blah – a full day of heavy cold rains. lake taupo is the largest lake in new zealand, but we’d never know it because all we could see was mist and rain and more mist. there’s precious little to do indoors in taupo in the rain – the town revolves around outdoor and adventure sports. sigh. we’re hoping to do the tongariro crossing tomorrow, but since we can’t even see the massive bloody mountains at the moment, it’s looking grim.

fingers crossed… i have my heart set on this.

there are times when refusing to buy into the package tourism industry is so unexpectedly gratifying. for example, the other day we were leaving rotorua and started to head towards taupo with the hopes of doing the tongariro crossing hike (one of nz’s “great treks”), but the weather was looking increasing crappy, so we decided on a whim to veer off to waitomo instead. waitomo is principally known for two things: caves and glow worms. both j and are are somewhat non-plussed by caves at this point, but we were interested in seeing the glow worms and the scenery the area is reknowned for. as we drove, we passed through mile after mile of emerald knolls and valleys, lakes and ponds nestled in the foothills, and plush forest packed with firs and giant ferns. as j said, “it hurts your eyes trying to take it all in”. we arrived in waitomo and found it chock-a-block with “adventure companies” offering (expensive) myriad opportunities to see the glow worms while spelunking/abseiling/tubing through the caves. to be honest, neither of us fancied the disneyfied tours, and we’d decided to try to save our mad money for snowboarding on the south island. so once again we decided to strike off in search of the road less travelled.

we wound our way up the narrow little backroads to see the spectacular vistas from high above the town. we found our way to the remote but truly impressive marakopa waterfalls. we did a d.i.y. tour of the spooky piripiri caves. we browsed through the nearby town of otorahanga and did some souvenir shopping. and at nightfall, we headed down to the banks of the waitomo river, where we explored the deep gorges, limestone caves and tunnels (in the dark!) and yes, even saw thosands of the glow worms, scattered amongst all the nooks and crannies and ceilings like tiny blue fairylights. the sounds of the forest settling down for the night, having the trail to ourselves, and the growing dark all combined for an wonderfully atmospheric twilight experience. we had such a memorable time, and it was so much more rewarding than shelling out gobs of money to be hustled through with a hoarde of gawkers.

sometimes the best things in life really are free.

new zeand is a land from another time – everywhere you look, there are elements of the prehistoric, traces of an existence tied to the birth of the planet. a land shaped by the earth’s violence, creating a preternatural beauty.

we begin in rotorua, at the center of creation, the birthplace of a nation. the destructive forces which littered the land with the most astounding scars, creating jewels from the ashes. the waiotapu thermal park is full of hissing, spitting and rumbling earth – geysers and boiling poisonous lakes, scalding steam vents and dangerous mud pots. these are reminders that we inhabit these islands only at mother nature’s discretion. you can read the evidence of upheaval in the surrounding landscape, deceptively green, yet born of fire and crush. though many fearues have existed here for eons, some are more recent – a warning against complacency.

we wend our way to the vast lake tarawera area. an enormous crystalline lake lying in the shadow of mt. tarawera, who flipped her lid in the late 1800’s, killing many and leaving an ominous jagged crater looming above the placid waters.

and then we visit the redwood forest. while not native to the area, these have been here for more than a century, and the ancient giants have been known to live for millenia. interspersed with towering primeval ebony ferns, they create a forest reminiscent of those that would have existed when the first humans explored the continents.

there is something about a redwood forest which is like a sacred chapel – humbling and solemn and overwhelming in grace. the eyes and heart are lifted skyward. steps fall silent in the spongy loam underfoot. sunlight filters through the canopy far above like through the rose window of a magnificent cathedral. decades and centuries are recorded within, a constant of history.

men are born and die, wars wage, seas shift, planets twirl, meteors tumble, cities rise and fall… yet these simple trees are everlasting.

it puts our own short, insignificant lives into perspective. it is awesome.

(old post from fiji, sorry!)

every so often, in the interest of keeping the budget balanced (particularly in more expensive cities like singapore, or kunming, or fiji), j and i have elected to stay in dormitory accomodation. and although i am usually a good decade older than many of the other occupants (though by no means all) i’m not usually bothered by certain immaturities. after all, i was 21 too, not so long ago. howwver i feel the need to take this opportunity to pass along a few choice words of wisdom, which will serve them well in their future travels. let’s just call it “dorm etiquette”.

