Oh, the rain, Will...the rain...

It has almost rained, non-stop, since I got here. This morning, it actually stopped for about 5 minutes...then started right back up again. Luckily, in that short "dry spell", I was able to move my stuff from the nice beachfront apartment on stilts, to one of the lower beach huts (just behind).



Although I enjoyed being higher off the ground in the last place (mentally thinking that any bugs might be too tired to climb up the posts to my room), this room is almost as nice and about $40 less a night...so, that is fine with me.



It actually sleeps 3 (there is another single bed off camera to the left, it is where my luggage sleeps) and has its own bathroom/shower with solar heated water...so not too shabby. I certainly couldn't get my own room/bathroom right on the beach for $65 anywhere else on the island...so, I'm pleased about that.



With all the rain here on the island, it makes going out at night kind of...pointless. There is only one bus that runs around the island at night...once an hour. So, you'd have to stand in the rain for a while and pray for it to come around before you're soaked to the skin (which is always nice when you're out socializing). Notice the bus schedule above...one bus goes "clockwise" each hour and the other goes "anti-clockwise" each hour (but only until 4:30...and I'm closer to the "anti" side of town). At least the Anti-Christ doesn't drive that bus...our driver looked more like Anti-
Em, so it's much more relaxing.



So, I decided to stay in my room, listen to music, the rain and ocean, and read a book that I borrowed from the hostel office. A real book (no pictures inside at all). Well...it's more of a comedy about a woman trying to find a husband in a year, but it's considered a book by most standards. I also cannot begin to express how wonderful it's been to have my iPod (thank you Andrew!) and the portable music docking station/speakers (thank you Joel!) with me. Joel loaded up my iPod with about 3 gazillion great songs before I left and I've listned to it almost every night/day since I started traveling. It really makes a difference when you're hanging out in your room.



So, I went into town again today and walked around with my umbrella. Yeah, I know..."tourist", but a much dryer tourist than most people wandering the streets today. I've noticed that there are mini-cemetaries on almost every property here. I'm going to check and see if it's a custom to bury family on their land. I think it is...but you see them everywhere.



I also went to see the local "museum and library", but it was closed. It's actually, more of a library/used book store and one room of a few old things (and I'm not just talking about the ladies working there). I peered through the gate into the "museum" room...didn't see any creepy dolls, so decided not to wait two hours for the "reopening". I saved three dollars and, if you look at the picture of the painting outside of the museum, the kid is a little creepy. So...no need for me to go back there.

It started to POUR rain and, since I'm also carrying my backpack with my computer, I decided to find one of those ever-fashionable plastic rain ponchos. It took me a few minutes to find a store that had them....



Thanfully, Tuki wasn't lying...she had the poncho I needed...and more! I could have purchased a cordless baby monitor, a DVD player, individual panties from a bucket...the list goes on and on. So, I got my poncho and three pairs of panties and headed off to eat, before coming to the local Telecom office to write this blog. FYI- They are the only internet company on the island and, because of that, they charge almost $180/month for internet to the locals. Can you believe that? No wonder everyone just sticks with dialup here.



So, I went back to Cafe Salsa, had a nice sandwich, a beer and some great keylime pie (always time for keylime pie).

Now, I've gotta finish this up and get to the bus stop before the "anti-clockwise" bus heads out.

Going clockwise just isn't my style...

Rarotonga

That is the view from the balcony of my room here at the Rarotonga Backpackers facility.



I'm staying right on the beach in one of their "Beach Front" (the far right one) units until tomorrow, then moving to a smaller "beach hut" through Saturday. Although, it's rainy and overcast, it's still quite a beautiful place. I'm on the sunset side of the island, so if the sun ever does come out...I should have a pretty good view of it setting.



These dogs were hanging out on the beach at the hostel when I arrived. They are really friendly and full of energy. It's fun to watch them chase each other around, dodging in and out of the water, around the beach chairs, beside anyone standing nearby, then...they start all over again.



There are also several random cats hanging out all around. They seem to be indifferent to the dogs and spend most of their time just laying around (as cats are prone to do). I was waiting for a potential tense confrontation between these two, at least a little hissing or fur-puffity...but nothing. They stared a few minutes, then the dog just walked on.

I was enjoying the animals, until I saw this notice in the lobby of the hostel...



"you'll get MANGINITiS....Affects the genitalia"

Jinkys! I'm not sure what that is, but I'm keeping those animals at a very safe distance from my naughty bits.

Mental note: Get Purell.

There are also roosters wandering about the city and countryside. Not unusal on an island, but still funny to see them meandering up to tables at restaurants, rather than being served in restaurants, surrounded by carrots and potatoes.



The internet connection here on the island is kind of ass.

I have no wifi connection at the hotel, so I decided to head into town to one of the Telecom wifi-"Hotspots". After buying a prepaid card and going to the first hotspot, Cafe Salsa, it wouldn't connect. So, I ate my pizza, then headed over to the Telecom offices here in the city, figuring that it's their card...so, if I have a problem, I'll chat with them.

The connection is working, more or less, at the moment.

However, I have a feeling that the same technology that took the dryer, at my last hotel, 3 hours to dry one load of clothes, may also be powering the "broadband" connection here in Rarotonga.

So far, it's taken about 15 minutes to upload 1 picture.

Dear...Lord...In...Heaven....Above....

I'm going to have to get used to "Island Time" real quick.

Dryer days

Well, today was my last day in New Zealand, so I kept it casual. Ling met me for lunch, then we went to see "Definitely, Maybe" at a nearby movie theater. It's the first movie I've seen in over two months. It was pretty good and, since it took place in New York, gave me a pang of longing for the city. I really do miss it at times...

