Back on the Mainland

Our last day on The Barrier could be considered a half day . We weren't due out until mid afternoon but with a couple of hours drive ahead, we pretty much had to leave as soon as we were up and fed.

We had the good fortune of being able to borrow Mum's car to take off island and down from Auckland to Wellington so we had to take the slow ferry back; about a 5 hour ride, leaving out of Port Fitzroy (an area of the island I forever want to call Fort Pitzroy).

After eating, packing the car with our stuff and some basic camping supplies and stopping by the school to say goodbye to Mum we were off towards the next part of our adventure, traversing the Mainland, or at least the North Island which to those on the Barrier is considered the Mainland.

Upon arrival at the Port, we parked up with an hour or so to kill and went in search of a place called The Hub. We'd been recommended by Mum to stop there for a burger and she'd heard that they had the best burgers on the island there.

We found it right by the launch. It was basically just a serve - over counter with a grill and deep fryer inside. The recommendation was a good one, the place did a pretty solid burger for us each with decent chips and a canned drink to boot. I had a very kiwi burger with a bit of egg in it as well as the standard meat patty, lettuce, and a bit of tomato sauce which matched well with the scorching hot day.

Once the boat got in, we waited for the workers to unload whatever supplies and such the ship had brought over from Auckland before they started to load us all on. In true island style, taking the car on board was a very casual experience. We basically just drove it down the road from where it was parked and backed it straight onto the main deck of the boat, left it be and found a seat up the top.

The view as we left the Great Barrier Island remains one of the most spectacular sights I have yet seen in my life. It even tops coming into the Marlborough Sounds on the Cook Strait ferry from Wellington to Picton. Beckett and I were pretty much out on deck looking out at everything until we were well away from the island into the Hauraki Gulf.

Once we were away from the island itself, there wasn't a whole lot to see except a wide expanse of water so Beckett and I settled into a few quick card games before nodding off for an hour or two of sleep.

The only thing of real note to happen during the trip other than the incredible views on the way out was some of the crew fishing off the back of it. They put out a line as the boat was going along and a little while into the trip there was an announcement over the loudspeaker from the captain to go down to the back of the boat and have a look because they'd caught something.

From memory it was a Kahawai that they were pulling in but I could be wrong on that. We watched them reel it in on a hand line and bash it over the head to kill it once it was on deck. It was a good 10 to 15 minutes of entertainment for all of us on board.

As I said before not a lot else of note happened on the ferry. We slept and played cards when we were both awake. After what felt like a long time but in hindsight wasn't a very long time at all we arrived safely at the port of Auckland.

By the time we arrived and disembarked with the car it was dark and neither of us, Beckett less than I for obvious reasons, were hugely confident on the navigational side of things. We were all booked in again at Aida's for the night, which was lovely of her so all we had to do was find out way out of central and into Papapakura.

Eventually by some miracle and my very limited knowledge of Auckland geography we found our way onto the motorway headed south. We got into Papakura somewhere between 8 and 9 PM and were expecting to just crash out after a day of not really doing a whole lot.

Erica had other plans though and we ended up spending the evening going around a bunch of the clubs in central Auckland which was fun even though it was a relatively quiet night.

We had an absolutely stunning time visiting The Barrier and a relatively smooth journey home from an utterly surreal place which I hope I will continue to be able to visit often in years to come.

The next post here will be about the beginning of our journey out of Auckland and down the North Island.

Photo by Tobias Tullius on Unsplash

Hot Springs, Kayaks and Another Irish Pub

Our second day in the Barrier was an action - packed one, as is to be expected when you only have 2 and a half days to see a place.

The first of the interesting things we did involved a long and arduous journey...across the road. The school Mum works at is literally across the road from her house and the piece of land it sits on connects down to the beach.

Mum had to work so we went over to make use of the school kayaks. Before we had much of a chance to get to the shed with the boats in it, we were met by a large group of local school children who were most interested in meeting us foreigners and were particularly intrigued that I was the son of their teacher.

