Mr. Stuck

Well it happened again... I got yet ANOTHER vehicle stuck. Fortunately for me, each time I do I'm lucky enough that its never too bad (i.e. relatively easily unstuck and nothing broken). As you probably read in Ayu's entry, today is quite wet and everything is flooded - so what was a wee babbling brook when we went North became a raging torrent when we came back South. And I couldn't see the road (because it was all covered in about a foot of brown water), and was trying not to get the Beast swept off the one-lane concrete bridge (with a much larger drop off the downstream side - I kept to the upstream side and that's where both wheels went off). On the other side was a green Land Rover Discovery with some very nice elderly people inside who not only didn't mind getting wet (one of the guys went almost completely into the water to get to the tow hook under the front bumper), but also didn't mind pulling us free (with no damage to the Beast!). And then the really nice businessman who found our hubcap and grabbed it without a second thought figuring he might catch up to the vehicle that dropped it. The two of them, and a handful of other people we have met along the way have really made us feel welcome. Ayu and I needed that reminder - and it couldn't have come at a more desperate time for us. I was definitely stressing out when the van went down, the rain wasn't stopping (meaning we could be swept away and all of our stuff!), and we were blocking traffic both ways. She just reacted, and grabbed our passports - and I thank God for her.

I promised pictures but am running out of battery! Anyways, they'll come tomorrow :)

Coromandel Peninsula

WHOA! We had a near miss today. Our last blog entry left us in Auckland on Wednesday night where we met Tim (Hi Tim!) and his parents. The next day we decided to drive to Coromandel Peninsula and camp there for a few days. We stayed overnight at Thames before heading north to Fantail Bay (check out picture below) where we were planning on camping for a few days because there was supposed to be:
1. Good fishing
2. Diving/snorkelling
3. A campsite (which means toilets. This one was supposed to be equipped with a stream a shower as well)


See we found this Road Atlas (from Hema Maps) for 19.99NZD and decided to get it because Kyle likes maps and I liked the fact that it has campsites on its maps. AND it tells us if the roads are sealed or unsealed...which is great because The Beast's suspension isn't the greatest.

So we went...and it really was pretty nice...except it started raining not long after we got there.

And it rained.

And rained.

And rained.

And by the next morning we were both in low spirits from all the rain and wind...so we decided to leave and find some other spot to camp at.

Until we got to a bridge with a stream underneath which had turned into a river and was overflowing onto the road...and The Beast missed the side of the bridge and off its front left wheel went over the edge.

So now we're both sitting there in shock, water flowing all around The Beast, stuck, and possibly the car and engine taking in water as well. We jumped into action. Moved our macs to the upper compartment, took out our passports from the safe (which Kyle built) and decided that one of us had to walk back to the campsite to see if someone could tow us out.

By then a car had appeared on the other side of the bridge...but they couldn't get across obviously because we were in the way. I said a quick prayer and was just about ready to jump out to walk to the campsite when the people from the car got out and Kyle decided to go and see what they had to say. Turns out they had a sling with them and they suggested pulling us out. So I hopped out of The Beast and got into their car....while they hooked the sling up to both vehicles. And *POP* they pulled us out of our predicament...literally.

It was truly amazing! Well firstly because they pulled us out so easily as if we didn't weigh a thing...secondly, because there was an iron rod at the side of the bridge which I'm SURE we must have hit, but somehow or other The Beast came out without a scratch on her. Lastly, well lastly because we were very fortunate, God is amazing...it could've been so much worse. We could've been sitting there for HOURS before someone actually came along...we could've gotten swept away...we could've taken in water...we could've hit something and seriously damaged The Beast beyond repair...

But we didn't. We came away from it with nothing more than our nerves shaken a little bit, and a loose hubcap...

Which came loose about ten minutes after leaving the bridge...and we didn't realise it. But hey whadya know...up comes an Audi behind us....who drives up right next to us (because by then we were driving really slowly and carefully), the driver winds down the window and is dressed smartly in a blue office shirt...hands over our hubcap without so much of a nod...and the both of us are laughing and thanking him before he nods again and drives off.

:o)

And now we're both in much better spirits, just because the whole thing put everything in perspective and showed us that there are nice, helpful people everywhere and that God puts them in the most strategic locations to help other people out and...well...and we've much to be thankful for :o).

It's still raining and we're in the town of Whitianga now in the van happily connected to the internet, listening to news of flood on the radio. Guess it's gonna be a wet, wet weekend!

Hope you guys are having some sunshine!

