After 21 days of searching we finally found it. We've endured tropical cyclones, torrential rains, being stranded on an island, howling winds, and swarms of biting sand flies that make mosquitoes look tame in search of the perfect surf. Although it didn't last long before the rain and wind started again, for one day the conditions aligned to produce some excellent waves. For those in California...picture a slightly longer, meaner version of Rincon with 6-10 ft, long period swells pounding the right point and only 8-10 other guys in the water. The view from the water included green foothills backed by snow-capped peaks. Our surf session included Rachel catching the biggest wave of her life (a solid 8 footer) and Dustin catching numerous large, peeling right handers.
Surf Session Thoughts...
Dustin: Super stoked. Very fun, challenging waves - couldn't ask for much better surf.
Rachel: Scared *#&%less. At first I was just trying to survive out there. But being the only girl in the lineup I figured I had to go at some point. Glad I paddled out and charged.
Jan 26, 2009
Jan 25, 2009
West Coast of New Zealand
Since heading south out of Auckland on January 17th, we've covered quite a bit of ground and even had a few adventures along the way. After spending a week traversing down the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, we arrived via ferry to the South Island on Saturday.
Our first stop after Auckland was the beach town of Raglan, home to NZ's best surf spot - Manu Bay. Our bad luck with the weather continued though, as our two days there were filled with rain, wind, and no swell. We didn't even get in the water.
The next few days were spent with two sets of family friends with an unsuccessful fishing trip mixed in. We were shown great New Zealand hospitality though.
After all the traveling and lack of surf we needed an adrenaline fix. What better way to get a little excitement than to go spelunking and explore the depths of the Waitomo Caves. It all started with a 30 meter repel into the cave, followed by a hike upstream through the waist deep river running through the cave. The narrow tunnel opened up to a large amphitheatre with a ceiling covered in glow worms. It was just like being outside and looking up at the stars. Glow worms are 1-2" long worms that drop spiderweb-like lines down to catch bugs. Their glowing tail attracts their prey. Once a bug gets stuck in their line, they pull it up just like a fishing line...pretty cool creatures. Back to the caves...after watching the glow worms for awhile, and spotting a 3 foot long eel in the river that our guide assured us "would probably" leave us alone, we floated down the pitch black river on inner tubes under a canopy of glow worms. After checking out all the stalactites and stalagmites, as well as squeezing our bodies through the nooks & crannies of the cave, we concluded the trip with a 30m rock climb back out of the cave.
The next day we figured we would take an easy hike to do some fly fishing. Little did we know we were in for another adventure...the little hike through pastures, meadows, and grass up to our waist, led us through numerous herds of grazing cattle. All was fine and dandy, until we had to cross through the pasture holding all the bulls. We made it most of the way through before one of the bigger bulls decided to assert his power by grunting and stomping his front hoof. Soon a few others joined in and started closing in on us. We made a mad dash for the fence. As we grabbed the wire fence to climb over we found out what we had expected...yes, those are electric fences. We both got a good zap but at least there was a fence between us and the angry bulls. That was it for the excitement, and no, we didn't even catch any fish.
We spent the rest of our time working our way down to the South end of the North Island, stopping, and finally finding some surf on the way. Most of the breaks were quite rocky with strong currents, but the waves were fun - head high, powerful waves. It was nice to finally get in the water.
We've been on the South Island a few days now and we really like it here. We've done some hiking and Dustin finally had some luck fishing, catching a few small rainbows and a 20 1/2" brown trout.
We're getting used to driving down here. After a few miscues, and the occasional yelling of "stay left", driving on the right hand side has become a distant memory. We're also loving the round-abouts. There are almost no stop signs and few lights here. Just yield signs and round-abouts everywhere.
We're enjoying Bongo, she's like a miniature, even more compact version of our old boat Mahalo. We haven't paid to camp yet, finding good places to park/camp by the fishing and hiking spots. As we're typing this she's in the shop with her first, and hopefully only, problem - a bad alternator. Luckily, we got free membership into AA of NZ with our AAA membership. When our battery died, all it took was a phone call followed by a jump and we were on our way to a mechanic.
The forecast is calling for a nice swell to show up tomorrow so we're on our way south to Kaikoura, home to some excellent right-hand point breaks. We plan on staying there as long as there is good surf. Keep your fingers crossed.
Dustin & Rachel
Our first stop after Auckland was the beach town of Raglan, home to NZ's best surf spot - Manu Bay. Our bad luck with the weather continued though, as our two days there were filled with rain, wind, and no swell. We didn't even get in the water.
The next few days were spent with two sets of family friends with an unsuccessful fishing trip mixed in. We were shown great New Zealand hospitality though.
