Black Water Rafting

Waitomo, New Zealand

(This whole area is about an hour from where they filmed The Shire in LOTR)

Caught the 730 am bus to Waitomo. The ride was pleasant as it crossed rolling hills of green. The driver was pointing things out via intercom, which I didn’t expect, but welcomed anyways. Once off the bus, I had a 2k hike to my hostel.  This one turned out to be a cabin on the side of a hill with about ten rooms.

Waitomo is famous for its elaborate cave system and Gloworms. There are multiple tours you can take; from a simple boat tour, black water rafting, or to intense 5-7 hour abseiling adventures. Since money does sadly play a factor on my trip, I settled for the black water rafting.

I booked my trip with The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co. After suiting up in wetsuits, then a short drive and a shorter hike, you enter the Ruakuri Cave system. What starts as a tiny creek above ground, becomes a decent river underground. There were amazing cave features and huge cathedrals at times (Also a few tight squeezes). On the ceiling throughout the cave, are the Gloworms. Gloworms are little bio-luminescent larvae that hang little strings from the ceiling. It was like something straight off of Planet Earth. When everyone turns off their head torch, you float down a river 65 meters underground in complete darkness with what looks like stars above you. Took about 3 hours for the whole trip. Absolutely amazing experience, anyone who comes to NZ must do this. Sadly you are not allowed to take pictures.

You come out near a nature trail at the end, and there was a family walking by at that moment with a little kid. I shouted “Oh my god you found us! What day is it?” and he looked shocked and started taking pictures.

Welcome to New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland is a major city located at the top of the North Island. I stayed at the YHA International, just off of Queen Street. There must have been a couple hundred people there, so it was easy to meet people and find things to do. Everyone is more or less the same age, and there are bar tours posted on all the walls; so all you have to do is grab a group and go. It had a huge kitchen and modern facilities, so overall, great stay.

Auckland is a neat city to visit. It has a little 60 story Sky Tower, with scenic views overlooking the city and harbor (which is the tallest structure in NZ). The downtown area was packed one night I was there because the NZ All Blacks were playing on TV. Then, there is One Tree Hill and some other hills that were old volcanoes in the city. They look oddly out of place because you have city, then random green hills with steep slopes.

There’s plenty to do north of the city if you have time; the Black Sand Beaches, Sand Boarding, Hole in the Rock boat tours, and even further up is where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean (apparently you can see a line in the water). I however, was tediously planning my excursion across the country with an agent.

Famous Bondi

Bondi Beach, NSW

The famous Bondi Beach. I’ll admit, it’s a little too touristy, but you have to go anyways.

Great beach just off the Eastern Suburbs from Sydney, it has its own show on TV called Bondi Rescue. The show basically follows the lifeguards’ day to day routine. It’s hilarious because the whole time it shows how tourists can’t swim or read signs. And by tourists, I generally mean people from mainland China. There’s no nice way to put it, they have just no clue.

Not my favorite beach so far, but you have to go at least once. Decent surf conditions, and tons of beautiful girls, overall, can’t complain.

NRL

Shark Park, Cronulla (The Shire)

In other sports news, I also went to my first NRL game. The Cronulla Sharks were hosting the Dragons, in an important match at Shark Park. Shark Park is located in the Shire which, besides the obvious Lord of the Rings reference, is a pretty nice place. Before the match, we stopped at Paul’s Burgers, home to the best burger in Australia. As I deem myself worthy to rate such a burger, I would have to agree, so far… However, Umami Burger still reigns supreme (Los Angeles, CA).

Rugby League is a unique sport as well. As it seems to be with all Australian sports, no pads are required. You get six downs, or tackles as they’re called, to get the ball to the other side for a Try (Score).Of course, being a variation of rugby, there is no forward passing. I watched some great plays by the Sharks as they blew out the Dragon 12 to nil, which now makes the Sharks 4^th in the League. One thing I have noticed, and been agreed with by locals, is that the scrum in NRL is completely pointless. Many, including myself, wonder why it has not been taken out of the rules.

After a wonderful victory, I got to watch all the Dragon fans walk the gauntlet of hardcore Sharks supporters. As we all sang Cronulla’s song, the Dragon fans got pelted with trash and covered in beer. Sounds like most sporting events around the world. However, despite being a home game for Cronulla, the announcers are very keen on supporting both teams, including giving the away team a chance to cheer. I guess it’s a nice gesture or something, but doesn’t it kind of ruin the home field advantage? 

Australian Rules Footbal

Olympic Park, NSW

Went to my first AFL game couple weeks ago. The Sydney Swans were hosting there other half, the Sydney Giants at ANZ stadium, right in Olympic Park. AFL is played on huge ovals with three vertical goals on each end. Could almost be a Quidditch pitch.

It’s a wonderful sport to watch in person. It’s hard to describe what its like compared to other sports. You have to dribble once every 3 yards while running, and if you kick as a pass at least 10-15 yards (not sure) the receiver gets a free pass/shot, called a Mark. And you kick it through the goals for points. I hope I haven’t butchered this description, for it is truly an amazing game. It is very fast paced and very physical. Some of the hits are just insane, and they’re not wearing any pads.

At the end of it all, the Swans demolished the Giants and I was quite impressed with the sport. I wouldn’t mind going to another match before I leave.

Sydney Royal Easter Show!

Olympic Park, NSW


The Sydney Royal Easter Show is one of the biggest events in Australia that Sydney hosts every year. The show is a chance for suburban city folk to appreciate the country lifestyle that many Australians live. Farm animals from all over Australia are brought here to be judged and showed to the public for two weeks over Easter. It's more or less the equivalent of a county fair, but on a grander scale. Over the two solid weeks I worked there, there were more than a million visitors.

I was working for a local cafe that has a contract to operate a huge milk-bar for the Dairy Farmer's of Australia. We served thousands of fresh milkshakes, bottled milk, and of course, the best coffee in the entire show.  The staff I worked with was absolutely amazing and made working there a true pleasure. Despite the long hours everyday, the two weeks seemed to fly by.

On my lunch hours, or after my shift, I would walk around to see what the show had to offer. Rides of every shape and color were brought in from everywhere. Typical bungee, drop zones and even roller coasters were there for adults. While the kids had there own fair/carnival rides in a separate section of the park. There were cattle, sheep, alpacas, goats and horses; all with their own pavilion to stay for the duration of the show. Of course the animal petting was a staple for the little kids and their families. There was even a live working dairy, right behind us making milk. Overall, a wonderful experience.

(There's still so much I have to post from even before the Easter Show, but I've been real busy. As I write this on my first day in New Zealand)