Travelling is a Fashion Show?

Granted I didn't do as much planning or reading prior to travelling as I could have, but I did do some. The travel books I read talked about small backpacks that hold just what you need: wickable shirts that can be worn several times and washed in the sink, convertible pants that zip off into shorts, resuable underwear with a tagline of "17 countires, 1 thong", sandals with criss-crossing cloth straps that look hideous but are practical, and I even decided to go "braless" after reading bras were not necessary. For a girl who has been told she NEVER wears the same outfit twice, coming to grips with the fact that I have to sacrifice my fashion for this trip was bearable, with the idea that everyone else would be unfashionable too. Well, I have been shocked to learn that this is not the case. 95% of the girls I have met so far (and they are from everywhere - US, Germany, Holland, Canada, etc.) have huge backpacks , filled with at least one pair of jeans, leggings, nice underwire bras, several bathing suits, necklaces, bracelets, cute shirts and jackets, hairdryers and one girl even had a small iron! Needless to say I have already gone out and bought a pair of flip flops because my "practical shoes" are hideous, and plan on buying a few more pairs of pants and shirts. 3 days in and I have already had to do laundry, which certainly makes me realize that only 3 pairs of underwear was never a good idea.



After I left Auckland two days ago our bus travelled to a small surf town called Hahei on the northeast coast of NZ. We arrived there in the early afternoon and I spent the next 3 hours Sea Kayaking along the Coromandel Penninsula. The instructor told me to pick a strong man to paddle with (as the kayaks were two seaters), but I was stuck with Timmy. He wasn't too strong, but he did let me sit in the back and steer. We paddled for about an hour, and then parked the kayaks at Cathedral Cove, got out took pictures. I swam out in the ocean and jumped off a large rock (and managed to scrape up my legs), and our instructors gave us some flat whites (coffee with milk) and biscuits (cookies) back on the beach. If you google Cathedral Cove you will get a glimpse into the beauty of these beaches - true paradise!! After kayaking we took a quick drive over to Hot Beach, which is a exactly as it sounds. Under the sand in particular spots there is volcanic activity which, if you dig just a litte, you get boiling hot water pools. Unfortunately I remain confused when trying to figure out celius and farrenheight degrees (so I won't even try to guess the exact degree), but this water is hot!!! That night we all went back to the dorm and ate a traditional New Zealand BBQ - sausage, lamb, pumpkin, (yes pumpkin is used for more than halloween carving here in NZ), white sweet potatoes, and ice cream!

I made a point on my first travel day to try and not fall asleep on the bus because I wanted to see the countryside. Besides a few slips today I have been pretty attentive to looking at my surroundings. The landscapes so far on the North Island have been California meets England, with a twist of the Amazon Jungle - large open fields with trees and hedges marking off the borders to different farms, and then a few minutes later huge baren hills roll out of the ground covered with dry brush and palm trees, and then the zig zag mountain roads take you through what appears to be an amazon jungle surrounded by a spectacular ocean view. In this case, even though the bus is cramped, hot and bumpy, it certainly is "about the journey, not the destination."

Yesterday we arrived in the mid afternoon at Raglan, a true surfer town as it boasts the longest left break in the world. I am not entirely sure what that is, but I think its just a really long wave. We checked into a really neat surfer hostel where there aren't even locks on the doors; "no worries!" I went down to the beach although the weather wasn't fantastic and took a long walk. Later that night I went back to the hostel where we had to make our own dinner (that seems to be the best way backpackers save money.) We left Raglan early this morning (8am departure) and headed to the Waitomo Caves. I decided to book the "Haggas Honking Holes" tour which was an action adventure tour, where I was told I would get wet! Even after I put on the full wet suit and wellington boots, I still didn't expect the type of adventure I got. The only thing we weren't allowed to do is pee in the wetsuit (which of course I asked.) After you learn a little about ropes and repelling you walk down a field and single file enter a creepy looking hole in the ground. I spent most of my day wondering what crazy person decided to enter these caves in the first place, but I guess in the 60's this became a sport and now most of the thousands of caves are actually mapped out, and some people treat is as an afternoon "hike." The caves were dark, wet, slippery, and when I looked up there were huge black spiders above my head. We repelled down dark caverns, into waterfalls and large pools. Most of the spaces we had to climb through were ridiculously tiny, we even had to do the army crawl a couple of times. I kept my flirty antics with the instructor high, and even the darkest crevasses remained light and fun. Three hours later we popped back out of the earth, and after emptying the water out of my boots and taking a hot shower we headed back to pick up the rest of the crew. Needless to say, it was an amazing (but WET) experience.

We headed from there to where I am now - a small town called Marae. We are staying at a Maori meeting house, which houses the native Maori tribe of New Zealand. We got to eat their traditional meal, and watch a traditional Maoiri performance, and then had to perform ourselves. It was interesting. The best part is watching these young tribe members go from grass skirts and long wooden spears to leaving the performance in their beaten up hondas wearing billabong shorts and american baseball caps. Now we are all in one big room with about 40 mattreses on the floor while I steal native Maori internet. Definitely makes for rough sleeping conditions. Thank God for ear plugs and face masks.

Tomorrow I am going white water rafting in Rotorua. I'll check in when I can!! In the meantime, I gotta buy some more clothes to keep up with the "backpacker fashion trends!"