Life in Taupo
Hello, everyone! Well, a lot has happened in the past couple of days. I’ve been really busy lately, so I’m sorry about the lack of updates. I guess I should start out by finishing up my chronicles of Auckland.
When I last left you, I was on my way to a rugby match, so I’ll go over that first. It was a pretty nice deal. It was booked through the hostel with 100 spaces available for anyone who wanted to go to a game on Sunday, so we decided it wouldn’t hurt. Tickets were only $20 and included transportation there and back, so it really was a bargain. We met downstairs at about 1:00 and headed down to the train station together. A very jolly and slightly intimidating man named Gap took over from there and got us all pumped up for the game. He actually has another name, but he prefers “Gap” because one of his front teeth was knocked out in a bar fight. So he told us to let him know if we had problems because he didn’t get his name for nothing, apparently. Several hours later, we ran into him in a pub, and he got legitimately mad at Ryan for getting beaten in a game of rock, paper, scissors.
My Ticket Stub
The ride there was fairly uneventful. New Zealand trains are slow. It kind of reminded me of San Francisco cable cars in that you could probably get out and walk faster, but at least it was a nice look at the scenery. Most big rugby games are in Eden Park in the Auckland area, so we went straight through the Mt. Eden district again. It was a Northland vs. Auckland game, which is supposed to be something of a rivalry. The All Blacks were in South Africa at the time playing at 3am NZ time, so we obviously missed them. The teams we watched were kind of like the AA or AAA team equivalents. It’s hard to describe because there are different leagues and everything.
Anyway, we ended up getting there just in time and got amazingly good seats for the money we paid. It was starting to drizzle, so the seats were all wet and cold, but we managed to get comfortable. The thing that really amazes me about rugby games is how constantly active they are. Rugby always gets compared to American football, so I was expecting a lot of down time between plays, but it’s more like soccer in the way that players are constantly in motion for about 80 minutes. It’s really insane. They’re basically killing each other in nothing but thigh-high shorts and T-shirts. Most didn’t even have mouth guards, much less helmets. A very brutal and entertaining game to watch.
Our View of the Game
I had some point of reference because I just recently saw Invictus in the States, but I still didn’t completely get the rules. All of the Americans spent the first half just figuring out how it all works. Apparently getting tackled doesn’t mean you’re “down,” and you don’t really need an excuse to suddenly kick the ball downfield like a goalie. I think the rule is six tackles per play, so there was always a chance for the other team to grab the ball. I know that you can only pass sideways or backwards, but other than that I’m a little lost on the logistics. If I see another rugby game while I’m here and pick up more of the rules, I’ll probably go into a little more detail.
We were having a lot of fun just watching something new, but I guess the game itself was pretty boring for people who actually knew what was going on. Auckland ended up slaughtering Northland by quite a lot, so I guess Northland didn’t put up much of a fight. I caught a few snippets of an All Blacks game a few days later, and they are definitely on a whole other level than what we watched. The highlight of the game for me was getting to go onto the field at the very end and hang with the players. It was just so weird and unbelievable because that would never happen in America. Our players tend to be multi-millionaires and disappear at the end of a game because there’s no way that security could protect them in that kind of crowd. It would just take one angry fan from the other team to ruin that tradition. But we went right onto the field and watched the players (who barely looked out of breath or bloody after running all out for two hours) pose for photos and sign autographs very courteously. It was actually pretty cool, and I kind of wish that I knew who they all were so that their faces meant a little more in the photos.
After that game, I went back to ACB and checked my email. Turns out that one of my job prospects had gotten back to me. Beth from Blackcurrant Backpackers had gotten my letter about a work-for-accommodation job and wanted to know when I could come down to Taupo. Just like that. It was Sunday night, so I replied back and told her that I could be on a bus South on Monday if she needed me immediately. After all, it was my last night at ACB, so it kind of worked out nicely. Within an hour, she got back to me and said that would be great. So there you go - got an instant job after only one application.
Ryan and Emily, another girl from Missouri that I had just met, decided to do the tour bus route across New Zealand. They have three major companies: Kiwi Experience, Stray, and Magic. I hear Stray is the best, but they all do the same thing and take you all over New Zealand multiple times. You have to pay a large chunk of money in the beginning, but then you can jump on the bus as many times as you want to after that. So they’re off doing that, experiencing a new city every day. I’ve decided to do that a little later, after I’ve gotten my feet on the ground a bit more. The Taupo job sounded good to me because it’s a chance to really set my stuff down for a while and stop living completely out of my backpack. It’s also nice to get out of Auckland and see more of the actual countryside. It’s a nice little rural community on a lake, so it kind of reminds me of home.
Leaving Auckland
Anyway, I said my goodbyes in Auckland on Monday morning and checked out of ACB with my giant backpack on my shoulders. I swear it’s gained ten pounds in just a short amount of time. I booked a last-minute ticket through Intercity Bus for only $25, so that was pretty nice. It takes about 4-5 hours to get to Taupo by bus from Auckland, so that’s pretty good money for your trip. It loaded up at 1:00 just under the Sky Tower and arrived in Taupo at 5:45, so that wasn’t too bad. I didn’t really have anything to read or listen to for the ride, but that was alright because there’s some amazing country right between Auckland and Taupo. We passed just West of Mata Mata (the place they filmed the Shire), so there were plenty of green, rolling hills to look at. It’s amazing how much nicer public transportation is in New Zealand than in America in terms of politeness. The entire trip of five hours was almost completely silent despite the fact that two dozen people were on it at any given time. You didn’t have to worry about chatty people stuck beside you or frat boys being annoying. The ride itself was gorgeous, and I’m kind of glad that I didn’t have any distractions to keep me from enjoying the entire view.
