Tairua

Of course I had to take advantage of the glorious summer weather and walk around the bay to to “Paku” the small volcano. A combination of road and trail got me most of the way to the top where I hit a dead end amidst a small enclave of vacation cottages. I asked an older couple how I might find my way to the top. I guess my mistake is a common one because they had on hand a stack of small hand drawn maps.

New Zealanders are commonly referred to as “Kiwis” and the “Kiwis” are as friendly as I remember they were 26 years ago. The stop for directions turned in to a very pleasant half hour visit. The older gentleman is a retired Air New Zealand employee who wore many hats for the company. Air New Zealand ranks number two behind Quantas for air safety and he use to work in the safety division. We talked about commercial air travel and New Zealand in general. He says a lot of maintenance now is contracted out of China which he finds concerning. He also has reservations with the Boeing 787. He questions the integrity of the carbon wings and says they never figured out why the Lithium batteries can catch on fire. They remedied the battery issue by building a vented containment box around the batteries should they explode in mid-flight. Vented is important because if the fumes were to enter the cabin everyone would die. I told him I always choose a 777 for long haul flights when possible. He seemed to agree that’s probably the safest of the bunch. The wings won’t break, batteries won’t explode, and it does exactly what the pilot wants it to.

After a nice visit I found my way to the top of “Paku” for a fabulous 360 view where I sat awhile. I later picked up some lunch back in town and took a short nap at the hostel. By evening it was a full house.

Just about everyone I’ve met traveling is from Europe, mostly Germany. The majority of travelers are in their 20’s with early 30’s being about the top in age. There are a few of us older travelers. The good thing is that most everybody is here for the natural beauty, outdoor activities, or, what I would call the right reasons. It’s not uncommon for many to be on a multi month tour. With that in mind there’s a general “on the same page” sort of vibe that makes staying at a hostel desirable.

Last night I browsed the dated VHS video collection in the common room to find the movie “K-Pak” with Kevin Spacey. I had never seen the movie in its entirety so I sat down with a German guy around my age and we watched it. Without going into detail I’ll just say it’s very well done. It will make you question whose crazy or not in the world we live.

Today, Sunday, the morning started with heavy rain but clearing followed soon thereafter. I went for a run, paddled around the bay in a Kayak, and swam.

I firmed up plans to woof for a few days and see how that goes. Woofing is very popular in New Zealand. It’s a program where you volunteer anywhere from 3 to 5 hours work in exchange for room and board. Most woofing is work around a farm but small business related to the tourist industry also offer opportunities. The way it works is that you register with a site that allows you to browse listings. Expectation and accommodation is described in each listing along with photos. Hosts and woofers leave reviews. The situation I’ll be stepping into is for 3 to 4 days with a possibility of staying longer. It’s on a bush property with gardens etc. I think it will be a good test to see if it’s something I may or may not want to do more of. Work is done in the morning with the rest of the day left free to do as I please and I won’t have to pay for food or accommodation. Most of all it’s a great way to get dialed in with the local people and local flavor.

Well, It looks like its going to be a beautiful evening so I might take a short bike ride to ocean beach to have a look. Tomorrow I'll meet my woofing hosts.

At The Cathedral

Hahei beach is a lovely place for a day or with a family. I spent one night at the hostel which was ok I suppose. My roommates were fine but the room was a bit warm and stuffy where my top bunk was situated. I wasn’t very comfortable and came down with a fairly intense bout of vertigo in the middle of the night. I got up exhausted but started to feel better once I got moving around. I decided Hahei would be a one night stop but I’d walk to Cathedral Cove before moving on. I packed my pack and left it with reception.

Cathedral Cove is one of the main attractions along the Coramandel Peninsula. From Hahei it’s about a 15 to 20 min walk to the trailhead car park then it takes 30 to 45 min by foot to reach a cove with white a sand beach backed up to cliff and forest. The Cathedral is a tunnel that connects two beaches during low tide. I was told that the Cove tended to be crowded during the day, especially during low tide, however, I’m finding that New Zealand summer crowds are not like summer crowds in Europe or America. A pleasant walk above the coast led to the cove with a fair number of people but I wouldn’t say crowded.

When I arrived at the beach there were people scattered about and few swimming in rough surf. The tide was still up but it was pretty easy to access the Cathedral between wave sets. The other side of the cave was not accessible yet. Inside the Cathedral there were a few people and I took a couple of photos. Shortly thereafter I had it to myself. I leaned against the cave wall while watching and listening to waves crashing on both sides. I guess I had it to myself for ten minutes or so before anyone else walked in. For a moment I felt a little bit of travel magic that I really haven’t been feeling on this trip. Vertigo has had me second guessing myself.

