The Round the World trip: all of it!

Countries visited... click on the links to view the blog entries.

• India
• Singapore
• Viet Nam - Ho Chi Minh
• Australia
• NZ
• Fiji
• USA - LA

Or just... START FROM THE BEGINNING

Day 248 - LA

One day in LA (written retrospectively - I was really in no state to blog at the time!)

What do you do for 24 hrs in LA? Answer: Stay in USA Hostel in Hollywood (the best in LA), spend the day wondering up and down Hollywood road admiring the stars (the ones on the pavement, not the real ones), crazy stores (best fancy dress shop ever, bizarre t-rex head), trying the hot dogs/pretzels and shopping for naff souvenirs. In the evening one should stuff ones face at the all-you-can eat bbq, then the lure of free designer shoes should persuade one to frequent a local night-club. Once one has successfully negotiated stacked bouncers at said night-club, one should mingle with fellow club-goers and enjoy some glasses of free champagne. What one should not do is follow up the free champagne with some deceptively deadly cocktails just because someone bought them for you, march out of the night-club before you get your paws on aforementioned free designer shoes, buy pizza from a street-side pizzeria then engage in conversation with random street punks before giving them your pizza and finally stumbling back to the hostel to spend all night being unwell in the dorm toilet. Oh-dear.

The next day and subsequent 10-hr flight was somewhat painful. Ma and Pa were pleased to see me and nice enough not to comment on the fact that I was green in the face, exhausted and probably rather smelly.

It's so nice to have a good bath, a huge bed and some peace and quiet. I've spent much of the last few days sleeping, so now I'm feeling back to normal - time to get a job I guess!

Day 246 - Nadi

I'm back from island paradise - a few pounds heavier, several shades darker and a lot sandier

I had a great time lazing around on the beach, meeting loads of fun people (Fiji islanders have to be the friendliest, most laid-back people in existence) and generally eating, drinking and sleeping far too much

Anyway... shameful lack of photos, but here are the ones I took

Island sunset

The Islanders singing their Bula (hello/goodbye) song


The beach

I'm back at the hostel in Nadi now - I'm staying here tonight before catching my flight tomorrow to LA. Then one night there before I get my flight to London on 28th (landing on 29th at 11am).

Can;t quite believe it's nearly over! See you soon all...

Day 445 - Nadi

If all goes well, I'm leaving Nadi on a boat in about an hour.

Unfortunately internet connection on the islands is dire, so probably no updates til I get back (in about 5 days)/

Day 443 - Nadi

We have sunshine! Granted it is not much, but some is far better than none I maust say.

Last night was good fun - I ate a rather nice Indian meal in the restaurant and soonafter met some fellow travellers. As there was nothing better to do, we spent about 3 hours playing a mammoth snooker tournament and drank far too much Fiji Gold beer.

Today I am back in town again; currently sitting in a busy internet cafe with non-existant airconditioning and painfully slow connection speed. I've sent a few emails to the place I'm staying on Mana to get them to pick me up tomorrow. All very exciting, I'm really looking forward to going there - apparently the accomodation is somewhat basic, but all I care about is the fact it looks like this:


And that it is cheap, of course.

Day 242 - Nadi

Pretty grey day today - not a minute of glorious sunshine. Still, at least it didn't rain!

I've booked my accomodation on Mana Island (apparently it's where Castaway was filmed - you know, the film with Tom Hanks and football head). Unfortunately there is no room at the mo so I can't go till the day after tomorrow - looks like I'm stuck in this hotel with a pool, bar and restaurant for the next few days - sigh.



I hopped onto a local bus today and visited Nadi Town. Bit of a grotty, uninspiring place I must say - but it has a nice cake shop (ho hum) and a great line in flourescent hawaiin shirts - guess what everyone's getting as souveniers (no, don't get your hopes up - I'm joking, I can't afford them)

Day 241 - Nadi, Fiji

Hey all... I made it - I'm in Fiji!!

Nomad Sky Lodge hostel in Nadi to be precise. After a 3 hour flight - film:Music and Lyrics meal:2 lots of potato salad and 2 tubs of icecream (they had no veggie option) drink:3 small bottles of red wine (generous & somewhat guilty steward) - we touched down and yeees it's nice and warm. Unfortunately it's also raining torrentially. Ah well, you can't have it all.

As we departed from the plane we were greeted by guys in skirts (manly ones) and bright hawain shirts plucking various sized of guitar whilst singing in a groovy manner. All very Fiji. It all went pretty smoothly - I managed to find the driver from the hostel, and a fellow traveller to chat to. It wasn't a long drive here, and it's very posh and shiny (can't believe it's just a hostel) - I'm looking forward to a good nights sleep.

Anyway, hopefully the rain will stop tomorrow because I need to sort out a boat ride to Mana Island. Fiji has tonnes of lush island waiting to be explored - but i have not the time northe money. I heard about Mana from a groovy old travelling dude at one of the car markets in Auckland. By all accounts its a pretty great place and I'm sure it won't be too painful spending a week on the beach there, sipping a juice with umbrellas and half a pineapple in it and working on multiplying my freckle collection. Wahoo!

Day 236 - Auckland

Rodney is no longer. I had him towed away this morning and now all that is left are a couple of bent number plates. So sad.

Given my money situation (i.e. that I have none) - I have made the shocking decision to skip the South Island and head straight to Fiji, where I will bum around on an island for a week before heading home. Missing the South Island is terribly baad, I know, but I am getting travel tired, my bank has not a bean in it and the weather here is rapidly turning nasty. I'll just have to come back to NZ in a year or two (though next time I'll bring a friend and make sure I don't buy a rusty van!).

So, I'm going to be back in the UK in just over 2 weeks, whereupon I will need to find a job, a house etc. Ok, so that won't be so much fun - but I'm looking forward to seeing everyone...

Day 234 - Auckland

....oh.....shoot.....

Rodney has just failed his WOF. Reason: Rust damage.
It's only going to take $1000 to fix

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh

Day 229 - Auckland

Still in Auckland...
Still haven't sold the darn van...
On the plus side I'm having a very relaxing time, catching up on my reading and hanging out with the great crowd at my hostel.
Today it's good friday, and the weather is dang good (glorious sunshine, blue sky). In honour of the day I bought a pack of hot cross buns and had a picnic. And got sunburned - again.
Now I am going to do some job hunting - looks like I'll be stuck here for a while (along with the other handful of people here trying to sell their vans!).

