TravelingWebGuy

North Island, NZ

A few weeks ago I went to FedEx Kinkos and had them laminate maps of both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. I then ordered some alcohol based pens so I could write on the Map and not have to worry about smudging the ink. The cool thing about these pens is that I can write on the map, while it’s raining, wet, hot, w/e and the ink dries immediately and will not smudge. So when I got the pens I ordered off Ebay, I busted out the map and started to look at the best routes for my trip. The first side I was exploring was the North Island.

North Island 'Planned' route

There’s a few key stops I want to make sure I hit, so I tagged those on the map and was checking out the distance between them all. Some of the major highlights are Whangarei, Waiheke Island, Waitomo Caves, Mt. Doom, Rotorua, and some Maori landmarks. I know there is a LOT to see on both Islands, so I am trying to spread out my spots evenly and easily to get to. When I say easily to get to, I mean that I have over 3000km to travel in all, so there is absolutely no way I can trek this whole distance and make the stops I want to. So I’ve also decided that hitch hiking will be a part of my travel plans and even some buses or trains when they are available… Who knows, maybe some boat rides as well, but I better make sure I have some sea sickness pills as the last time I was on a boat, I threw up my stomach about 10 different times. Granted, I was only around 10 years old and my brother and I were at the very front of the boat in some large waves. But still, all that sickness haunts me still today.

But let’s get back on topic as I tend to get carried away, most of the time! Damnit! Ok.. so.. back to the maps.

I plan to spend about 1 month on the North Island once I arrive in Auckland. I’ll travel first up North towards Whangarei along the 1 highway, and then after I spend a few days there, I’ll head back South along the West coast towards Auckland again. I’ll stay towards this side because I’ll come up on Waiheke Island which is off the West cost near Auckland. I’ll spend a few days trekking along the coast and checking out the awesome beaches I’ve been hearing about! Of course I’ll be looking out for the Sharks we hear so much about and Tom Conrad warns me about weekly. — In case you wondering, Tom Conrad is the Safety Director at Quidel Corporation and although he says he has a lot of respect for all the crazy meat eating animals in the world, I think he’d scream like a girl if he ran across one! haha! Just playing Tom! –

South Island 'Planned' route

Again, back to the topic. Reason I want to spend only a month on the North Island is because I’ve heard from all the locals in NZ, that the South Island has a lot more to see! And since it has both Marlborough and Milford Sounds, I definitely want to spend a few days at each, camping, trekking, and kayaking those areas. And of course taking a galore of photos as well! Another reason I’ll be spending 2 months on the South Island is because there a few friends I will be visiting while there, so I want to make sure I have enough time to enjoy myself and travel around. I’ll spend a few days in Christchurch visiting an old friend and then a few days in Fort Rose visiting a very nice family I met through TravellersPoint.com, the McKenzie’s. They have graciously offered me a few nights stay on a comftorable bed and give me some sight seeing ideas while I am there. I hope to exchange my stay with helping them around the farm with any chores and/or doing some website work for them. Either way, it was a great offer and I can’t wait to meet them and hear their stories. After I leave their farm, I’ll head towards Milford Sounds, the home of the awesome water and lake shots we all saw in the Lord of the Ring series. I thought it looked unreal on the movie and from looking at some other travelers photos, it looks insane and I can not wait to kayak through this area and hopefully hike to some peaks and see one of the most amazing Sunrises/Sunsets I can possibly imagine.

There’s soo much to talk about when it comes to “what” I want to do when I get here, but if I did all that, this post would be a monstrosity of a scrolling nightmare, so I am going to cut it off here and let you get back to whatever it was you were doing before you got here. But I do need to say, make sure you check back, because in exactly 14 days I depart for NZ  and will start to post more blogs, photos, and videos of all the areas I visit!

Till next time, Stay Classy San Diego!

Update: 7/1/2009 @ 14:47 PST: Received an excellent tip from a reader letting me know I should visit the Forgotten Highway. After reveiwing the location and looking at the Google Maps, I have most assuredly decided to put this route on my list. From the looks of all the pics and comments found online, it is one hell of an experience with some amazing scenery! A big Thanks to Cymen Crick at http://www.rankers.co.nz/