The Kindness of Strangers

Kia Ora!

I stink of sulfur. Let me tell you why:

After my last post, I spent the day wandering through a beautiful sunny Sydney. With friends I made (Moritz-German, Joe-Australian, Kate-American), we toured the Darling Harbour, stopped off for some lunch, and then headed down to Bondi Beach.

At Bondi Beach, Moritz and I rented surf boards and I gave it a shot (Check out the picture above!) . The waves, on numerous occasions, eveloped me in their powerful surges, rendering me and my board nothing but helpless play things in a world of salty abandon my lungs had trouble adjusting to. (I think that's a poetic attempt at saying "I wasn't very good at surfing.") But by the end of our brief attempts, I felt a little more comfortable, a little more confident in the tumbling sea and felt regret for not having done more of it when I was in the warmer, Northern Territory of Australia. Ah well. Such is life.

FUN FACT: Although I didn't have time to make it to a nearby Manly beach, I found out a funny little story about the origins of its name. When settlers first landed on its shore, they discovered tribes of Aboriginies making their home there. In describing their physical characteristics, the explorers commented that the natives looked very muscular and lean, or better yet, very "Manly." And the name stuck. (HA!)

I spent my last night at a bar with all of the new friends I had made and proceeded to take the right steps towards aquiring a pounding head ache the next morning. I caught my flight to Auckland, NZ with no trouble and was then picked up by a local Kiwi.

Word Origins: Prior to English discovery and subsequent colonization, New Zealand was known to the native inhabitants of the two islands as "Te Aoaoterteroa," which in the Maori's native tongue means "The Land of the Long White Cloud." The very first settlers from Southern Pacific Islands described their newly found land this way. When I came in on the plane, the place lived up to its name with beautiful cloud covered terrain.

I was taken in by two very well-to-do, patriotic, 5th Generation New Zealanders named Peter and Natalie Dawson. They were quick to welcome me into their home, give me an incredible history lesson over a very nice dinner, and help me realize that New Zealand is the type of culture and landscape I have been dreaming about for a long time.

There is much that I can elaborate about in person, but for now, all I can say is that I feel a very strong pull towards this country and all it stands for.

The next day, I met up with another traveller that I had met on the plane, and we hiked up a dormant volcano that had its last eruption 600 years ago. From the top (about an hour hike) we had a great view of Auckland (the largest city in New Zealand with a population of 1.25 million people).

We hiked down and followed the marked trails to some volcano shoots which made great caves to (slowly) step through. We were joined by a couple from the US, one of them, surprisingly, a school psychologist. She had a lot of good advice and once again changed my plans for the future. Why do I meet so many American school psychologists when I am hiking through national parks on the other side of the world? Very Strange.

After the hike, we went to the Auckland museum and reinforced much of the knowledge that I had been given from the Dawsons the night before. At the end of the day, I found a bus back to the host's home, and they surprised me by suggesting that will be taking a holiday to Rotorua and DRIVE me there, as well as the friend I met on the plane. I, very thankfully, accepted and the next day we drove down (With my German friend Nadine) to Rotorua.

When first entering the town, I did a quick rewind in my head to make sure I hadn't broken wind in the last minute or so, because there was definetely a distinct smell in the car. It turns, out it wasn't my flatulance (for once) but rather, the smell of sulfur from the natural hot springs that are Rotorua's largest tourist attraction.

We visited a Hot Springs park called Hell's Gate, and the smell was much stronger. It was like in middle school, when the drinking fountain would spray out the dreaded EGG WATER, but instead of having the control, like I did then, to turn my head and stop drinking, this was a constant smell that would get into your mouth and nostrils and on your skin. Like all of the other natural phenomena, the Maori's considered the boiling points very sacred and would involve them in their traditional ceremonies.

Next we went to the Green and Blue lakes where I discovered the DEFINITION OF IRONY:
There was a big sign which read "Be sure to lock your cars and take your valuables with you" and in front of this was an SUV with its driver side window broken and door wide open, valuables having been seized. Can't be too careful I suppose.

The Green and Blue lakes were named this because of, well, their color. Because of varying mineral deposits and water depths, the two lakes were in stark contrast to one another in their visual appearance.

(This is getting really long! Sorry!)

That night we went to a traditional Maori dinner and performance. I was called on stage and made a fool of myself while beating my chest and sticking out my tongue like a Maori warrior (rather than just over silly concerns that I'm used to over reacting about!). I'll show you the pictures.

This morning we spent our time in a hot springs spa and, depending on the different locations, the springs would be different temperatures. The lower on the landscape they were, the closer they were to more active geothermal hot spots and the pool was much hotter.

I caught a bus to Taupo, where I am right now, and hope to try sky diving tomorrow (if the weather's all right). Wish me luck!

All right, this is really long. Thanks for reading, if you got this far, and continue posting (non-pregnancy related) comments. I really enjoy reading them!

Best Wishes,

Casey