Day 225 - Auckland

Why yes, I'm back in Auckland. It all seemed like a good idea at the time - it seemed as though I would have no luck selling the van down south, and as I needed to sell it I decided to drive north. It was all the Van For Sale ads with the prices furiously crossed out got to me. I flipped a coin between a)getting a job or b)driving north. North won so north I went. Pretty amazing drive though, I went on a different route and did it over a few days - great views. I tried to take some pictures but they were very dissapointing (rubbish camera). So, anyway, here I am in Auckland.

I'm staying in a chaotic hostel on the same street as the one I stayed in before. Possibly strangest hostel everywhere - I had to speak to the manager using the phone in the hallway, and he then directed me to the freezer where my key was - bizarre. The place is a bit of a tip, but it has an extensive vid collection and free internet, so I suppose it's all good.

I've been working my way round the hostels putting up my signs. The other ads for cars list higher prices than mine - which makes me feel more reassured. I also finally got round to buying a cassette player, which was a bit of an achievement in itself, as it is nigh impossible to get the buggers as all the shops these days only sell CD players. I bought the player online and then drove all across town to Mt Albert to pick it up.

So I will sell my van, get a cheap flight to Christchurch and then, finally, go round the South Island. Fingers crossed for a quick sale!

Day 221 - Wellington

Hurrah! I've finally made it to Wellington!

Arrived here yesterday at about 4 and spent a fraustrating hour driving round the centre of town, caught in the illogical and frankly stupid one-way system. I finally managed to find Webb St backpackers, squeezed Rodders into a vacant parking spot (power steering, how I miss thee) and checked in. The backpackers is a quiet one, not listed in any of the guidebooks, but seems nice enough - Carla and Briany, friends from Auckland, are staying there, along with assorted young males (of the non-attractive sort sadly) drawn in by the lure of free breakfast/movies every night/in-house bar. It was hard paying for a dorm room bed, and then having to share said dorm room with people (who stumble in drunken in the middle of the night), after so long having my own free room/van. But it is nice to be around backpackers again.

Today I've been busybusy. Primarily I've circulated several hostels, pinning up my beautiful flyer inducing people to buy my van (you should have seen the YHA hostel - talk about posh!). In the process of getting from hostel a to hostel b, I've had a good explore of the town, admired the architecture and so on. I like this place - it has a really good vibe and is negotiable by foot, which is a good thing for those of us with an aversion to poorly designed one-way systems.

Later on I'm going to visit the famous and, most importantly, free Te Papa - Museum of New Zealand. It has lots of info about Maori culture, NZ's history - and also boasts of a virtual bungy jump (cheaper and less uncomfortable than the real thing).

Tomorrow I'm going to an arty cinema to watch an arty film and, hopefully, selling my van (I can but hope).

Day 218 - Paraparaumu

I have spent a lot of time sorting out the centres website this weekend (blimey - my internet skills seem to come in handy everywhere!) The website is now finished: http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/lotusyog/ - pretty smart eh? It's wierd being back in front of the screen for long periods of time, but it gets me a break from hacking away at weeds. It's not all roses though - Ananda is suffering from a lack of attention so feels the need to pop in every 10 minutes to shake my chair, wave some toy in front of my face or scream falsetto. An only child through & through (he's not so bad really).

All in all I've settled in well and I'm enjoying myself - Cathryn likes to have someone to chat to about every day stuff, Eric is thoroughly relieved that he's finally found someone to sort out his website (last update:2002) and do some gardening and Ananda is just happy to have someone to give him piggybacks/listen to his rambling monologues and generally give him lots of attention. The food here is meat-free, egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free and generally a bit fun-free - but Catheryn can make a mean bean salad/patty/bake so it's not too bad. The classes are good too - I've settled in to the relaxed style and am quite enjoying the lack of clenched muscles and pain. The hoards of 50-something ladies that clog up the drive with their cars and troop into the centre chatting away are all very friendly, though I often feel that I repeat the same conversation over and over.

I think I will leave on Tues or Weds - I have got a new rego for Rodney , but I really want to flog him soon, preferably before I need to get the WOF done. Then it'll just be me and my backpack again - hurrah!

Day 213 - Paraparaumu

Well, this place is a little different!

Lotus Centre is run by an old boy called Eric and his wife Cathryn. They have 2/3 yoga classes a day (which are free to wwoofers) but which are of the army wavey, "relaaax" variety that is somewhat of a shock after bootcamp Paul's style. The couple have a precious 6-yr old named Ananda (which means 'bliss', poor kid is going to be tormented in high school) who, when he is not at school, is running around yelling "and you know what..." or "guess what..." and then launching into a 50 mile an hour dialogue that I inevitably get utterly lost in. Still, the place is neat and nice, and the town is pretty, so I don't think it will be hard to stay to the end of the week.

Rodney is due to have his new registration, so I have to nip down the post office afterward to get it sorted. I also have to buy him a new radio and get the key cut before I have any chance of selling him. What a palaver!

I must confess that after 7 months I am somewhat tired and wonderlusted out. Maybe when I am in Wellington I will put my flight forward a bit - I find the fact that I still have a few moths to go a tad daunting (not to mention expensive).

Day 212 - Paraparaumu

Let's just say I decided not to treck alone across barren wasteland with gale-force winds. Instead I hopped in Rodney first thing in the morning and headed south for the bright lights of Wellington.

The sun came out about lunchtime, just as the road began to hug the coast, and slowly fried me to a boil through the window (literally - half my face went red). I survived by driving along holding the wwoofer book in my right hand to shield my face from the glare. It worked ok, but after an hour or so my arm ached like crazy, and I was getting some peculiar looks. Just when my arm was dropping with exhaustion, I spotted a huge icecream sign off to the right, so took an abrupt turn and ran in for a chocolate cookie icecream (yum). Whilst I sat in the car, dropping chocolate everywhere as I gorged myself, I thought over my plan (or lack of one) for Wellington: I hadn't booked a place to stay and besides I couldn't really afford to stay somewhere too many nights. Opening my wwoofer book at the Wellington region I found 'Lotus Yoga', located in Paraparaumu, the town I had just driven through. Gave them a ring, spoke to a rather absent sounding woman, and Bob's your uncle - here I am. I stayed in Paraparaumu's YHA hostel last night (protected by the ghost of a 25 yr old psycic whoman who died in the 20's), which is located right beside the sea and a pristine park.

