New Zealand memory #4: Blair Lodge

After a three hour bus ride (courtesy of Daryl) from the Auckland International airport, we pulled in to the car park (parking lot) of Blair Lodge for the first time. We were all brimming with excitement and jet lag as we unloaded our over-sized luggage and ran off to claim chalets and roommates. I ended up in #5 with Amanda, Meg, Hannah, Shannon, and Laura and I wouldn't have chosen to have it any other way. There were two bedrooms, a very small kitchen (with an extra bed in it) and a spacious but chilly bathroom. The window in the kitchen was nailed shut, but looked out into a pig pen. I went outside to check out our back door neighbors and found 5 little pigs, three donkeys next door, a few cows, and some horses in the distance. Within a few days, we had them named. The pigs were ginger (1-5) and speckles, and the donkeys were Ted, Badass, and loner. They loved to eat our apple cores and leftovers. (Photo left; from foreground to background; me, Ted, Badass-he has a mohawk, and Loner-he was always distant.)
Our experience at Blair Lodge could be summed up by two words; cold and wet. It rained at least one out of every three days of the two weeks we spent there in Kati Kati, which was counterproductive for laundry. The humidity there was such that it took about three days for an item of clothing to line dry. There was one small dryer there, but it cost four dollars to use and didn't work very well... or at all. I only had four pairs of work socks, so I had to wash them everyday if I expected to have clean dry socks in three days. I had a portable clothes line that I hung in my bunk bed (I had the bottom half, so I strung it from the bottom of Hannah's bed above me.) Before we got to Blair Lodge, we had been warned that there would not be indoor heating. We're talking winter, here in New Zealand. It wasn't like winter in Utah, but winter none the less. We had some cold nights, but nothing a sleeping bag couldn't weather. The worst were the cold, wet, early mornings when I would wake up to take a shower. The windows generally had to be open so the humidity wouldn't build up inside, so it got pretty chilly.
Let me tell you about this bathroom in our chalet. It was not small, and that was about the only thing it had going for it. The shower was a corner of the bathroom, sectioned off by two curtains that met in the middle of the room. Naturally, this meant that water got everywhere no matter how hard you would try to contain it. Furthermore, the window was within the curtains, and things really worked out better for everyone if we kept the windows open. Fortunately, it was the kind that swings open from the bottom, and it was at about head level, so it wasn't so bad. It kept things nice and cold, though. The water pressure of this shower was lack luster at best. One of the hardest sacrifices of my life was here in this shower, where I had to give up heat for pressure. I would let it run cold for just long enough to rinse the shampoo out of my hair, then I would crank the heat and hug up to the dribble. Before we learned that we had to mop up the water after every shower, we discovered the joy of stepping in cold puddles with once-dry socks when we went in mid-day. We had socked feet because we were asked to not wear shoes inside, and sadly, no one had enough pairs of dry socks.
Not only were the chalets chilly, but so was the dining hall in the morning, and at night. It was usually a little warmer in there than in the chalets, despite the zip down plastic walls. There was a fireplace in there, and when Lou was there cooking dinner it was warm with the ovens and stoves going. (Lou cooked delicious dinners for us, she was an amazing chef who made monumental apple crumble!) The dining hall had hot chocolate, tea, instant coffee, instant soups, and hot water for our use. There were also some interesting 3 minute noodles (a little different than Ramen noodles, but mostly the same thing. These had a vegetable sachet!) It had about 8 big wooden picnic-type tables with benches. When we had our meals, they were self-served from a few 8 foot tables, and we separated our garbage into bins labeled: food, non-recyclables, and recycleables (the food scraps went to the pigs.) The TV room was usually alright, there was a space-heater in there that heated the room fairly well. There were some couches and foam pads in there that made the TV room cozy. It was an adventure every time we tried to fit all 40 or so of us in there. The game room was always cold. Those walls must not have been very well insulated. It wasn't very exciting either, a couple matresses and a foosball table or something... There was a trampoline outside of the game room, where I lay the first or second night and gazed at the stars (bundled in my sleeping bag). It was really cool to see a completely different set of constellations than I had ever seen before. It was also a little unnerving to not see any familiar things, the north star, the big or little dipper, seeing the southern cross for the first time, it was all very surreal.
They boys chalet had a problem with the water heater. They had no hot water. There was another shower down by the cow shed where they would go in hopes of a slightly warm shower. The shed was where we kept and cleaned all the work tools we needed for conservation; loppers, rakes, shovels, and spades (not the same thing, it turns out...) There was also a very ecclectic and often mismatched collection of past ISVer's used gloves, wet weather gear, and gumboots. The shed was also where the washing machine was. Two dollars for a load. Well worth it. This washing machine would virtually spin your clothes dry, just hang them for a day or so inside and you were good as.
The view from Blair Lodge was incredible. We had multiple breathtaking sunrises over the Bay of Plenty with Mount Manganui on the horizon (photo right.) There was also a really neat waterfall about 15 minutes away from the lodge, around some pastures and down a winding slope. I visited the waterfall when it had been dry for a couple days and the water wasn't raging, and took a wade across the water (photo left.) Everyone thought I was crazy to get in the cold water, but it was nothing compared to the canal in Logan Canyon.
Things were sometimes pretty boring at Blair Lodge. There wasn't really much TV worth watching, and it was usually cold enough that curling up in bed was the best option. I ended up going to bed around 8 or 9 almost every night. There was a group that would stay up and play cards in the dining hall. I learned that outside of Utah, people play cards as an excuse to drink. Everything was a drinking game, but these people weren't allowed to have alcohol here at the lodge. I remember a time one night after only a couple of days at Blair Lodge, when I felt so alone. I felt like I would never be able to connect with people who had such a different lifestyle from mine. The thought crossed my mind that I wouldn't be able to make any friends, and how would I survive the next four weeks of my life? I didn't want to hate my experience in New Zealand. Soon, I got over it and taught them one of my card games (threes) which turned out to be a hit for the rest of the trip.
I think everyone grew to love and hate Blair Lodge. We had some good times there, but definitely came to appreciate things we have always taken for granted, like warm showers and indoor heating.

