2008-01-31. The Crossing. Day Fifteen.
I woke several times in the middle of the night to the sounds of the city; sirens, race cars, people screaming and shouting however still managed to get up in time to be the first one in line for the bus.
Being the first in line does not always mean that you are the first one [...]
2008-01-30. Mangawenka. Day Fourteen.
Mangaweka was the next stop on my list with my travels with Pacific Challenge group 4. I have been grateful for the leftover food for dinner and for the extra spot on the tour van that would eventually take me to Wellington where I would make my crossing into the South Island.The road to [...]
2008-01-29. The Tongario Crossing. Day Thirteen.
The Tongario Crossing is located just south of Torangi and is in the central North Island of New Zealand. The track of 18.5 miles is said to take 7-9 hours depending on your ability to overcome difficult climbing trails. The group of 18 students divided into to groups. The plan was to [...]
2008-01-27. Taupo. Day Eleven.
Taupo. I couldn’t come here without fishing even just for one day even if it was lake fishing for trout, something which I know nothing about.
I started the day with a van ride to Huka Falls. Huka Falls are a great powerful falls in the Waikato River. The area was extremely busy [...]
2008-01-26. Waitomo to Taupo. Day Ten.
Today I began to travel south through the hills into the Volcano fields of crater lakes and hot springs of the Taupo area.
Breaking camp was easy. The Marae caretakers made it a point to wish me luck on my journeys to the south.
According to the local tour guide operation owners [...]
2008-01-25. Waitomo. Day Nine.
Otorohanga is a town whereas Waitomo is a village with a populaiton of 42 people and 350,000 annual tourists.
I got dropped in downtown and got some cash form the ATM. I stopped in the sports store and checked out the spinning rods, there was nothing worth buying and then checked out the fly selection. [...]
2008-01-24. Waitomo. Day Eight.
Today I woke up and had a coffee, undid the trailers from the vans, and got a ride from Holly, an Aussie, to the end of Ngatapuwae Road where I walked solo into the bush in search of Moakurua Stream at 8.30am. I found a track to the left today however did not take [...]
2008-01-23. Waitomo. Day Seven.
I woke and had a cup of coffee and got set to walk about an hour an a half to the east in search of Moakuraua Stream. According to the locals this stream is rocky bottom and holds larger fish than Waitomo Stream however is about a 5-6km walk from the Marae. I [...]
2008-01-20. Waitomo. Day Four.
I took the walk from the Marae to to the Ruakuri Bush Walk.
I had my fishing rod along and walked the creek looking for Browns. I found none.
Two-thirds the way through the walk I crossed a pasture that was holding calves, cows, steers, and bulls. I did not get good vibes from them. [...]
2008-01-19. Waitomo. Day Three.
I started the day with instant coffee and mixed berry jam toast. I prepared my fishing gear and headed down to the creek to find that it was stained enough to not be able to site fish for the Browns. I need to site fish this creek not knowing the creek and the [...]
2008-01-18, Waitomo. Day Two.
My day started with two hours to fish before my appointment to take a blackwater rafting tour.
I walked the same section of creek that I walked the evening before with the hopes that I would find and catch one fish.
I spotted a fish in the same run that I saw one the night before however [...]
2008-01-17. Los Angeles to Auckland to Waitomo. Day One.
I took a cab from Shawn’s house to the Airport. For $30 I had a full sized passenger van freeway ride to LAX.
I arrived at the airport at 4.15p and was set to meet a group of 18 students at Starbucks in terminal two at 5.30p. I first checked in and found the [...]
2008-01-13. Los Angeles, California – Day Two.
A short drive on the freeway landed us at a Pharmacy parking lot that was filled with exotic cars that their owners were very proud of. Ferrari, Porsche and Lotus were all represented in today’s show alongside a few Corvettes.After taking some photos at the car show and picking up a new set of [...]
Los Angeles, California – Day One.
Today, Shawn and I headed north on Pacific Coast Highway One in search of a quiet place away from the city where we could enjoy the ocean and waste the day away basking in the sun and getting caught up on life.
We settled on El Matador State Beach just north of Los Angeles.
It is a [...]