind, probably waist high, maybe some bigger sets, the tide was dropping and supposedly the swell was forecast to increase. I knew with only a 4/3, 3 mil gloves, 5 mil booties and a cap if I was going to sure today with 20-30mph winds blowing it was only going to be for one session until I was cold. It is an amazing set up and it was one of the spots I wanted to catch.
Emari and I decided to kill some time in Kaikoura, so we headed their, parked the car and bundled up for our stroll. We went into an I-info place to get some information on a Milford Sound and while their we found out the road to Christchurch was closed, we later found out most of the mountain passes and most of the ski resorts were closed as well. Weather reports seem to indicate blizzard conditions in the mountain areas and gale warnings along the coast through Tuesday.....we were not going anywhere. Lucky for us Kaikoura is a really cool town. The lady at I-info, whom I'm guessing is in her 40's told us she had not seen snow in this area since her early childhood. We booked a Milford Sound trip for this Sunday, in addition Emari booked us on the sickest zip-line trip, six lines, fastest speeds could reach 50mph and we take a gondola ride up to where the tour starts.......didn't she know I was afraid of heights, for Christ sake you know we're married and you'd think she knows these things? Zip-line tour this Saturday out of Queenstown. We killed some time at a cafe and ended up chatting with an older couple from England who were looking at missing their flight out of Christchurch scheduled for tomorrow unless the weather cleared.
The incoming tide did not seem to make a difference in the surf, still waist to maybe chest high but really soft and crumbly, winds ripping side-offshore, periods of rain, sleet and snow. We scouted out some places to camp up, it was going to be another cold blistery night. We settled for this spot just north of Mangamauna on highway 1 with a hill-side blocking the ripping SW wind, still right across the street from the ocean with sporadic traffic and once in a while the train has gone by. We cuddled up in bed, many layers with hats on heads and we read. Fuck it was cold and you could see your own breath, this has become our indicator that it is cold. We could not keep the heat going for more than a few minutes, both too cheap to cough up $30NZ for a powered up camper van site.
Bundled up we both started to prepare dinner when Emari realized that the flame on the range has not been as strong and suggested the propane tank be changed. She is one smart cookie. I swapped out the tank, this rig carries two, so we should always have a full one and wouldn't you know range fired up on high and with a fresh propane tank we now had heat blowing in the camper van. We had a wonderful meal, it had warmed up, no longer could you see your breath, but two hours later the heat kicked off and it was back to trouble shooting. The camper van houses at least two possibly three batteries and I realized the indicator was reading low. We now had an additional problem, full propane tank but not enough battery to keep the heat flowing. I started up the truck, lights got bright and the heat fired up. Then I got to thinking about the warning....."turn propane tank off while engine is running"......Fuck!!!
I went out in the dark, it was very scary and turned off the propane. We decided to run the engine for a while to get the batteries recharged. Pretty certain the extreme cold weather drains these batteries quicker. Plan is to kill the engine, turn on the propane and heat but it is unlikely that this will get us through the night. Sleeping attire...first layer, smart wool socks, sweater type layer, hats and even possibly light gloves. We will then pile under a sheet with a double comforter and possibly a sleeping bag...we will spoon provided Emari is on the outside, eliminating the possibility of pressing her cold nose anywhere near me.
With a little luck I'll get to surf the high tide in the morning, fingers crossed the road to Christchurch will be open and possibly Arthur's Pass so we can get up to Temple Basin with hopes of three days of riding and looking good for powder. We are then off to Queenstown for our Zip-line tour and then Milford Sound. I am really disappointed our fucking Go Pro is not working! We will then get three days of riding at Cardrona, next Thursday our 5 day Summit to Sea begins, with all the recent snow, it could be unreal, either way it will be unreal. Thinking of all my riding friends from VT.....Tim, Kyle, Jay, Justin and Gin, Dave and Jen......Ginz007 and baby carrots wish you were all here.
Bundle the fuck up baby, it's COLD!!!
AJ
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Into the Belly of the Beast but Stuck in Ste'en's Driveway
On Saturday August 13th we were expecting a lazy morning, high tide was not until 9:30am and the beach break at Raglan was looking to be chest high and bigger with off-shore winds. It was probably close to 10:00am when I decided to go for a surf and Emari was going to pass, already involved with Ste'en's computer and our iPad trying to trouble shoot why our fucking Go Pro was still not working, and despite her hours of effort it still does not work. So much for getting ex toted about bringing a Go Pro to New Zealand.....I'd like to toss it in the air and hit it with a baseball bat?
In the mean time I get ready to pull out of then upper part of Ste'en's driveway, parked on wet grass on a decline and trying to back out. To my surprise, the wheels just spun sending mud over a short wall and spraying Ste'en's van below. Ste'en emerged and we wedged two 1x6" pieces of wood but they did not work. Lucky I spotted some rubbish of concrete and stone and we loaded up a small trail behind both front tires. No problem, backed right out, but in the process realized the front tires were essentially bald which raised a real question and dilemma, Emari and I were heading to the South Island where they are expected to get hit with a major snowstorm. Bald tires, short bus, me driving on the wrong side of the road etc....things were not adding up for a successful trip. I followed Ste'en to check the waves and it looked fun as shit, but stated, " I can't surf, I need to take care of the tires." I pulled into the local BP garage and spoke to the mechanic who conformed, front tires needed to be replaced and front end aligned, he did not have the tires in stock and recommended a run to Hamilton.
