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| New Zealand |
-NORTH ISLAND-
A
Kiwi Adventure
November 29th – December 8th
Luscious green hills topped with an endless bounty
of rich forest and fulfilled dreams of natural conservation. A paradise, a
getaway, another world. It is composed of white fluffy sheep grazing along the
country side and healthy cows digesting dark green grass that spans forever
before them.
Conservation of nature is the goal and leaving no trace is the
method. The people are kind and the government is understanding. They consult
the locals before building on the landscape and provide social health care for
all Kiwis, regardless of class. The tax is high, but the standard and comfort
of living is so much higher.
This is Middle Earth.
I flew to Auckland, New Zealand on November 29, 2014
from Sydney, Australia. It was a muggy day with an illuminating sun of burnt
yellow and orange. While the orange sun contained promising joys, Jetstar’s orange
airline did not. A delayed flight from 4:45 arrival to 5:30 led to a stressful
evening. After finally getting through customs, I met up with my mom (the small
kind Asian women in bright orange and yellow) and my mate Corbin. We walked
over to pick up our car at the airport at 6:05 P.M. only to discover their office
closed at 6:00 P.M. I was mortified. We had no car, no wifi and were stranded
in a beautiful country. Although a bit put off by the stress of my plans
falling through, we thought quickly and became resourceful.
I met my relatives for the first time, and thanks to
their hospitality, stayed with them (Dom, Miriam, Celine, Dave, Jinkee) during
my time in north island.
Although a shaky start, the journey became a ride I
could only have imagined in the depths of my innermost being.
Hobbit
Holes, Rolling Green Hills and Sheep, Oh My
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| A picture of one of the hobbit holes at Hobbiton |
November
30th
A Peaceful Adrenaline Rush.
Oh Jucy. After finally picking up our jucy rental
car we made our way to the Hobbiton
Movie Set located in MataMata. For
all I thought, this was going to be like any other drive, boring freeways and
fast paced folks with little to no scenery in between.
I was beyond wrong (if that’s even possible).
The drive was peaceful and relaxing. We drove with
ease, leaning into the bends of the road, as if we too were part of the endless
green landscape. I wanted to take it all in. To open my eyes wide open and
forever stamp the image of pure beauty in my mind. We took our time, gasped in
awe after every turn and felt awake. Now this, this was living. The cookie cutter
boxed living of suburbia was nowhere to be found. Just me, an abundant amount
of sheep, and an unblemished land was all that there was and would be during
the drive to Hobbiton.
At least, from my perspective.
The tour of Hobbiton was not only scenic but
educational. I learned about Peter Jackson and the immense amount of time he
took in creating the Shire until detailed to his own definition of perfection.
This intricate work (Painting leaves to a desired
shade, taking apart and putting together trees, etc.) done by so many nameless
workers produced a cultural boom that my generation would embrace and connect
on for years and years to come. A cherished series, built up by those who didn’t
want the fame and publicized to attract fans around the world. A living Middle
Earth to those who just believed.
Thanks for the faith New Zealand.
We finished off the tour with a beer at The Green
Dragon Inn and a feeling of satisfaction in experiencing a movie set created in
nature to feature none other than nature itself.
Cutting
Serenity with High
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| Taking in the beauty of North Island right before a zip line |
November
30th
“They won't see us
waving from such great heights, 'come down now,’ they’ll say. But everything looks perfect from far away,
'come down now,' but we'll stay.”
– The Postal Service
After a peaceful tour of Hobbiton I was ready to
feed my adrenaline appetite and feel the rush of uncertainty. Corbin, Mom and I
made our way to the town of Roturua and stumbled upon the Skyline. We ended up
experiencing a Gondola ride, a couple scenic Luge rides down Mt. Ngongotaha, a 383 m zip
line through the redwood forest, and a Quickjump with a 10 m freefall.
While the zipline was peaceful and scenic, the
Quickjump balanced out the day with a high (literally), providing the
opportunity for me to lose control and trust in faith.
I stood at the edge of the wooden ledge, my back to
the drop and my eyes straight ahead. My heart beat to the drum of my nerves as
I grasped the harness secured around my chest and waist. With no hesitation, I
lifted my feet off the hard wood and fell back, freeing myself from the
constructs of my own fear.