So, it seems I am staying here about a week (or less, if the wwoofing doesn't work out well) and then heading into Wellington were I will maybe sell Rodders (adieu, dear Rodders) and then catch a boat to the south island.

Day 211 - Ohakune

I'm the road again. I left yesterday at about lunchtime and headed south. The last few days at Paul's were cool, we didn't end up going to the cave in the end (crappy weather, too busy - this is possibly a good thing), and instead relaxed and did some work in the garden. I've been helping Paul with an advert for the paper, and we took some yoga pose pictures. Hmmm... below right is one of mine: a triangle with Paul adjusting (yanking me into the correct posture) and directing(comments on the pose: "use your muscles, charlie chaplin feet - where are your ugly feet? " - guess I have to work on that one!)

After leaving Rotorua I went south, heading through Taupo, around Taupo lake (the sun was beginning to set by this point and the lake looked amazing), around the Tongariro National Park (then the sun was really setting - woooow). I stopped off at Whatakane, hoping to stay at the campsite there before doing the Tongariro crossing walk today, but the campsite cost a fortune so I carried on south. It began to get dark, so I stopped off here in Ohakune, staying at a posh campsite that, may I add, is almost half the price of the one in Whatakane!

Ohakune is a town geared for the winter ski season, so is full of ski chalets and snowboarding shops. That, paired with the fact that the temperature has taken a nose dive (everyone is now pronouncing it winter), makes me feel like I've somehow skipped locations to France.

Today I'm going to toss up whether to brave the weather (cold, grey, threatening rain) to walk the Tongariro crossing through Mordor and past Mt Doom :-). Or whether to do it when I'm on the way up and instead carry on south to Wellington. Hmm, think I will be choosing the latter.

Day 206 - Rotorua

Rodney has risen (almost). One of the battery connectors had got a bit rusty, and all the shaking and banging around involved in driving down the bumpy lane to Paul's house had broken it. I bought a new one in town yesterday and replaced the broken one (with Pauls help)... and we have ignition - ish. The battery is a bit flat so it isn't starting, but it's making the right trying-to-start noise and I've put the battery on to charge, so fingers crossed!

Yesterday I went into town with Paul in the morning because of dead Rodney, and spent the day mooching around town and cleaning the studio whilst Paul did his practice (I'm just going to put my leg behind my ear... la-di-dah... now I'm going to stand on my hands for a few minutes... and so on). In the evening Paul had a pregnancy class. Linda and I attended, along with Paul's usual group of keen-beans (one of whom was a man) and 2 pregnant women. The practice was made all the more exciting by the fact that one of the pregnant women (possibly the most pregnant I have ever seen) had started having contractions that morning and had turned up to the class anyway! She worked her way through her poses determinedly, with the odd groan that sent Paul running over to check that she wasn't giving birth on the yoga mat.

Today I'm going to weed the lower orchard, do more fruit picking and pray that, once charged, Rodney will start (else I'm cycling to the yoga class)!

Later: Well, that was an interesting evening. Firstly - Rodney works! Yes, that is correct, we have ignition and forward motion - yipee.

It was blowing a gale when I left - the rain dementedly hurling itself to the ground in bucketfulls. Made it to the studio, all good, made it through the hard class without any injuries (how is it possible to sweat so much without moving?). Paul zoomed off for another class, so it's just us girls tonight.

I drove back with Linda following, and halfway down the lane to Paul's house I have to stop - the road is only blocked by a tree! Bugger. We get out of our cars to survey the situation and within seconds are soaked to the skin (yes, unfortunately it's still pissing it down). I look at the tree - it's pretty huge. I give it an experimental shove - it moves not a millimetre. I suddenly remember the chainsaw Paul used for cutting up trees, the one he leaves in the clearing just up the way. Linda runs and gets it and we spend the next 10 minutes shivering, cursing like sailors and trying to get the bloody thing started. No luck; no petrol. Linda yells "the axes!" I look at her, then the tree, then I run off and get the axes. It was a strange situation, let me tell you: it's dark, it's peeing with rain and Linda and I are on a muddy road, either side of a tree, taking it in turns to swing away at this stupid gum tree and yelling like loonies - that tree didn't stand a chance (thank goodness we had a bit of practice at chopping wood!). We cut a section off, heaved it aside, cut another section off, heaved that aside, cut away a few branches, then jumped in our cars and drove to the house, praying no more trees had fallen (we brought the axes just in case). Luckily they hadn't and thankfully I had already prepared a huge bowl of dhal soup and baked some bread earlier, so we were able to laugh about it over a warming meal. Boy, this place really has a monopoly on interesting experiences.

Day 204 - Rotorua

Another busy weekend here in Rotorua. On friday Paul 'went bush' for the weekend leaving me and Linda to our own devices. We went shopping and stopped off for an Indian takeaway on the way home. The evening was a bit of a lazy one; we skipped our yoga practice to eat the takeaway then scoff icecream and watch a peculiar old Audrey Hepburn flick called Charade. So nice to relax and see a movie!

On saturday we had a grand spring clean. The place was a tad messy, so it took a while. I was on hoover duty had a great time chasing the cockroaches around the kitchen, mostly yelling things like "die cockroackes diiiieee" - dear me, not very oommm. Next we went to the recycling centre: sounds tedious but was actually pretty amazing (must be said that the UK's attempts at recycling seemed somewhat lame in comparison). For a start there were 5 bins for different plastic bottles alone, a plastic bag recycling bin and a rather cheerful young man employed as a glass bottle sorter. What can I say - I was impressed. In the afternoon we fired up the weed wacker and mower and did some 'cross country mowing' on the near-vertical fruit tree hill (my poor aching arms & legs). Then Paul turned up at about 6 and dumped a dead deer on the sideboard (guess I shouldn't feel guilty about my cockroach killing spree).

Yesterday was a bit more relaxing, I did a bit of gardening and went on a baking spree. I've discovered a new passion for cooking whilst I've been here. My biggest challenge is that if getting rid of the millions of beans that Paul has growing in his garden. My task is made harder by the fact that Paul doesn't actually like beans and has been known to fish them out of the nice soup/fried veg you've just prepared. Why he grows so much beans when he actively dislikes them is past me. There are also lots of courgettes, but I have a great courgette bread recipe, courtesy of Karissa, so they are slowly being used up.

