Danger Danger Danger

Aotea Island signs are full of helpful warnings about how to deal with hazardous situations:

Do not put your head underwater in the hot springs. The impulse to do so is strong, definitely, but only in a morbid kind of way. Like when you are driving and you have the notion to put your head in the steering wheel. Why do humans have these thoughts? I don't know.

I hated color-coded fear in America, and I'm sad it has made it to New Zealand. I thought about burning this sign down in a neatly ironic protest.


My favorite danger sign was really just warning me about how much I would enjoy crossing this deep gully on a swing bridge made out of metal and chainlink, Indiana Jones style.



Aotea Island is a dangerous place but, like most danger, only if you bother to read. What, me worry?

Go North

North of Auckland, about four and a half hours by boat, is a fantastic island called Aotea, aka Great Barrier Island. A mere 600 people live in this paradise of rocky mountains, forested valleys, naturals hot springs and cool, wide beaches. I got off the ferry at Tryphena harbor where I got a ride up to where I started hiking. Jill (or Gell) the van driver had lived on the island for 12 years. When I told her how fresh it felt, so free of electric lights or pollution in the air she said "Well, sometimes the dust can be a problem." I found it hard to agree with this being a problem.


Quite a lot to see from the precipices of the coastal track along the east coast. Looking here at Rakitu (Arid) Island from Aotea.


The forest has trees that grow at all levels, and it would seem at different levels of sunlight. This makes it really dense, and muggy when it's wet.


Have you ever camped close to cows? It's scary. Quit lookin' at me, cow.


From the front door (only door, really) of my tent Thursday night.

Finding Aotea - we interrupt this broadcast -

image from stuff.co.nz

So much going on today that it's hard to know where to start. Yesterday, a huge earthquake hit Christchurch. It was a 6.3 which was not as strong as last September's 7.something, but it was much closer to the surface (only 7 km deep compared to 33km). This, and the fact that the city was already weakened, meant that it was much more deadly and costly. Get updates and see pictures in the New Zealand Herald online. And if you feel generous, you can donate by specifying the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal (which the U.S. is supporting with an urban search and rescue team) in addition to scores from other countries.

This disaster is devastating. 80% of New Zealand's second largest city is without water, and a significant portion, at least half, is without power. The city has been closed for what will probably be the week, with schools being turned into emergency shelter and distribution centers. In a show of kiwi spirit, the mayor has arranged for emergency cash distribution since all the ATMs are not working. I find this trusting and rational response very heartening, even though it is being made with a huge amount of grief and sorrow.

I'm safe and everyone I know in Christchurch is safe. I was going to blog about my recent trip to Aotea (Great Barrier) Island, accounting for why I was even further away from Christchurch than I normally am, but I'll save it for the next post.

Piha Gorge-ous

After a night out exploring the cultural delights of Auckland, Coop and I heroically got up early and went with the friendly and intrepid Auckland Hiking group I found through meetup.com. The group headed to the Waitakere Ranges, a large area of native bush just a 45 minute drive west of Auckland.

This was not an ordinary hike. Here's what the "trail" looked like:


A stream hike. Incredible! Usually when I come to a stream, I try to figure out how to avoid getting wet. But on this hike, that was out the window from the beginning. Here I am, in the middle, being ungainly, and Coop getting ready to watch me fall in:

Pretty quickly I decided that I didn't mind going under. In fact, at some points it was necessary to swim short distances


After a long and exhausting but incredible swim-hike, we took a break and went to nearby Piha beach. This beach is fantastic because it is so long and wide open, but surrounded by cliffs. The main beach spreads out around Lion Rock, that large one in the middle.


and to south, a lagoon has been carved out



but it's still connected in places, like this sea tunnel