Feb. 28 -- New Plymouth

Feb. 28, 2009
New Plymouth, Lurk-Central

Deja-vu: another big-ass storm and I'm grounded in New Plymouth.


Back in 2001, I worked with Michael Zanger of Shasta Mountain Guides on a new map for Mt. Shasta. I remember him telling me that the town of Mt. Shasta was chock-full of all sorts of wierd drifters and freaks; something about Mt. Shasta draws them like a magnet. Similarly, I think the Taranaki Volcano draws all the NZ screwballs to this town. A guy with blue-white skin the color of a corpse. hitchhikers that yell at you if you don't pick them up. Odd, criminal-looking crinkled ancient hippies lurking in moving vans doing something illicit. New Plymouth makes Berkeley in the 70s look like Dayton in the 50s.

I was bummed to see that the town also seems to have a solid meth scene, which is too bad. I was so happy not see that disgusting shit down here, but it looks like the disease has arrived here to.


What's so funny, tho, is that the rest of NZ society is here, too. High school kids and frosted hair and cheerful clerks that say, "all the best!" to you after you buy a Diet Coke at the service station.


The per capita count of white dudes with dreadlocks is off the spectrum -- tho that's true for all of NZ. Dreadlocks are still cool here. (I mean shit, the station ID tune on NZ National Radio is a wicked Augustus Pablo dub song!)

This country is so small: I was reading the NZ Surfer Magazine, and they had a spread on this Maori dude from Mahia/Gizzy. I was like, "holy shit! That dude and his friend JP helped me jump Rose on Waitingi Day!" As I read through, I actually recognized several dudes, primarily from the surf shops.

Occasionally, a kiwi will try and look tough. Sometimes a surfer, or some high school hip-hopper. But they're not very good at it. All it takes is a friendly comment, and the kiwi comes out. Even recent immigrants from China are friendly (unlike in SF). I go into their stores to buy Sriracha chili sauce and tea-lights, and they are really sweet. I guess its contagious.

Feb. 26 -- WHAT?!

Feb. 26, 2009
Now I *really* must be dreaming -- Opunake


After my seditionary comments in this morning's post, the biggest event of the year rolled into Opunake: "Americarna." 800 old school cars and more flags than the 4th of July. Kind of like Western Weekend in Point Reyes Station. ON ACID.

I was just hanging at the surf shop, and this..."event" arrived. I was transfixed by the sheer enormity of it all, alternately impressed and horrified. .... It was one of the more surreal and confusing hours of my life.

I'm heading for the volcano now, lest all these fucking freaks discover that I am, in fact, [shhh}....an American.

!Adios, amigos!

Feb. 26, -- Opunake'n

Feb. 26, 2009
Opunake'n

Oh shit -- it's Fall! It was cheekin' this a.m. My bio-rhythyms are completely thrown off by coming to the So. Hemisphere for winter...it's like the feeling of staying up all night, sleeping all day, and waking at sunset.

I woke last night to the most insane starry sky, and remember thinking to myself: there isn't a hotel in the world with a view this good. I also had a strange dream involving a dog poo'ing on my personal airplane; when I woke, I found myself suddenly downwind of some kind of methane-smelling agricultural operation.


By all reports, things aren't so good on the home front. While I've indulged in escapism here -- a great place to be, if you can get there -- I have been aware of what is going on. It is pretty clear that things aren't going to go back to "normal" for some time. When the world economy shrinks by half in less than 6 months, you can bet that investors are going to be more cautious for the foreseeable future.

When the Beach Boys song "California Girls" came on my Shuffle this morning, the beginning with the merry-go-round organ and the trumpets almost brought a tear to my eye. We were all raised on the California Dream. Being here is like going back in time; I can imagine that California was alot like NZ before WWII. A surplus of beauty, good vibes and elbow room. Utopic.

I need to find me a nice Kiwi girl and get hitched. I've been trying to work the local ladies, but not very well. My pickup line has been, "I would like to send you a tixt."

"A tixt?"

"Yis. A tixt missige."

then they just start laughing. {sigh}

Feb. 24, Cape Turnagain

Feb. 23, 2009
Cape Turnagain

Those lads who wrote the NZ Surf Guide are not fools. Surfers are eminently protective of their breaks; this is why throughout the Guide they'll list "Spot X: Ask a Friendly Local". I've been using the Surf Guide and the Lonely Planet guidebook exclusively on this trip (I have the Rough Guide, but haven't opened it.)

There are 2 ways to use Lonely Planet: follow its directions to the backpacker "highway" (it's a lot more than a "trail" in super-touristy NZ), OR...use it in the inverse, ie, go anywhere BUT where the LP Guide recommends. This way you miss 90% of the crowds.

So, when I saw Cape Turnagain in the atlas -- a beautiful SE-facing bay that juts out enough to catch alot of swell -- I noticed that it (and 2 points south) were oddly left out of the guidebook....but in such a way that if you didn't look at a map, you'd assume the coverage of this area was continuous.

SNEAKY. this place has Real Waves. Serious waves. As hollow as Wainui, but faster. These are expert-level waves (not in terms of danger, but in terms of being able to tube-ride). I really wish I had a proper thruster.

Did I mention the exceptional, world-class beauty of this beach? Cape Turnagain has a dominating c.3,000 ft. mesa that recalls the mesa at Pta. San Carlos in Baja. tends to funnel winds sideshore. To the south there are huge sand hills and cliffs. The sand on this beach is this

soft, golden stuff. And there's a nice grassy flat with camping right above the break.
If you love wilderness beaches, NZ is the place for you.

Feb. 22 -- Wanganui

As you can see, I wasn't the only one cringing during Cyclone Innis!

The sun is back out! Return of the salad days!

Feb. 20 -- Cyclone Innis!

Feb. 20, 2009
Cyclone Innis wrecks shop

[fyi: "cyclone" technically means any pressure cell, but in the East Pacific its what they call the equivalent of a hurricane.]

Well, what started as a drizzle last night around 11 turned into a pneumatic-jet car wash for the Rose Coach overnight! The rain is coming down in sheets; kind of the same way a truck throws a big fan of spray going past on a highway at high speed.

Rose was filthy behind the ears and needed the wash. Two days ago, I discovered a massing of mud and sticks inside of the rear-right rear wheel that l initially thought was a bird's nest! (Not possible, of course, but it was a grapefruit size mound of earthy stuff.)


As for the cyclone/hurricane: I'm like a deer in the headlights here. You literally cannot go outside for 5 seconds without getting soaked to the bone. Uh, how long is this going to last, anyway?

You don't have to be a meteorologist to figure out that all the roads out of here are going to be flooded. Looks like I'm here for a bit...hunkered down at the internet station at the McCafe at McDonalds.


I can't believe I was trunking it in glassy waves 16 hours ago. What happened to the salad days? and where have all the flowers gone?

Traveling teaches you patience. time to repair some gear, send some emails, maybe even start thinking about what I'm going to do When The Trip Ends. {shudder}

Feb. 19 -- Cyclone!

Cyclone Irene.............shit!

you know what's crazy? I've been so offline that I didn't know about it until today. I have been listening to What is What by Dave Eggers in the car, so I haven't heard the radio news....(btw, THANKS for the CD-on-tape, Mom!).


I may be holed up in a motel for a day or two here. Camping in flooding and high winds doesn't sound like too much fun!