Kaukapakapa, New Zealand - Happy cows come from Kaukapakapa

"He pai rangi tahi"
-Maori for "The beauty of a single day"

OK, I copied that out of a New Zealand tourism brochure. I thought it was more appropriate than

"Hekakano ahau, ruia mai i Rangiatea"
-Maori for "I am a seed, sccattered from Rangiatea"



Greetings from New Zealand. It took an uncomfortable day adjusting from Fiji island life to Auckland city life. I stayed in a hostel in the Parnell district that was originally the embassy for the queen of Tonga. My overall surprise with Auckland, "the city city of sails," is that it feels like a very clean version of home. Borders, Starbucks, McDonald's, and all of the other big chain stores are very present here. I guess this is true for most big cities. I made some friends who had a car and ventured out to the east coast beaches with them. The beaches that line the Tasman Sea are rugged, rocky volcanic beaches with beautiful soft black sand. Very striking.

A few days in Auckland was enough for me so I headed north to Kaukapakapa (yeah, the Maori names can be a bit tough) to wwoof at River Valley farm. Wwoofing (http://www.wwoof.co.nz) is a world-wide program that allows volunteers to stay on organic farms and help out as needed. Its a great way to meet locals, understand the culture, learn about organic farming techniques, and save money as room and board are free in exchange for 4-6 hours of work per day. River Valley farm specializes in Feijoa orcharding, vegetable gardening, and cattle grazing. The feijoa fruit is very similar to a guava (in the states they are called the strawberry guava). I repeatedly forgot their name and called them frijoles. Luckily few New Zealanders speak Spanish and realized that I was talking about the large beans on the trees! When the feijoas are in season they are made into wine and jam and sold at the local farmers market. They aren't in season at the moment, so I did a lot of thistle grubbing in the orchards and cow pastures and helped plant native plants in the wetlands. At River Valley they have cows, chickens, and a bee farm, all of which provide hours of entertainment to a city girl like me. Did you know that putting plastic eggs in a hen house encourages the hens to lay eggs? The owners at the farm were great. They completely open their house to all the wwoofers - free meals, laundry, internet, etc. I also stayed in a private cabin, which is the holy grail of backpacking.

Another wwoofer from Maine was here at the farm with me. He grew up doing crazy things like chopping firewood so I relied a lot on his outdoor expertise. He is traveling around New Zealand for eight months, jumping from farm to farm. One night here he and I walked down the one road to the one bar and were held hostage for four hours by the bartender who was obsessed with American cars, the deep south, and bluegrass and country music. Actually the bartender was extremely nice and even insisted we come have dinner at his house another night. We didn't follow him up on his offer and were a bit apprehensive about going back to the bar - no such thing as a quick drink! He, like most foreigners I've met, wanted to talk extensively about American politics and the upcoming election. I'm really tired about talking about Hillary Clinton.

The farm was an amazing experience. I realized in my normal life I am so disconnected from nature. Working with the animals and the earth I felt a peace that I haven't felt in a really long time.

Oh, for those of you asking about the pics: they are all taken with an Olympus Stylus 790 SW. Its completely submergible to a depth of 3 meters without any special case. Pretty amazing.

Nadi and the Yasawa Islands, Fiji. "I remember a time when I used to wear shoes"

Just got back from the Yasawa Islands, a chain of islands with white sandy beaches and beautiful aquamarine reefs. I had different plans that were a bit more off the beaten path, but they changed due to weather conditions. The lesson learned is that planning is a waste of time and should only be done when absolutely necessary. Also, things always work out. The Yasawas were amazing. At first the weather was bad and I was stir crazy due to the rain and the isolation of the islands. Information was really hard to obtain:

[Woman working on the ferry]: "No boat tomorrow and maybe the next day. There is a cyclone coming."
[Me]: "A cyclone? Where? Where is the cyclone?"
[Woman]: "In the newspaper."