While they were on their morning break, Beckett and I joined them in a game of soccer and some back and forth rugby goal - kicking which was enjoyed by everyone involved. After sufficiently hyping up the kids and sufficiently wearing ourselves out, they were ushered back inside for class and we finally got to taking one of the boats out.

The kayaks available were two person boats, so we each donned a life jacket, grabbed a paddle and launched ourselves into the sea after hobbling down barefoot over many a sharp stone to get there. We were probably only out there for half an hour before we turned around and came back in but I think it was enough to enjoy it without over - tiring ourselves.

It wasn't long after we got the boat back into the lock - up and the salt hosed off of our skin before Mum was done with her working day, so we soon had our local host again with another cool spot to show us.

The next must - see place for us was a natural hot spring off of one of the walking tracks. I can't remember how long the drive was to the start of the track but it was at most 30 - 40 minutes, and the track itself was an easy 20 minute trek to the pools.

We decided beforehand to pack a couple of cold drinks to take with us so when we got there we felt like we were living in absolute luxury. The pools at the time of our visit were about the same temperature as a standard spa pool and in the middle of native bushland are easily the top spot I've ever had the pleasure of hanging out with a cold beer in hand.

Much like spending time in a spa pool, it wasn't long before the heat became too much and we decided we'd had sufficient R & R time in the middle of nature. We packed up our gear, walked the 20 minutes or so back to the car and cruised back to Mum's thinking we'd made a pretty good day of it.

When we got back, Mum had one more plan for us. She took us out for dinner at the Irish pub just up the road from her house. I was slightly dumbfounded that an island so small had its own Irish pub and even more so when I was informed that in another part of the island there's a Thai restaurant as well. Quite the mix for such a small and relatively unpopulated spot.

We arrived at The Currach (name of the pub) and perused the menu for a bit before we decided to just get a sampler platter type thing with a little bit of everything on the menu along with a beer each. It was a neat little spot and the food was okay but I think the company really made the evening. It was the perfect way to cap off a good day, eating a shared meal together in a warm country pub environment.

There was quite a bit packed into our one full day on the island and I feel that we made the most of it. I'll re - cap real quick on some recommended spots when you visit The Barrier and I'll make some recommendations of a couple of places I didn't find room in this blog to write about.

Firstly, make sure you visit Medlands beach, it's an impressive spot and there's some great lookout spots in the surrounding area which you should stop at as you're driving past because they give a spectacular vantage point to look out over the island's coastline.

Definitely make sure you find out about the Hot Springs track and wear a swimsuit so you can have a dip in those, it's one of the coolest experiences I've ever had in my life. If you come in the peak summer season there are heaps of places to hire kayaks, surfboards and whatever gear you might need to make the best use of the island's beaches. I highly recommend kayaking around Tryphena if the opportunity presents itself.

There are a number of great artists of various mediums around the island and a fantastic gallery, so make a point of visiting the various studios around as well as the centralised gallery spaces.

There are also a number of great food places around and I can personally recommend The Burger Shack in Claris, The Hub in Port Fitzroy right next to where the boat comes in (both do spectacular burgers) or The Currach if you're after a nice place to have a beer. The Thai restaurant (which is called Angsana) is also a good spot if you're after ethnic food. They seem to open on a when they feel like it basis, which I guess is the general vibe of the whole island, so make sure you call them before you make the drive over there.

So there you have my top tips on things to do and see on G.B.I. which I think completes the list of nicknames the place goes by.

The next post is going to be about our trip back to Auckland leading into the first leg of our cross-country (or at least cross North Island) car trip back to Wellington.

Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash

Great Barrier Island, The Final Frontier

Early in the morning, when the day was dawning... Beckett and I woke up ever so slightly hungover, groggily got our gear together and shuffled into the back of Aida's(My "other mother's") car to be taken to Auckland airport.

In order to beat commuter traffic into the city and get to the airport on time we had to be on the road by about 5 AM.

We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and after saying our thank-yous and goodbyes to Aida and Erica who'd tagged along for the trip, we had a couple of hours to kill before our Barrier flight. We got a quick Mc-breakfast and checked ourselves in at the miniscule check-in desk for FlyMySky airlines, one of two companies that operates flights on and off Great Barrier Island.