After all the traveling and lack of surf we needed an adrenaline fix. What better way to get a little excitement than to go spelunking and explore the depths of the Waitomo Caves. It all started with a 30 meter repel into the cave, followed by a hike upstream through the waist deep river running through the cave. The narrow tunnel opened up to a large amphitheatre with a ceiling covered in glow worms. It was just like being outside and looking up at the stars. Glow worms are 1-2" long worms that drop spiderweb-like lines down to catch bugs. Their glowing tail attracts their prey. Once a bug gets stuck in their line, they pull it up just like a fishing line...pretty cool creatures. Back to the caves...after watching the glow worms for awhile, and spotting a 3 foot long eel in the river that our guide assured us "would probably" leave us alone, we floated down the pitch black river on inner tubes under a canopy of glow worms. After checking out all the stalactites and stalagmites, as well as squeezing our bodies through the nooks & crannies of the cave, we concluded the trip with a 30m rock climb back out of the cave.
The next day we figured we would take an easy hike to do some fly fishing. Little did we know we were in for another adventure...the little hike through pastures, meadows, and grass up to our waist, led us through numerous herds of grazing cattle. All was fine and dandy, until we had to cross through the pasture holding all the bulls. We made it most of the way through before one of the bigger bulls decided to assert his power by grunting and stomping his front hoof. Soon a few others joined in and started closing in on us. We made a mad dash for the fence. As we grabbed the wire fence to climb over we found out what we had expected...yes, those are electric fences. We both got a good zap but at least there was a fence between us and the angry bulls. That was it for the excitement, and no, we didn't even catch any fish.
We spent the rest of our time working our way down to the South end of the North Island, stopping, and finally finding some surf on the way. Most of the breaks were quite rocky with strong currents, but the waves were fun - head high, powerful waves. It was nice to finally get in the water.
We've been on the South Island a few days now and we really like it here. We've done some hiking and Dustin finally had some luck fishing, catching a few small rainbows and a 20 1/2" brown trout.
We're getting used to driving down here. After a few miscues, and the occasional yelling of "stay left", driving on the right hand side has become a distant memory. We're also loving the round-abouts. There are almost no stop signs and few lights here. Just yield signs and round-abouts everywhere.
We're enjoying Bongo, she's like a miniature, even more compact version of our old boat Mahalo. We haven't paid to camp yet, finding good places to park/camp by the fishing and hiking spots. As we're typing this she's in the shop with her first, and hopefully only, problem - a bad alternator. Luckily, we got free membership into AA of NZ with our AAA membership. When our battery died, all it took was a phone call followed by a jump and we were on our way to a mechanic.
The forecast is calling for a nice swell to show up tomorrow so we're on our way south to Kaikoura, home to some excellent right-hand point breaks. We plan on staying there as long as there is good surf. Keep your fingers crossed.
Dustin & Rachel
Jan 16, 2009
Going Bongo in New Zealand
We safely arrived into New Zealand Wednesday evening. To our surprise, we made it out of Fiji...no issues getting to the airport and our plane was even on time. We didn't realize the extent of the flooding and damage in Fiji until we got to New Zealand. We didn't have a TV in Fiji and none of the locals were making a big deal of the rain, at least not in the tourist areas we were at. In New Zealand reporters were at the Auckland airport interviewing people from our Fiji flight. The flooding is all over the news and there are many "Fiji Flood Relief" centers set up here.
You can get this!
Dustin hard at work building our bed frame:
Tomorrow we're planning to stock up on supplies and camping gear before heading south to explore the islands. We're anxious to get out of the city and into the mountains, rivers, and surf.
Since arriving, our primary focus has been searching for a vehicle that will serve as both our home and transportation for our time in New Zealand. That was easier said than done. Having to rely on public transportation and having no phone to contact sellers made this a difficult task. Fortunately, we stumbled upon a great deal on a '91 Mazda Bongo van only a mile from our hotel. Of course this was after a day of wondering around most of the greater Auckland area both on foot and by bus. We bought the van this morning and spent the rest of the day retrofitting her to meet our needs.
For this amount of money...
You can get this! Dustin hard at work building our bed frame:Tomorrow we're planning to stock up on supplies and camping gear before heading south to explore the islands. We're anxious to get out of the city and into the mountains, rivers, and surf.
Jan 12, 2009
Thoughts on Fiji
Bula! A few final thoughts & impressions of Fiji before we depart for New Zealand tomorrow...
- Fijian people are very warm and friendly, everyone is always smiling and greets you with "Bula"
- Avoid traveling here during the "wet season" as it can rain A LOT!
- All of the islands are incredibly lush....maybe it has something to do with all the rain???
