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All posts for the month November, 2016

Mark and his parents as we set off across New Zealand

Mark and his parents as we set off across New Zealand

And so the Trans-New Zealand journey begins. We flew back to Auckland from New Caledonia on November 16, spent a quick night in the City, and met Mark’s parents the next day after their l-o-n-g flight from Michigan. For some unknown reason hotel rooms were suddenly almost nonexistent in Auckland; Mark had been watching options, there were a bunch, and then … poof … all of a sudden the city was all but booked. But we found one – another hotel with a washer and dryer; I’m starting to like this New Zealand trend – and then had a great dinner. Soul is a restaurant/bar down on the waterfront where one of the bartenders makes great Vespers. Unfortunately he wasn’t working but the martinis were still good and the little plates of bar food were small but amazing. So we were set for starting out the next day with Mark’s parents.

We met them at the airport, loaded our luggage in a rental car (no small feat for four bags when two of them are big enough to hold nearly everything Mark & I own), and took off for Rotorua. This is one of New Zealand’s major attractions, a land of volcanic activity, bubbling hot springs, and flowing geysers. We got in too late to do anything interesting but the next morning, on the drive out, we stopped at Wai-O-Tapu, a private park of geysers and that kind of stuff. Definitely a little cheesy; the geyser goes off promptly at 10:30 AM, but only after they add chemicals to make it blast off. Still, there was a nice hour-long hike out into the lava fields with some gorgeous spring-fed lakes.

This green lake in Wai-O-Tapu was stunning

This green lake in Wai-O-Tapu was stunning

And later on there was this yellow one!

And later on there was this yellow one!

From there we headed to Lake Taupo, the biggest lake in New Zealand. The plan has been to cross the North Island pretty quickly so we can take a ferry across to the South Island and spend most of our time there. Our ferry ticket was booked for November 21, so we have to hurry down to Wellington pretty quickly. Unfortunately very shortly before we got to New Zealand there was an earthquake on the South Island, so we’re not too certain what conditions will be there. The good news, though, is that although the ferry quit running for a few days, the day of our reservation is the first day it’s running again.

At any rate, one of the great things about this trip through New Zealand is the beautiful scenery: lakes, hills, mountains, greenery. And cows and sheep. Lots and lots of cows and sheep. But a key reason to travel in New Zealand is for the great hiking, or tramping, as it’s known down here. So stop two was in Turangi right off Tongariro National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and even one of the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die (it’s a book…).

New Zealand has scenery, at least when the weather is good

New Zealand has scenery, at least when the weather is good

They best hike in the park, often described as the best day hike in all of New Zealand, is the 12-mile Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Spectacular scenery, steaming vents and springs, moonscapes and amazing views. Or so they say, at least. We planned on spending two days in Turangi so we could do the hike on our full day in the area. We discovered, though, that the weather was going to be terrible. It had snowed pretty heavily just the day or two before we got there, an unusual late-spring storm. And it was going to cold and wet and windy for the day we had available.

Still, we figured what the hell. At the least we could drive with Mark’s parents up to the trailhead. If it was awful we’d just go for a drive. Instead it was … marginal. Not too wet or cold to not hike tramp, but probably too cold and wet to really enjoy it. You only live once, though – or at least you likely only get to Tongariro National Park once – so we decided to give it a go.

Here we are, happy, warm, and dry at the start of the Alpine crossing. We were not to stay that way for long.

Here we are, happy, warm, and dry at the start of the Alpine crossing. We were not to stay that way for long.

Relatively early on the trail  was easy and we were having fun despite the inclement weather

Relatively early on the trail was easy and we were having fun despite the inclement weather

Mark's yellow raincoat made everything seem so bright and cheery. For a while.

Mark’s yellow raincoat made everything seem so bright and cheery. For a while.

The good news was that the trail was relatively empty; the commercial tours had all canceled and while we certainly saw other hikers it wasn’t nearly as crowded as it normally would be on a Saturday. And the first four or five kilometers were beautiful in their own way: certainly foggy and wet, but nice. Then we got to the point where the Alpine Crossing part got going in a serious way. First it was just a little more difficult; the trail a little rougher, the elevation a little steeper. As we got higher, though, it got wetter. And windier. And then even wetter and even windier. And steeper. At one point we seriously considered just calling it quits and going back; the brutal winds were getting dangerous. Turning back, though, would have been turning into the wind. So we kept going.