So - this is now my last week. More of the same as last week and the week before I am sure. It'll be sad to leave, Linda has become a great friend and Paul is always good for laughs and random gems of wisdom. We're going to finish off my stay with a trip to the cave. Yes - the cave. We're going to go on friday and stay for a few days. Linda is coming too, so it should be fun - a good way to finish!

Zuccini Bread (that's American for courgette bread)

• 350 ml flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 100 ml sugar (don't need v. much)
• large handful of raisins (optional)
• large handful of nuts (optional)
• 350 ml zuccini (about 1 large courgette)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp vinegar
• a bit of water (if the mix looks too dry)
• 75ml oil
• 1 egg or (and I prefer it this way->) 1 ripe banana (blended)

Preheat oven 350/180. Mix together the dry ingrediants. Add egg/banana, sweetner, oil vinegar and vanilla and mix. Add zuccini (raisins and nuts too if you are using them) and mix well. If the mix is too dry, add a bit of water. Tip into a loaf tin (use cake tin if you don't have a loaf one) and cook for 40-50 min (until done

Later: Rodney is dead... long live Rodney
I get ready to go to class. I go to the van and sit in it. I turn the key. Kschuk...kschuck... I say some impolite words. I stomp into the garage and borrow Paul's spare battery and jump leads. I attach aforementioned leads and battery to Rodney's battery. I turn the key. Kschuk...kschuck... I scream with rage. I check the oil (fine), I unscrew the radiator lid (very gunky - but is that bad, and if so what the hell can I do about it?) I kick the car (poor Rodney). It doesn't work; the car is still dead, my hands are covered in gunk and rust and now my foot hurts.
Bugger... hope this doesn't cost a fortune to fix!!

Day 201 - Rotorua

Well - despite being somewhat inundated by asian tourists, the polynesian spa was great. After a few hours soaking in various ones of different temperature (the 42 degree one was the best) my feet went white and the top few layers of our skin had flaked off (niice). Afterward we went to the beauty boutique and slathered ourselves in the samples of cream. All in all an affordable day of pampering (and we didn't even smell that bad afterward!).

The next day we got up early and I drove the girls into town for a coffee before heading off to class. They were hitching up to Mahamudra, of all places, so I dropped them off north of town and left them hopefully thumbing cars as I went back to town.

Filled with positive energy after a good class (the hot water must have loosened my muscles), I decided to stop putting off the inevitable and visit the 'wheel dealer' on the way home. Rodders' front tyres looked a bit bald and he was in desperate need of a new lock. Half an hour later and it's official, NZ car mechanics are the best. The wheel dealer guy took a look at my tyres and said "Nah mate, those are ok, you'll pass your WOF no problem with those" (WOF is the NZ version of MOT). I showed him the missing lock and he suggested I go visit the car wreckers up the road. I did and met a charming guy called Chris who, after expressing his disgust at car thieves ("Ah mate, that's terrible") sent me further up the road to a bigger car wreckers (Chris' place didn't deal with vans) to visit his mate Clive, - he even phoned up the place to warn Clive that I was coming! Clive had a look out the back and handed me the lock - I gave him a blank look - he explained that I had to go to get it keyed (get a key made that fitted to the lock), then fit the lock into the door myself. Soo - I drove back, took off the door panel and fitted the lock in the door. I don't have a key for it yet - I'll get that sorted when I find a locksmith, but Rodney is now secure again (I just have to clamber in the passenger door every time I want to drive).

Today I've been hauling the mower round the near-vertical fruit tree hill and mowing down the waist high weeds that grow everywhere. Very satisfying, but my back is hurting again - guess I'll have to take it easy this afternoon and chop up some fruit for the dehydrator.

Paul is away at the cave this weekend, but Linda and I will do something fun like rent some films or go horseriding (btw: for those of you who are confused about all the people here: Linda is here permenantly, she rents a room from Paul).

The girls e-mailed me yesterday, they successfully made it to Thames. They took lots of amusing pictures of us cutting wood/climbing trees/gardening on their last day, so when they upload them I'll link them into my page and you can have a good laugh. They tried to get a picture of Paul too, but he ran away - hilarious.

Anyway - I have to get on and arrange my next stop now. I'm planning to be here until the end of next week (ish), and then I'll head south to Wellington and then over the South Island. Chris and Karissa are heading south too - so maybe we'll be able to meet up and go on a bit of a road trip... who knows.

Day 199 - Rotorua

So exciting.... yesterday me and the girls were limping around like cripples (too much grunt work and hard yoga) so today we've rebelled and are skipping class to go to the polynesian spa. Rotorua is a very thermal place - the eggy smell of sulpher permenently hangs around and as you drive into the centre, the rising smoke makes it look like tens of fires are burning. With all this bubbling mud comes... natural hot springs. We are going to stink like rotten eggs for a week afterward - but my muscles need the heat, so it's going to be worth it.

Day 197 - Rotorua

Well, I've been here over a week now. It's going well, my body is slowly getting used to the fact that it only gets to sit itself down during mealtimes and meditation (the latter of which is not exactly relaxing) and has just about recovered from getting into scorpion pose in my practice on sunday (see picture on the right - can you feel my pain?)

I'm getting on really well with Paul, Linda and the girls also, so it will be very sad when Chris and Karissa go on thursday. We have got a lot of jobs to do in the garden today, so we'll be busy, but we will try to get some amusing pictures.

Oh, and during our intense double yoga class in town last night someone popped the lock on the drivers door and made off with the CD player, an Abba CD and my make-up. Scary visions of a cross-dressing thug dancing to Gimme Gimme Gimme...

Day 194 - Rotorua

After shaky beginnings, I've settled in and having such a great time...

On Wednesday the wwoofers arrived; Chris and Caresa from the USA. They both met at the Kapala (spelling?) yoga centre in the US when they were both volunteering there. They are great fun, chilled and down to earth, and we all get along really well. They both have been in the yoga world for much longer than me, and really know their stuff, so we've all been having some fascinating long discussions about life, the universe and everything. The yoga practice itself is actually getting a bit easier - I think my muscles are beginning to get used to the fact that a yoga lesson is no longer a time to relax and stretch but instead work bloody hard each one of them. The girls are more disciplined than me and have their own practice - so I've been joining in - nothing hard core, just a little pranayama and chilled out yoga in the morning (meanwhile Paul is perched calmly in handstand, or sitting with a foot behind his head).