The check-in process essentially involved a quick weighing of our stuff to make sure we were within weight limits and paying some excess fees to get some boxes of grocery supplies across to mum. The stores on the island are limited and charge a lot because of the costs involved in getting shipments across, so mum tends to do big shops off island or have people that are coming to visit bring things over.

After a couple of hours we boarded our flight onto a propeller plane with room for about 12 people per flight in seats that resemble bus benches. The flight took the standard 35 minutes because the weather was awesome, and was an absolutely beautiful journey over the Hauraki Gulf.

Upon arrival on The Barrier, mum picked us up from the airport in Claris (one of the several regions of the island) and drove us over to her house in Tryphena (another region of the island) which took about 40 minutes.

I think the most striking thing about the island when you first visit is the massive expanse of untouched land and the lack of people. There's a lot of bush track and beachland that contributes to the 285 square kilometre land area. The official permanent population is listed at just under 1000 people with a boost in numbers over the summer with tourists and holiday home owners coming over.

On our first day, all we really did was catch up with mum, write up a rough draft for the rest of the trip and make a quick visit to Medlands beach for a walk around. Medlands is a massively renowned surfing beach and a lot of people in the summer come over to ride the awesome waves there. It was nice being able to walk along it and experience it in the off season with not so many people around.

I think Beckett was pretty impressed with the sheer natural beauty of The Barrier and of New Zealand in general, I know I definitely was. Before mum moved over there, I had no idea it even existed. I can safely say it's one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand that I have seen and I've seen most of the country. I highly recommend visiting if you're in New Zealand for any reason at any time. It's well worth working into your trip.

In the next post I'll talk about the rest of our Barrier trip and recommend some of the must-sees and do's of the island because I know you'll be visiting at some point.

St Patrick's Day 2014

Earlier in the year (2014) Beckett, my best friend from Wisconsin, had talked about the possibility of coming out to visit me in New Zealand. I can't imagine what about my country would appeal to a 19 year old Wisconsinite, surely not the R18 drinking age? Definitely not the spectacular scenery and unparalleled beauty of the place. He must just have been missing me a lot.

At any rate, in March he stopped speculating and came over, arriving a couple of days later than originally anticipated on the 17th. That's right, he arrived just in time for St Patrick's Day, the only day of the year where it's socially acceptable to be drunk before lunchtime. He'd been delayed on a couple of flights and had to spend some unexpected time in Australia where he had a small win at a local casino and made fast friends with a few locals in true Beckett style.

I had already drawn up a rough itinerary for us, involving a trip up North to Auckland, over to Great Barrier Island and then back down in mum's car to Wellington sight-seeing along the way but aside from times for needing to be on and off the barrier we had a very loose schedule.

We were booked to fly to Auckland the evening of the 17th so I decided the best thing to do was to drop luggage off at my place and head into town for some quick drinking as soon as Beckett got in. He seemed happy enough with that as the plan and so began our St Patty's Day celebrations.

We hit up a couple of the Irish bars around the Cuba Street area for the traditional dose of Irish stout before it was time to bus home and gear up for Auckland. Beckett decided it was a good idea to match me in pace and number on the drinking front and at this point was keeping up admirably, his college drinking paying dividends.

The plan for the night in Auckland was to stay with family of mine in South Auckland who had generously offered to pick us up from the airport and drive us back there the next morning for our flight over to the Barrier.

Our flight up went smoothly and we were soon greeted by the familiar faces (well familiar to me) of my "other mother" and her youngest daughter who I usually refer to as my sister, who is about 2 years younger than me. Soon after arriving we were roped into her St Patrick's Day plans which involved visiting their local Irish bar and downing even more of the good stuff, an endeavour we were more than happy to involve ourselves with.

Once we were settled in there with Erica (afore-mentioned sister), Emerald (Erica's older sister, also usually referred to as my sister) and some of their friends, we sat drinking Guinness whilst listening to a Celtic band playing in the courtyard and felt just a little bit Irish.