New Zealand memory #3: Tim Tam SLAM!

During our time at Blair Lodge, we had three work groups and had group discussions every couple of days after dinner. After our group discussion one evening, our group leader, Kate, pulled out a package of Tim Tams that she had bought for us. What is a Tim Tam, you may ask. In the words of Amanda, "they are made by the hands of God." It is like an extreme wafer cookie with chocolate between the layers, and coated in chocolate. (Word on the street is that Pepperidge Farm is making these now, and selling them at Target stores... keep your eyes peeled.) Anyway, Kate taught us the Tim Tam Slam, which is when you bite out the corners of a Tim Tam and suck hot chocolate through it. After it is soaked, you need to act quickly and eat it before it falls apart!
I gotta get me some Tim Tams...

New Zealand memory #2: Coromandel and Cathedral Cove

So halfway through our conservation project, Daryl, the Kuaka guide over our project had offered to take us on an excursion to Coromandel, a beautiful peninsula on the east side of the North Island. Those of us who decided to go payed him our $95 NZD to pay for the trip (gas was about $4/litre.) We drove for hours up winding mountain roads. Bus-sickness ensued for many. I sat next to Laura from northern California. We stopped for lunch at a surfing city, Whangamatai, where there were plenty of neat tourist shops. I bought some inexpensive Paua shell earrings and some NZ buttons for my bag. I wished we could have spent more time there, but we needed to keep driving to get to Whitianga before nightfall. After another little bit of driving, we came to the Cathedral Cove trailhead. It was a 45 minute hike to the bottom, but worth the hike. (Unfortunately, the entirety of the hillsides along the trail were covered in gorse!) Have you seen the movie Prince Caspian? The scene with the beautiful beach when the kids are entering Narnia, pristene, right? That's Cathedral Cove (photo.) I've been there. It was really amazing, and none of the pictures I took there do it justice. I made the mistake of running into the ocean in my sandals, making them and my feet wet. This was no problem for the time being, I took off my sandals and ran around on the beach. The sand was unlike anything I have ever felt in my life. I pinched some up in my fingers and it felt like brown sugar. I put that pinch of sand in my pocket for Katie Lins (Who, when asked what she wanted as a souvenier replied "I want some sand in a pocket.") I also found a delightful rock for Ted Twinting per his request. We spent some time there taking pictures and running around. After about an hour, we began to peel off and head back to the bus. I tried to put my wet, sandy chacos back on my feet, but ended up walking halfway up the trail barefoot. Worst hike of my life. Soon enough, though, my chacos dried enough for me to dust away the sand and attempt to put them back on my feet. By the time I made it back to the bus I had blisters and sores at every place a strap met my feet. I couldn't wear those shoes again for a week, and sparsely after that.