A short fall, but a huge leap in facing my fear of
heights.
I was free. I felt time stand still as I stared at
the magnificent trees and clear blue cotton sky waiting for the rope to break
my fall. It broke. And I was lowered down into the dark soil that represented
stability and safety. As I waited for the crew, I drifted into a mellow nonchalance
that could be characterized as peace in testing the ambiguity of ropes and my
own ability to trust in a force beyond the physicality of body and into
creative sphere of mind.
The
Light is in the Tunnel
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| Corbin, Mom and I before entering the Waitomo Caves |
December
1st
Plunge. Shiver. Awake. Alive.
I jumped back into the pitch black darkness in the
cave, clenching the partially inflated grey tube under my legs, hoping it would
break my fall.
Splash.
The icy cold water came up all around me as I looked
up to a well-lit ceiling, reflecting an ecosystem of glowing warms pooping and
feasting on their prey. Gross. But oh was it beautiful. It was a light in a
world of darkness to guide the living to the comfort of day and the dreamers to
their most innermost senses.
The Black Labyrinth Tour, known to some as just “cave
tubing,” is held at the Waitomo glow warm caves in Waitomo, North Island. The
tour includes black water tubing, waterfall leaping, and serene floating down Ruakuri
Cave for a total of three hours.
The water may have been icy but my heart was ablaze
with fire.
I was able to plummet into an abyss of darkness with
no worries or fears of falling into the unknown. I knew I would eventually hit
that sharp chilly water, so why not enjoy the free fall along the way?
The air
cruised over my wet suit and fell flat in my chest as I breathed deeply and
exhaled slowly. I wasn't falling, I was jumping. I chose to reach out and taste
the pure sweetness of adrenaline and test the waters of my own confidence. I
did it. And I wanted to do it again and again and again.
While the jump was a flash of high, the float down
the calm black waters was a period of quiet self-reflection.
The dark cave surrounded me much like the dark
places of the mind. I slowly moved forward, floating easily with little effort,
letting the water and the light from above guide me to its predestination.
Although I fight against the current often to shape
my own destiny, I sometimes forget to sit back and enjoy the journey. While
trying to reach the light (my goals) at the end, I lose track of the most important
aspect of accomplishment. It is the light throughout the tunnel, the learning
experience, the fall.
In that moment, I let my limbs go limp and my body
grow cold as I warmed the passion of my heart with the light hidden within the
dark.
-SOUTH ISLAND-
To
Live
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| Flying over South Island, New Zealand. |
December
2nd - 7th
White powdery clouds of lost souls
Flying
Breaking through only to be swept away
into oblivion of doubt
Flying
Transformation, twisting those clouds
and churning them into an infinitive heaven
Flying
Embracing lost directions and following
the pulse of heart blindly
Flying
Finding satisfaction, peace in drifting
through the qualms and embracing the journey
To fly
Oh to fly
To live
Jagged snow covered mountain tops and
green hills coated the entirety of south island with a youthful essence. We flew
into Queenstown, a small lovely town filled with tourists and unlimited
adventure (if the price is right). It was a beautiful day with slight winds and
chill. In order to drive up to Franz Joseph Glacier (4 ½ drive), we could only
allocate the morning and afternoon to Queenstown. After looking through the
pamphlets on adrenaline pumping activities, I yearned to stay longer. Instead
of wishing, we decided to choose one activity to capture our time in Queenstown
and give us a boost of energy for the long drive.
We decided on the shotover jet, a jet that speeds through canyons on the shotover river . As soon as we arrived via complementary bus, I knew we were in
for a treat. We dressed quickly in life jackets and black waterproof cloaks that
looked as if we were entering a “matrix world.”
Corbin and I jumped in the boat first
and sat in the front with the driver while mom sat behind on the side. As the
boat was filled with excited passengers, Corbin mounted his GoPro to capture
the speedy ride. The driver suddenly hit the gas and we flew… We flew over the
aqua blue water straight from the snowfall of the mountains without losing any
momentum. The boat took us through the cool river, twisting and turning and
hugging the sides. The rocks were close to my right, so close that I could stick
my hand out and graze the side – that is, if I wanted to lose my hand to the
force of speed and hard rocky cliff. The water was fresh and the ride was
exhilarating. The driver “lost control” multiple times by spinning the boat
until we were at the mercy of engine, boat, water and sky. It was fun, it was
exciting – it was an energy booster.