Paul really is a bit of a character; childish old man mixed with yoga hippy. He's always hopping around with lots of energy and going bouncing off to chop wood or shoot possums. Every now and then he hikes off into the bush to his cave where he stays and goes all spiritual for a few days ("man, and one time I was lying there all blissed out when this rat crawled up me and bit my ear, a I was like okaaay"). He's been encouraging us to go stay in the cave for a few days to meditate "you have a stream and you make a fire - I left one danish woman there for 9 days and she started hearing things and thinking the trees were out to get her - I mean... far out maan". He's also got a huge library of amazing books that we are picking our way through, and an awesome 70's music collection we groove along to when we are slicing the fruit we picked for the dehydrator.

So, all is good, yoga is good, muscles hurt less, mind is expanding and I'm learning how to chop wood and drive a trailer around. It's awesome maan. Who knows - a week in a rat infested cave next? Hmm, maybe not.

Day 191 - Rotorua

I've settled in here already. At first it was a bit like 'oo-er, not sure that I can last a few days let alone a few weeks', but now I think I'll stick it out. Paul, Linda and I have already set into a groove - despite being 60, Paul has a very kiddish sense of humor, so we all joke along merrily.

This is my day: I get up about 7ish and have breakfast, then I take the kitchen scraps to the chickens and, whilst they are fighting over the leftovers I sneak in the henhouse and grab their eggs. Then I do about 4-5 hours of gardening/maintenance stuff - not always gentle, this morning I spent 4 hours in the bush hauling logs about. Then I eat and relax. Then drive Rodders into town, praying that this time I won't go shooting off of the bumpy track to land in a tree somewhere. In town I pootle around a bit & go on the internet before Paul's class at 5.30. Class finishes at 7, or 9 if it is a double, and afterward I drive back in the dark, still praying that I won't go shooting off of the bumpy track. Then we eat a huuge meal, then meditate, then I go to my bed and sleep.

It's all busy - maybe all this hauling butt will burn off my spare tyre ;-). The new wwoofers are meant to be coming tonight - it's v. exciting. Now I'm going to go - time for the buuurrnn, plus I have nothing else to write (you're all going to get very bored reading this the next 10 days or so)...

Day 190 - Rotorua

I started my yoga wwoof yesterday. The setup basically revolves around a guy, called Paul, who runs a studio in town and has a big organic garden back at his house outside of town. The plan is that you do gardening in return for accomodation, and pay a bit if you want to attend the yoga lessons in town (I've attended so far - justifying the cost by the fact the food is included and the cost for a weeks lessons is what I'd normally spend on a weeks food).

I went to a lesson yesterday. Charming old man turned into yoga dictator. "Lift your front thigh muscle, calf goes to the left, tense left stomach right stomach front stomach back stomach, TENSE YOUR ARMS KATIE" aaargh. I've never had a more hard core yoga lesson in my life - or one in which I had to think so hard! Who knew there were so many muscles all having apparently to tense in opposite directions for even the most simple moves (e.g. standing upright). After theknackering lesson I followed Linda, another person staying, to Paul's house. The house is only 15min drive from Rotorua, but is out in the bush so to get to it you have to drive down the longest, bumpiest road ever imaginable. Just when I thought I'd been lead on a wild goose chase, we turned a bend and were there.

The house is built by Paul, and made of wood (they like their self builds here). I have a big room all to myself as I am the only wwoofer at the mo (more coming tomorrow). The house has a big garden, a cat about 15 chickens. The cat is a sweetheart, but got off on the wrong foot when it decided to leave rabbit guts on the floor of my room (niice). The chickens are stupid, but they eat all the weeds I pull up when I'm gardening - and produce nice eggsin exchange.

Looking forward to meeting other wwoofers tomorrow. Not really looking forward to 3 hours of muscle-flexing, sweat-inducing yoga later *sigh*. Still, I'm sure I'll feel very virtuous afterward, and after a while of letting Rodders do all the hard work, I probably need the exercise!

Day 188 - Rotorua

Aah, I'm in a holiday camping site right near lake Rotorua, it's v. posh!

This morning I look the hint and finally gave Rodders a good clean. Not having running hot water is a bit of a pain - I had to walk to the stream and back about 3 times to get fresh water, and then fire up the stove to heat it up. Anyway, I'm glad I did - you wouldn't believe how much filth came out of the foam ceiling - eeew.

After I cleaned up the van (it took a good 2 hours) I set off to Rotorua. As I had already taken the road down the coast, so decided to take a different route, cross-country along the other side of the Coromandel mountain range. I started with a Lemon & Peroa stop at Peroa, home of the famous Kiwi drink. Then I headed south, stopping off at the pretty town of Te Aroha, also Matamata a.k.a. hobbitton and another town who's name escapes my memory, but who's chief tourist attraction is a huge corregated iron sheep!

Te Aroha museum (I think), and behind Mt Te Aroha

Road trip... the back road to Matamata alonside the Coromandle mountain range

"Nasty hobbitses" - Matamaka a.k.a. Hobbiton

Giant corregated metal sheep... random

On the way down I also stopped off at Wairere Falls and hiked for about 45 minutes up a rather steep mountain to reach the lookout. Still, the view was amazing so it was all worth it.

After being obscenely hot all day it suddenly started to rain lightly as I neared Rotorua, and as I rounded the bend and the lake came into view there was a lovely rainbow over the lake. With there being nothing better to do, I followed the rainbow and ended up here,Waiteti Trout Stream Holiday Park (phew, bit of a mouthful). The owners are charming, the place is cheap, and there is a TV room and free kayaks available for paddling on the lake. No pot of gold though.

Below is my updated travel map thingy - lots of question marks because I have no idea where I'm going next!

Day 187 - Waihi

Well, I'm now camping just outside of Waikino, near Waihi, in a free DOC campsite. It is another beautiful spot, running water (river), washing facilities (see previous) and a toilet (one of those composting, outdoor ones - niiice).

