Entries for April 2006
Buying a Car in NZ, Sat Apr 29
Back to topI found a car! But then the jerks went back on our deal after they found someone else to pay only $150 more. It's an '89 Nissan Bluebird with about 280,000 km. Whew! But a lot of backpacker cars are like that, and I was get for only $500 NZD. That's ridiculous; a working car for under $300 US. The plan was to take it to the mechanic tomorrow to get it checked, then hand over the money. Of course, being an American with a sense of business integrity, I respected our verbal contract. But they, being dirty Belgians, have no such convictions, and betrayed a business agreement that was even honored by a toast and round of beers! I will never trust a European again.
Buying a car to travel NZ in is a very popular transportation option here. A warning: petrol cause are on the rise, and it is getting less economical to drive yourself. (More tips on how to ease fuel costs in a bit.) The problem lies in when and where to purchase a car, what to look for, and how much to pay. I've seen a lot of articles on the web about getting cars in NZ, but I will attempt to lay out what I think is the best way based on my experience and advice from locals and other travellers.
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Hostel life -- watch out for the bananas!, Thu Apr 27
Back to topI've been staying in hostels over here for weeks, but realized I haven't said much of anything about what life is like for backpackers living in them. Yes, living in them. Some stay for weeks while they work and try to find a flat (apartment). Can you imagine sharing a room with 3 other people for weeks on end? You have no privacy to change your clothes, scratch your butt, or even fart without someone else noticing. I never realized how nice it was to rip one without looking over my shoulder to see who might be listening.
But overall its pretty fun. You get to meet travellers from all over the world and hear stories about getting arrested in Cambodia and bargaining with the police over their bribe for NOT throwing you in jail. If you're lucky (or good-looking, not like me), you find someone to travel with for a while. This is not only cheaper, but something about having at least a temporary partner in a foreign land eases the psyche, though I've been largely on my own.
This is definitely a hedonistic, non-productive lifestyle: backpackers who stay for months to work in one place spend every extra cent on travel and alcohol. But I guess you are only young once, right?
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www.christianperez.info, Wed Apr 26
Back to topIn case you didn't catch my bro's comment, you can get this site by using the URL www.christianperez.info. Thanks Tony!
I made it to Christchurch a few days ago. I took the much touted TranzAlpine train that crosses the Southern Alps over Arthur's Pass, but the train was 2 hours late and it was raining and cloudy. So I spent almost $100 and didn't get to see the scenery which is supposedly what makes the trip worthwile.
As soon as I checked in to the hostel, there was this couple there trying to sell their car. They waited for someone else to show up, then showed this '88 4WD wagon (Mitsubishi, I think.) They had to sell it that night, so instead of asking $1500, they got offered $500 from the other guy!! I was going to buy it for $600 NZD (that's less than $400 US), but I couldn't get enough money from the ATM. Otherwise, I would have a perfectly good working wagon I could sleep in.
Wanaka and Franz Josef Glacier, Mon Apr 24
Back to topSo all you people need to invest in CHEESE. Apparently, its a very hot commodity down here in hostels, because to date, I have had almost a kilogram of the stuff stolen out of hostel fridges. The thiefs leave the perfectly good butter, though. And because all you people are so loyally following this blog, now you know the next greatest investment secret in cultured dairy products is CHEESE, but only in New Zealand.
I spent a few nights relaxing in Wanaka after the Kepler track. It's about an hour and a half north of Queenstown. Primarily a ski town, its fairly quiet compared to Queenstown: there were only a few drunken fisticuffs and one cat fight on Saturday night. Pretty good for a bunch of drunk Kiwis, actually.
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Kepler track and a major decision, Wed Apr 19
Back to topI finished the Kepler track yesterday. I did it in about half the average walking time. On the first day, I climbed over 3000 vertical feet in 2 hours! Most people take 4 hours. So yeah, I was booking it. Because I was fast, I spent a lot of time in the huts. Good thing Mom sent playing cards with me; I haven't done much else but learn card games and play them all night long in the huts. This British guy taught us all to play various games, and I tramped quite a bit with this Israeli couple, Issaf and Iviv.
I realized I wish I had a digital camera. I'm just no good at taking pictures, and developing film down here is really expensive. I have also been thinking having Tony down here would have made the trip better. Not only is he a way better photographer, but I could drag him along everywhere I wanted to go and he would be cool with it. Plus girls like him :) And he could split the price of a car...
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Warbirds over Wanaka Airshow, Sat Apr 15
Back to topHappy Easter!
I forgot about Easter until someone on the Caples track reminded me, and I discovered that everyone and their dog travels to the Wanaka/Queenstown area for the biannual airshow at Wanaka. They have old WWII planes like spitfires, hurricanes, mustangs, Me-109s, etc. and some WWI biplanes that sound like flying Harley Davidsons. I also got a good pic of an F-111 doing a dump and burn move. But the spitfire sounds great as it flys by; Wes would be jealous, I think.
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Tramping Adventures, Thu Apr 13
Back to topSo I've made it back yesterday from my 7 day wilderness adventures on the Routeburn and Caples track in Mt. Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks on the South Island of NZ. It costs ALOT to buy and develop film here; I should have bought a digital camera. I still haven't uploaded all of them. And I'm not that good and taking pictures. I wish Tony was here. He's better at that, and would have been a good tramping partner. Tony, you suck for not dropping out of school.
Photos here. Sorry, no time for a fancy preview.
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Bula from Fiji -- Part Two -- Scuba!!, Wed Apr 5
Back to topArrived in Queenstown yesterday and just developed my film 30 minutes ago! Hot off the press, for $10 (ouch)! I don't have nearly enough money for this place. Not just for food, but there are about a hundred different crazy things you can do. Case in point: in 2 hours, I'm going hang gliding!
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Bula from Fiji -- Part One, Tue Apr 4
Back to topI'm now at a hostel in Nadi, racing against the clock to type my entry. I've spent 4 great days in Fiji, but didn't have any access to the internet, so this entry is really about my travels getting here. More tomorrow after I develop my film digitally in NZ.