Afterwards, we started on the beautiful
journey to Franz Joseph Glacier. We stayed on a two lane road that weaved in
and out of the mountains with no shortness of breathtaking views.
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| Finding peace in nature |
The journey was scenic but required my
undivided attention as I drove us on the edge of mountains with nothing to
catch our fall. After hours and hours of driving and taking turns, toilet
breaks and look out points, we were ready to arrive at a glacier that could
invoke feelings of closeness to the almighty divine. Instead, we came to a sign
in the road that read “Road Closed.”
I was devastated.
After speaking to a construction worker,
I found out the road would be closed until 10:30 A.M the following morning. At
this point, I could hardly contain my disappointment. I had a sky dive booked
the next morning and no way to get there unless the construction work magically
disappeared.
Fortunately, I called the skydive company and was able to push my dive
to a later time the next day. Our
options were slim; we could stay at the motel or drive further and “camp out”
by the road.
We chose the road.
We drove past the “Road Closed” sign
with a smirk and look of giddy rebellion. 20 minutes later we reached our
stopping point. A metal gate blocked the drive, forcing us to stop and prepare for
the night. We set up camp next to a cool and mellow river that reflected the
billowing mountains overhead. Corbin and I gathered dry drift wood to build a
fire and prove our self-sufficiency from modern day society. A couple of Bear Gryllses, taking advantage of nature’s natural resources. But where… where were
the man-made matches? I guess we weren't as independent as we would like.
None
the less, we were in the making.
The sun drifted away and the night sky
fell before us with a velocity of rapid succession. It was freezing. It was
uncomfortable. Little to no sleep was had. But oh was it beautiful. The stars
shed light on our situation. A dark sky with infinite bullet holes to let an
illuminating love shine through. This was traveling. We do it to lose ourselves
in the culture and nature of a foreign land while finding pieces of ourselves
along the way we didn't even know existed. A peace from within provoked by an intimate experience only with mother earth. That connection, that strong yet
delicate tie that could be broken with a honk of a horn or a negative thought
was the lifeline to my own journey. It was the destination. It was the answer
to my own wonder and incredulous feelings of lack of fulfillment and life
meaning. I was alive.
As fate would have it, the helihike and skydive
were both cancelled due to the cloudy fog and rain fall. We stayed a few nights
in Franz Joseph to try and ride out the storms, but we had no luck. Instead, we
walked as far as we could to the face of the glacier before having to turn back
because of the pouring rain. A serene walk, but no sky dive or hike.
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| The Walk to the Glacier Face |
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| The beach I was sitting at in the small town called Hokitika |
The drive to Christchurch was scenic and
enjoyable. Although a long drive, the mountains encapsulated the beauty. The
water was aqua blue with a freshness that screamed youth and good health. At
Christchurch, we explored the town and attended a cute farmers market that
consisted of food trucks and dancing. The next day we traveled the main part of
the city by trolley which only took about 25 minutes round trip. We got off and
on, making use of the history lessons in between by the conductor throughout
the day. All around, I witnessed the effects of the earthquake from 2011 which
had destroyed the small city.
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| The aftermath of the earthquake on a church |
Although a devastating blow, the community
banded together and turned a tragic disaster into a blessing in disguise.
For the rest of the day we learned about
New Zealand history at the Museum of Christchurch, walked the vibrant botanic
gardens and enjoyed the rest of the night in the community.
We flew back to North Island the next
day and had a lovely evening with the relatives and two of their friends. Good
company, good food, good beer, good wine - and a hell of a good time. Kiwis
know how to host and make you feel right at home.
While the trip was short with plenty
left to see, I felt accomplished in making the most of my time and feeling a
strong connection with the land that had provided. To see pure beauty unaltered,
without the contamination of people and their structures felt heavenly.
Paradise. A paradise for those who seek will find a gem in a world of ruin. It
is called New Zealand. It is an abode of wonder, a journey to travel, a country
to experience – a dwelling to live.
