Warrent of fitness? I'll warrant YOUR fitness!

Today was my day to do some errand running and take care of some tasks that I had been putting off for a while. One of these was to get a fresh Warrant of Fitness for Blue Steel. In New Zealand you have to take cars above a certain age to a government-approved inspection station to be inspected every 6 months. I suppose they have this requirement so people aren't driving around in deathtraps that could explode at any minute, taking an entire city block with them.

Anyways, the inspector apparently did not appreciate the might of Blue Steel as much as I do, because he failed it on the first try. One of the parking lights didn't work, and there was an exhaust leak as well. So they gave me the address of a local auto shop, and I went off to get the requisite repairs. And since the oil hadn't been changed in a coon's age, I threw in an oil change, too. It all came to about $90 NZ. Although I certainly respect Blue Steel and want to make sure that he is well-maintained, I have decided to put my foot down and declare that this is the last bit of money (besides gas) that I will ever spend on this vehicle. The last thing I need right now is a money pit car.

After I got the repairs, I took Blue Steel back to the inspection station, got rubber stamped, and was on my way. Now I suppose I'm good to go for the next 6 months, barring any major breakdowns (knock on wood).

Anyways, tomorrow I'll be off on a day trip to Akaroa. Hope to update again soon.

Random Photos

Introducing: Blue Steel, the Wonder Car:

In this photo, Hopie and I happened across a lost band of hungry, dehydrated hikers who had been living off of tree bark and moss for the past ten days. In an effort to summon a rescue party from a village across the sound, I removed my shirt, exposing my alabaster skin and directing a high-intensity light reflection at the town, much like the Bat-signal. A rescue helicopter arrived shortly thereafter, and I was awarded the NZ equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Then again, maybe I was just cooling off after hiking up to Eatwell's Lookout on the Queen Charlotte track. I like the first account better:

A view of the Marlborough Sound region from Eatwell's Lookout:

Transmissions from the South Island

Well, it's been an action-packed six days since I last posted. Here's the rundown on what's been happening with me in NZ:

Tuesday, January 25: Being thoroughly sunburned and sore from my ascent (and descent) of Rangitoto, I took it easy for most of the day. Later on, though, it was all business. I headed over to Turner's car auctions to see if I could scare up a car. It was a pretty crazy experience. Basically, they had about 75 relatively junky-looking cars in a big warehouse, all of them with the keys in the ignition. You could inspect the cars from bumper to bumper and take them out for a quick test drive. Once the auctions actually started, they only spent about a minute on each car, from the start of bidding to the final sale. In the end, I came away with a heavily-worn '91 Honda Civic. It's not much to look at, but it does run, and hopefully will continue to do so. I decided to christen it Blue Steel, after the classic Zoolander "look." Oh, and the car is blue. And made of steel. Very apropos.

Wednesday, January 26: Got up at 4:30 in the morning to make the drive from Auckland to Wellington. Thankfully, I was able to miss Auckland's rush hour by about 30 minutes, and the rest was smooth sailing. The North Island (or at least what I saw from Route 1) is incredibly geographically diverse. I drove through lush forests, mountain passes, and scrub brush deserts. Once I got to Wellington, I drove Blue Steel on to the Interislander ferry and took the 3 hour trip across Cook Strait, the body of water that separates the North Island from the South. In Picton (the ferry terminal on the South Island), I stayed at my first hostel, or "backpackers" as they are known down here. It was called The Villa, and it was a collection of 0ld houses that were converted into budget accomodation. A really cool place...it was amazing to be among so many other travelers of so many different nationalities going so many different places. I didn't get much chance to settle in, though, since I had to wake up early the next morning, which brings me to...

January 27-28: I took a ferry to the start of the Queen Charlotte track in the Marlborough Sound region and met up with Hopie, my ex-girlfriend, who is visiting NZ roughly the same time as me. We spent the next two days hiking the track...about 40 km. For the first day, the track climbed through several exposed peaks and saddles, which made for some spectacular views of the sounds. Unfortunately, we were constantly bombarded by the sun's harsh rays, and we hadn't brought nearly enough water, so we were forced to drink the water at the campsites along the way which, according to the NZ Department of Conservation, should be "filtered, boiled, or treated." Well, we didn't have the implements to do any of those things, so we took it straight up. Apparently giardiasis usually sets in 7 to 10 days after exposure, so I guess we'll be in suspense for a while. The second day was much better...most of the track was was covered by dense, primordial-looking forests which provided ample shade. When we finished the track, there was an ice cream stand conveniently located just down the street. Needless to say, we each splurged on an ice cream bar.

