Beer is definitely not good for my Meniere’s but in Wellington, NZ it's very difficult not to imbibe. Yesterday was a wonderfully normal day and today up to now has followed suit. I hitched a ride with a Finnish couple from the hostel this morning who have a car. I left them with $20 NZD for gas when they dropped me off in town center. A short walk confirmed my inclination that Wellington is a three night town. It’s a hip and alive with a good vibe at the southern tip of the North Island.
Yesterday I caught an early shuttle for Tongariro National Park to hike the most popular trail on the North Island, Tongariro Alpine Crossing. It traverses volcanic landscapes up and over a couple of passes with the option of climbing a two volcanic peaks. The most impressive is Ngauruhoe Aka Mt. Doom. There is also the lower peak of Tongariro. The length of the crossing is right around 12 miles with side trips up the peaks adding more time and distance.
I caught a shuttle for the point to point hike at 6am with the return options of 3, 4, and 5. Given how I was feeling the day before I thought I might be taking a bit of a risk but my anxieties proved to be null and void. I felt good from the get go and added the stiff steep hike up scree, sand, and rock to the handsome summit of Ngauruhoe. From the top I descended a quick line for a bit of scree skiing and rejoined the masses doing the crossing.
The second peak, Tongariro, is much simpler and shorter but I passed as I didn’t want to lose too much time and miss the last shuttle. I also did not want to overdo it. I continued on with the masses.
The reason I say the masses is because it was probably the most crowded I’ve ever seen a hiking trail aside of Mt. Fuji. Total usage had to be well over a thousand if not thousands. It was the first nice day after a few days of rain and a holiday weekend. Most people just do the crossing. If a peak is added most opt for Tongariro. I had plenty of room to move on the side trip up Ngauruhoe but traffic on the crossing trail made it like walking in a snake line for a good portion of the hike. Fortunately, people were well behaved, patient, and most seemed to have a clue. I could still walk at a reasonably good pace.
Despite the crowds I really enjoyed the crossing. It is a very nice hike and the side trip up the peak was really great. Most of all it felt really good to feel like myself. My energy, hiking pace, and everything felt really good. In the end I wished I’d gone for the Tongariro peak side trip. I would have made it back in time for the 5pm shuttle, however, it was nice to not have to rush and wise to not push it more than I already had.
Camping at the hostel in Turangi worked out well. I'm really enjoying meeting other travelers, especially the younger ones. It seems like yesterday I was one of them at 25. It all goes by so fast and so much has changed. However, I am happy to report although older folks may not understand nor agree with some of the behaviors of the younger generation, overall, I think we are just fine. The twenty something's of today are super tech savvy. They work an IPhone as a natural extension of self while they ride the wave of modern times. However, a good old fashion sense of doing the right thing and being nice to others, etc. remains. They may appear to be caught up and lost in the world of smartphones, Facebook, Instagram and narcissism but they still talk to one another. Most know how to hold a personable conversation. An element of what I saw amongst travelers 30 years ago still exists but undoubtedly technology has changed things tremendously. Ultimately, as they say in Vietnam, things are more or less “Same same but different”. People are still people but who rights post cards anymore?
Wellington is a busy place. It’s the one and only ferry port for the South Island at the bottom of the North Island. It’s got flavor, character and it’s been said to be very difficult to find a bad cup of coffee. Open air café’s and bars abound with life. It also has a shortage of accommodation and mediocre hostel reviews. City hostels have a tendency to host questionable characters.
This morning I hastily booked online for a three night stay at a guest house. It's been hostels, camping and caravan thus far so I wanted something a little better for few nights. A good price and good reviews made for a quick decision.
I was pleased to find the guest house located in an interesting quiet neighborhood. When I rang the bell an odd looking older gentleman answered the door with a blank look. His face was badly scarred and somewhat disfigured from being burned. Scabs covered sensitive areas that had recently bled. I told him I had a reservation and he moved to allow me in. I was then greeted by a very nice young German woman in a courteous fashion as would be expected. I then asked the older gentleman if I had a choice of rooms. He immediately took offense and said that wasn’t a question that should be asked. At first I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. I quickly sensed he was serious and didn’t feel particularly welcome. Maybe it was my backpack, ball cap, and need of a shave.
The nice German woman showed me to the room which is in actuality quite nice and good for the price but it's located in a higher traffic part of the building, at ground level, near the entrance door and it has and odd smell. I noticed two other rooms of the same type with doors open and keys in the lock. I also noticed the no vacancy sign was not up.
I originally accepted the room but immediately asked if I could move to one of the other rooms. The owner said that would not be possible and seemed to take offense. Even the German woman seemed to be confused as to why. The owner gave me the impression of being somewhat passive and I felt less welcome.
Feeling uncomfortable and a little ticked off I got online and contacted the site I had booked the room with. I was able to cancel two nights with no penalty and will only stay one night. Having worked in the hospitality and hotel business I have a very low tolerance for not being treated reasonably well when paying for accommodation. Honestly, even with the quirky owner, the room is a good value despite it's flaws but I couldn’t justify staying taking into consideration principle. I'm not sure what the issue is with the owner but I suspect he may be one of those types who is old and bitter as a result of whatever happened to him. Maybe I just caught him at the wrong time, a bad day, or it's a simple misunderstanding. Regardless, I don't feel welcome and that's reason enough to move on. In a town with a shortage of accommodation maybe it doesn’t matter. He can be however he wants.
Tomorrow I will move to a YHA hostel for a couple of nights before taking the ferry to the South Island. The YHA hostel appears to be the best hostel in town. I was just barely able to get in for two nights. I booked a single room for the same price as the guest house. It won't be as good a value but the receptionist was very nice and they have free guitar rental. Anyway, Wellington should be fine for a couple days…..
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