I returned to the house and Emari called our man Danny at Adventure New Zealand and he stated that we had two options, pay to get the tires replaced and get reimbursed or take it to a Firestone Dealer that they had an account with. It was now 11am, most of the tires places in Hamilton either were not open or closed by 2pm. Emari called the one place that was open until 2pm and the obtained our replacements. Emari and I dropped everything and drove 45 minutes to Hamilton. The two mechanics that worked on the car were super friendly and basically stated, "we'll have you up in running in 3/4 of an hour and you can be on your way with your Holiday."
With the tires replaced and piece of mind, with Ste'en's input looking at weather and surf Emari and I were heading to the south island tonight for a 8:25 am ferry on August 14 in hopes of beating out the storm. We grocery shopped in Hamilton and returned to Ste'en and Tonya's, we both showered and shaved at least 4 days of grime away, it felt awesome. We all pitched in for an amazing meal of nachos, chicken fajita's with fresh guacamole and salsa.
Emari and I hit the road at 7:30pm for the 8 hour drive to Wellington to catch the ferry. The drive was hell and I was as shot out as they come. The mountain pass we hit on highway 4 at 1:00am took it's toll on me, washed out lanes, periods of rain and fog, I was seeing all sorts of road gremlins. I made it as far as one hour from the ferry and pulled off to sleep for 3-4 hours though they were restless hours and I was paranoid I'd over sleep despite setting two iPhones one on alarm and one on countdown. I eventually got on the road at 5am and we arrived at the ferry terminal at 6:04, we were second in line and boarding would begin at 6:45am.
The ferry was enormous, eight levels high....18 wheelers, camper vans, motorcycles, foot traffic, they filled it. I got a cup of coffee and Emari got a Chai tea, we found two reclining seats and we tried to sleep. After we awoke we ate some food and we were the first vehicle off the ferry heading down highway 1 south, to Mangamaunu, a classic right point North of Kaikoura. Well if a storm was brewing their was no sign of it as we headed down the coast. As we already knew we are one day early for this swell which is expected to hit tomorrow but it will not be without stiff winds, but the point should shelter some on the wind. It was only about thigh high but what an awesome set up, if I catch this I will be stoked.
Emari and I drove into Kaikoura and went for a walk through town, very cold and damp and the weather had turned windy with rain and even hail, as I write this it sounds like sleet on the roof of our camper van. The mountains are expecting blizzard conditions the next two days, roads will most likely be closed and the few sites we checked out on line were already closed to camper vans. We are camped up right along the beach at a spot called Meatworks, ledgeing picks breaking close to a steep cobbled stoned bottom. This spot is very exposed. It was cool eating dinner and looking out our camper van window watching this angry turbulent ocean jet 50 yards away. With mountain access looking poor the next two days, our plans are to camp up here and with a little luck I will be catching Manga's overhead the next two days, even if I just get it tomorrow, I'll be stoked. The other question is, will it only be me and the seals?
Tentative plan thereafter, snowboard up in Arthur's Pass Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, we'll drive to Queenstown to zip-line on Saturday, Milford Sound on Sunday, Cardrona to snowboard next Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday, then on Thursday start our 5 day Summitt to Sea.
I need to add, that Emari was so thrilled to see all the seals at the beach, it is a very cool thing. I'm glad we took 36 days, but what I have found is 4-6 months would still not be enough time. One more passing thought, I look out to my right from the camper van and see the ocean, to my left snow covered mountain peaks.....I think I could come to call this place home!!!
In the mean time I get ready to pull out of then upper part of Ste'en's driveway, parked on wet grass on a decline and trying to back out. To my surprise, the wheels just spun sending mud over a short wall and spraying Ste'en's van below. Ste'en emerged and we wedged two 1x6" pieces of wood but they did not work. Lucky I spotted some rubbish of concrete and stone and we loaded up a small trail behind both front tires. No problem, backed right out, but in the process realized the front tires were essentially bald which raised a real question and dilemma, Emari and I were heading to the South Island where they are expected to get hit with a major snowstorm. Bald tires, short bus, me driving on the wrong side of the road etc....things were not adding up for a successful trip. I followed Ste'en to check the waves and it looked fun as shit, but stated, " I can't surf, I need to take care of the tires." I pulled into the local BP garage and spoke to the mechanic who conformed, front tires needed to be replaced and front end aligned, he did not have the tires in stock and recommended a run to Hamilton.
I returned to the house and Emari called our man Danny at Adventure New Zealand and he stated that we had two options, pay to get the tires replaced and get reimbursed or take it to a Firestone Dealer that they had an account with. It was now 11am, most of the tires places in Hamilton either were not open or closed by 2pm. Emari called the one place that was open until 2pm and the obtained our replacements. Emari and I dropped everything and drove 45 minutes to Hamilton. The two mechanics that worked on the car were super friendly and basically stated, "we'll have you up in running in 3/4 of an hour and you can be on your way with your Holiday."