After a few days the weather improved and suddenly the thought of doing anything other than lying around on the beach seemed rediculous. I did manage to do some kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling with friendly reef sharks. I really tried to talk to the locals, not just the other tourists. Waya LaiLai, a beautiful lodge nestled in the hillside of the Waya island, was my favorite place I stayed. The hostel is owned and operated by the local village and they are truely wonderful people.
I passed back through Nadi on my way out to the Yasawas. Not too much to do in Nadi but I did check out some neat things like the Hindu temple pictured. Many Indians came to Fiji as indentured servants to work on the British sugar cane plantations. Most of them stayed, resulting in a current Fijian-Indian population larger than the indigenous Fijians. I don't really understand the current political unrest in Fiji, but a lot of it has to do with issues such as land rights and a racially based constitution. There was a 2006 coup during which the military took over the country and is still in charge. As an outsider things seem pretty stable but the Fiji Times ("the first newspaper printed in the world") is full of articles detailing the police officers that are lacking uniforms, the horrific conditions of the roads, and the fact that teachers might not be paid because the government can't afford it.

I was really sad to leave Fiji. I almost chose to miss my flight but decided to keep moving on. I'll be back someday (soon). I was also sad to part with a lot of new Australian friends but hopefully I'll see them in the next couple months. The biggest difference I've noticed between my backpacking adventures five years ago and now is the amount of electronics everyone carries around with them. Electrical outlets to charge laptops, ipods, cell phones, and digital cameras are in short supply at the hostels. Otherwise, things are good. Trying to adjust from "fiji time" back into city life....

Namatakula, Fiji "You know, a mongoose around is bad for the chooks"

Bula from Fiji, land of cannibals and the famous Mutiny on the Bounty. Actually, its more like the land of Vodafone and blaring pop music. Just finished a three day homestay in Namatakula village on the south side of Viti Levu. I was expecting an authentic Fijian experience, and I got it - circa 2008! My welcoming ceremony into the village took place under florescent lights next to a large shrine to the Virgin
Mary and complete with a cell phone interuption. I earned some respect by drinking lots (LOTS) of kava well past midnight with some of the town elders. Being germaphobic about sharing drinking cups with dozens of people, many of them toothless, made the situation a bit stressful to say the least. However, having no choice makes a decision easy. Ah, peer pressure drinking... The people of the village were some of the nicest and happiest people I have ever met. I felt like I was a member of a 400 person family. They don't have many material possesions except for the occasional cell phone that is nicer than the one I left back at home. This is comical because there is only one small area in the village that gets reception. There is another small area about a quarter of a mile down the main road and after dark you can find a group of teenagers all huddled together, each absorbed in separate conversations. The village does get electricity but it was out a large majority of the time I was there.

Every evening about 40 or so men in the village play a high-spirited game of rugby out in the school field. While admittedly knowing nothing about rugby, it was really impressive to watch. Apparently this tiny village is famous for producing great rugby players, many of whom go on to play for the Fijian national team and even internationally.
My hosts, Simon and Judith, were wonderful and took great care of me. The home-grown and home-cooked food was excellent. One evening we had food wrapped in leaves and cooked in an underground oven, or lovo. The men were in charge of making the lovo, proving that BBQing is a man's job all over the world! Simon's clan owns the land sorrounding the village. The majority of the land in Fiji is owned by Fijian tribes. Even the large hotels lease the land with the conditions that the hotels will employ locals. This works out extremely well for the villagers as a surprising amount end up marring foreigners (Australians mostly) that they meet in the hotels. Judith grew up in a village on the north side of the island. When he was growing up, Simon's mom told him "Marry a girl from the north. Then when there is trouble all of her relatives will not be here."
After I left Namatakula (with a care package of food from the villagers) I went to the capital,Suva. I spent my time there hiking in the Colo-i-Suva national park, being amazed at the construction of the old canoes in the Fiji Museum, and drinking Fiji Bitter under a large painting of Queen Elizabeth II at the Suva Lawn Bowling Club. Things seem to cost almost as much as they do back in the states, which surprises me. (Chai latte = 4.75 FJD = 3.10 USD)
I've finally adjusted to looking the right, actually the left, way when crossing streets and overall am doing well. I'll say it again - Fijians are some of the nicest people I've met. When my plane from home landed in Nadi, the guy next to me glanced out the window and said "I see palm trees. This is a good place." Then he turned away and went back to sleep. I think he summed it up well.