Thankfully we had a designated driver for the night as alcohol was cheap and we managed to score a few free drinks from particularly merry co-patrons. I was definitely feeling it by the end of the night and Beckett kept good pace up until about the last two drinks where he fell behind a little bit so I imagine at the time he was also feeling particularly jolly. He also managed to find himself a female counterpart for our time there so I think he was a little smitten about that as well as our general level of pleasant intoxication.

St Patrick's Day 2014 was really the first time I ever decided to go out and do something for the occasion and that was largely spurred on by playing host to Beckett. It was amazing to have him in the country even if only for a week and in the coming few posts I'll elaborate on the adventure we had whilst he was in town. I don't think we could've packed more into the 9 or so days he was visiting if we'd tried (well maybe if I'd organised some hallucinogenics or something but that's a different train of thought all together).

In the next post I'll talk about our trip to the Barrier, which was my first trip out there to see Mum in her new set-up.

Life Is What Happens To You While You're Busy Making Other Plans

The thing about growing up is that it comes with responsibility. That responsibility often requires a re-alignment of priorities and it is with that in mind that I begin this post.

December feels like an age ago. Most of 2013 seems to have passed me by in a blur of excitement, friendship, heart-break and grand realisations. I guess most years pass by like that though, I'm not yet sure whether that's a mark of youth or if that's life. I'll touch on it again in twenty years time and let you all know. What does stand out about the 2013 that was for me though, is the way in which I chose to spend it and the fact that I was able to choose to spend it. 

2013 was my first full year out of high school. The first year that I was not bound to an educational system and was left to roam freely through the world of adulthood. It was utterly terrifying. In January of 2013 I was not where I wanted to be, I had no idea how to get to where I wanted to be and I was becoming increasingly frustrated with a system that seemed to be geared against anyone without the fortune of a sizeable bank account.

With a few thousand dollars in the bank and an extremely generous offer of help from my father, I decided that my best option was to return to Wisconsin on a visitor visa for 6 months and essentially see what would happen. It was largely an experiment to see whether it was still a place I wanted to be and to enable me to make further plans accordingly. 

Ultimately the experience I had confirmed that the Midwest is my second home and I will always feel that there is a place there for me. It very much confirmed in my mind that New Zealand is a fantastic place to have grown up but that it is a place I feel I must leave. 

In early 2014 I find myself in many of the same predicaments as early 2013 but much better equipped to deal with those predicaments. I also find myself in possession of something integral that I lacked in 2013, a sense of direction as to what I want to do with my life.

I write this post from my bed in Wellington, New Zealand, while sick with a particularly nasty head cold and after a day of battling a migraine. I am extremely grateful to have had this day of rest and the motivation to use some of it to write. This is not where I want to be but it is where I have to be right now in order to end up where I want to be.

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. A few months ago, I had planned to freeze my ass off in a cold Wisconsin winter while attending Madison Media Institute, studying towards an Associate Degree in Video and Motion Graphics. Currently I find myself working as a construction labourer in the city I grew up in, saving towards my dream. I am 20 years old, if there's one thing I do have in abundance, it's time for dream-chasing. 

In the mean time I'll keep my rituals which keep me sane (a few beers in town with friends on thursdays, $2 towards gambling on fridays, sleep half the day away on saturdays), keep doing the things I love (writing, making music, making youtube videos, performing) and keep working towards my dream. There are a lot of things in my life that I can't control but if I keep doing these things, the one thing I can count on is that I'll stay upbeat and that's all that really matters in life anyways, following your heart and keeping a smile on your face.

I'll leave you all with a quote that resonates deeply within me and has for as long as I can remember, "I'm far from what I once was but not yet what I am going to be."

Thanksgiving

I know it's a few days overdue but here's my first ever Thanksgiving post in honour of one the best holidays I've ever heard of.

Brief Politically Incorrect History Lesson: Thanksgiving is a North American tradition which takes place on the 3rd Thursday in November every year (in the US at least) during which time people gather with family to consume copious amounts of food and remind themselves what it is in their lives that they are grateful for. This is supposedly modeled after a meal the first English pilgrims had with the native Americans before murdering them and stealing most of their homeland for their own but we wont go too far into that right now.
End of Lesson.