Saturday, January 29: We drove South on Route 1 to Kaikoura, which is famous for the colonies/pods of seals, dolphins, and whales which live nearby. We settled in at the Top Spot backpackers and then headed out to do a seal swim. We suited up in full neoprene garb and headed into the surf, accompanied buy our guide. It wasn't too long before we had our first encounter with the seals. It was really something to see them face to face. They like to float on top of the water and crane their necks around under the surface, giving them 360-degree views. They'll let you get within a few feet of them, and then they usually dart right underneath you (sometimes as close as 6 inches) or jump over you. I really got the impression that they were as curious about us as we were about them. Later that night we barbecued sausages and veggie-kebabs at the Top Spot. This was where we met our first "ugly American" of the trip...a loud-mouthed East Coast girl, probably about 21 or 22, who would NOT SHUT UP about, like, how in America, like, everything is, like, so different, it's like un-believable! Guh. Now I know why people hate us. The low point was when I overheard her say, "honestly, compared to the average American, I'm not even that loud!"

Which brings me to today. We left Kaikoura in the morning and drove to Christchurch. The drive was spectacular, if a bit treacherous. Lots of windy shoreline roads with great views of the ocean. Christchurch itself seems pretty cool. We took a walk around the city center to see what was up. There just happens to be a big busker (street-performer) festival going on here, so we got to see "The Brothers Juan and the Incredible Bull Circus" and "The Jim Show." We also took a look at the local botannical gardens, for which Christchurch is famous. Christchurch is supposed to be the most English of all NZ cities, so we are planning on continuing this theme by having fish and chips for dinner tonight. We'll probably hang around the city for another day tomorrow, and then Hopie is planning on taking the trans-alpine railway to Greymouth. I will probably drive South to Dunedin, Invercargill, Stewart Island and, eventually, the Fiordlands. I'm really looking forward to it.

So there you have my stream-of-consciousness summary of the past week. I'm thinking things will slow down over the next week or so, so hopefully I'll have more time to keep the blog updated. Also, I plan on posting some new pics soon. Keep your eyes peeled!

Rangiphoto!

Sorry, another cheesey post title. I'll stop when the novelty wears off.

Anyways, here are a few of the pictures I took of Rangitoto:

Panoramic shot of the island as the ferry approaches:

Peering into the volcanic crater:

A hazy view of Auckland from the summit:

Rangitoto, we're not in Kansas anymore

First of all, I would like to apologize for that incredibly cheesey post title, but hey, you know me: I love the puns.

Today my only mission was to explore Rangitoto island, one of the larger islands off the East coast of Auckland. It is basically an extinct volcano that has since been overtaken by lush forests. I plan on posting some pictures, but I don't have them with me now, so here is one that I pilfered from another website:

By the way, a fat guy at this internet cafe just leaned back in his chair a little to far and absolutely shattered the wheeled base. Just thought you would like to know.

ANYWHO, the hike to the summit took about an hour, which gave me plenty of time to take in the views and breathe in the air. It was good to take a relaxed pace, since the entire island was covered with golfball-sized volcanic rocks that made it pretty hard to get a good footing. However, my leisurely tempo nearly got me stranded when, as I was checking out some volcanically-formed caves, I suddenly realized that the ferry was set to leave in 30 minutes and I was only a few minutes down from the summit. So I turned tail and booked down to the wharf just in time to catch the ferry. I was awful lucky that I didn't take a spill, because I'm sure that that volcanic rock could do some serious damage.

Well, after all that excitement, I think tomorrow will be more of an off day, all though I am going to try to buy a car in the evening. We'll see how that goes.

In the city...the city of Auckland

Yesterday was my day to make the journey to downtown Auckland to scope out the city. Getting there was a bit of an ordeal, since I picked the wrong bus stop to wait at, and the actual trip into the city is about an hour and a half long. But once I finally got there, I was impressed with the city. Definitely more laid back than, say, Chicago, or even Minneapolis in some respects. I spent most of my time around Queen St., which is the prototypical tourist-packed main thoroughfare that every major city seems to have.

At one point, I ran into two young people, a guy and a girl, sporting big-ass backpacks with Canadian flag patches prominently displayed on the back. As a joke, I asked them if they were actually Canadians or just Americans pretending to be Canadians so as to avoid political arguments from other travelers. I'm not sure if they got the joke. Does this make me an ugly American?

I also saw a crazy guy having a rap battle with his reflection in a window. For those of you who went to Wash U, he reminded me a lot of Gabe. He may have been crazy, but he was actually pretty good. I'm not sure which of his personalities won the battle...it was too close to call!

Just for kicks, I stopped into the local Base Backpackers and asked if anyone knew a good place to pick up a cheap car. They pointed me to the local "backpacker's car market," which is basically a big garage where travelers go to unload the vehicles they've been driving around NZ. There seemed to be a lot of camper vans in stock that day...big old Toyota Hi-Aces with improvised paint jobs featuring everything from flowers to crescent wrenches. I was looking at a beat-up old station wagon, and the guy who was selling it came over to pitch it to me. "It's in great shape," I was told. Upon further questioning, though, I discovered that one of the wheels needed replacing and that it leaked so much oil that you had to top it off every couple weeks. But otherwise, it was in great shape!