I’ve been a little on edge as far as deciding what I think I should or shouldn’t be doing. Should I do a big hike or just take it easy? Should I eat that lamb and mint burger and wash it down with a couple of beers? Or, should I have a pot of rice and veggies with no salt back the hostel? Coffee seems a little risky so none of that. When I travel I usually don’t worry about such things. Local food and drink are always a nice part of any trip. Eating carefully and healthy while avoiding coffee and alcohol is a good thing regardless. If I throw caution to the wind, eat and drink whatever, I may or may not get away with it.

Perhaps I’m in a bit in denial but I’m not really sure if being strict about my diet makes much difference at all, however, research says it can. As is I'm typically a pretty healthy eater and not excessive with coffee or alcohol. There has to be a root cause for what’s triggering the vertigo but it’s very difficult to know precisely what it is. For now it’s a new norm that I manage. I suppose at some point I’ll jump on the bandwagon of alternative therapies and see if anything helps. New Zealand is a pretty darned healthy place and there are plenty of alternative practitioners. Maybe I’ll try something along the way.

Anyway, For a moment in the Cathedral I felt like myself. There was also a moment in Auckland when I was walking around the park behind the hostel looking at big trees that I felt like my old self. Other than that I can’t really say I’ve found my stride but I’m in an awfully beautiful place to try and sort it out.

I’ve only been in New Zealand for a week and like I always say it takes two weeks to transition from one routine to another. Factor the jet lag, traveling on the road, different food, sleeping in hostels, camping in a tent, etc. takes time to get use to again. We’ll see where I’m at in a couple of weeks. I suspect I’ll be feeling better. If not, I’ll have to reassess what I’m doing.

Yesterday, Friday, after visiting Cathedral cove I traveled a short distance via shuttle and hitch hiking to Tairua. I checked into a Backpackers hostel located on a tidal bay with a nearby ocean beach. I’m in a 6 bed shared room with a large window overlooking the bay. A small volcano decorates the background like a restaurant mural. The volcano is covered with forest and holiday homes with a pointy summit. There’s footpath to the top.

Backpacker hostels are a great value in an otherwise expensive country. The place I’m staying at, aside of being in a beautiful location has bikes and kayaks to use for free. With the small discount I get from a Backpackers discount card it’s only costing me around $17 USD a night. Like all hostels there’s a community kitchen and common area. As usual I find it costs me about the same and often times less to travel and live abroad than simply exist at home. Throw in camping and the cost goes down. I’ll generally camp at hostels when possible for a little extra privacy.

I’ll stay a total of three nights in Tairua taking it easy.

Miss Foxy

She stands about five feet tall and hasn’t aged well. Her face has a compressed contour that sags with deep lines drawn gaunt. Her upper teeth are missing and what’s left of her bottom teeth are hard to look at. When she talks they are on full display. She sports a sun dress on a thin frame and walks with bare feet splayed out. The red and white flower patterned dress does little to compliment the fact that she appears to be 20 years older than she is. Her voice is low and interrupted on occasion by a deep old smokers cough. I don’t think she’s ever used sunscreen. I ask her where she’s from and she replies, “Canada”, with a thick English accent. I wasn’t much interested in talking to her but for a moment I thought she might be following me as I first met her at the backpackers in Auckland when she was having a fit looking for coffee in the common kitchen. She much appreciated the small packet of instant I found in the free food box. I’ll call her Miss Foxy.

Well, I left Auckland on Tuesday and took a ferry to Coramandel Town. On Wednesday, as everyday, my right ear was giving me fits and I decided to throw caution to the wind. I got a lamb and mint burger at a takeaway food joint and wandered into a pub with a good jukebox playing country music. Ironically most of the music was by Texas artist. I was browsing the internet and sipping a beer when Miss Foxy appeared out of nowhere with a glass of wine in her hand. She had taken the Wednesday ferry. She gave me a half smile and we had a short chat. I’m not sure what Miss Foxy’s full story is but I get the impression she’s been all over the place. I did notice in Auckland a German woman talking with her for quite some time. I noticed her saying Vanuatu is a really interesting. Miss Foxy could be very easily be mistaken for a vagrant but she was staying at the only hotel in Coramandel with a swimming pool. I meet all kind of characters traveling and many, given the time to talk, can tell quite a story but I have a hard time holding a conversation with someone who has really bad teeth. I get the Impression Miss Foxy has traveled the world and then some.