With the tires replaced and piece of mind, with Ste'en's input looking at weather and surf Emari and I were heading to the south island tonight for a 8:25 am ferry on August 14 in hopes of beating out the storm. We grocery shopped in Hamilton and returned to Ste'en and Tonya's, we both showered and shaved at least 4 days of grime away, it felt awesome. We all pitched in for an amazing meal of nachos, chicken fajita's with fresh guacamole and salsa.
Emari and I hit the road at 7:30pm for the 8 hour drive to Wellington to catch the ferry. The drive was hell and I was as shot out as they come. The mountain pass we hit on highway 4 at 1:00am took it's toll on me, washed out lanes, periods of rain and fog, I was seeing all sorts of road gremlins. I made it as far as one hour from the ferry and pulled off to sleep for 3-4 hours though they were restless hours and I was paranoid I'd over sleep despite setting two iPhones one on alarm and one on countdown. I eventually got on the road at 5am and we arrived at the ferry terminal at 6:04, we were second in line and boarding would begin at 6:45am.
The ferry was enormous, eight levels high....18 wheelers, camper vans, motorcycles, foot traffic, they filled it. I got a cup of coffee and Emari got a Chai tea, we found two reclining seats and we tried to sleep. After we awoke we ate some food and we were the first vehicle off the ferry heading down highway 1 south, to Mangamaunu, a classic right point North of Kaikoura. Well if a storm was brewing their was no sign of it as we headed down the coast. As we already knew we are one day early for this swell which is expected to hit tomorrow but it will not be without stiff winds, but the point should shelter some on the wind. It was only about thigh high but what an awesome set up, if I catch this I will be stoked.
Emari and I drove into Kaikoura and went for a walk through town, very cold and damp and the weather had turned windy with rain and even hail, as I write this it sounds like sleet on the roof of our camper van. The mountains are expecting blizzard conditions the next two days, roads will most likely be closed and the few sites we checked out on line were already closed to camper vans. We are camped up right along the beach at a spot called Meatworks, ledgeing picks breaking close to a steep cobbled stoned bottom. This spot is very exposed. It was cool eating dinner and looking out our camper van window watching this angry turbulent ocean jet 50 yards away. With mountain access looking poor the next two days, our plans are to camp up here and with a little luck I will be catching Manga's overhead the next two days, even if I just get it tomorrow, I'll be stoked. The other question is, will it only be me and the seals?
Tentative plan thereafter, snowboard up in Arthur's Pass Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, we'll drive to Queenstown to zip-line on Saturday, Milford Sound on Sunday, Cardrona to snowboard next Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday, then on Thursday start our 5 day Summitt to Sea.
I need to add, that Emari was so thrilled to see all the seals at the beach, it is a very cool thing. I'm glad we took 36 days, but what I have found is 4-6 months would still not be enough time. One more passing thought, I look out to my right from the camper van and see the ocean, to my left snow covered mountain peaks.....I think I could come to call this place home!!!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Forever September at Waipu Cove
It's rare for me and AJ to have a relaxing day. Weekends and holidays, this 36 day honeymoon, are jam-packed with action and adventure. We like to feel exhausted are a day off, make sure we've invested as much time and energy in our personal lives as we do at work.
But yesterday was that rare exception, a day spent almost entirely admiring the ocean and each other's company. We woke at the Uretiti Department of Conservation Campsite, where we'd parked along the beach. It had stormed through the night, but by 7:30am, the sky had cleared, and it was already warming up. We made our way to Waipu Cove and Lang's Beach and decided to stay at Waipu because it was more exposed to the swell. The waves were chest to head high and clean and pretty punchy.
I opted to paddle out with AJ but was advised to avoid the rocks he planned to surf near. He had seen several nice rights peel by the rocks and was willing to camp out and wait for a set. I stuck to the middle of the beach and was pleased to have on-shore markers (a picnic table and the steps to the beach) to help me maintain my surf spot. When it's all open water and unmarked beach, I might drift quite far or question if I'm in the right spot. Markers take the guessing out of it.
I paddled out past the white water. Had to endure a bit of the water's thrashing before the waves let up and I had an opportunity to paddle out before the next set came in. And I felt good. The sun lit up the water and warmed my face and wetsuit, and I felt comfortable. Comfortable enough to only let one or two sets roll by before I attempted to paddle into a wave. Okay, I thought, this one. I quickly turned my board to face the beach and made sure it was straight, having been rolled when it was on an angle. Now the rush of thinking "feet together, paddle, paddle, board straight, board flat, paddle, paddle, oh shit, it's almost here, paddle, paddle, c'mon, paddle-------". The thinking stops as soon as the wave arrives and lifts me. I'm either overwhelmed by the sensation of being in the wave or hurtling through air and water as I wipeout that my brain finally shuts up. On this first attempt, I was launched over my board in a tremendous nose dive and spun once or twice before popping up for air. The brain immediately reboots.
I paddle out again and attempt to catch three more waves before they break but keep getting caught in the lip and hurtled, pitched, dumped. AJ would later inform me that these waves had steep take-offs. Translation: keep paddling. I decided to go in some. The waves were breaking pretty far out and the white water had good push. And hell, I've spent so much time paddling out, I should have the pleasure of catching something, even white water. And what a good decision that was. I let myself ride a few on my belly first and then I worked on popping up. I probably caught and rode 2/3 of the waves I attempted. It was so much fun!