Getting higher and colder, but it's still fun

Getting higher and colder, but it’s still fun

Suffice it to say we survived, or we wouldn’t have been able to post these pictures. There were moments, though, when it didn’t seem this was the wisest thing we’d ever done. With essentially no visibility we had no idea how long the climb would go or when we’d cross the pass and (probably) get out of the wind. So we kept going up, the snow getting thicker, the wind getting stronger. At one point we were crossing a relatively narrow ridge, unable to see much, not knowing what was ahead, but confident that if we fell off in either direction we’d fall a long way. Finally we started the decline and within seconds the wind fell away. Still cold and wet, still too much snow, but at that point you know the worst is behind you.

This is still before the weather got totally hellish, but you can get a sense for how great the visibility was (or wasn't…)

This is still before the weather got totally hellish, but you can get a sense for how great the visibility was (or wasn’t…)

Near the end of the trail the weather was comparatively normal again. I have a sense that we would have seen a lot more of this had we been able to see anything.

Near the end of the trail the weather was comparatively normal again. I have a sense that we would have seen a lot more of this had we been able to see anything.

All in all it was exciting, exhausting, and – best of all – behind us. Mark’s parents picked us up at the end of the trail, where a warm car seemed like heaven. Until we got back to the hotel and a hot shower really was heaven.

The next morning we got back in the rental car and drove to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. Again, a beautiful drive, this time with gorgeous snow-capped mountains in Tongariro National Park in view for a good part of the drive. I kept remembering, of course, that the beautiful snow-capped mountain had been a hellish ordeal the day before, but now that it was sunny and we were in a warm car it looked fabulous.

There are a lot of sheep in New Zealand

There are a lot of sheep in New Zealand

Another pretty unique experience during the drive: I got a speeding ticket, going 115 in a 100 zone. Those are kilometers, though, so essentially I was going 71 mph in a 62 mph zone. I’m pretty sure it’s the first speeding ticket I’ve gotten since 1973, when I was a brand new driver in a three-speed manual transmission Ford that was older than I was. I’m hoping to go another 43 years before another speeding ticket.

After slowing down, then, we got into Wellington too late to do too much except for lunch and then shopping for a new iPhone. The one casualty of the hike was that when I realized my iPhone was getting wet I put it in what I thought was a waterproof pocket of my rain jacket, a little compartment seemingly custom-built for a cell phone. What probably happened, though, is that the phone was wet when I put it in there and so it just stewed in the moisture for the last four hours of the hike … and died. That’s why there are no pictures of Mark on the hike; they were on my dead iPhone. Sad. I do have a new iPhone 7, though, so it’s not the worst tragedy ever. [Ed. note: A few days later my old iPhone revived enough to recover those pictures which I added here, explaining why now there are pictures of Mark on the hike.]

The waterfront in Wellington

The waterfront in Wellington

From here we take a ferry across to the South Island. We’d planned on working our way down the west coast, but that appears to have been the most severely damaged part from the earthquake; on the flight from New Caledonia Mark talked to someone who said the main highway had been destroyed. So we’ll probably figure something else out. At least this is better than our planned trip to Nepal a couple years ago when an earthquake shut the country down and we couldn’t even get in. It will add a little taste of uncertainty to our generally uncertain ramblings.

The geyser at Wai-O-Tapu. Looks pretty impressive, huh?

The geyser at Wai-O-Tapu. Looks pretty impressive, huh?

Fortunately they don't even try to hide the fact that they artificially induce the eruption

Fortunately they don’t even try to hide the fact that they artificially induce the eruption

Mark at Wai-O-Tapu. I took this with a flash because of where the sun was and we think it makes it look as though he's posing in front of some cheesy photographer's fake backdrop

Mark at Wai-O-Tapu. I took this with a flash because of where the sun was and we think it makes it look as though he’s posing in front of some cheesy photographer’s fake backdrop

Here I am with some carved owl

Here I am with some carved owl

And one last picture of Mark and some sulphuric lake

And one last picture of Mark and some sulphuric lake

A sun bed, beach, water, and Kindle. That's our life.

A sun bed, beach, water, and Kindle. That’s our life.