How I got here is a bit of a tale... I left Whangamata at about 9am yesterday and drove south, heading toward Tauranga. All went smoothly, Rodders crawled up a few of the steeper hills so slowly that I feared death by road rage, but we managed. Whizzed through Waihi, an old gold mining town, then through Katikati (great name). On the outskirts of Tauranga I took a left, heading to Omokoroa beach. A bit of a disappointment I'm afraid - although I did find a very twee cafe that served great cake and coffee (aargh, have I no willpower?).
Pootled into Tauranga about 4.00 and after some wrong turns I parked up in a shady spot the centre. First I had an internet session in a funky backpackers, accompanied by an up-and-coming band practicing their set (they were all about 17 - made me feel so oold). At about 5 I decided I'd better find somewhere to stay. Didn't really fancy parking in town, or around the suburbs (too many neighbourhood watch stickers), so I investigated Camping grounds. They were so expensive! Next I drove to a the cheapest hostel in my book, which was outside of town, and found out they charged $15 for parking in their car park. Drove around more, getting more and more fraustrated, then went back to internet place and looked up DOC camping grounds. And found Dickie Falls informal camping ground was the nearest... aaall the way back where I had come from! Anyway, to cut a long story short I worked out it would be cheaper to drive back and park a few nights for free than it would be to stay in town (especially when you take into account the shopping factor).

So, made it there before dusk. Parked in a nice spot under the trees by the falls. The place is busy, but not too busy, and the countryside around is so beautiful.

This morning I wanted to have an internet bashing, being as I am stuck in the middle of nowhere with not even a phone signal, but was reluctant to move Rodders after spending about an hour maneuvering him into his spot. I packed my daypack with some bits and set of along one of the walking tracks, the Karangahake Gorge Walk. It was v. spectacular, kept expecting the hobbits to appear floating down the river on a boat! At one point the path went through the hill, along a tunnel cut by the miners - after about 10 minutes stumbling along in pitch darkness, eyes fixed on the light at the end, I suddenly noticed lots of tiny blue lights along the ceiling like stars - they where cute little glowing things. Anyway - I walked 1 1/2 hrs to Karangahake along the gorge, another 1 1/2 hrs to Waikino along the Waitawheta river then thumbed a lift to Waihi. Will definately be retracing my steps tomorrow, I found a particularly tempting pool surrounded by waterfalls just past the tunnel.

So, I'll stay at the camping ground, living like a modern hobbit, till Monday morning, then will drive straight to Rotorua to start my yoga wwoof. It's a plan!

Day 185 - Whangamata

OK - Last night, the first night sleeping in the van, was bordering on painful. I finally managed to find the recommended spot and settled in for the night at about 9pm (to be honest, naff all to do in Whitianga apart from sleep!). The first thing I noticed was that the 'old car' smell got stronger and stronger from the minute I shut the door and rolled up the windows, which I didn't dare open more than a crack for safety reasons. I gagged for about 20 minutes before remembering that had a spare set of earplugs (one set in my ears to block out the traffic) which, in my desperation, I actually considered using to block the overpowering smell. After some serious thought I decided not to, for the reasons a)it's a bit repulsive and b)if the cops bust me for illegal overnight parking my shame would be hugely increased by the sight of orange earplugs protruding from each of my nostrils. So I just buried my face under my liner, tried to breathe through my mouth and eventually fell asleep. The suffering was not over. At about 1am I awoke, shivering, to the discovery that Rodders, a sweatbox during the day, had turned into an icebox by night. I cursed the fact I was not carrying a sleeping bag, and had only a silk liner and a thin blanket, whilst I emptied every piece of clothing from my bag, my towel and even the teatowel, onto my bed. I huddled under the heap, and although I was still cold, I survived the night. I ended up getting up ridiculously early the next day, put on lots of clothes, and went for a jog along the beach to warm up.


Bit of a road trip today - the plan was to drive to Whangamata, visiting lots of nice beaches on the way!

First location - Cooks beach, just around Whitianga harbour. I parked up in a nice spot next to another campervan - spray painted with Gandulf and Gollum. I tested my portable cooker by making myself a cup of tea, and wondered along the beach as I drank it.

Next I went to Hahei beach, which is meant to be the best on the peninsula. The first thing I saw when I got onto the beach was a line of tractors - which I thought odd until I realised that they had boat trailers on the back. I went further up the beach until I found a nice shady spot, and spent a few hours bodyboarding in the sea and sunbathing.

I think I had a clear picture of the hot water beach in my head, because I was a bit suprised and disappointed when I realised there was no line of hot water pools with people luxuriating in them. It was just a normal beach, at least that was what I thought until I got closer to the rocks, and I saw a very strange thing - a group of about 12 people, mostly somewhat aged, standing knee-deep in water doing the twist! After some investigation it turns out it wasn't a day trip of the 50's dancing society, but the hot pools. If you wiggled your feet in the sand, the hot water would rise to the surface. I had a go, and it did, and I can see what Anna meant - it wasn't exactly pleasant, jacuzzi hot, but fresh-out-the-hot-tap hot. After 10 minutes of "aaah hothothot, eek coold, aah hothot etc." I gave up and went for a swim. Not willing to wait for the tide to go out for the pleasure of being roasted alive, I didn't hang around too long but headed of to Whangamata.

Whangamata was an ok place - bit bigger than the other towns I'd driven through, but not that thrilling. Although... I did find a hardare shop selling sleeping bags and a chiller bags (I bought one of each). I didn't fancy sleeping in town, so I had a look in my guidebook and it turns out that there was a lovely DOC (dept. of conservation) camping ground just outside Whangamata. Following the directions I drove out of town and turned right down Wentworth Rd, just past the golf club. After about 7km of windy, gravel path (about 6km of which involved lots of panic and muttering 'crap, hope I haven't missed the turn') I came to the campsite. It was beeaauutifuul. I parked up in a shady spot and had a lovely hot shower, gave smelly Rodney a bit of an airing and made dinner. Now, Rodney only has a small engine, so although he is fuel efficient, he has a bit of a problem getting up hills. On my journey I regularly acquired a long line of frustrated followers so kindly pulled over at every opportunity to let people by. Often where I pulled over there would be a tempting local vegetable barrow, so by the end of the day I had collected quite a stash of cheap delicious veg. So, anyway, getting back to the subject, dinner was green salad and corn on the cob (cooked on my stove) soacked in butter. It tasted heavenly - best & freshest meal I've had in ages (I was so proud I took a picture). I was so snug in my sleeping bag, and the place was so quiet that I slept like a baby. All in all - worth every cent of the $9 for the night.