AJ said it was like a day in September back home. Fun waves, not crowded.
Post surf, we picked up coffee and chai from the Altitude Cafe (which AJ renamed the Attitude Cafe, because he liked the thought of drinking coffee with attitude). And we watched the surf. It was like fall. Both of us sat barefoot on a concrete picnic table in shorts or with pants rolled up. AJ learned a lot about the local surf from a chap with robin's egg blue toenails. We lunched at the cafe (highly recommend the spiced wedges and the chai if you're in the area) and stopped at Lang's beach again to empty and fill our water at the dump station there. And we were back on the road to check out Mangawhai Heads (head high, a little overhead, closing out and kind of soft, but there was a really stylish long boarder out there). We opted to head straight for Raglan, hoping to catch the swell on Saturday morning and get in a surf before the drive to Wellington.
When we arrived in Raglan, Tonya and Ste'en were already home. We had planned to camp at the top of their driveway. I whipped together a pasta dish with garlic, mushrooms, silver beet, butter, olive oil, and some assorted seafood, and we all vegged out in front of the tv. Wednesday night craft friends, I watched Family Guy. My friends can attest this is some serios loafing.
I feel so fortunate to be exploring this beautiful country with AJ. He makes me laugh and is a true partner. Everyday I find myself marveling at this exciting adventure and the man I'm sharing it with.
But yesterday was that rare exception, a day spent almost entirely admiring the ocean and each other's company. We woke at the Uretiti Department of Conservation Campsite, where we'd parked along the beach. It had stormed through the night, but by 7:30am, the sky had cleared, and it was already warming up. We made our way to Waipu Cove and Lang's Beach and decided to stay at Waipu because it was more exposed to the swell. The waves were chest to head high and clean and pretty punchy.
I opted to paddle out with AJ but was advised to avoid the rocks he planned to surf near. He had seen several nice rights peel by the rocks and was willing to camp out and wait for a set. I stuck to the middle of the beach and was pleased to have on-shore markers (a picnic table and the steps to the beach) to help me maintain my surf spot. When it's all open water and unmarked beach, I might drift quite far or question if I'm in the right spot. Markers take the guessing out of it.
I paddled out past the white water. Had to endure a bit of the water's thrashing before the waves let up and I had an opportunity to paddle out before the next set came in. And I felt good. The sun lit up the water and warmed my face and wetsuit, and I felt comfortable. Comfortable enough to only let one or two sets roll by before I attempted to paddle into a wave. Okay, I thought, this one. I quickly turned my board to face the beach and made sure it was straight, having been rolled when it was on an angle. Now the rush of thinking "feet together, paddle, paddle, board straight, board flat, paddle, paddle, oh shit, it's almost here, paddle, paddle, c'mon, paddle-------". The thinking stops as soon as the wave arrives and lifts me. I'm either overwhelmed by the sensation of being in the wave or hurtling through air and water as I wipeout that my brain finally shuts up. On this first attempt, I was launched over my board in a tremendous nose dive and spun once or twice before popping up for air. The brain immediately reboots.
I paddle out again and attempt to catch three more waves before they break but keep getting caught in the lip and hurtled, pitched, dumped. AJ would later inform me that these waves had steep take-offs. Translation: keep paddling. I decided to go in some. The waves were breaking pretty far out and the white water had good push. And hell, I've spent so much time paddling out, I should have the pleasure of catching something, even white water. And what a good decision that was. I let myself ride a few on my belly first and then I worked on popping up. I probably caught and rode 2/3 of the waves I attempted. It was so much fun!
AJ said it was like a day in September back home. Fun waves, not crowded.
Post surf, we picked up coffee and chai from the Altitude Cafe (which AJ renamed the Attitude Cafe, because he liked the thought of drinking coffee with attitude). And we watched the surf. It was like fall. Both of us sat barefoot on a concrete picnic table in shorts or with pants rolled up. AJ learned a lot about the local surf from a chap with robin's egg blue toenails. We lunched at the cafe (highly recommend the spiced wedges and the chai if you're in the area) and stopped at Lang's beach again to empty and fill our water at the dump station there. And we were back on the road to check out Mangawhai Heads (head high, a little overhead, closing out and kind of soft, but there was a really stylish long boarder out there). We opted to head straight for Raglan, hoping to catch the swell on Saturday morning and get in a surf before the drive to Wellington.
When we arrived in Raglan, Tonya and Ste'en were already home. We had planned to camp at the top of their driveway. I whipped together a pasta dish with garlic, mushrooms, silver beet, butter, olive oil, and some assorted seafood, and we all vegged out in front of the tv. Wednesday night craft friends, I watched Family Guy. My friends can attest this is some serios loafing.
I feel so fortunate to be exploring this beautiful country with AJ. He makes me laugh and is a true partner. Everyday I find myself marveling at this exciting adventure and the man I'm sharing it with.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Finally Wet!
