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The Deadliest Catch

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

After a few days of checking the weather forecast, we finally decided to take a chance and head back to Tongariro National Park.  Along the way we passed through Taupo, the Trout Fishing Capital of the World.  We skipped the guided fishing trips that “guarantee” a catch (and also cost big $s).  Eric rented a pole, bought a license, and headed for a stream.  While I dreamed of the great dinner we were going to cook up campside, he spent some hours casting and reeling.  The result?  Well, here’s a picture of the little guy, but we had to throw him back.  We had fajitas instead.

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As we finally arrived in Tongariro National Park, the skies had cleared and we got a peek at Mt. Ngauruhoe.  If that name doesn’t ring a bell, you might know it better as Mt. Doom.  We spent a day walking through the mountains, waterfalls, and lava fields that make up the park (and much of the scenery from Mordor).  It’s a little less scary on a sunny day:

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Posted in New Zealand, Travel | 4 Comments »

Fahrvergnügen

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

We didn’t have much luck with the weather at Tongoriro NP (perhaps the eye of Sauron was on us), so we decided to head east towards the coast and sunny, warm climes.  We’ve spent the last couple of days touring some wineries in Hawke’s Bay and enjoying the beachfront campsites.  Not to bore everyone with more pretty pictures of vineyards, beaches, and sunsets, we’ve taken some of our current home on wheels.  For those that are interested and have asked about it, here is some technical data on our VW TDI Campervan (or Nutzfahrzeuge). 

It’s powered by a 4 cylinder 1.9 L diesel engine that produces 105 HP at 3500 RPM.  It has a 5 speed manual transmission (yes, we have to shift with the left hand) with maybe a top speed of 120 kmh.  It’s pretty fuel efficient at 30 mpg (a rough conversion from 13 km/l).   The height is 2.5 m (2.0 m inside) and a length of 5.3 m. 

For amenities, it has a 65 l freshwater tank, a cold water sink, a 2 burner LPG stove, a 60 l fridge, and a 55 l waste water tank.  Everything operates off 12 V and you can use some A/C sockets when plugged into campsite power.  It also has a double size sofa bed (2.1 m x 1.7 m) and a pretty good sound system.  It also has a great user manual, hence all the specs here (you should see all the data we didn’t include!).

We’ve gotten pretty good and packing it up and stowing all the gear.  It now only takes us 1 ½ hours to get on the road in the morning.  It’s been great to have the freedom to decide where we want to go each day and camp each night.  Next stop:  Could be anywhere…

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Posted in New Zealand, Travel | 1 Comment »

Bubble, Bubble, Toil, and Trouble

Friday, February 20th, 2009

We picked up our campervan and immediately changed our minds about where we wanted to go. The forecast called for rain, so we decided to head south. We spent some time around Rotorua which is a literal hotbed of geo-thermal activity. There are hot springs, boiling mud, geysers, and bubbling ponds everywhere. (Note: “geo-thermal“ = pervasive smell of H2S, hydrogen sulfide, aka rotten eggs.) The weather is also not cooperating with our plans, and the rain that followed us is threatening our plans for hiking tomorrow. However, we’re very happing to not be camping in a tent! The campervan is “cozy,” but it’s definitely nice to have a place out of the rain to take a break for lunch or curl up for some dry, warm sleep.

Here’s a quick view of the “Devil’s Bath” in Waiotapu.  In reality it’s even brighter, almost neon green: 

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PS – Regarding the blog title, we’re thinking of you, Bill!

Posted in New Zealand, Travel | 2 Comments »

Chilling in Auckland

Monday, February 16th, 2009

We’ve been gone from India for nearly a week now, but I find that it’s still on my mind. We planned some down time in Auckland to recharge and I think it was the right idea. We rented an apartment and I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying grocery shopping and cooking our own food again.

I’ve been trying to work up the energy to do a long blog with my impressions and opinions about India, but it’s proving harder to write than I expected. Everything I could say seems contradictory (how do you begin to understand the beauty against the backdrop of extreme poverty? ), trite (monkeys and cows walking down the street or the constant barrage of touts, hawkers and beggars), or just not something I think most people would want to read about (men there pee anywhere and everywhere, but where do the women go?). I still want to put down all my thoughts, but since we’re starting our adventure in New Zealand, it may have to take a back seat.

However, I would like to take the time to note that my clothes are much happier here. For all the floggings (aka “laundry”) that they received in India, they still seemed to come back with fingerprints and smudges. Here at least the beatings have stopped and my shirts’ appearance seems to be responding to the fancy eco frontloader washing machine in our apartment.

We’re getting ready to leave that behind and hit the road. We’ve reserved a campervan starting later in the week and are plotting out a rough route around the islands. Today, we did a little sightseeing right here in Auckland. We took a ferry to Waiheke Island and spent the day tasting a few of the local wines. A good way to start our Kiwi adventure!

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Posted in New Zealand, Travel | 1 Comment »

Lost in Transition

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

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After 6 weeks of Thailand and India, we turned back for 4 days of travel to our next destination, New Zealand. Our journey started in Trivandum at the southern end of Kerala and took us back to Mumbai again. On our final night in India we celebrated with an autorickshaw ride to the ITC Sheraton for a dinner at Peshawri, rated one of the top 50 Indian restaurants in the world. It marked the beginning of a transition back to “western” lands.

The next day took us to Hong Kong (via Bangkok again), where we spent a night and day taking in a few sights, but just generally enjoying the city and the business-style hotel we booked with free internet, American breakfasts, and complementary happy hour wine. We also enjoyed a very good Chinese hot pot dinner (with beef tenderloin, or maybe beef tendons – both were on the menu among many, many strange items) and were shown the correct way to scoop out Udon noodles (its all in the wrist motion).

Our final leg was a flight to Sydney connecting to Auckland. After days of taxis, trains, and planes, we queued up for our Cathay Pacific gate looking at a sleepless overnight flight. We must have stored up some good travel karma, because we got a fantastic surprise. The agent took our “seats 66 H & J” boarding passes away and replaced them with new ones. On inspection we realized they were upgraded to business class! The 9 hours flew by with a great dinner and some actual sleep on their comfy lay-flat seats. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to be on a plane before. The only thing better than an upgrade is one you don’t expect. Sweet.

The next day finished on another high note as we killed a few hours at the Quantas first class club at the Sydney airport. My status on American Airlines gets us into all the One World clubs, which have proved to be little islands of quiet in the sea of international airports. While they are all pretty nice, the one in Sydney is really exceptional. Aside from the drinks, internet, newspapers, comfy chairs and showers, they also have a restaurant. It’s complimentary, and I’m not talking about a buffet – it has a full menu, tables, and waiters.

We’ve always traveled by the principle that you should eat what the locals eat. It’s generally fresher, tastier, and better quality food than the attempts at “American” food you find abroad. The food in both Thailand and India was excellent, and surprisingly we didn’t really tire of it. However, after 6 weeks without a burger, I was elated to find a gourmet bacon cheeseburger on whole wheat roll with fresh lettuce and pickles on the menu at the Quantas club. I passed on the fancy appetizer or pasta, and went straight for the beef. It didn’t disappoint. In fact it probably ranks in the top 10 burgers I’ve had.

With a full stomach, we hopped on the last leg of our journey and arrived in Auckland! Our next few days will be spent catching up on sleep and laundry, figuring out what we want to do here, as well as reflecting on our time in Asia.

Posted in Travel | 4 Comments »

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