I spent 2 nights camping at a rural backpackers just outside of Coramandel proper. On Tuesday I did a nice walk and hike right out of town. On Wednesday, before running into Miss Foxy, I visited the home of a recently deceased eccentric potter who built a small narrow gauge railway up a mountain to get clay. Well, He kind of got OCD with that project and kept laying rail up the mountain for 30 years or so. It’s quite impressive with switchbacks, trestle’s and bridges running through sub-tropical forest. The highlight is the end of the line when you reach “Eyeful Tower”. It’s a bit of tourist trap now but one I recommend.

After a couple of nights at Coramandel Town I hopped a bus for a short hour long ride to Whitianga. From there I took a short ferry to a road leading to the beach town of Hahei where I hitched a couple of short rides.

In Hahei I had the choice of a “Backpackers” hostel or a campground. I chose the hostel as it was just a couple of more dollars than the overpriced campground. With 6 beds to a room you never really know how it’s going to go with roommates but the place is really nice. So, I booked one night and told the owner I’d have a look around and let him know if I wanted to stay longer. The beach is nice, the area is nice and all of the girls at the hostel are really cute, however, I’m certainly old enough to be their father. The only age appropriate women on premises is a nice French lady working at the hostel who is traveling the country for 8 to 12 months. New Zealand is a great place to just roam with no worries. It’s known to be very safe with low crime so a lot of European women travel the country solo without a problem.

After a couple of hours of walking around Hahei I informed the manager that I wanted to stay 2 more nights but I missed my chance. They booked up while I was out. I suppose I’ll stay in the campground tomorrow as there’s a hike I want to do in the morning.

As far as my ear goes it’s doing pretty bad and has definitely put a damper on things. The night before last I had vertigo. Last night, after eating poorly and drinking a couple of beers, I had no vertigo. Mostly my hearing is going to crap on my right while the left ear is a saving grace. I’m not allowing it to bother me too much. I hope that it magically gets better like it has in the past. There's not much I can do about it regardless of where I'm at. I figure can either be bothered by it at home or in New Zealand. Cest La Vie......

Auckland & Rangitoto

Auckland is a very nice city and the summer weather has been absolutely perfect since I arrived. The one noticeable difference is the intensity of the sun at this southern latitude. I’ve been told that the ozone is thinner in the part of the world so more care needs to be given to protect oneself.

Auckland is a hilly city set along a waterfront with a cluster of high rise buildings packed around the imposing Sky Tower. Just beyond the downtown there are some nice older neighborhoods with Victorian and Edwardian wood constructed homes. Parks find their way in hidden urban valleys or atop and around hills. Outside of city center plenty of green fills the in between with a nice variety of trees and gardens.

Yesterday, Sunday, I took a short ferry ride to the island of Rangitoto. It’s an old volcano that is now a nature reserve. It’s an easy hike of an hour or less to the summit for a nice 360 degree view. From the top there are a couple of options for making a loop. The largely forested island is interrupted with pockets and fields of lava flows. The island is home to the largest Pohutukawa forest. No one lives on the reserve but there are a few old holiday cabins dating back to the early 1900’s. In New Zealand they are called a “Bach” pronounced “Batch”.

Rangitoto is a very popular day trip from Auckland for hikers. I walked a loop up and over the top that led to shoreline and stopped for a break at a nice little beach. On the way along the shore I met a Korean woman who is living in Auckland for three months taking English courses. I wound up walking with her for awhile as we talked.

Auckland is a very international city. It’s a melting pot with lots of people from Asia and India. I remember it being this way when I first visited the country in 1989. Outside of Auckland I don’t recall New Zealand being very international aside of the travelers. However, maybe that's changed. I'll see. Speaking of travelers, I’d say most I’ve met so far are German. In the three days I’ve been at the place I’m staying it seems like most everyone has been from Germany while the others have been from France. Most are in their 20’s. There was a nice older French couple staying in the room across from me but their English wasn’t that great and my French is terrible. I’ve had to remind myself a couple of times that I'm in an English speaking country.

I’ll spend one more night in Auckland and will move on tomorrow. I plan to take a boat to the Coromandel Peninsula. I’m still a bit jet lagged and my sleep hasn’t been that great. I’ve also had some vertigo the last two nights that woke me from my sleep. I guess if I am going to have vertigo, the middle of the night while lying in bed is about as convenient as it can be. I've been able to go about the day normally. I’m still adjusting to the time change and all and expect things to even out over the next few days. In the meantime I'll continue to enjoy the perfect summer weather.

Hello From Auckland, New Zealand

To be honest I was a little anxious about the 15 hour flight but figured I’d be ok nonetheless. 2015 was not a bad year but it had been kind of difficult. The highlight had been my trip to the England to finish the Southwest Coast Path followed by a couple of weeks in the Greek Islands. Aside of the trip to Europe I worked hard and at times probably pushed a little too much. As I boarded the plane I certainly felt as though it was time to get away again and figured I’d be fine once I got going.