Our last stop in the tropical South Pacific was Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia or, as it’s known here, Nouvelle Calédonie, a French colony special collectivity. Apparently we’re not supposed to use the word colony any more. At any rate, I’m not sure I had any concept of what or where New Caledonia was before we started researching our time in the South Pacific, but it’s a pretty interesting place.

Now, I certainly should have heard of New Caledonia when I was a child; back in the 1960s it was Ernest Borgnine’s favorite port of call in McHale’s Navy. And slightly more importantly, during World War II after the fall of France in 1940 New Caledonia ousted the pro-Vichy governor and sided with the Free French resistance. Subsequently the capital, Noumea, became the headquarters for both the U.S. Army and Navy in the South Pacific.

It's spring in New Caledonia and there were lots of flowering trees in bloom

It’s spring in New Caledonia and there were lots of flowering trees in bloom

Interestingly tourism is not a big part of the economy here. Though New Caledonia has the kind of natural beauty and beaches one expects to find in the South Pacific, the ecological diversity is – by some analyses – the richest per square mile in the world, and the weather is notably dryer than most of the other islands in the region, the tourist industry is not well developed. For the tourist who does pass through, though, the system today seems to work remarkably well. The quarter of a million people who live here do pretty well economically; per capita GDP rivals some advanced economies and recent growth rates have exceeded three percent. The French provide significant investments and – not surprisingly – encourage some great food (more on that below).

When you look at a map of Noumea you see districts with names like Receiving and Motor Pool, strange names for a Francophone city. Given it's history as HQ for the U.S. Military during WWII, though, I guess it makes sense.

When you look at a map of Noumea you see districts with names like Receiving and Motor Pool, strange names for a Francophone city. Given its history as HQ for the U.S. Military during WWII, though, I guess it makes sense.

At the same time, despite the relative health of the economy, there is a significant independence movement here, something invisible to those of us who are tourists. Both major political parties oppose independence, and residents here not only vote in French Presidential elections, they also have delegates in both the French Senate and National Assembly. (In other words, they have better representation than residents of Washington, D.C.) The indigenous people, though, primarily Kanaks, have been pushing for independence. They lost a vote in 1987 but another vote on independence is set for 2018. One of the ways the battle has played out in recent years is over the New Caledonian flag. The current status is odd; to placate the Kanaks there is both a standard French tricolor flag and an official Kanak flag. One country, two flags; definitely an unusual solution.

For us, New Caledonia was an opportunity to see one more part of the South Pacific but, in this case, with more of the Western comforts that you can start to miss after several weeks across Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji. And we were there to watch Hillary’s election, which … didn’t happen. Sadly, my experience there will always be tainted with that horrible afternoon watching someone who had identified and exploited the darkest corners of America’s soul get elected president. A week later and Mark & I both remain both horrified and depressed. I don’t know which will lift first or last longest.

The good news from New Caledonia was a pleasant (though by no means spectacular) beach to relax on, a beautiful pool, and – most importantly – some really good restaurants. For the first time in weeks (except for the few days in Auckland) we had a variety of restaurants to choose from and they were mostly either really good or really, really good.

Mark and Stephan, the proprietor of So Food, one of the best restaurants we've been to in months

Mark and Stephan, the proprietor of So Food, one of the best restaurants we’ve been to in months

The best, if you’re thinking of going to Noumea, is a place called So Food, a little ten-table restaurant run by a Frenchman who lived for a couple decades in Marseilles but also cooked at restaurants in Morocco and … somewhere else. We ate there three times and every plate, every dish was amazing. Steak tartare like only the French and Mark’s Dad make it, but also lots of flavors of North Africa and even Asian splashes. Another highlight was a tapas bar with great tapas in what was otherwise pretty much a dive bar. Good food, though.

You wouldn’t come to New Caledonia for the greatest beaches or best tourist experience. For a change of pace, though, from other islands in the region and for the best food for hundreds of miles, this is the place to be. Just don’t come here to watch election returns.

