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Feb 2003 - March 2003

RTW 2002/03: New Zealand

Andreas Mayer
2005-12-04 11:30:13

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after she was feeling very ill that day), hitched to Picton (one hour wait before some nice old lady gave me a lift) and met up with Antonia. The day we had together was fun, we cooked (she cooked) the first proper meal I had in ages, had plenty of wine and talked talked talked until about three in the morning. Next day took the ferry together to Wellington for another sad good-bye and on I went on a long bus journey to Stratford for the MT Taranaki circuit.

Mt Taranaki Circuit

The trip to Mt Taranaki was pretty uneventful really, lots of loud local kids on the bus, stopped of at McDonaldsfor a disgusting meal. Arrived late, got a lift of someone to Taranaki Backpackers in Stratford, a former nursing home now run by Roger. Had a room to myself for the first time since I left the UK, peace and quiet, great.

Next day started the round the mountain hike, rushing a bit as I only had 2 days to complete it. I was on my own the whole day. Did not meet a soul, a bit scary really as I was high up in the mountain, it was cloudy, windy and wet and the path was the worst maintained I had come across in New Zealand.

Glad to finally arrive in at the hut, no one was there, so I lit the fire, put the mattress in front of it and read until it got dark.

Next day was gorgeous weather, but a lot of walking ,about 9 hours in the heat, the scenery was impressive though and I met a nice Israeli couple, the first human contact in over 30 hours.

The last day I went up MT Taranaki, a bit harder than I thought. It was pretty good going the first two hours, but then I kind of collapsed, feeling dizzy (because I had all the chocolate bars on the first day, greedy thing I am), but made it to the top OK, just in time before the clouds came in.

Got a lift from a very German couple on the way off the mountain, lucky though as there was no other car in the car park. Had a few beers back at the lodge, talked to a few of the local residents (crazy dudes) but all in all a quiet evening.

Auckland

The bus trip to Auckland was good, 6.30 -12:00 p.m., talked a bit to an old farmer about Asians coming into the country, crime etc. Got to Auckland and went to City Garden Lodge, a nice old former summer home of some Tongan Queen, Met up with Liza that night, a few beers and then down to a pool hall as I could not get in anywhere else with my shorts and flip-flops. Next day met her again for lunch, then off to the airport to fly to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

At the airport met Phil in the check-in queue, a young Kiwi guy working for KPMG going to the Cook islands for a week long business trip, mmmhhh, why do I have to go to StNeots and Bedford?