updates + pics

Apologies for not getting pics and an update out until now. Nonetheless, here's a quick run down on the trip so far.

I flew Alaska Airlines from Seattle to Vancouver, Canada then New Zealand Air from Vancouver to Auckland. My layover in Auckland was supposed to be about 1:15 but the flight out of Seattle was delayed and I ended up with only about 40 mins to clear Canadian transfer customs and catch my plane. I made it. My bag didn't. Nonetheless, New Zealand Air is the best airline I've ever flown. The food was pretty good, the leg room was great and the service was awesome.

My flight arrived in Auckland on Tuesday at 5:30am and my campervan picked me up at the airport. I checked out with them and cruised around the Auckland area until getting my bag Wednesday morning.

Wednesday I headed to Mt. Maunganui to meet up with a guy my Dad worked with at Weyerhauser, Tony, and his wife Robin. Tony's been surfing and wind-surfing NZ for 30+ years. They put me up for the night and showed me around Maunganui. Thursday afternoon I headed north and stayed in Whangamata. Friday I crossed the island and got to Raglan, a place I'd heard nothing but awesome reviews of. So that's where I'm at now. Raglan, NZ and ready for my first surf of the whole trip.

I've found a new favorite fruit. They're called feijoa. They grow here in NZ but also in Central & South America. I can't say I've ever seen them in the U.S., apparently they don't have much of a shelf life and don't travel well but they're amazing. If you ever get a chance to try one, do it.

So far in NZ it's been difficult to find and meet younger people but Raglan seems to be different. Some of you might not like the idea of this, but I picked up a hitch-hiker in Raglan today. Israel from Brazil. He was just looking for a ride to the beach down the street and had all his gear with him so I figured he couldn't do much harm. He's here working and surfing until his visa clears for him to go to Australia. Nice kid, I met up with him  and some of his friends later for a drink.

Here are some pics from the trip so far:

my plane to Vancouver - that has to be a good sign

wandering around Auckland waiting for my luggage, I went up One Tree Hill

everything I had that made it to Auckland with me on time.

sunrise of day 2 - Takapuna

home for the next two months. any suggestions for a name?

beach walk in Takapuna - reminded me of California beaches

sunrise of day 3 - Mt. Maunganui

just after sunrise on top of Mt. Maunganui

Tony & Robin

Tony & Robin's home in Mt. Maunganui

i drove through avocado country. you can get a bag of fresh picked avocados for $2 NZ on the side of road, honesty policy. I've been eating them like oranges, straight off the peel, since I drove through.

typical breakfast - oatmeal, pb&j, tea and fresh fruit

surf gear for the trip

hiking Karagahake Gorge

swimming hole at the end of the hike

That's all for now. I'm probably going to spend the next couple days in Raglan surfing, spending time with some of the people I've met recently and finally settling into this country/culture/trip.