1. please do not leave your mobile on – no one wants to be woken to “auld lang syne” when your drunken mate from london rings you at 3 am.

2. do not fart. it’s not funny. if you are unable to refrain from farting in public, shared accomodation is not for you. if others fart in their sleep, giggling is uncalled for. again, it’s not funny. if you think farting is funny, shared accomodation is not for you.

3. if you know that you snore like an outboard motor, please be kind and do not inflict this on other strangers (who you may find yourself trying to score with later). find another snorer and share the costs of a room.

4. don’t try to score – this is not the set of “big brother”.

5. if you set your alarm, wake up and turn the damn thing off.

6. dorms are for sleeping only – not partying. see rule # 4.

7. do not try to pack at dawn – you’re not nearly as quiet as you think you are.

8. if you’re in late or out early, for god’s sake, *do not turn on the light*. learn to un/dress in the dark like every one else. if this is not a skill you have mastered, shared accomodation is not for you.

9. the unwritten law of dorms is that you don’t look while others are dressing. don’t be a perv. if you’ve never seen the opposite sex naked, then you’re too young for the dorms.

10. whatever you do, for god’s sake, *don’t turn on the light*! you will be murdered in your sleep. don’t say i didn’t try to warn you.

we arrived in NZ today! picked up our little campervan (which is soooo cute!) and are at our first stopover in rotorua, where tomorrow we will go check out the thermal pools, bubbling mud, and geysers (which they insist on pronouncing “geezers”). i’ve been to yosemite in the u.s., but j’s never seen any of this before, so should be fun. the scenery is just stunning – if this is what it looks like in winter, i can’t even fathom how beautiful it must be in summer. j and i keep saying “there’s a hobbit! over there!” the overall impression is that it looks like the worlds bumpiest golf-course.

meanwhile i am practicing cooking in the hunchback position. made a steak and potato and salad dinner (not bad, if I do say so myself) and i believe i now have permanent scoliosis.

me and j cooped up in 8 square feet of space for 3 weeks – should be a giggle!

more soon y’all…

so we’ve been off the grid, quite literally, for about 9 days now. sporadic electricity, rainwater for washing, and no internet access. i’ve not seen or heard what’s happening in the world… and i havent really cared. amazing how that happens.

but that also means i have a lot of back-posting to do, so catch up with the stuff below. still lots of photos waiting to go up – i’ll let you know when i manage that.

tomorrow is our last day in fiji – and though it’s been wonderful, i am very excited for new zealand. sadly enough, i’m actually looking forward to cooking our own meals! you wouldn’t think a body could get tired of eating out all the time, but you do.

anyway, nice to be back, and hope everything is still in one peace…

jen

update: the fiji photos are here, the australia roadtrip photos are here

i love beach bonfires. love love love. love sitting with feet buried in cool sand while a crackling fire heats my face. love the smell of wood smoke curls that tangle themselves in your hair and linger in your clothes. love staring at red embers and blue flames, watching sparks throw themselves into the sky to disappear against the stars, wrapped up warm and cozy while drinking a cold beer.

nothing beats it.

happy birthday dad.

i love you lots and thikn of you often. hope you have a wonderful day.

jenny

we head up the hill in the dark to the plateau far above the sea and lights. at the top, we lie down side by side and wonder up at the inky blue-black heavens. i’d forgotten just how many stars you can see in the southern hemisphere. a profusion of dancing, glittering pinpricks piercing the vaccum, defining the infinite. an emabarrassment of riches carelessly strewn across the evening velvet. no moon to overshadow their quiet constant presence. stars streaking, falling so thickly i cannot keep up with wishes. the southern cross. orion. the dog star. the ethereal swathe of milky way streaked through the middle. touchstones scattered to the edge of the horizon in every direction, the deeper layers revealing themselves the longer we gaze into the ever deepening night. until finally, chilled, dizzy, star-struck we cautiously make our way back down into the light.

our fiji island schedule looks something like this:

9:00 – wake
9:30 – breakfast
10:00 – hike to secluded beach
1:30 – back for lunch
2:00 – daily yahtzee session
3:00 – read/nap
4:00 – hammocks
5:00 – read/rest/shower
6:00 – happy hour! daily chess session
7:30 – dinner
8:30 – resort evening entertainment
9:30 – word games/walks on beach/ reading
11:00 – bed

rough, eh?