After camping up in a campsite in Whananaki the evening before I had awoken before the sun while Emari appeared to be sleeping. I fired up the range to get the coffee going, pulled out some bowls for our "Sanitarium" Cereal, a banana pulled down from the top shelf. By this time Emari had stirred and climbed down from our overhead sleeping accommodations. We ate and made a plan to drive "just one hill north" to Moureeses. It wasn't big but I was itching to surf after three days of driving and 1200kms travelled. On the south end of the bay their was a small point and outcropping of rocks, every once in a while a little "A" frame peak broke along the rocks and peeled across the bay. It was a solid chest high, some head high sets, fairly clean with morning sickness. the wind never went offshore but never picked up. I surfed three hours and caught a lot of fun waves. Emari stayed out for 2 hours, paddled to the outside, took a number of waves on the head but never gave up. She later told me she caught one wave, that's my girl! When she gets back to Ventnor the average day in the ocean will seem remedial.
After my session she poured me two hot buckets to rinse off with and when I entered our camper van she had hot soup simmering adding, "I'll throw some grilled cheese together"...another perfect meal, and we ate. I had thought of staying to surf another session but I was already feeling pressed at lunch time when I pulled up the calendar on Emari's cell phone, wondering if we were going to get it all in. We still wanted to go zip-lining and snowboard at least another 10 days. Knowing the amount of driving it would and will take could be exhausting, but we were not here to relax.
Emari dialed up directions for Sandy Bay, 36 kms south but the drive was over an hour. As soon as we got on the road the conditions changed to dirt and gravel, at worse even mud, and we climbed at least four mountain passes, but nothing quite as dangerous as the day before as the roads were not as narrow and generally not so steep. Sandy Bay was bigger than Moureeses but more exposed to the on-shore wind, it was head high with bigger sets, only two people out. I passed, did not want to leave myself with a 600 kms drive during the next two days. 400 kms seems fair, still draining, but allows for a lazy morning or morning of surf and enough day light to travel in.
We continued to head South, this time to Pataua Bar, when on a supposed "classic right hand river bar" but when we arrived the wind was on-shore, tide seemed to full, sky filled with thunder and threatening to storm. I was planning to get wet and had Emari looked up camping options, which locally their was none and I did not feel comfortable camped up in this rather quaint coastal town. At this point we had internet service which has been scarce the entire Northeast coast. Their were two other spots along this stretch of coast I wanted to check out, Waipu Cove and Langs Beach-Ding Bay and Emari found camping just north of Waipu, it was an hours drive and we were "on the road again." We arrived right before dark, one of Emari's wishes, as we have had some near mishaps driving at night. She threw together a version of huevos rancheros after we parked our camper up along the dune line near the beach. Relax, unwind, read...sleep then awake and explore the coast.
After my session she poured me two hot buckets to rinse off with and when I entered our camper van she had hot soup simmering adding, "I'll throw some grilled cheese together"...another perfect meal, and we ate. I had thought of staying to surf another session but I was already feeling pressed at lunch time when I pulled up the calendar on Emari's cell phone, wondering if we were going to get it all in. We still wanted to go zip-lining and snowboard at least another 10 days. Knowing the amount of driving it would and will take could be exhausting, but we were not here to relax.
Emari dialed up directions for Sandy Bay, 36 kms south but the drive was over an hour. As soon as we got on the road the conditions changed to dirt and gravel, at worse even mud, and we climbed at least four mountain passes, but nothing quite as dangerous as the day before as the roads were not as narrow and generally not so steep. Sandy Bay was bigger than Moureeses but more exposed to the on-shore wind, it was head high with bigger sets, only two people out. I passed, did not want to leave myself with a 600 kms drive during the next two days. 400 kms seems fair, still draining, but allows for a lazy morning or morning of surf and enough day light to travel in.
We continued to head South, this time to Pataua Bar, when on a supposed "classic right hand river bar" but when we arrived the wind was on-shore, tide seemed to full, sky filled with thunder and threatening to storm. I was planning to get wet and had Emari looked up camping options, which locally their was none and I did not feel comfortable camped up in this rather quaint coastal town. At this point we had internet service which has been scarce the entire Northeast coast. Their were two other spots along this stretch of coast I wanted to check out, Waipu Cove and Langs Beach-Ding Bay and Emari found camping just north of Waipu, it was an hours drive and we were "on the road again." We arrived right before dark, one of Emari's wishes, as we have had some near mishaps driving at night. She threw together a version of huevos rancheros after we parked our camper up along the dune line near the beach. Relax, unwind, read...sleep then awake and explore the coast.
Dead Man's Curve
We awoke early Tuesday Mourning parked across the street from a school in the Shipwreck Bay area. We had driven approximately 7 hours the day/night before in hopes of catching a shoulder high swell at Shipwrecks but what we found was not an amazing set up but flat. Emari and I took a long walk around the point escorted by a dog she named Frodo. Interesting enough he spotted us at his house and when we passed the sign on the gate read, "private access, dog may bite." More like, "dog gives guided tours." when back at the camper we made breakfast and decided we'd head North and find a Holiday Park so we could do laundry, clean out the toilet cassette etc. Emari had also scouted out a road along 90 mile beach.......more driving!