Return to Cyberspace

I'm psyched! We just won an online auction for a Vodaphone 3G modem that will enable us to access the internet wherever there is cell phone coverage. I know, I know...shouldn't get my hopes up just yet. I've no idea what the network's coverage is like on the South Island (if anyone does, please leave us a message we'd like to know) but hey, one can hope. 

We had a pretty good day yesterday after we left the Waitomo Caves. We headed west to the coast and ended up camping near this bridge which was out of service (ie crooked beyond repair). We fished, or at least, Kyle fished, while I chilled...then I tried casting a few times (neither of us caught anything)...then we went for a walk up the hill and moo-ed at some cows (becoming quite our favourite past-time here in New Zealand). On the way there we came across a runaway cow which refused to let us pass by her. She zig-zagged across the road in front of us, happily jogging at a 5 km/h pace. We had to honk continually to scare her to one side of the road so we could pass by safely. And when I mean safe, I mean us being safe. That cow could've probably walked into us and not get a scratch on herself. She was huge! The Beast on the other hand, would definitely have been the worse one off. 

Today. Today was spent driving up to Auckland. We did stop by at a McD's in the morning though. See I haven't quite been enjoying the food here in New Zealand, and the other day made a comment on having hash browns at McD's. So we've been chasing the breakfast menu ever since and finally got up early enough today to drive into a town with a McD's *sheepish*. 

Then we went to the airport and Kyle and the nice customs dude exchanged some words! Heh, ok I'm kidding. Here's what really happened...

Kyle: Do we have to talk to customs about this GST fee (taxes)?

Mail lady: Er...I'll go get the customs guy for you...

*In walks this rather cool looking dude with long hair

Customs dude: Hello. W'sup?

Kyle: Yeah, this charge? I'm not paying for it.  Is it because it's been insured at such a high price?

Customs dude: Yeah, that's usually what we go by...

Kyle: Well, I'm not paying for it. You're gonna have to send it back.

Customs dude: Aw, that's a shame...what is it? A computer?

Kyle: Yeah, a brand new one too!

Customs dude: Ah, yeah see. It's new...if it were used...

Kyle: Oh wait, it's opened...well used...

Customs dude: Yeah, but it doesn't have like a bunch of million files of your crap on it does it?

Kyle: Er, no...

Customs dude: How much do you wanna pay for it?

Kyle: Er...

Customs dude: What, do I have to turn you over and hold you by your feet and shake you for loose change?

Kyle: 50!

Customs dude: *looking down at paperwork* Looks like your mum sent it. So your mum got it for you...

Kyle: No, I bought it...

Customs dude: No...your MUM got it for you...

Kyle: No, I paid for it!

Customs dude: NO...YOUR MUM GOT IT FOR YOU...there's a gift concession!

Kyle: OH my MOM got it for me then!

Customs dude: OK cool. So how long you gonna be here for?

Kyle: Oh, a month?

Customs dude: You studying here?

Kyle: Yeah. 

Customs dude: What you gonna do with the computer when you leave?

Kyle: Take it with me!

Customs dude: OH...if that's the case...then I'll just write it off...personal item!

Ayu: *smacks forehead* 

So that's how Kyle got his mac. I guess the dude couldn't really tell us the right answers, ya know. We had to know what to say already :o). 

I'd put a picture of our macs up side by side (they look quite cosy next to each other) but yeah, the internet isn't up to speed. Hopefully we get our 3G up and running pretty soon!

Back in the swing of things

Well the adventure is getting better because my computer has arrived!  I bought it online and my mom sent it to me here, and today I picked it up from the New Zealand customs office (where they wanted to charge me $300NZD in taxes because they figured I was going to sell it here or something - but I made it clear that I was "taking it with me" and got it for free).  This means that I'm not going to have to use Ayu's computer all the time (which is especially nice for me because she's pretty touchy about me using it).

Tonight we're going to visit a mutual friend who lives a bit North of the city, and maybe make our way to the South island from there.  Still unsure if we're going to keep the van or sell it, but will keep you updated.  More good news is that our water pump works again!  So we can use our sink!

I was hoping to put pictures up but slow Wi-Fi, the fact that I don't have Mozilla Firefox installed (and the Safari browser that comes with the computer doesn't allow uploading pictures on blogger), and lack of proper time means that its going to have to happen tomorrow or one of the next days.

But the pictures are amazing (Well worth the wait I'd say).  Until next time...

The sun is out!