- Although Nadi town is not the most scenic area, the outer islands, particularly the Yasawa chain, are stunning
- Even in the midst of a cyclone, Fijians still maintain their "No problem" attitude
- No major cravings for any food back home yet, but we're getting tired of the Fijian staples: rice, bread, goat, lamb & other mystery meats
- From the lack of Americans around & the presence of so many Brits, we've picked up a bit of their slang...rubbish, class and proper are becoming part of our regular vocabulary
- In spite of the weather, we're glad we stopped here and enjoyed our time in Fiji
Jan 11, 2009
Thawing Out In Fiji
After spending three weeks with our family and friends in MN, along with fitting in last minute planning and packing, we were ready to thaw out in Fiji.
25 hours after leaving Minneapolis we arrived into Nadi, Fiji. The hot, humid air greeted us as we left the airport and provided a welcome change from the three weeks of sub zero temps we endured in the Great White North.
Anxious to begin our adventure, we took a ferry ride to Wayasewa Island, a small island in the Yasawa chain, about 50 miles off the west coast of Nadi. Both feeling restless from the long trek, our first day on the island was spent kayaking, free diving, fishing, and hiking through the jungle to a peak overlooking our resort.
Before everyone freezing back in MN gets too jealous, our 2nd day we awoke to torrential rains and rumors of a fast approaching cyclone. Although the cyclone never materialized, the rain and high winds did. The stormy conditions prevented us from doing anymore kayaking or snorkeling, but did create a surf break over the reef in front of the resort.
The local villagers and I watched as Dustin surfed the waist to chest high waves. This was the first time they had seen anyone surf off the island reef. Having been amused by Dustin's performance, the locals invited us on a tour of their village. Although their living conditions consisted of single room homes with a bamboo mat and no furniture, everyone was extremely happy and friendly.
The "daily" boat bringing people to and from the island was cancelled for the foreseeable future, thus stranding us on our island. We heard rumors of flooding, mudslides, power outages, etc on the main island caused by the "worst storm in 40 years". We received very little other info and had no idea when we were getting off the island.
The torrential rain and high winds continued for the next few days. We passed the time by going for an occasional walk in the rain, playing cards with fellow travellers, and joining the locals for games of touch rugby.
Of the 20+ people staying at the resort there was only 1 other American. The majority were from England or Australia, many of whom were also on around-the-world trips like us. It was a good group of people to be stranded with.
Finally, this morning (11th), a boat showed up to ferry us back to Nadi on the main island. There's extensive damage here in town and we are stuck at a hostel by the airport until we leave on Wednesday. Talk about starting our trip out on the right foot. At least we're safe and having an adventure. We are ready for New Zealand.
We've uploaded our pictures to Picasa so just click on the link on the right to see all our pictures so far.
Cheers,
Dustin & Rachel
25 hours after leaving Minneapolis we arrived into Nadi, Fiji. The hot, humid air greeted us as we left the airport and provided a welcome change from the three weeks of sub zero temps we endured in the Great White North.Anxious to begin our adventure, we took a ferry ride to Wayasewa Island, a small island in the Yasawa chain, about 50 miles off the west coast of Nadi. Both feeling restless from the long trek, our first day on the island was spent kayaking, free diving, fishing, and hiking through the jungle to a peak overlooking our resort.
Before everyone freezing back in MN gets too jealous, our 2nd day we awoke to torrential rains and rumors of a fast approaching cyclone. Although the cyclone never materialized, the rain and high winds did. The stormy conditions prevented us from doing anymore kayaking or snorkeling, but did create a surf break over the reef in front of the resort.The local villagers and I watched as Dustin surfed the waist to chest high waves. This was the first time they had seen anyone surf off the island reef. Having been amused by Dustin's performance, the locals invited us on a tour of their village. Although their living conditions consisted of single room homes with a bamboo mat and no furniture, everyone was extremely happy and friendly.
The "daily" boat bringing people to and from the island was cancelled for the foreseeable future, thus stranding us on our island. We heard rumors of flooding, mudslides, power outages, etc on the main island caused by the "worst storm in 40 years". We received very little other info and had no idea when we were getting off the island.The torrential rain and high winds continued for the next few days. We passed the time by going for an occasional walk in the rain, playing cards with fellow travellers, and joining the locals for games of touch rugby.
Of the 20+ people staying at the resort there was only 1 other American. The majority were from England or Australia, many of whom were also on around-the-world trips like us. It was a good group of people to be stranded with.Finally, this morning (11th), a boat showed up to ferry us back to Nadi on the main island. There's extensive damage here in town and we are stuck at a hostel by the airport until we leave on Wednesday. Talk about starting our trip out on the right foot. At least we're safe and having an adventure. We are ready for New Zealand.
We've uploaded our pictures to Picasa so just click on the link on the right to see all our pictures so far.
Cheers,
Dustin & Rachel
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