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.