This will be a quick one from me as I probably only have less than ten minues left on the clock (at a net cafe). We're in Waitomo Caves today...was hoping to do some blackwater rafting or some caving, but so far we've found the cost far beyond our budget and so we had to make do with a 25-minute walk along what used to be an extension of the Ruakuri Cave.

We're in much better spirits today :o)...having gotten quite a few frustrations out of our systems, like getting rid of the TV that came with the van but we had no use for. AND we've stopped using the fridge all together, which means no more worrying about food going bad, and better fuel consumption for The Beast (I refuse to call it The Titanic) :P. Besides, nobody ever said up and moving about an unfamiliar country was going to be easy :o). And yes, I haven't showered in three days but heh, can't say I ain't used to that having worked on rigs in China :o). As long as Kyle doesn't mind the stink, heh, who cares!

But on a more serious note, we are finding it a little disappointing that most of the things we wanted to do here are touristy and costly. So for now, we're heading west to the coast to do a litle fishing. TOODLES!

Things get better for our heroes...

Well today is a new day, and as such we're in a much better mood than yesterday.

I guess I need to tell you all a little about the van. It's a 1989 Mazda L2000. It's a gas engine with a 5-speed manual transmission and like almost all cars in New Zealand (in fact all cars in countries that were colonized by England), the steering wheel is on the right. It doesn't have power anything. This means the windows, door locks, steering, brakes, etc. are all unassisted! The name Titanic came about because when I tried to drive it for the first time I couldn't believe how difficult it was to turn at low speed! But other than that its been very reliable. We had an incident yesterday when we realized our water pump (not the one on the engine thank goodness, but the one that pumps water into the sink in the back) was broken. So hopefully we can get that fixed somewhere. Until then we're just pouring water out of a 10 liter jug that we have for washing dishes and brushing teeth.

Because we bought the van for the 'buy it now' price of $7,000 NZD (about $5,500 USD) included were a 750W generator (which we still haven't run), a porta toilet (which we threw away because it was someone elses toilet and not very hygienic), and a TV (which we sold yesterday at a Pawn Shop for $15NZD (which bought us internet and a bar of chocolate - a pretty good trade considering we would never use it and it was very heavy and took up a lot of space). The van itself has about 270,000 km on the clock (so 180,000 miles), but burns no oil and really runs well. It might have something to do with the fact that New Zealand requires you to get a warrant of fitness for every car over 6 years old every 3 months.

Another funny thing - the car is carburated which means it has a choke lever on the dashboard! Who remembers that? More later...

Reality Sets In... For Now

So up until now our adventures may have more or less been all fun and games. We'll go to New Zealand, tour around, and once we have some idea of where we'd like our lives to go we'll do that.

Unfortunately, our planning didn't exactly meet our high expectations and as such we've been suffering from one frustration after another for the past week.

First was the van. The interesting thing about RV living is that instead of 'freeing' you (like it is supposed to do), it actually ties you down. You find yourself so busy worrying if the water tank is full, if the battery is charged, where you're going to camp at night, if the food in the fridge is becoming spoiled, if the amount of gasoline in the fuel tank can get you to the next place, if you have enough money, and so on and so forth, that you can't even do what you want to do! We've been wanting to go hiking, to do some extreme sports, to go swimming, and be carefree, but instead we've been stressing, and yelling, and sometimes wondering if we were better off never coming here in the first place (this especially goes for the times when there are no showers or toilets availible). We're running low on funds, which means we've been just parking anywhere overnight, but no hook-up sites means no power to charge our camera, laptop, etc.

Next was the website. We wanted to update twice a day. Due to all the tiny little towns we've visited and the cost of an hour of internet ($6 an hour at some places), we've just kept on driving. We finally decided to get 3G (which is internet that uses cell-phone signals), but not only is it expensive but also coverage is spotty. And we haven't been making any money from it like we hoped to because we haven't had any time to work on it! So it's a giant circle of frustration.

This is not to say we haven't had our good times as well. We drove to the northern tip of the north island of New Zealand (Cape Reinga) which was amazing. We camped and drove on the beach with the Beast. We also drove through some really breathtaking countryside filled with cows and sheep (I have pictures but until we get this power situation figured out you'll have to take my word for it).

The idea now is to only tour around for another month or so. We'll see the south island, buy our 3G modem (so we can update the website daily), sell the van (and buy a much cheaper economy car), stay at hostels or wherever, and ultimately have a lot less stress and a lot more fun. It will be more like our trip to Tibet (which was new and exciting, but not full of stress). There will be more soon.