We were off, first pull off for 90 Mile Beach dirt and gravel but what we found was beach access to drive on the beach for 90 miles, we both concurred this was not a good idea in a two wheel drive camper van the size of a bus. Hind site being 20/20, I probably should have surfed. I couldn't tell how big it was but at least head high and bigger, rather long paddle and most of the waves were shutting down and closing out, besides I was tired and we needed to get stuff done. We opted to keep driving north when approximately 40-50km up the road their was another sign for 90 Mile Beach. This drive was more adventurous and scenic down a long dirt and gravel road that went on for miles through heavily wooded areas before eventually spitting us out on the beach. We decided to back track and press on.
Emari had found a Holiday Park in Waitiki which was Approximately 30km south of Cape Reinga. We coughed up our NZ $30 and pulled our camper van up to a powered site....finally heat without using propane. Not really sure of the order of things, but I think we scoped out where to empty our toilette casette, as well as dump our gray water and fill up. Once we obtained this information we pulled out the toilette cassette and also shot a little video documenting this disgusting chore. I opted for the dirty work and the brown liquid that poured from the cassette was nasty. Emari had filled a bucket with fresh water to rinse out, I think we completed this process 1-2 more times before Emari completed the educated portion of this chore....adding new chemicals to the cassette before sliding it back into place. We both showered, Emari started laundry and since the public dryer was broken, the owners allowed her to use the big dryer for our clothes. So far this trip has been filled with free shit.....no charge for surfboards and snowboards, free day of riding at Mt. Fuckyourpapa, free up grade on the camper van(Megha score on this one), free dryer use and countless free hours of driving adventure!!!
Wednesday August 10 we woke by 7am and I asked Emari if we could pull out and eat later, she was agreeable and we headed for Cape Reinga which was 20 plus km north. This place was amazing, where the Tasman Sea violently collides with the Pacific Ocean. It was very windy with light rain when we arrived. It was really the first touristy thing we did, walking the foot path, reading the signs and snapping photos along the way. Their appeared to be clean surf on the Tasman Sea side, but how you would get to it was beyond me, we were perched high up on a ridge line. Our timing could not have been better, by the time we got to the camper van it started pouring rain in sheets with gusty winds.
We headed south down 1F and checked the surf at Rarawa Beach and Henderson Bay. Their was surf but it was stormy on shore mess. We had Internet service at Henderson Bay so I checked the surf reports and called Ste'en who was getting ready to leave Raglan for Auckland for three days. He advised staying on the East Coast the next 2-3 days, the winds would be wrong for Raglan. He also advised staying further north, more exposed and bigger but I did not want to leave another 7 plus hour drive a head of me. I decided on Helena Bay, 48 kms north of Whangarei....we arrived 4 hours later to another pristine bay, flat! Of course the swell is not hitting until tomorrow, but their was no sign of life and I was thinking wrong swell angle. Emari and I decided on Whananaki North, 32 kms and 23 minutes South, according to google maps. Emari fired up our course on the iPad, she has been an amazing co-pilot and has gotten us to every destination.....without fail and in most cases without excitement. In fact most of our great stories have no happened on a board but driving.....this would prove to be no different!
We pulled out of Helena Bay and as instructed I turned left onto Webb Road. The road quickly turned to gravel and dirt and started to get steep and windy....no big deal, the whole trip has been steep and windy and we were no novices to gravel and dirt at this point. It was probably only 4-6 switch backs up this mountain pass that the road got narrow, remained gravel and dirt, no guardrails, I mean fucking scary. I confirmed and asked, "32 kms of this?" Of course Emari did not know the answer, we were back into the unknown and rest assure this camper van, this mini bus probably had never seen roads like this! Early on I attempted to climb in third gear but it was too steep, I needed more power in a lower gear, less braking on the descents, we lived in second gear. Approximately a third of the way I blurted out, "I could fucking cry" this road was that scary. I would've thought it crazy in a small 4x4 truck and we were in a 6 Berth 2 wheel drive camper van......this had become our Lord of the Rings, our journey into Middle Earth and beyond. I can't imagine if we were to encounter on-coming traffic, their simply was not room for two. At one point we came to a fork in the road, we were not sure, no 3G service, no google maps. We stopped on a relatively sharp incline and I asked, "which way?" Emari hesitated and said, "straight" only to find out later that she simply made a calculated guess at best! Emari later disclosed that she saw a white car that had gone off the road, adding that at that point she felt really scared. As for me, afraid of heights, ledges.....the uncertainty, we made it and it became another highlight of our trip. This 23 minute trip turned into an hour of non stop uncertainty!
We settled in to a campground in Whananaki North and we'll see what tomorrow brings. Trying not to be down for lack of found surf the past 3 days, though the search has been quite the adventure. What I have found is that the driving is hard not quick and leaving one spot to check a neighboring spot can turn into a 30 minute to hour drive. We also really scored the first 8 days we were in NZ....Raglan right off the plane couple feet over head, Wainui Beach head high with bigger sets for two days, two amazing days of riding Mt Doom and three days of surf in the Gisborne area. Since we left Raglan we have driven 400 plus kms a day, countless mountain passes, countless single lane bridges, many unknowns, countless sheep and cattle, endless spaces of no people, miles upon miles without a car in front of you or one behind you, countless children with deliberately no shoes on their feet, must be cultural and the list goes on......the work truck in Gisborne that had the following signage on the truck, "Erection Specialist"......we ate a" Hangi in a Pie" today.