It wasn’t that I was anxious about being on a plane for 15 hours. I’d done that before and really it doesn’t bother me. It was that over the past week my right ear started flaring up again. I’ve had problems with my ear for years but aside of varying tinnitus the issues have been very manageable and more of a periodic annoyance than anything. Well, in the spring of 2015 things took a turn for the worse.

Fullness in the ear, increased hearing loss, and worst of all vertigo had me not feeling like myself for much of 2015. The spring was quite bad. The flare up of symptoms lasted for a couple of months. I debated going on the planned summer trip to Europe but was feeling better at the time and went. Fortunately I continued to feel better while traveling and more or less returned to a relative norm. I was doing quite fine until November when everything began acting up again. By this January I was improving only to have things start to revert a little over a week ago. So it goes, the unpredictability of Meniere’s disease.

That’s the diagnosis as of now. Over the past few years a couple of doctors suspected that might be the issue but now my symptoms all add up to a text book description. Hearing tests, blood work, MRI etc. all appear to confirm. Meniere’s is more or less a catch all for a combination of symptoms. The specific cause is not really known but doctors have their suspicions. It more or less has to do with how the inner ear regulates fluid. Usually only one ear is affected so my left ear is fine. The Upside is that it’s not life threatening or anything like that. It’s more or less just something you have to manage. The downside is variable hearing loss that gradually becomes permanent to some degree with a possibility of going deaf in one ear.

There is no cure but different drugs can be prescribed to control symptoms. In extreme cases surgery may be involved. A lot of people manage it quite well through stress management, lifestyle changes and diet. The things doctors recommend to avoid the most are alcohol, caffeine, excess salt, and stress. It’s easy to cut out alcohol and caffeine but salt is in everything and stress can be a riddle. So far I have not tried any of the drugs due to a number of reasons.

The variable hearing loss and tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears) is something I can deal with pretty well but the vertigo is what really throws me off. Out of nowhere I’ll start to feel like the world is spinning. All I can do at that point is stop immediately whatever I am doing and ride it out. It can last anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. It’s very unpredictable. I could have 3 spells of vertigo in a week and none for 3 months then a few for a couple of weeks and none for a while. Fortunately I seem to be getting better at managing the vertigo which may or may not accompany nausea. I actually had a mild spell of vertigo about 10 hours into the flight to New Zealand but just closed my eyes and rode it out without a problem.

The irony of Meniere’s is that over time symptoms tend to subside as the disease is said to burn itself out. Aside of hearing loss in one ear the doctor said in 10 years it’s possible I might not have any more symptoms. Another thing I haven’t mentioned is that there is a loss of balance accompanied with a damaged inner ear. The doctor says I’ve lost a lot of balance but unless I am having an acute vertigo attack my balance is perfectly fine as the brain naturally adjusts to compensate. Also, I can tell that my brain is adjusting to the hearing loss as well. It’s really strange how when I put on headphones it almost sounds like my hearing is equally good in both ears but if I remove the headphones on my left it’s obvious how much worse the hearing is on my right. If I am in conversation with someone on my left there is no problem. If they are standing on my right I might struggle a bit.

So, if you have wondered why my blog has been so quiet it’s because my mind have obviously been on other things. Managing Meniere’s and working a lot has had me very distracted to say the least.

Well, the 15 hour flight landed me in Auckland, New Zealand. The last time I was in New Zealand was in 1989 and I spent 2 months hitch hiking all over the country. It was a wonderful experience and I’ve always wanted to return. Aside of the mild spell of vertigo the flight went well. Normally flying with Meniere’s is not a problem. For this trip I really have no set plans whatsoever. I figured I’d best stay put in Auckland for 3 or 4 days just to relax and shake the jet lag before heading on my way. So far I've walked all around the city feeling pretty out of it and spent an afternoon kicked back reading a book. I’m not sure when the last time was that I spent most of an afternoon reading a book. I am reading, “The Girl With Seven Names”, about a woman’s firsthand account of who defecting from North Korea.

I’m checked into what is known as a “Backpackers”. In New Zealand a “Backpackers” is a hostel or simple hotel/guest house for budget travelers. They are all over the country and most are quite nice. The place I selected couldn’t be better. I have a single room on the third floor of a converted 100 year home with a verandah that overlooks downtown Auckland. Also, it borders on a wooded park. There’s a communal kitchen, laundry facilities, and a nice backyard for travelers to gather and meet.