Once I got back to Orewa, Joanne and I went over to Pam and Bruno's (parents of Joanne's son-in-law) for dinner. All I can say is...wow. We had lamb prepared two ways, potatoes, carrots, Italian-style peas, pasta salad, lettuce salad and, to top it all off, Pavlova. Pavlova seems to be the official dessert of New Zealand, and it's one of those things where I can't understand why it hasn't made its way to the States yet. It's basically a crusty, dome-shaped merengue topped with fresh whipped cream and strawberries and kiwi fruit...damn tasty. I will leave it at that.

Tomorrow I plan to take the ferry to Rangitoto Island to do a little exploring. Updates to follow.

Quick Pics

Here are some pictures I snapped of Orewa Beach on Friday:

Hello, New Zealand!

I have approximately 10 minutes and 23 seconds left on my Orewa library computer pass, so I'll have to keep this quick.

Got into Auckland at about 7AM this morning, in pretty good shape. I had one hell of a layover in LAX (about 11 hours...guh), but I slept pretty well on the LAX to NZ flight, thanks in no small part to the wonder drug Ambien. I caught the first half of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, which totally sucked.

Joanne picked me up at the airport and we drove to her home in Orewa, a nice little suburb of Auckland. Her house is only a block from Orewa Beach...sweet as. Today's activities consisted of running errands in Orewa, eating lunch, buying a sun hat, and taking a long walk on the beach. Yes, ladies, I enjoy long walks on the beach. Tomorrow I'm planning on taking the bus into Auckland and having a look around. Also, I hope to have procured a car within a few days. Despite my mom's insistence that I will lose my concentration, drift into the right hand lane, and collide head on with a turnip truck, having my own car seems like the best option. Look at it this way, Mom: at least I won't be hitching.

Goodbye, Minnesota!

From the "sweet merciful crap is it ever cold" department: Yesterday the temperature dropped down to -56° F in Embarrass, MN, just 4° shy of the all-time Minnesota record. That's actual air temperature, mind you, not windchill. So in the past week I have gone from KC, which is trapped under a sheet of ice, to Minnesota, which is so damn cold I think one of my nuts re-ascended when I went to take out the garbage.

No more. Tomorrow I escape the frozen tundra of the midwest and head to LA, and then on to Auckland. Friend-of-the-family Joanne, whom I will be staying with for a few days, has informed me that the forecast for my arrival features plenty of sunshine and a balmy high of 26° C (better get used to the metric system). Additionally, the water at the local swimming beach is reportedly warming up nicely. Suh-weet. Or, as the Kiwis say, "sweet as!"

I don't think the reality of all this has quite hit me yet. For the most part, tonight seems like any other Tuesday night. Maybe it's because I really have no idea what to expect from this trip. Who knows what might happen during the next three months?

Well, I will find out soon enough. Catch you all on the flipside! And KEEP IN TOUCH!

Goodbye, Cerner!

Today I say goodbye to my first "real" job after college. They say you always remember your first, right? My 1.5 years with Cerner have had their ups and downs, to be sure, but the one thing that has remained constant has been the great company of the friends and associates I have come to know in KC.

To all the Cernerites who might be reading this, thanks for for everything, and best of luck in 2005!

P.S.: Keep in touch!

Conclusion: The Great No-TV Experiment

With less than a week left in my increasingly-empty apartment in Kansas City, I'm thinking it's time to wrap up The Great No-TV Experiment, gather the data, and report my findings to the scientific community at large.

What have I learned from being TV-less for the past month? Well, first of all, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. When you sell your TV, you quickly come to terms with the fact that, hey, the TV is GONE, and you couldn't watch it even if you wanted to. It would be much worse if I still had a TV and forced myself not to watch it. I guess what I'm saying is that with the actual appliance removed, it's not that hard to accept a TV-less reality.

Second, I realized that I can remain just as connected to the world without TV as I can with it. Let's face it, as a news media vehicle, the TV is damn near worthless these days. I can use the internet to get news on the topics I choose, on my own terms, without all the fatuous filler you usually get from the TV networks. If you watched local Kansas City TV news coverage for a month, you would deduce that Kansas Citians care about only two things: 1) Wasting money, and 2) The terrorist/kid next door/school official/household cleaning product/fashion fad/exotic fish that is trying to poison/kidnap/molest/breathe on/brainwash or otherwise warp YOUR children! Oh, the humanity! Seriously, someone should enact a law preventing cities under a certain population from producing TV news programs. I don't know what the population of Kansas City is, but it would most definitely NOT make the cut-off. Whew. Rant over.

Third and finally, I came to the conclusion that not having a TV would be much more difficult without the internet. Basically, whatever role the TV used to play in my rigorous time-wasting regimen, that role was gracefully assumed by the internet immediately upon the TV's exit. I would go so far as to say that, for me, the internet is an almost completely adequate replacement for TV. I think this says a lot about where TV is heading in the future. Allow me to make a prediction: in 15 years (maybe less), TV and the internet will essentially be the same thing.

All in all, I consider The Great No-TV experiment to be an unqualified success. News of Nobel nominations is forthcoming.