Off to bed........AJ
We were off, first pull off for 90 Mile Beach dirt and gravel but what we found was beach access to drive on the beach for 90 miles, we both concurred this was not a good idea in a two wheel drive camper van the size of a bus. Hind site being 20/20, I probably should have surfed. I couldn't tell how big it was but at least head high and bigger, rather long paddle and most of the waves were shutting down and closing out, besides I was tired and we needed to get stuff done. We opted to keep driving north when approximately 40-50km up the road their was another sign for 90 Mile Beach. This drive was more adventurous and scenic down a long dirt and gravel road that went on for miles through heavily wooded areas before eventually spitting us out on the beach. We decided to back track and press on.
Emari had found a Holiday Park in Waitiki which was Approximately 30km south of Cape Reinga. We coughed up our NZ $30 and pulled our camper van up to a powered site....finally heat without using propane. Not really sure of the order of things, but I think we scoped out where to empty our toilette casette, as well as dump our gray water and fill up. Once we obtained this information we pulled out the toilette cassette and also shot a little video documenting this disgusting chore. I opted for the dirty work and the brown liquid that poured from the cassette was nasty. Emari had filled a bucket with fresh water to rinse out, I think we completed this process 1-2 more times before Emari completed the educated portion of this chore....adding new chemicals to the cassette before sliding it back into place. We both showered, Emari started laundry and since the public dryer was broken, the owners allowed her to use the big dryer for our clothes. So far this trip has been filled with free shit.....no charge for surfboards and snowboards, free day of riding at Mt. Fuckyourpapa, free up grade on the camper van(Megha score on this one), free dryer use and countless free hours of driving adventure!!!
Wednesday August 10 we woke by 7am and I asked Emari if we could pull out and eat later, she was agreeable and we headed for Cape Reinga which was 20 plus km north. This place was amazing, where the Tasman Sea violently collides with the Pacific Ocean. It was very windy with light rain when we arrived. It was really the first touristy thing we did, walking the foot path, reading the signs and snapping photos along the way. Their appeared to be clean surf on the Tasman Sea side, but how you would get to it was beyond me, we were perched high up on a ridge line. Our timing could not have been better, by the time we got to the camper van it started pouring rain in sheets with gusty winds.
We headed south down 1F and checked the surf at Rarawa Beach and Henderson Bay. Their was surf but it was stormy on shore mess. We had Internet service at Henderson Bay so I checked the surf reports and called Ste'en who was getting ready to leave Raglan for Auckland for three days. He advised staying on the East Coast the next 2-3 days, the winds would be wrong for Raglan. He also advised staying further north, more exposed and bigger but I did not want to leave another 7 plus hour drive a head of me. I decided on Helena Bay, 48 kms north of Whangarei....we arrived 4 hours later to another pristine bay, flat! Of course the swell is not hitting until tomorrow, but their was no sign of life and I was thinking wrong swell angle. Emari and I decided on Whananaki North, 32 kms and 23 minutes South, according to google maps. Emari fired up our course on the iPad, she has been an amazing co-pilot and has gotten us to every destination.....without fail and in most cases without excitement. In fact most of our great stories have no happened on a board but driving.....this would prove to be no different!
We pulled out of Helena Bay and as instructed I turned left onto Webb Road. The road quickly turned to gravel and dirt and started to get steep and windy....no big deal, the whole trip has been steep and windy and we were no novices to gravel and dirt at this point. It was probably only 4-6 switch backs up this mountain pass that the road got narrow, remained gravel and dirt, no guardrails, I mean fucking scary. I confirmed and asked, "32 kms of this?" Of course Emari did not know the answer, we were back into the unknown and rest assure this camper van, this mini bus probably had never seen roads like this! Early on I attempted to climb in third gear but it was too steep, I needed more power in a lower gear, less braking on the descents, we lived in second gear. Approximately a third of the way I blurted out, "I could fucking cry" this road was that scary. I would've thought it crazy in a small 4x4 truck and we were in a 6 Berth 2 wheel drive camper van......this had become our Lord of the Rings, our journey into Middle Earth and beyond. I can't imagine if we were to encounter on-coming traffic, their simply was not room for two. At one point we came to a fork in the road, we were not sure, no 3G service, no google maps. We stopped on a relatively sharp incline and I asked, "which way?" Emari hesitated and said, "straight" only to find out later that she simply made a calculated guess at best! Emari later disclosed that she saw a white car that had gone off the road, adding that at that point she felt really scared. As for me, afraid of heights, ledges.....the uncertainty, we made it and it became another highlight of our trip. This 23 minute trip turned into an hour of non stop uncertainty!
We settled in to a campground in Whananaki North and we'll see what tomorrow brings. Trying not to be down for lack of found surf the past 3 days, though the search has been quite the adventure. What I have found is that the driving is hard not quick and leaving one spot to check a neighboring spot can turn into a 30 minute to hour drive. We also really scored the first 8 days we were in NZ....Raglan right off the plane couple feet over head, Wainui Beach head high with bigger sets for two days, two amazing days of riding Mt Doom and three days of surf in the Gisborne area. Since we left Raglan we have driven 400 plus kms a day, countless mountain passes, countless single lane bridges, many unknowns, countless sheep and cattle, endless spaces of no people, miles upon miles without a car in front of you or one behind you, countless children with deliberately no shoes on their feet, must be cultural and the list goes on......the work truck in Gisborne that had the following signage on the truck, "Erection Specialist"......we ate a" Hangi in a Pie" today.
