Rizz goes round the world

Just keep truckin' (Hamilton, Raglan, Coromandel Peninsula, Whakatane, East Cape, Gisborne, NZ)

18-22 September: Road trip with Lance

Meeting back up with Lance after 2 years of not seeing him at all was a bit surreal, but welcome. For those of you who don't know the background, Lance was the tour guide during the trip I chaperoned through New Zealand and Australia with 40 out of control high school kids two years ago. He's a great guy, and we've been in touch ever since. It was nice to see him again, and also a bit of a relief to be united with someone who actually knew me and with whom I could have a conversation with that didn't start with "So, how long will you be in New Zealand?"

At any rate, Lance was in town to help his parents move from his childhood home in Hamilton, on the east coast of the north island, across the country to Whakatane, on the west coast. In the meantime, however, he had a few days to take me on a road trip and show me the land within which he grew up. Our road trip would provide me with the opportunity to see incredibly isolated parts of New Zealand that most tourists never got the opportunity to see. Plus I'd get to take a road trip with a good friend. I couldn't wait!

After Lance met me in Hamilton, we took off the next morning over to Raglan, a surfing ground made famous in the movie Endless Summer. The area is composed of 3 major surfing breaks, from easiest to most difficult. From Ngaranui Bay, the bunny slope for surfers, the road rose steadily up. Rocks that at first sloped gradually down to a crashing surf rose into impressive cliffs with a blue ocean spraying over offshore rocks below. Unfortunately, the only good break that day could be found at Ngaranui. Lance hopped sure-footedly across the rocks for a bit of a surf while I sat reading and writing. The air was brisk and cool, but refreshing. Not a bad way to spend a morning.

After a late breakfast in town at Raglan, we stopped by Lance's childhood home and then headed
out to the Coromandel Peninsula, on the other side of the island. Fortunately a cross country trip doesn't take nearly as long in New Zealand as it would take in the States, and after a few hours of brilliant emerald hills dotted with sheep and cows and thatches of trees, a sapphire sea started to peak out beyond the green. And it wouldn't let you forget it. At the top of every hill and around every bend, it surprised you again and again with its brilliance. The day was beautiful and clear, and sunshine sparkled off the surface of the water as waves rolled into shore. The sheep still munched away on their grass, oblivious to the beauty surrounding them. The road finished its ascents and descents through the hills, and settled itself into a winding corrider next to the sea. Cliffs rose to my right as the sea shook hands with the land not even 3 meters below us on our left. It was brilliant. We stayed in Coromandel Town, on the northwest portion of the peninsula. We had a porch and a view of the sea across the way.

The next day, we headed out to take a walk through the bush and spot some kauri trees. The manager of the hotel where we stayed promised quite a few kauri, but we only managed to spot one. Didn't matter, the walk was refreshing. I'm astounded by how quickly the solitude of shade of the bush (forest for those not from this corner of the world) can suck you away in seconds from civilization. The sounds of exotic birds quickly drown out any other sound, and you truly feel very far from home in the middle of nowhere, but in a remarkable way.

After our bushwalk, we took off heading west on the 309, a winding dirt road that cuts across the peninsula. Along the way, we stopped at a waterfall whose basin invitied us for a swim. Unfortunately it was way too chilly. We also took a bushwalk through another kauri forest, and this one provided us with many more kauri. In the middle of absolutely nowhere, we stumbled upon a little shop with fruit and other products from a farm nearby, and I discovered the delicious wonder that is manuka honey. Manuka honey comes from the tea tree plant, which is all over NZ, and apart from possessing many health benefits, is also delicious, especially on toast.

The 309 sadly became paved again, and brought us into Whitianga. We stopped at Hot Water Beach, where at times you can dig a hole and soak in naturally warmed hot spring water. Unfortunately the hot springs phenomenon wasn't working that day, but I still enjoyed a nap in the warm sunshine and Lance had another surf. Across the way was a little artist community with a shop where I bought a great wooden ring with a shell inset. I of course promptly lost the ring before the end of the week.

