Hey there people,
Let's see, where to begin. Back in School, Done with roadtrip. okthanksbye.
I've been busy with projects for the past week and inbetween that and the token slackin' I do every day, it has been a while since I've been able to post here. Regardless, I hope all is well with everyone back home and that your easter and uh, April 20th celebrations went well.
During easter break, I was able to do some scenic climbing at mt. Ruapehu with a few climbin' buddies, and after that it was a 7 day road trip to see the sights of the north island. Friends Serena (Anthro masters student from Florida), Kelsea (OSU environmental engineering major) and I rented a car and did the tourist thing. We managed to see the west, east, and north coasts, a ton of stuff in the central volcanic region, and racked up a ton of miles, I mean kilometers on the left side O' the road. I am no longer a Kiwi road noob, as they say in cyberspace. Here's what I found out about driving in NZ. The roads here are barely wide enough to fit two supermodels side by side whilst holding their breath in. This becomes readily apparent when a tractor trailer is coming at you in the opposite lane on those 1.5 lane bridges they have everywhere here. A Highway is almost never 3 or 4 lanes and can have gravel on it for long sections. Flora, I totally see what you guys were talking about when you guys mentioned that too. Altogether, the whole driving on the other side thing wasn't too bad though. You get used to it other than constantly turning on your windsheild wipers instead of your turn signal and vice versa. Some pretty clever stunt driving can get you out of most fixes. Oh, and their train crossing signs are the best, here's one.
Let's see, where to begin. Back in School, Done with roadtrip. okthanksbye.
I've been busy with projects for the past week and inbetween that and the token slackin' I do every day, it has been a while since I've been able to post here. Regardless, I hope all is well with everyone back home and that your easter and uh, April 20th celebrations went well.
During easter break, I was able to do some scenic climbing at mt. Ruapehu with a few climbin' buddies, and after that it was a 7 day road trip to see the sights of the north island. Friends Serena (Anthro masters student from Florida), Kelsea (OSU environmental engineering major) and I rented a car and did the tourist thing. We managed to see the west, east, and north coasts, a ton of stuff in the central volcanic region, and racked up a ton of miles, I mean kilometers on the left side O' the road. I am no longer a Kiwi road noob, as they say in cyberspace. Here's what I found out about driving in NZ. The roads here are barely wide enough to fit two supermodels side by side whilst holding their breath in. This becomes readily apparent when a tractor trailer is coming at you in the opposite lane on those 1.5 lane bridges they have everywhere here. A Highway is almost never 3 or 4 lanes and can have gravel on it for long sections. Flora, I totally see what you guys were talking about when you guys mentioned that too. Altogether, the whole driving on the other side thing wasn't too bad though. You get used to it other than constantly turning on your windsheild wipers instead of your turn signal and vice versa. Some pretty clever stunt driving can get you out of most fixes. Oh, and their train crossing signs are the best, here's one.
Here's a short synopsis of the trip. The first couple of days I spent climbing with friends andrew, owen and others. The next couple of days we spent in the center part of the north island around Lake Taupo, a giant caldera filled with water. It's ancient eruption apparently makes Mt. St. Helens and even Mt. Pinatubo look like a burb, 100's of cubic km of earth went up into the air. Then it was off to the west coast (the drive through the native forest was amazing) around mt. Tangariki (a Mt. Fuji celebrity lookalike) but we took off the next day after getting completely dumped on there. They get several hundred cm of rain per year. We headed to the east coast
to see the town of Napier, which has some cool tourist trappish art deco buildings. Then it was off to the North coast and the bay of plenty where we did a little sight seeing and hiking around Mt. Whanganui, which is more of a large hill, but hey I don't mind an occasional napolean complex. Then we headed back south to Rotorua to see the geysers, hot springs and mud pits there and breath in the ever present smell of rotten eggs. There you have it. I'll post some more pics, but here's a few random highlights.
to see the town of Napier, which has some cool tourist trappish art deco buildings. Then it was off to the North coast and the bay of plenty where we did a little sight seeing and hiking around Mt. Whanganui, which is more of a large hill, but hey I don't mind an occasional napolean complex. Then we headed back south to Rotorua to see the geysers, hot springs and mud pits there and breath in the ever present smell of rotten eggs. There you have it. I'll post some more pics, but here's a few random highlights.
Serena and Kelsea in Napier
Yes, there are sheep freakin' everywhere. 40,000,000 of them it turns out. I've never been a big fan, but the green pastures they live in can be beautiful. This country is greener than I ever thought possible. This flock took turns scratching themselves on this rock, which seemed to be a big hit with most of them. 
A giant kiwifruit at a Kiwifarm near the bay of plenty. *flexes*
Besides sheep, there are wild chickens that live in the forest. One of the many introduced species you see, sadly enough.
1 comment:
I loved the supermodel/highway analogy...very whitty! I didn't know you were that funny babe. I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures. The hiking and waterfall pics are beautiful. You look super tan in one of the pics, is there still sun there? Send it over here when you're done with it, I sure could use it to synthesize some Vit. D
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