Raglan to Hamilton
Some beaches in Raglan are known for their black sand. I talked to some of the staff at school, and it seems that there are certain corporations wanting to mine the sand beds there. Manu bay is a world famous surfing spot, so it makes sense that the surfers have started a campaign against black sand mining. Coal mining can make the ocean floor uneven, therefore destroying the surf.
Around New Zealand I saw quite a few war monuments. According to the gardener here at Capernwray, New Zealand lost more men (in comparison to the population numbers) then any other country during the world wars. Worth checking into.
On my way back to Hamilton after surfing, I got this photo of the mountain (Might be Karioi) where I stayed at. Just on the side of that mountain!
Some more gorgeous looking hills.
This a small part of Hamilton, which is New Zealand's largest inland city. (Most cities are situated on the coast.) Note the large trees. Typical for Kiwi country.
Here's downtown Hamilton. There are some taller buildings around. Downtown is located by a river, the Waikato. Kind of like Edmonton in a way. (But a tenth the size.)
And this is me heading to the Flying Hedgehog's to pick up my luggage and wait for pickup! Craig, the gardener at Capernwray, made rounds in Hamilton to pick up students. I waited for about a couple of hours, and it was off to school!
That concludes my travels for the first three weeks before school.
February 7th
Labels: Pacific Travel
Raglan and Surf
After staying a night in Hamilton at the "Flying Hedgehog Backpackers" hostel, I took a city bus to Raglan, about 20 minutes straight west of Hamilton. Raglan was a busy, but small surftown on the coast. Here's the busy downtown street.
Real estate for New Zealand in general is not cheap. Raglan is no exception. Here's a little "bach" or a holiday home. It's not even oceanside property.
The Raglan surf school then picked me up, after I called from the information center in town. They are a ways out of town, and nestled into the oceanside of a small mountain, at Karioi lodge. (A hill if you ask me, but big in that area) The whole area is covered with trees and is very gorgeous. Real-estate must be un-imaginable!
There was one very long driveway through the trees. Probably a good 200-300 meters.
Unfortunately I had neglected to "confirm" my booking with the surf school, so because the dorms were full, I stayed in this 1938 camperized school-bus.
This was my bed.
I didn't succeed in getting a picture of me surfing, maybe I didn't try enough, but the whole school including the teachers were in the water for the full duration of the lesson. Next beach over is a world famous Manu Bay, with a very long left-hand break. Pros only. Anyway this is the beach I learned at. It was a huge very crowded beach.
This was the view from my bunk bus.
To tell you a bit about surfing; it was very fun! It is not a clean sport (like snowboarding) in comparison to most sports. You get wet, covered with sand, salty eyes, and crazy hair. But it was worth it! The first day I went out with the lesson, it was challenging to stand up on the board after catching a wave. The lesson was good, but my eyes burned horribly from the salt, because I made the mistake of rubbing them.
The next day I got out, and had a far better time. Now I could catch waves regularly, and instead of wading out, now I was paddling out farther past the breaking point.
When you get past the breaking point, you've got to wait, wait, and wait until a big/early wave arrives. So you paddle like crazy to get some momentum, and if you succeed the wave will push you right to shore. The moment you catch it, you've got to stand up and gain control of the board. Speed gives these boards stability, and you can lean and turn on them, much like wakeboarding.
The best thing about surfing is there are no continual costs (like lift tickets!) but the worse thing about surfing is the cost of equipment. I'm not sure how much wetsuits are, but they make the ocean bearable. A good surfboard will cost you upwards of $600! Rental at Raglan was $55 for a day. All I can say is, I'd love to live by the ocean with a surfboard. (And a wetsuit!)
February 5th and 6th.
Labels: Pacific Travel
Train ride from National Park to Hamilton
After seeing Ngaurahoe for the first time, I set off on a train (Trans-scenic) from National Park to Hamilton.
Behind the engine there is a lookout area with railings. I spent a good part of my time out here.
Off in the distance was a small mountain.
Some more hills. This is sheep country.
New Zealand is full of rolling green hills. In this particular spot it was rather rocky. Fascinating!
Getting closer to Hamilton, I saw this mountain in the distance. There are quite a few odd hills like that in New Zealand. Usually they are forest reserves, and there are quite a few reserves here.
This is the train station in Hamilton. What a beautiful clear day.
February 4th
The Mountains of the North Island of New Zealand
The next morning after Tongariro crossing, I woke up and walked outside, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky! So I managed to get this gorgeous picture of Mount Ruapehu...
...as well as my only glimpse of Mount Ngaurahoe! (Mount Doom!) Rather tame looking isn't it. To date this is the only time I have ever seen Ngaurahoe.
By the way, that's Mount Tongariro on the left.
February 4th
