I am currently sitting in the Whakatane public library; hiding from the strong winds and occasional rains. I keep thinking the sky doesn’t look that bad, light colored clouds and currently no rain. However, since I just sat in my car listening to rolling thunder, catching flashes of disco light out of the corners of my eye, and wondering if the pounding hail was going to leave dents in my car; I am not going to hold out any hope of getting much outdoor adventures done today!
I came to the library expecting some free internet access (as I heard from the i-site), but found it was $2.50 per 15 minutes. So, I’ll just write up a quick blog, update my resume and cover letters, and use up my 60 minutes of parking before moving over the i-site – which definitely has free internet. I sent out a couple of WWOOF requests yesterday at the i-site. Then I heard the weather forecast (rain, rain, rain) and decided I had better get my butt in gear and enjoy the cloudless day while it was still around! I found an excellent coastal walkway, with spectacular views, good up and down hill terrain, and quite a bit of cultural history.
I don’t really have many adventures to blog about – so will give a brief recap:
I left Athenree Hot springs (where I had spent 4 nights tenting) on Friday morning (8 August). I had hoped to hike some trails, but the rain and lack of 4 wheel drive made me change my mind. When the sun came out again, I had a lovely coastal walk through a small beach town (can’t find the proper spelling of it). I drove into Tauranga and walked around town. If I hadn’t had plans to meet Dave and his friends (Matt and his girlfriend, Jess) for a beer and band, I probably would have driven straight through the town. It’s a nice town, quite big but not as massive as Auckland. The downtown district is definitely designed to rake in the money – fancy shops line most streets, while the bars are all lined down the waterfront. I took a hostel that was right downtown, to prevent taxi fares and drink driving (yep, they call it drink driving here). I had a really fun time for my entire weekend in town. I really enjoyed having people to go to the bar with on both Fri and Sat night. It would not have been my scene if I was alone – even in the bitter cold, super young girls were walking around with short skirts, tank tops, and no coats!!!!
So, it was a weekend of clubbing at night and walking during the day. Had planned to walk Mount Maunganui Saturday (9 August), but the cold wind and persistent rains deterred us. It cleared up enough for a lovely walk down the harbor estuary though. We were able to meet Matt for some yummy Indian food before our next night of drinking. While I had as many beers that night as Friday night, I felt WAY better on Sunday than Saturday. I had drunk a ton of water with dinner and after I got back to the hostel, so I was lacking the headache I had on Saturday. I was definitely better prepared for trekking “the mount” Sunday morning (10 August). The weather was better suited for trekking also. While the strong wind had a ridiculous icy bite to it, the sky was almost cloudless. All of the locals were on the beaches, in the cafes, and cruising their cars. It was SO crowded! I can’t even imagine being there on a typical summer day, when all the tourists and Auckland vacationers are in town! The mount was really nice. Only ½ an hour to get up it, taking the more steep, but way more rustic, trail. Just fantastic views. We met Matt again for smoothies and beach walking.
It was a really good time in a town I would otherwise not have seen. Upon first arriving, I had a bit of a mishap with locking my keys in my car (you guessed it, the spare was in there too), but my luck was insanely good and a fantastic motel owner helped me out. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world at that time (I think that was my 3rd mishap, so I should be set for the next few months!). I was very proud of myself for not getting upset. I just laughed about it and enjoyed the rainbow over the city, before setting off to figure something out.
I left Tauranga pretty early on Monday morning ( 11 August), catching some sunrise picture before leaving. I had thought I’d set towards Rotorua and the bubbling pools of mud, but then changed my mind at the last minute and headed towards the east cape. I stopped 15 minutes outside of Tauranga (after making it through rush hour traffic) and walked up the Papamoa hills (Matt had mentioned them the day before). It was a beautiful day; slight wind, but not bitterly cold, with only a cloud or two in the sky. I made it to the summit, and then wandered around – using the steps over the electric fences to wander various paddocks and get different views. I took massive amounts of sheep and lamb pictures! Imagine my surprise this morning (Tuesday, 12 August) when I turned the newspaper page and found a picture of a ewe and her lamb! Ha ha ha. The brief side bar accompanying the picture was stating that the presence of lambs in the paddocks was a sign that spring was well on its way! So why is it hailing?!
Well, the rain has stopped. The wind has settled a bit. I’m in an internet café ($3 for ½ an hour), listening to good tunes and vaguely looking for a job – man, I hate doing that. Picked up some WWOOF phone numbers on the East Cape area, may give them a call tonight. I am printing a few CVs to drop off when I enquire in town. I think I like not looking for a job, because then I’m not disappointed when I don’t get one! I would like to find one here shortly though, so I can be available when mom comes to visit in January. I suppose I can’t just leave everything to fate, some things have to be worked at. AAAAHHH, I hate job searching though!!!!!
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