Anyway, it was off again through brilliant scenery. I can't get over the sheer number of absolutely isolated beaches tucked here and there along the coastline. Around every other bend, we stumbled upon yet another completely isolated beach whose white (and sometimes black) sands abutted rocky cliffs and whose beauty easily surpassed any beach I have ever seen anywhere in the States. And they were all empty! Granted, it's still early spring, but it's not like there were any parking lots or anything nearby. The mindset is just completely different; in the States, any area of coastline with a beach immediately comes with resorts and a pricetag, even just for access. In New Zealand, the amount of unspoilt coastline is remarkable. I hope it stays that way.

Lance and I made our way into Whakatane, where a number or his family members live. We arrived right as darkness descended upon us. We stayed on Ohope Beach, a few kilometers over a hill and through more winding roads (all the roads in NZ are winding and hilly, I think). Ohope Beach is 11 kilometers of unbroken sand with views of the East Cape (thanks, Let's Go New Zealand). We stayed across from the beach, and woke up to walk outside to a view of the rolling waves of the Pacific. Lance took me on a tour through Whakatane, where high bluffs and the Whakatane River meet the ocean and fisherman wait patiently with their nets for whitebait.

Next it was on to the East Cape. The East Cape is one of the most isolated areas of the north island, and few tourists get the opportunity to see its beauty. As we drove, the land again rose, and the sea again played a game of hide and seek with the rolling hills. We went down to a town called Te Araroa, which consisted of 2 streets nestled within a dusty plane. We stopped at the only grocery store in the area, which was really a convenience store, for supplies for dinner. The isolation was utterly remarkable. The evening consisted of a feast of noodles and canned salmon and a glass (or more) of wine on a porch overlooking a hill descending into the sea.

Lance had to head back to Hamilton the next day to help his parents move, but first we drove down to Gisborne, passing through Tokomaru and Tolaga Bays. I grew instantly jealous as we stopped at some land Lance's family owns RIGHT on the ocean in Tokomaru Bay, then inspired and ready for some night shooting at an old meat factory on the water. Tokomaru Bay once was a thriving port, and the decrepit mill building facing the sea, along with the long wharf marching out into the ocean, were testament to this history. Train tracks were laid within the pier and once held trains that transported goods from awaiting ships to the factory. The tracks, wharf and factory are no longer in use, but would provide a brilliant spot for some photography under the full moon. Unfortunately, it was daytime and the full moon was a long way away.

Along the way, Lance entrusted me to have a hand at the wheel of his car. Mind you, they drive on the left in NZ, and the steering wheel is on the right. The car was also a stick. Although I almost drove us into the side of a bridge (in my mind, the rest of the car was to my right, but in reality, it was to my left. Oops) and ended up on the wrong side of the road one or two times, I didn't do that badly!!

Finally, it was off to Gisborne. It was a sad goodbye with Lance; I had grown accustomed to the company, and it was a bit depressing to be yet again a nameless person in a small far-away town. Gisborne's charm cured me quickly, though. The road into town is paved with an endless coastline of beautiful beaches, and within town, a blue river provides even more brilliant scenery, along with a great place to sit, have a beer, and reacquaint yourself with solitude. Which is precisely what I did.

Still, I was a bit lonely, nostalgic even. The relentless and unstoppable passing of time began to weigh heavily on my mind, and I started to wish I was Billy Pilgrim, from Slaughterhouse Five, possessing the ability to become unstuck in time and able to revisit those moments that had slipped so quickly through my fingertips before I'd even had a firm grasp on them. I commenced the long walk back to the hostel, a former convent, interestingly enough, and made myself some dinner. I sat down at the dining room table and noticed a bookcase behind me. As I turned to browse through the titles, the first book I spotted, wouldn't you know, was Slaughterhouse Five. Is that serendipity or what?

posted by La Rizz @ 8:14 PM