When we were all on board the bus again, we drove for another hour or so until we reached Whitianga, where we stopped at a grocery store, and then found the backpacker hostel where we would stay the night. This was the first time we had access to the internet ($2 for 20 minutes, not a bad fare.) It was getting late and we were all hungry. After a quick shower for some (and gratefully, a warm one with plenty of water pressure!) packs of people started heading into town to find dinner. I went with my usual group (Amanda, Meg, Hannah, Laura, and Shannon) and a few others. The town center was only a few blocks away, but at 5 o'clock on a winter weeknight, just about everything was closed. Just about the only affordable place that was open was the town bar, where many of the ISV group found their first taste of domestic NZ beer. This was the first time I have been inside a bar in my life! Monumental? perhaps. I was a little nervous at first, but it was not as trying as I had expected it to be. It was difficult at times to be the only Mormon on tour, but the people I was with were really accepting and I was never pressured to drink or do anything that I was uncomfortable with. Here, we found an unbeatable deal; burger, fries, and a handle for only 8 bucks! And no worries, they were happy to switch out my beer for a soda! This was an incredible bargain, as most meals in New Zealand cost $10-$15, and eating out for dinner could be especially pricy. Also, Thursday night was free billiards night, so we got to play a few games on the house. I guess you could say it was a good time. (side note- the ketchup bottles were in the shape of a tomoato, not just at this bar in Whitianga, but in multiple locations throughout NZ! And it isn't called ketchup, it's called tomato sauce.) There's not much for a Mormon girl to do in a bar, especially as the night progressed and people got more alcohol in them. Around 10:30 I went back to the backpacker with Amanda (who avoids drinkng too much because it makes her feel sick.)

Back at the backpacker, Amanda's roommates for that night were still at the bar, and she somehow didn't have a key that fit the lock to her room, and was locked out. We were tired, so I went to bed in my room, a building away from hers (this bedroom was TINY! about 11x7 ft., with two beds and a nightstand, but the bed was soft, the covers were warm, and there was indoor heating) Amanda fell asleep on the couch of her buildings commons area. About an hour later, I hear a pounding and pleading at my bedroom door. "Maren, Maren let me in... Maren... open the door..." It was Amanda... I hit the light and opened the door (the doorknob was about a foot away from my face.) She told me how some creepy drunk man who was staying in her building had been harrassing her, making her feel uncomfortable, and complaining about Americans. She stayed in my room for a while (as my roommate, Hannah, was still at the bar) and we slept until one of her roommates with a key could get home and let her into her room. It was about midnight when she got to her own bed and I fell asleep again. Half an hour or 45 minutes later, Hannah is fumbling at the door, apparently too drunk to operate a simple lock. I opened the door for her and she stumbled into bed. What a night, I thought, as I fell asleep for the fourth time that night.

I wanted to get an early start the next day, becuase we had a lot of things to do, and I wanted to try out some sea-kayaking while I had the chance. A storm was rolling in. There was a chilly sea-mist as I checked out a kayak and trailer from the backpacker and rolled it across the street to the beach. I'd never been kayaking before. I was alone. And it was raining. I knew I had to be careful and not go far, besides that, I was still pretty tired and didn't have much enthusiasm for it except that I wanted to do something new. I got out there and paddled around for a little while. The waves were less vicious as I got away from the ones crashing on the beach. I was only out there for 15 minutes, but it felt like hours. It was pretty fun, but I had my fill and was ready to go back before long. I paddled my way back in and caught a nice sized wave! It was a little scary, a little exhilerating, to ride the crest of a breaking wave... until it broke and flipped my entire kayak upside down. I ate seawater. It was shoved into every hole in my face and it was cold. After I realized I wasn't going to drown, I rushed after the kayak before it floated away. Fortunately, it got pushed into the beach and not pulled out to sea. With a water-logged headache, I loaded the kayak back onto the trailer, pulled it back into the backpacker, and went off to take a shower.

I had realized it when I woke up that morning, but couldn't comprehend why or how. My room reeked. I accredit Hannah and her excessive amount of alcohol consumption the night before. I couldn't take a breath in that tiny room, fortunately, I didn't have much to do to pack my bag. I took my hot shower down the hall, packed the rest of my things, and rid myself of that room. Later that day, we had a chance to make our own bone carvings (photo,) go horseback riding, take a tour via ferry, and do some serious souveneir shopping. Whitianga was a neat place for a day, but that's all it took to see the whole town. Everyone back on the bus and back to Blair Lodge... and cold showers.

New Zealand memory #1: From the Marae to Hamilton

Thus began the adventure tour. We had all been working for two weeks, pulling weeds and planting native species and we were ready to have some fun. Our North Island bus driver, Lou, picked us up from our overnight stay at Tutereianga Marae. We said goodbye to Daryl, Sandra, Ursula, and Kate (our project leaders) one by one on our way to Hamilton, where we picked up the newest, craziest member of our group, Hoover. (Hoover is not her real name. She is called Hoover because she can suck down a pint in three seconds flat without spilling.... so... Hoover like the vacuum.) We stopped at a transit station in Hamilton to pick her up and grab some lunch. We stayed only for a short while in Hamilton but it was a significant stop, as it is where I bought my first giant bag of pineapple lumps at the Warehouse (six dollars), and where Hannah and I bought matching neon blue plastic belts in the mall haha, they were only three dollars and we were both in need of beltage.