Off to bed........AJ
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Care to defrost your Comcast bill? Need to nuke the weekly circular?
We have encountered numerous microwave mailboxes throughout the North Island, from Gisborne to Cape Reinga, and from my google search, this is not an entirely new idea. If you're interested, here's a how-to site for you.
We've been off the grid for a bit, out of wireless range, but all over NZ's north coast. When we woke on Monday morning in Tauranga, we were certain we'd earned our first camping/parking ticket. The town/city was so swanky, we could find a designated free camping site anywhere. We had spotted a few other camper vans parked along the beach, none directly in front of the no camping signs, but a few blocks down, as if parking a bit away from where it was marked a no-no made it okay. We drove up and down the same street for twenty minutes, selecting a spot away from the prohibited signs and in front of mostly dark houses. But in the morning, there was a slip of paper on the windshield. We'd been nabbed.
But instead of a parking/camping ticket, we received a helpful ticket-sized flyer about where to park for free and for pay in Tauranga. So no fine, and useful information. Imagine if parking authorities in Philly or NY distributed parking information, instead of tickets?
The surf was flat, so we reevaluated our plan and made our way to a hot spring pool. Fernland Spa was outside of Tauranga's city center. AJ and I rented a private pool for a half hour and soaked our traveling bones. The water was delightfully hot, and I like to refer to this part of our trip as Honeymoon Soup.
But all of this relaxation would drained by the ride ahead of us. We decided to make a run for it and drive all the way to Shipwreck's Bay on the west coast. That's about 530 km and about 6 hours and 40 minutes. Basically, we'd be making a trip to Vermont with very heavy traffic in the Oranges.
The trip was long. We stopped for gas in Opotiki and passed one town after another that was nothing more than four or five houses, a school (which looked like a house), and the occasional church or general store. In Kaikohe, which had an actual downtown, we stopped at Sun City for some Chinese take-away (these are the only restaurants open late in these parts, but I should mention they do offer a variety of fried tasties, including the very popular fish and chips). A Maori family came in, and all six children raced to sit on the six spinning bar stools on the far wall. They smiled and giggled at us, and ran around the restaurant as if it were a jungle gym. All of them were shoeless, which is very common in NZ. AJ and I have seen kids and teens on the way to or from school without shoes on. And we've seen Maori and white children barefoot equally. The father or man who accompanied the children only entered the restaurant when the food arrived and he wore only socks. The mother had white converse high tops.
Post-noodles, we were back on our way, with hours to go. When we finally arrived in Ahipara, the town closest to Shipwreck's, we were exhausted. We didn't have signal and the paper maps we had didn't even indicate the roads we were on. Google maps indicated where the road ended, but we couldn't know, in the dark, that it would end on a narrow stretch of unpaved road at the edge of the beach, gated off with no trespassing/Maori land. AJ exited the van to see if there was room to turn around in front of the gate, but he had taken three or four steps when he froze, jaw tense, and high-tailed it back to the van. It was waiting to see a Maori elder with a shotgun, like Ste'en had told us about in Raglan. It was a dog, and fortunately it was tied up/fenced in.
Commence Operation What the Fuck Am I Doing, also known as turning a six-berth camper van around in the dark on a sliver of unpaved road with generous drop offs on each side. I went to the back of the camper to signal which direction AJ should turn and when to stop. He was freaking out.
AJ: Which way?
Me: Toward you now.
AJ: (silence and no movement) Which way?
Me: Toward you.
AJ: You know I'm not going to back this all the way up?
Me: Well, if you don't want to fall in a ditch, you need to keep backing up right now
AJ: What the fuck am I doing? What the fuck am I doing?
Me: (silence...in my head, I was thinking, "You're losing it, babe!"
Shipwreck's Bay could've become Camperwreck's Bay. But we made it. Burned up the clutch a bit but managed to narrow escape. And though we couldn't find a free campsite here either, we opted to park along one of the town's parks (since that's what the literature in Tauranga advised). That sleep was well earned, and unfortunately the surf was flat here too. We opted to drive back in daylight and walk along the beach, just to see the coast and where we were stuck the night before. A cute dog, who I affectionately named Frodo, followed us, or should I say, escorted us, around the point. The sky was clear and the view was spectacular. It's unclear how surfers access this point, though it's mentioned in both of AJ's surf books. You'd have to trek so far to get to the break, and I imagine you could get stuck out there during high tide.
After our walk, we decided to head up the coast to Ninety Mile Beach, where the swell was supposed to be several meters high. It wasn't, and Ninety Mile Beach Road is actually just the beach. I can't wait to share the warning sign when I can post pictures. Drivers are at their own risk, as vehicles have been lost during high tide. We decided not to risk our $5000 bond on the camper van and headed further north to the last camper van park on the North Island, in Waitiki, where further adventures of emptying our toilet cassette took place. But more of that later.
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