Steak tartare at So Food, with garnishes representing flavors from around the world

Steak tartare at So Food, with garnishes representing flavors from around the world

Some of the mezzes available at So Food. We had the eggplant dish on the left a couple times and we absolutely loved it. Mark was a big fan of the Tunisian harissa up near the top

Some of the mezzes available at So Food. We had the eggplant dish on the left a couple times and we absolutely loved it. Mark was a big fan of the Tunisian harissa up near the top

We shouldn't forget a great tapas bar quite near our hotel

We shouldn’t forget a great tapas bar quite near our hotel

Speaking of our hotel, the pool wasn't too shabby

Speaking of our hotel, the pool wasn’t too shabby

And finally, we were in Noumea for the November "Supermoon", which occurs on those unusual occasions when a full moon coincides with the closest point the moon comes to the earth during the lunar orbit. This particular Supermoon was the biggest and closest moonrise since 1945 so we went out of our way to get a view.

And finally, we were in Noumea for the November “Supermoon”, which occurs on those unusual occasions when a full moon coincides with the closest point the moon comes to the earth during the lunar orbit. This particular Supermoon was the biggest and closest moonrise since 1945 so we went out of our way to get a view.

Mark and Jim, high above Auckland on Mt. Eden on our Coast to Coast Walk

Mark and Jim, high above Auckland on Mt. Eden on our Coast to Coast Walk

The plan was pretty simple: after Tonga we wanted to go to New Caledonia. The problem is that we discovered when we started researching travel in the area that to a surprising degree to travel around the islands of the South Pacific you have to fly in and out of New Zealand. OK, that’s not a big problem, we would go to Auckland for a few days, fly to New Caledonia the day before the election, and spend a few hours late morning and early afternoon on what would be Wednesday there watching Hillary put the election away. I would write a blog about Auckland, we would enjoy the beaches, and go on with life.

You’ve probably heard it didn’t work out that way, which explains the long delay in writing about Auckland. We’ve both been just too damned depressed to do this, or almost anything else, either. We just can’t believe that a racist, bigoted, hate-filled campaign from someone who knows nothing about policy and cares even less could win. We’ve both been involved in winning campaigns and losing campaigns, but this is different; it’s as though the country we thought we knew just isn’t there. We’re trying to get on with life, though, so let me put down a few thoughts about Auckland.

The view from Mt. Eden on a hike across Auckland, including a pretty obvious crater

The view from Mt. Eden on a hike across Auckland, including a pretty obvious crater

The big news is that for both of us, New Zealand is our 97th country (not the same 97 for each of us, but we’ve each been to 97 countries; and, if you’re wondering, it’s the 59th country since starting this adventure in 2013). Since the U.N. recognizes 193 countries, if you do the math … we’ve now been in over half the countries in the world. Finally! In some ways, the big surprise is that for all that we have traveled – my time in the Navy, Mark’s college backpacking experiences, our pre-retirement travels, and now this adventure – we’ve only just now passed the half-way mark. The big holes now are in Africa, the Middle East, and even here in Oceania; there are still nine countries in the South Pacific we haven’t been to. In other words we still have a long way to go.

Mark and his colorful rain jacket in Cornwall Park

Mark and his colorful rain jacket in Cornwall Park

Our four days in Auckland were a treat, less because of Auckland itself than that we were finally, after seven or eight weeks, in a big western city with pharmacies and restaurants and bars and nightlife. Don’t get me wrong, we love being in remote places but after a while getting into a city – they have martinis in Auckland! – can be exciting.

A street scene in Auckland with the Sky Tower - the tallest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere - in the background

A street scene in Auckland with the Sky Tower – the tallest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere – in the background

A night at Soul, a classy bar/restaurant with fabulous Vespers and this great raw fish dish

A night at Soul, a classy bar/restaurant with fabulous Vespers and this great raw fish dish

Mark and his old college friend Julie (you can tell it's Julie because of her name tag…)

Mark and his old college friend Julie (you can tell it’s Julie because of her name tag…)

Our hotel had a washer and dryer in our room but - unlike most places we stay - it did not include breakfast. Then we discovered a Denny's just a couple blocks away. Not elegant, but very functional.

Our hotel had a washer and dryer in our room but – unlike most places we stay – it did not include breakfast. Then we discovered a Denny’s just a couple blocks away. Not elegant, but very functional.

Our highlights?