We tried to make woven flax belts (and bracelets) on the bus on the long drive from Tauranga/Bay of Plenty to Hamilton. The morning after we stayed the night in the Wharae Nui, we did project evaluations and waited for our new bus to get there. Groups of people went down to see a nearby waka near the water. After everyone had gone, Hannah and I decided we wanted to collect some flax to do some weaving, so we asked Sandra for directions and advice and went on our way. Besides getting lost, asking a Maori man for directions, and hopping fences, we stole the flax (with permission) from near the waka. Hannah claims she is ethnically ambiguous. She says she could be anything from Native American to Hispanic to Maori, apparently. We walked nonchalantly past a kiwi orchard (photo) carrying our freshly cut flax (no worries, we know the proper techniques and culturally accepted ways of cutting flax.) In the orchard was a middle aged woman (non-Maori) who looked at us strangely. Perhaps it was because we were on her land? Maybe it was the flax in our hands. Hannah slyly uttered "Kia Ora," in Maori; "hello." After we were out of earshot I laughed at her and said "Hannah, are you insulting these people by acting like one of them?" She said, "No, If they think I'm Maori, then there's no problem with me stealing this flax." Haha! We laughed our way back to the Marae and the bus was there waiting for us. These flaxen belts we made didn't work very well or last very long, however.

And so we were on our way, making friends with Hoover through pineapple lumps and riding on to Waitomo where we would stay our first night of the adventure tour and say "Haere Ra" (goodbye) to Kate in the morning.

Glossary of New Zealandy terms

Maori Terminology:
Kia Ora- Hello
Haere Ra- Goodbye
Aoteoroa- Land of the Long white cloud (What Maoris call New Zealand)
Hawaiki- The place we were before (The land the Maori came from)
Waka- War ship, like a long canoe. Seven wakas came from Hawaiki, each carrying a different family. Maoris track their lineage by which waka they came from.
Haka- Ancient war dance. Used to intimidate the enemy. Women are not allowed to perform the haka.
Marae- A central hub of Maori culture, meetings and ceremonies take place on the marae. It is on tapu, sacred, land. On the Marae are two buildings, the Wharae Nui (Big House) and Wharae Kai (Food House).
In the Maori language, a "Wh" makes an "F" sound.
Tutereinga- The name of the group that built the Tutereinga Marae. (A tribe-type subdivision)


Kiwi Terminology:
Kiwi- a bird, type of fruit, or person native to New Zealand. Pay attention to context to distinguish.
Pineapple lumps- deliciousness. Chocolate coated pineapple flavored marshmallowy nougat. Can not be explained. Must be tasted.
The Warehouse- Big Box store, the closest thing to a Wal-Mart.
Tramping- Hiking
Jandals- Flip Flops, or sandals
Flax- Extremely hearty, durable plant. Resistant to tearing or breaking. Also a cultural symbol of family.
Gorse- An invasive, introduced plant. It was introduced as a natural fence as it is very hearty, bushy, prickly and impossible to navigate. I spent days removing bushes of full grown gorse, and came to hate it with a burning passion of seven suns.
Pounamu- (poe-nah-moo) New Zealand Greenstone made into a pendant. Can mean many things.

City names and pronunciations:
Auckland- International Airport, where we saw our first sights of NZ in the 5:05 sunrise.
Tauranga- (tour-on-ga) Major city in the Bay of Plenty region.
Kati Kati- (kah-tee-kah-tee) The name of the city where we stayed for two weeks at Blair lodge.
Coromandel Penninsula- Hosts such attractions as Cathedral Cove. We went there as a mini vacation during our two week volunteer project.
Whangamatai- (Fang-a-ma-tie) A surfing city on the Coromadel penninsula.
Whitianga- (Fit-ee-on-ga) The city we stayed in for a night in Coromandel.
Waitomo- (why-toe-moe) home of blackwater rafting and Dan the kiwi cave man.
Rotorua- (row-toe-roo-a) Not to be confused with roto-rooter. Home of Hell's Gate, geothermal hotspot, where the smell of sulpher will stain your clothes for ever. Also home of the Kiwi Experience, and ZORB (giant plastic ball rolling down a hill with you in it.) Called the "Vegas" of New Zealand because it is so culturally rich.
Taihape- (tie-happy) World capital of gumboot throwing. City nearest River Valley Lodge, home of Black Forest Ham, the cat.
Wellington- Capital city of New Zealand. Home of Te Papa museum (translation: Our Place)
Nelson- A popular place for skydiving. Also a great site for sea-kayaking and quad biking.
Franz Joseph- Home of Franz Joseph glacier, and not much else.
Queenstown- Adventure capital of the world! Home of Bungee Jumping and creator A.J. Hackett.