Day 184 - On the road

Wahay, I'm on the road...

This morning I said goodbye to everyone at the centre, got some final good karma by putting together a guide to cleaning the toilet (joys) and rumbled away in my van. I put the radio on at full volume (music - how I have missed thee), the windows open and I screeched the bends all the way to Coromandel and the coffee shop, where I'm sitting now - my last cake, coffee and internet session in this funky place.

Below are some piccies from the centre (fond memories...)



Anyway... after I've spend about an hour uploading my photos and putting them on my blog, I'll hop back in the car and head off to Whitianga - the town across the peninsula. It's a cool place by all accounts, famous for it's bone carving and hot pools. I'm going to save money on accomodation by pulling up near one of the long, sandy beaches and sleeping on the bed in the van.

There's lots to do while I'm there - nearby Whitianga there are several beach with hot pools... all you do is dig a hole in the sand and it fills up with hot water, which you then sit in. A bit like a natural jacussi. It sound great - I am missing my baths so definately looking forward to languishing in a hot pool until my fingers and toes turn prune-like.

I have to be in Rotorua at the beginning of next week because I am wwoofing at a yoga studio starting from the monday. So I have a bit of a plan; to travel down the east coast and around the bay of plenty, stopping off at all the wierd and wonderful places. If I get to Tauranga on Sunday, it's just a short drive to Rotorua.

LATER....

I'm in Whitianga!

Arrived about 4pm. First thing I did was park near the km long buffalo beach, change into my bikini, grab a body board and ruuun into the sea. It was great. After a good swim I got dressed, went to the supermarket and bought bread and a towel (no need to worry about not having space - this could be dangerous). Next I got some fish and chips (back to the healthy diet) and ate them on a picnic bench beside the beach. A guy from a house across the road told me there were whales in the harbour, so I had a great meal sitting with the fresh sea air blowing trying to see whales (no bloody luck, think I need glasses). After I had finished I decided to try to find a spot to park for the night. Parking to sleep isn't technically legal, although many do it, so I spent a little while driving around trying to find a good spot. Then I decided, on a whim to zip into the big supermarket to cruise the shelves for a bit, and who should I bump into straight away but Sandra, who I met at the Mahamudra Centre! Spooky. Sandra had previously been travelling around NZ in a van also, and was able to recommend a good spot by the marina, which I am now parked in. The buddhists say that if you relax and trust in fate then things will just happen when they are needed - yet again proof that the theory works!

You asked for pictures of the van:

This beauty...


...is completely not my van (haha, had you fooled). This, in fact, is really my van:


I've called him Rodney - what do you reckon?

Sunsets... coromandel peninsula

Day 183 - Colville

I haven't written in a while because I've been at the centre, with the only internet connection nearby in the 'town' of Colville (one shop, about 3 houses) - and that has an agonising 1/4 hr per pageload.

It's very nice here, I'm feeling very calm and ooomm. Sarah gave me a lift back on thursday, and I met Fiona, from England, who had been there a few days, and Ellie, from NZ, who had just arrived. We got on really well, and over the next few days we all mucked in with the chores, and spent the afternoons chatting away over coffee and cake in a cafe in Coromandel, or relaxing on Wahiki beach, just down the road. Sunday was Losar, Tibetan new year, and everyone took part in the ceremonies (puja, light offerings, lots of chanting). We only had one meal (part of the vows for Losar), at lunch, but we had a big feast and all scoffed ourselves silly, afraid that we wouldn't make it til breakfast the next day.

In the afternoon, a Czek couple turned up and Alice & Patrik, who's friends they were, told me they were desperate to sell their campervan as they were flighing to Samoa the next day. They were selling it for a bargainous $1500, with bed, cooking gear and body boards. I took it for a test drive (seemed ok) and bought it! I can use it to drive round the north island and then sell it in Auckland afterward for a profit. It is so nice to have the freedom to drive wherever I want!

I'm leaving tomorrow, driving across the peninsula to Whitianga. So will post an update and some piccies tomorrow!

Update: Here are the piccies as promised, ones of the van to follow...

After climbing up a huuge hill (as you can see - it's a bit windy!)



View of Coromandel Town from the top



Th peninsula coastline, north toward Colville



Lazing on Wahiki beach with Ellie (see - I do have a bit of a tan)


Fiona heads to the sea

Day 177 - Auckland

Happy Valentines to everyone for yesterday...

I'm back in Auckland now after 2 days with John and Joan. They live in a retirement village outside of Orewa called Hibiscus Village. It's quite a posh place, and you can see the sea from the balcony (just). On valentines day they took me on a drive around the area and all the beaches, and then we went for lunch at the RFA (urm, returned forces association I think), which was amusing. It was a scorcher of a day so in the afternoon I went down to the swimming pool and lounged around in the hot tub (it's a hard life). It was a short visit - Joan and John are going into hospital today, and at 10.30 I'll be meeting Sarah who's giving me a lift back to Coromadel. I think I'm going to have a healthy diet of vegetables for a week... I must have been fed about a tonne of food and drank a gallon of tea in these 2 days!

Anyway, below is a picture of John and Joan (for gran). I'll hopefully visit them again before I leave.

Day 175 - Auckland

Back in Auckland, back in the library internet bit...

I've hitched a lift back here so I can come and see John and Jean (Grandma's friend and his wife) - I'm catching the bus to Orewa in a bit. Looking forward to being by the sea for a few days, and seeing Grans old boyf (teehee). Will definately take some pictures!

On thursday I'm getting a lift back to the buddhist centre (left my backpack there), and from there I'm going to work my way down the bay of plenty, do a bit of sun bathing and whale spotting.

Oh, and I've finally decided when I'm planning on coming back - I've just sorted out my flights and I've booked to fly to Fiji on the 5th May and from Fiji to LA on 21st and LA home on the 23rd, so I'll be back in 3 months (if this is too long I can just rearrange my flights again). V. exciting - in 3 months I'll get to see plenty of NZ!

Day 171 - Colville

I'm back in the cool hippy cafe in Coromadel - Egypt gave me a lift and next we are going to the beach, can't wait to swim! The weather is glorious today; bright sunshine and the crickets are all chirruping away happily. Life is good.