It was a nice, relaxing, rainy afternoon and it was fun to hang out one more time with Ling. She met me the night I got here, so it was fitting that she was the last person I'd hang out with before leaving.

After the movie, we had a Starbucks break, she headed home, and I came back to the hotel to do my laundry before flying out to Rarotonga tomorrow morning (the shuttle picks me up at 6:30 am...YAWN!). I've been drying my clothes for the past 2 1/2 hours...

Not several loads of laundry....just ONE.

These dryers are "great".

It's already 11:30 pm.

I'm gonna be very tired in the morning....

The long walk home

It was slightly overcast today, but I was still determined to get over to Waiheke Island, about 40 minutes off the coast of Auckland. I was told it was a great place to visit with some lovely beaches, a winery and some shops. Plus, it wasn't too expensive to get there, which always plays an important part in all of my excursions.

So, I boarded a ferry from Auckland harbor and headed away from the city and into the open sea. The sky kept skipping around from partly cloudy, to "dear God it's gonna rain and I didn't bring my umbrella", to "ah, the sun...thank God I didn't have to cart that damn umbrella around." every few minutes. But, I was on a boat...in New Zealand, so I'm not really gonna complain all that much.









We got to the island and I took the bus into this little town. It was a nice seaside village that reminded me a bit of Santa Barbara. Some typical shops, lots of real estate offices (it ain't cheap to live here) and some purty scenery.





After walking down a few blocks, I could see the water on the other side of the island...



According to my map, I was near a road that went to the Esplanade area...which, I thought, was the touristy-beachy-shopping side of the island.

After walking down some long, although lovely, rural roads...I did make it to the beach.



It was all residential and I didn't see a car on the road, which now had turned into more of a dirt/gravel road.

It was at that point (almost 2 miles away from the other town) that I realized that the "esplanade" was actually the name of the road that goes along the beach to, again...what I assumed, was still a bustling beach community just around the next corner. So, I walked...



And walked some more...





Oh around this corner is.....more walking....and the sun is starting to go down...





I finally get around these three long bends around the island to a place where this particular road ends and breaks off into two little rural streets. No big city...just a few houses, but still...some nice scenery.







I finally spotted a bus stop...and there were two people there, the only people I'd seen in almost two hours. I told them about how I had been searching for the "seaside village" that I thought was here. They laughed and said that there is just one main city on the island and I had already been in it.

But, they were both very nice and we all chatted for a bit until the bus showed up to take us to the marina for the next ferry back to Auckland.







Although it wasn't the journey I thought I'd be taking, it turned out (as always) to be the one I needed to be on. The whole "wherever you go...there you are" kind of trip.

As much as I like a spiritual jouney, I can't say that a small part of me kinda wishes it had been more of a "Wherever you go, there is another free box of cash" kind of trip.

Now THAT would have really been worth all of the walking.

Auckland Zoo

Now THIS is a nice zoo!

After my last disappointing experience with the Wellington Zoo, I was a bit leary about hitting another one. But, several people said that Auckland had a really nice zoo...and they were right.



This looks more like a zoo where the animals, although not free to roam around the countryside, at least look like they are relatively happy and also get to mingle with each other a bit. When I walked by the elephant area, the place was empty. A bit disappointed, I headed down the next street and, look who was on their way up the street....





It turns out that they take the elephants on a walk around the park a few times a day, just to keep them active and give them a chance to hang out with surprised visitors, like myself, who are wandering around the zoo poking the other animals with sticks.

The Rhinos were huge and very loud....so I shot them. So much easier to take a picture of them if they're not moving around so much.



The baboons were hanging out by the river, chatting away and, every once in a while, deciding that they needed to box one another in the head...then run off. Entertaining...



The sea lions appeared to be meditating, so I tried to be quiet while I took their picture. They also have a great underwater tank where, when not "ohm-ing", they swim around in big circles for the rest of us to enjoy.





Look....a baby penguin.



He's so cute, you just wanna squeeze him until his furry head pops off.

I wasn't aware that Bigfoot had been captured. All of those "sightings" that you hear about now are lies. He's obviously here in Auckland...



The Galapagos turtles, although in need of a good neck moisturizer, are very large and seem to enjoy slowly making their way around their little island.



There were a couple varieties of monkeys on display, like these colorful "Yorkshire Terrier Monkeys" (I don't know their real name...). They were skittering about so quickly, that I wasted a good 15-20 minutes trying to get at least one non-blurred picture of them. Honestly kids, take a lession from the sea lions....chillax once in a while...





The spider monkeys were also entertaining to watch, especially this baby hanging on to her mother. She never left her side....er....back.



NO....I didn't shoot the tiger....



He was just tired from eating the two lion-heckling teens that I had brought him from the Wellington Zoo. After I told him that they were throwing sticks at the lions there, he wasted no time making sure they wouldn't be able to that again.

It's the law of the jungle, ya' know.

There is also a really nice park outside the zoo....so I took a wee stroll through there on the way to the bus stop. Lots of nice little lakes and ducks and geese (better scurry, when I take you out in my surry)...









So, all in all...a really nice day just appreciating all the colors of nature. Speaking of which, I ran into my "wife"....



I heard that she was hosting a karoake night at a local bar, so I stopped by to see her. You know it's gotta be love when I voluntarily go to a bar hosting karoake. She was up on stage doing her best to vocally assist a person who sang as good as Elaine danced on "Seinfeld"....a guy who must have stopped searching for a clear note around the age of 5 and, ever since, just assumed that "singing" louder might just compensate.

Oh the pain, Will....the pain....



OMG...while searching for a decent Dr. Smith picture on the web, I found this random picture of Dr. Smith as a French Maid....



I laughed SO loud, I think they may have heard me down in the lobby....14 floors below.

I'm still laughing now....tears rolling down my face....