• The big excursion was Auckland’s Coast to Coast Walk, a 10-mile hike that takes you across a very narrow point in the North Island. It’s all urban, but much of it is through great parks, up and over old volcanoes, and up One Tree Hill, a key landmark in Auckland. The parks were often beautiful and we loved sharing our walk with the many sheep there; it felt very New Zealand. We were really surprised, though, at how poorly marked the trail was. If there is one thing New Zealand is supposed to have down it’s their famous hiking trails, but had we not downloaded a copy of the route we never would have made it.

• I spent a couple hours at the Auckland Museum, half of which is a war museum and the other dedicated to Maori culture. It wasn’t earth shattering or anything, but both parts were good museums. The one thing I learned that surprised me was that human settlement in New Zealand had nothing to do with humans in Australia. Australia was settled 50,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, when sea levels were much lower and people could walk to Australia from South Asia. Then just 5,000 years ago people from Southeast Asia started to move into the South Pacific and just 800 years ago, they got to what is today New Zealand. Who knew?

• We run into the strangest people on these travels. A few months ago Mark saw on Facebook that Julie, an old college classmate who he hasn’t seen in 30 years, was going to be in Auckland on a tour the same time we were going to be there. She was all scheduled up, but we still managed to have lunch with her and the friend she’s traveling with. She was a lot of fun so now we have to figure out some other place to meet up with her.

• And then there are the little things. Dinner at an Irish Pub with fun live music. A washer and dryer in our hotel, the Sebel, a glorious first on this adventure. And a Croatian bartender who makes a great Vesper, the original James Bond martini.

Then it was off to New Caledonia and what was supposed to be a short night (day for us) watching election returns. We’re coming back to Auckland, though, twice more. We’re meeting Mark’s parents there after our week in New Caledonia to travel around New Zealand with them for two weeks, and then spending one last night there before flying on to Australia, hopefully with great friends from Boston who will be passing through as well. Such excitement!

Our Coast to Coast hike day was rainy, sunny, hot, windy, cold … a little bit of everything. And while much of it was in the city, it crossed through some beautiful parks.

Our Coast to Coast hike day was rainy, sunny, hot, windy, cold … a little bit of everything. And while much of it was in the city, it crossed through some beautiful parks.

One Tree Hill in Cornwall Park with a big obelisk marking … something

One Tree Hill in Cornwall Park with a big obelisk marking … something

Cornwall Park is a huge green space in Auckland. And just to make sure you feel as though you're really in New Zealand there are sheep grazing all over.

Cornwall Park is a huge green space in Auckland. And just to make sure you feel as though you’re really in New Zealand there are sheep grazing all over.

It's not uncommon to see Asians wearing shirts with slogans in English that don't really make a lot of sense. We loved this woman's sweater up on Mt. Eden: "Let's Shopping O'Clock." We're guessing that's a bad translation of "It's Shopping Time," but either way it's pretty funny.

It’s not uncommon to see Asians wearing shirts with slogans in English that don’t really make a lot of sense. We loved this woman’s sweater up on Mt. Eden: “Let’s Shopping O’Clock.” We’re guessing that’s a bad translation of “It’s Shopping Time,” but either way it’s pretty funny.

A map from the Auckland Museum showing the migration patterns for populating the South Pacific. Interesting that Australia - and Papua New Guinea just north of there - were settled some 45,000 years before Southeast Asian natives took to the seas to settle all these islands. And that New Zealand was very late in that process, settled only 800 years ago.

A map from the Auckland Museum showing the migration patterns for populating the South Pacific. Interesting that Australia – and Papua New Guinea just north of there – were settled some 45,000 years before Southeast Asian natives took to the seas to settle all these islands. And that New Zealand was very late in that process, settled only 800 years ago.

Then there was this copy of a statue that we saw last summer in Rome, the Dying Gaul. I loved the statue in Rome, but there was no explanation why the copy was here, in a museum about Maori culture.

Then there was this copy of a statue that we saw last summer in Rome, the Dying Gaul. I loved the statue in Rome, but there was no explanation why the copy was here, in a museum about Maori culture.

And speaking of Maori culture, there was a lot of this kind of stuff in the museum

And speaking of Maori culture, there was a lot of this kind of stuff in the museum

More Mark and Jim

More Mark and Jim

We often see tourists doing this sort of thing. Apparently it takes practice to get it right.

We often see tourists doing this sort of thing. Apparently it takes practice to get it right.