the vet's Blog; Wandering NZ

Time to drive. The plan was to go straight up to Waiheke Island, meet my friend the vet specialist and spend a few days and then slowly wind my way south back to Wellington. I had listed both the ute and the V Strom for sale on trademe. I figured if one sold, I’d unlist the other and finish my time in NZ with the remainder, secretly hoping to finish the trip as I started on the bike…..I couldn’t take both bike and ute…easily.

Now in the States, I’d consider even a short car road trip about 5 hours, and many have been as long as 18 hours (from Northern California to Colorado for example). I considered ‘ALL THE WAY TO AUCKLAND’ a long trip for some reason; in fact, not really a big trip at all… about 6-7 hour drive (?). Before I knew it I was in Taupo, my half way stopping point. I stopped for the night, loaded up on some groceries, wandered town for a bit and parked the ute somewhere I could crawl in the back and sleep which is what I did…just a stopover. It was kind of nice in a refreshing kind of way to be in a car again. No wind, stereo…just a leisurely drive. I was enjoying it.

I got up the next morning and hit the road. With more time than I anticipated, I took the scenic route through Matamata (Infamous for its role in LOTR hobbit town set?) and then over to the road running North just West of the Kaimai Range. I stopped at the Wairere Falls and considered a tramp up to the falls, but was discouraged by the boy racer cruising the lot and signs warning against theft. Really a damn tragedy in New Zealand all the petty theft. I’ve had a number of discussions regarding the safety in New Zealand. I think most travelers have the perception that New Zealand is an incredibly safe place. Many young backpackers travel alone, hitchhike, even young women. And it does seem that some violence against tourists makes the news once to twice a year according to people I’ve spoken to; and I agree that for a small country this does seem like a lot. But for my part, I felt very safe in NZ and never once had a sketchy experience apart from a few meals with Wendy and Pete…ha ha. But the threat of petty theft did feel real, and you feel it traveling with all your worldly belongings…..it definitely made me think twice about parking my ute or bike unattended for hours or days while off on a tramp or to check out a site….I did miss out on some of those experiences because I did not feel safe leaving my vehicle unattended. YES, with a bit more planning I’m sure I could have arranged to leave valuables or even vehicle with someone in a safe spot, but there were many times when my planning was spontaneous, or a weather window was short…and so yes, the threat of petty theft in New Zealand is a bit of a downer. Not like that shit doesn’t occur in other countries, certainly it does….but in a small country like NZ, with 2 million tourists a year, I think travelers are a target that stand out and the petty theft is indisputable….and sad for such a wonderful country.

Headed up the road and caught some morning views of the mist tumbling over the Kaimai range and onto the farm paddocks…..truly gorgeous morning. The kind of scene you don’t often get to appreciate unless you are traveling….and seeing…and just going without a real schedule. That was half the beauty of my trip right there. Maybe ‘vacation’ is sometimes more about the ‘time’ you have—to think, reflect and really SEE things normally overlooked.

Continued north from there and caught an afternoon ferry from Half Moon Bay to Waiheke Island…..rain on the way. Onto Waiheke, late, but in time for some dinner at my friend’s, who had been visiting with her old friends in her parents home overlooking the water near the ferry landing. Good food, good wine, nice folks. Then off to theDOC campground at Rocky Bay. I jumped into my tent in time for the heavy rain. It poured and blew like crazy all night. I tossed and turned thinking my little tent was sure to get blown away with me zipped up inside. But that storm brought on its coat tails early spring. For the next 3 weeks it was absolutely gorgeous….I thought, “Spring in New Zealand, WOW!, this is awesome”. That was before I got caught in snow between Taumauranui and Turangi, already soaked to the bone some month or so later….that story to come.

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The Republic of Waiheke. I saw the bumper sticker stating such. The place definitely had that feel to it. Locals who have both a strong sense of community and pride about the region they have chosen to live, and probably a lot of pot growing in the bush behind their house….like Taranaki, Whangomomona, Northland…and even many regions in the States. I awoke after a night of big rains and wind to a beautiful sunny day. The Tuis were active early. I had camped under those trees with yellow flowers that the Tuis seem to love; and they were active and noisy. One of the first things I noticed was that this awesome campground was virtually empty. While it is nice to visit and meet other travelers, to have campgrounds and backpackers dorm rooms all to yourself is also nice. While I understand that Spring in NZ often brings lots of rain, this was the start of a fabulous September, and I had the roads, campgrounds and backpackers all to myself….a not so bad time to be traveling in NZ. I noticed that as each week passed, especially on into October, there were more and more tourists, mostly European.

I met my vet friend for lunch and we talked about the profession and career opportunities from her perspective; her experiences. Part of my education. I did some local sight seeing and bumped around Oneroa. The next day I drove the roads out to the Eastern parts of the island and fished at Man O War Bay for a few hours. No snapper, but lots of Kahawhai, some good size. Kept one and cooked it on the BBQ back at the campground…a bottle of wine to improve its flavor. I had about 4 days on Waiheke and the weather was great. The next day I picked some mussels which I cooked on my little burner in my Salvation army cook pot for lunch back at Man O War bay and then drove out to Orapiu for some more fishing from the Wharf. I met 2 women there (partners) who also came out for some evening fishing; they were pretty lit when they arrived and still drinking. We talked a bit and they kind of adopted me from that point on, coaching me ad nauseum while I landed a nice size snapper. They took me back to their place, cooked up the snapper and we drank beers into the night…now while I very much appreciated their hospitality and did enjoy their company, it was a bit weird being literally tucked into the guest bed and then hearing from the kitchen, “its kind of nice having a man in the house”…..I thought I might wake tied down to the bed, a character in a Steven King novel….I cleared out first thing in the am after leaving a nice thank you note. Another unique experience….really unique.

I caught the ferry out that day and made my way down to Papakura where I had dinner with another vet specialist. I strongly recommend Dr. Ruth Youmans if your pet ever needs major surgery…she is an excellent person and a certified specialist in Surgery. Really nice meeting her and gaining some more perspective. After dinner, I drove south and parked and slept in the back of the ute near Ngaruawahia for the night. Checked email at the library the next day and then drove out to Raglan by way of the Waingaro hot pools…I made a point of stopping at every hot springs in my path in NZ.

Raglan was too quick a stop over. The surf too big for my beginner surf skills, and a bit too cold for me to want to go to the effort of renting and organizing myself. Raglan a cool little town, but a bit slow in the ‘off season’. I think I stayed 2 nights and then went back to Hamilton to meet with more vets; a group who incorporate some specialty medicine into their practice…wasn’t too impressed with their aggressively protective posture. Who knows, my first impressions are often wrong.