Had a great time last night. The pot luck was held in a meeting room of the commune: a huge area of land owned by about 16 quirky old people. We watched the sun go down from the edge of the hill - the view was amazing - then perched on the wooden steps of the meeting room and lit a fire. We drank and chatted for hours, it was great. Below are the pictures of the view and the sunset.







This is a picture from when we climbed the hill behind the centre. It was really wet and windy - reeally bad conditions for climbing. You can see Mahamudra in the background.



And this are some from today - just before Colette and Laura left...
Colette, Laura and Egypt on the swing seat



Colette and Sandra in the Gompa (meditation room)

Day 170 - Colville

Greetings and salutations from the Coromandel Peninsula.

This is the first time I've been able to access the internet for 4 days - quite exciting. There's actually been a change of plan already and I am now helping out at the Mahamudra Buddhist Centre in Colville. This is due to the fact that I rang every single Wwoof place in Whitianga only to find out they were all full! Must be high season in Whitianga. So I resorted to Plan B and rang the centre and found out that they had room and were desperate for people to help out because they had a lama visiting from Tibet.

Bit of a mission getting here. My bus was not going to Coromandel, and NZ public transport being what it is, I had a mission impossible to get to the centre. First I batted my eyelashes at my bus driver to get him to stop in Byron where I changed over to a different minibus heading to Coromandel. In Coromandel I stayed for a night in a random African-inspired hostel before getting a lift with the postman to the centre the next morning. Carl was not quite your typical postman - big & beefy and wearing a grubby vest. His freckled 8 year old son sat between us and asked me questions about animals in India and Australia, and told me he wanted to be "a racing car driver slash secret agent" when he grew up. Both were very entertaining, and I was dropped off at the centre with a "byeee, enjoy being a monk-ess" at about 10.

The centre is a lovely place, with a big green garden. The odd shaven-haired old nun wonders around, wrapped in maroon. And us wwoofers are there to break the silence with our cackling and do all the washing and cleaning. Luckily having fun is not frowned on, so time has gone quickly. The first 2 days were manic: because the visiting Lama was giving lectures, the place was full of visiting nuns and people staying for the 4-day course of lectures, all needing cleaning up after
Luckily the lectures are finished now and the place is a bit quieter. I'm really enjoying myself; we all work in the morning and chill out in the evening. The people are so fascinating - ranging from friendly to wonderfully bizarre, and I've already had lots of fun and had many random conversations.

Tonight is a pot-luck meal leaving party - a bunch of us are going out to a commune near the sea, so we'll stuff ourselves silly and have a good time before Colette and Laura leave in the morning. I'm planning to stay here til tuesday :- I've received a call from John and Jean (my grandmothers old beau and his wife), so I've promised to visit them in Orewa on tuesday. Soo, I'm going aaall the way back to Auckland... at least the bus is cheap.

I am getting very jealous of the people with cars. Most people wwoofing own one (as many of the placements are very isolated), and being stuck out here makes them seem more and more appealing. A campervan has come up for sale for $2100 (bout 750 pounds) and I am sooo tempted. It would be amazing to zoom around to all the little places I can't get to by bus... plus I'll save money on accomodation as I can sleep in the van. Well, we'll see...

It'll probably be a few days before I write again - the 'town' of Colville has only 1 shop and 1 pub so, as you can imagine, internet cafe facilities aren't so great. I'll just hitch a lift with the next lovely person with a car to go to Coromandel!

Day 166 - Auckland

Back in Auckland again, and back in the city garden lodge (though no stripping, some crotchety old lady has nabbed my job in my absence). Talking of the lodge, here is a pic of the snooty hostel cat, Dude, who I found grooming himself sitting down. I laughted hysterically for about half an hour whilst he just glared back at me (rather cross-eyed and evilly).

Since coming back I've turned into a remarkable skin flint; having to hand over $20 for each nights accomodation (up to now everything has been free) is too painful to bear - so I've decided to once again leave the city of sails. I've been sitting in an internet cafe in the city centre for about 2 hours now, pigging my way through a bag of nuts and getting my plans sorted. After revisiting the nakedbus website I realise I have underestimated it's pure greatness. It's bit like Ryanair for buses:- if I book early enough I can get anywhere for a mere dollar (about $2.80 after fees and texting charges). I book online, they send me a text, and I just show it to the driver when I hop on the bus!

So, I've booked a ticket to Whitianga (near Coromandel) for tomorrow. 4 hour trip for less than a pound - not bad at all. When I'm there I'll work on a farm in Whitianga for a week or so, maybe visit Cathedral Cove and Mercury Bay, then go across to Coromandel to the Mahamudra Buddhist retreat (ooommm). Then maybe south along the coast to Tauranga and carry on from there...
Below is the route I just scribbled - this is pretty much the plan for the north, but you know me - the plans never stay the same for long!

Day 165 - Onerahi

My last day at David and Lyndsy's farm today - I catch the bus back to Auckland tomorrow. I'm definately going to miss my big bedroom and balcony, and being cooked excellent food every evening (if this is what all wwoofing is like, I'm definately a fan).

Apart from becoming an expert grass-puller and wood-chipper, I've also learned some good cooking tips from Lyndsay (who is Chinese): e.g. you can stir fry lettuce (tastes good), pumpkin leaves and stems can be dumped in the wok too, and you can make authentic sweet and sour sauce using only soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. Also learned some interesting things about diet and health whilst reading my way through David's literature: What Doctors Don't Tell You is the most memorable read (thay have a website) - some of the information is really quite scary.

I've now started flicking through my wwoof booklet to find my next location... exciting!

Below are some pictures from my balcony:

Sunset


During the day (the piddly trees are the mandarin orchard that we later mulched, and the lake behind is great for swimming)

Day 162 - Onerahi

Today the orchard mulching was finally finished (hurrah, no more woodchipping) and in the afternoon we went to a local beach and I managed to swim in the sea (blinkin freezing) and burn a nice red stripe across my back where I missed applying suncream. Don't know what my jobs for tomorrow wil be, probably fruit picking (pick one, scoff one, pick one, scoff one).

Think I may have to chill out in Whangerai for a few days before working on another farm, not having lots of people around to socialise with is driving me stir-crazy (resorting to long ramblings on my blog to reconnect with outside world).