I spent my Thanksgiving with a group of people I consider to be family and enjoyed a delicious meal consisting mostly of mashed potatoes and turkey on my part while watching the worst Green Bay Packers game I have yet witnessed in my 3 seasons as a fan. It was a wonderful occasion all around.

Now that I have the formalities covered it's time for what I really came here to write about today. So what am I thankful for? I think a better question would be: what am I not thankful for?

I am thankful for all of my friends and family (both blood and honorary). I am thankful for everyone whose life I have made an impact on and for everyone who has ever made an impact on mine. I am thankful for everything that has brought me to where I am today and for everything that is yet to happen to me to carry me through to the next great adventure in my life. I am thankful for my ability to think, write and play music, things which have been critical to my life so far and that I hope will continue to be at the core of my existence. I am thankful for things as they were, things as they are and things as they will be. These are the things that I am thankful for and while thanksgiving reminds me to consciously say thank you for them, these are the things I am grateful for every day. These are the things that pull me out of bed every morning and push me in the direction of my dreams.

I love Thanksgiving because it reminds us of who we really are, the great things we have in our lives, and the great people we are blessed to be able to share in the lives of. The sad side of Thanksgiving is that like every other holiday, its meaning tends to get lost in the acts of overeating and worrying about the Christmas season. While I'm not one to push religion upon anyone I do believe that the greatest good that comes from organised religion is that through prayer it reminds us to say thank you and appreciate what we have.

As we head into December and Christmas approaches I hope that we all remember in all of the hustle and bustle to say thank you for what we have and enjoy the holiday season with our families instead of trampling each other in Black Friday sales or stressing about money issues.

Don't just let Thanksgiving pass you by, make every day thanksgiving and remember the positives in your life. There are many, and they always outweigh the negatives...always!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

On Turning 20

On October 12, 1993, a child was born in the city of Palmerston North, New Zealand. Some 20 years later, that same child sits at a computer keyboard, updating his blog and reflecting upon two decades of life on this crazy planet.

It's hard not to get emotional thinking that my teen years are over and realising that the next 10 years of my life are going to pretty much be whatever I choose to make of them. I'd be lying if I said that there weren't times in my life where I questioned whether I'd even make it this far but here I am, 20 years old, where I want to be, pursuing what I love.

I don't feel much different in any particular respect having hit the end of my 2nd decade of life. Nothing much has changed yet; I still eat breakfast far less often than I probably should, I still put my pants on one leg at a time and I still have a lot of things I'm trying to figure out.

I guess the biggest difference is my outlook on things to come. Everyone has a hard time growing up. It's awkward learning things by trial and error, there are some things we have to experience multiple times to get the lesson out of it and it sucks having to deal with that while going through dramatic physical and emotional developmental changes.

As a no-longer-teen-ager I feel like I am better equipped to deal with the lessons life throws at me. I don't have as much of the blind teen angst any more. I don't have the stress of learning to juggle sports, school and band schedules. I've been through enough interpersonal relationships to have a fair idea of how to treat someone, how I should be treated and what to do when things aren't right.That said, I make no claim to having everything figured out. I just think that I have a much better set of coping strategies for when things do go to shit than I had at 13 or 15 or even 18.

I'm hopeful that my 20s will be my best decade yet and that when I write my "On Turning 30" post in ten years I'll have a much bigger readership and a long list of accomplishments to reflect on. Who knows, by then maybe my children will be reading this, wondering what their crazy father is on about because they'll be too young to have any kind of perspective on any of this stuff yet. I'd be okay with that.

For now, I'm young enough to have my whole life ahead of me and old enough to do something about it. Here's to living outside the comfort zone, taking giant leaps of faith and looking back with a smile. I'm proud of who I am, I'm proud of how I got to being who I am and I wouldn't trade the last 20 years of my life for anything. May the crazy ride continue.

Photo by Will Myers on Unsplash