Some of the Amazing Scenery on the Way to Taupo
We stopped briefly at Dino’s Café 45 minutes before Taupo, and it started getting incredibly mountainous just after that. It went from rolling farmlands to craggy foothills almost seamlessly, and it was cool to finally get into the higher country. Just as we were getting into the town, I noticed these massive plumes of steam rising out of the trees. At first I thought it was a fire or industrial plant, but there are actually tons of natural thermal hot springs all over the Taupo area. Just around twilight, you can see the mist rising over the mountains, marking all of their locations. It’s actually quite incredible to see. I haven’t been to one yet, but apparently you can just walk down to one in the woods, strip down to your swimsuit, and jump into a natural Jacuzzi for however long you want. It’s very tempting in the middle of winter, but I don’t have a suit yet. That might be something to invest into soon.
Getting Into Taupo
A lot of people ended up getting off at Taupo, so the bus came to a rest stop right at the terminal. I grabbed my two bags from the bottom and set out to find my new temporary home. I’ll be honest: I was a little worried at first. Taupo was a very spur-of-the-moment decision made through lack of any other option, so I was starting to wonder if I had made a mistake going out into the middle of nowhere without any of the friends I had just bonded with in Auckland. I’ve since learned that the town is absolutely gorgeous, but it shuts down after sunset completely, so it was very still and quiet when I arrived that night. As a result, there wasn’t much to look at for that first couple of minutes. Needless to say, I really appreciate that quiet atmosphere at night now.
Some of the Downtown Area
While I was doing that initial inspection, I apparently came off as German because a guy named Chris who was on the same bus as me approached me and offered to help me out. He’s German and thought I looked like a fellow Deutsch(wo)man, but I had to explain that I just have a German name. Anyway, he was staying at the Rainbow Lodge, which is a sister hostel to the Blackcurrant, and he pointed me in the right direction. He even grabbed my bag and took off like it didn’t weigh a ton, which left me mildly insulted and awestruck at the same time. He was very nice and walked me all the way to where I needed to go before taking off on his own way.
The Blackcurrant is a cute little two-story place with a natural warmth and coziness oozing from it. It tends to attract the best kinds of people and is just far enough away from the city center to avoid all of the busy traffic. I walked into the reception area and expected that I would have to introduce myself and what I was doing there, but I was greeted by a violently cheerful Scottish girl who welcomed me with something like this: “Hi! I like you! So good to see you! Letmeshowyoutoyourroom!!!” And that was Hannah. Poor thing had been the only cleaner for some time and was incredibly happy to have both a roommate and a partner to help her out. A guy named Paul was working the desk at the time, and he just looked vaguely stunned as I was dragged away without another word. I guess it happens a lot. The general consensus around the place is that Paul is pretty much useless, but we all love him anyway. He has such a unique personality that he’s able to get away with murder.
Kitchen and Dining Area Upstairs
But back to Hannah. She showed me to our room, which is Room One on the far side of the building, facing the office across the courtyard. It’s a perfect size for three people with three beds, a counter space, microwave, TV (not sure if it works yet, haven’t tried), and enough floor space that we’re not all cramped together. The important part is that it comes with an adjoining bathroom and HOT water, which is something rare and mysterious in Auckland. We share the bathroom and one door with Henry and Nikki, a couple next door who have been together for quite some time and are very considerate in the mornings. Nikki has a demanding schedule with her job and has to leave at ungodly hours of the morning to get there. So she’s gone at about 5:30 every morning and works until fairly late. Henry just got promoted to manager and is still in training. I think it was either his first or second day on the day of my arrival, so he was kind of overwhelmed and frazzled at the time. He’s very cool, though. Everyone here is friendly and respectful, which is such a relief.
More of the Kitchen and Lounge Area
We dropped off my stuff in the room and continued on to the rest of the facility. I was introduced to the laundry room (free for staff), the computer lounge (not free for staff, unfortunately Grr…), the hang out area with tons of beanbags and a widescreen TV (home to many DVDs and a well-used dart board), the upstairs kitchen/dining room (incredibly large and well-stocked for a hostel), and the general courtyard area (full of benches and flowers). That was pretty much the tour. It’s pretty easy to get around with only twelve rooms and the office area. Darren joined us the same night and is waiting for one of to get fired. Seriously. Poor Darren was supposed to be another cleaner, but Paul didn’t leave a note to tell anyone he was coming, so another girl was hired before him. So he got here and found out that he has to pay for a room. It all worked out in the end, though, because he managed to get a job waiting tables at Jolly Good Fellows downtown. He hangs around in the mornings and does that at nights. The girl that just joined us in Darren’s place is Daniella. She arrived the day before yesterday and is originally from Germany. She’s very shy and quiet when you first meet her, but she comes out of her shell a bit after she’s been in groups and gotten to know everyone. Her German phone has been giving her problems, so she might have to ship it up to Auckland to get fixed.
View From the Back Deck
My basic schedule is pretty nice, actually. I’ve gotten into the routine now, so I don’t have to think about it too much anymore. I get up whenever - usually around 7 or 8 in the morning - and grab a cup of complimentary coffee from the office. I should probably introduce Beth at this point. She’s the main owner, though I think it’s a partnership of at least three other people as well. Beth is an amazing boss. She’s quirky and fun on the one hand, but she’s also tough enough to keep people in line and keep the place running like clockwork. As long as you don’t abuse your power or slack off on the rules, she’s your best friend. So I usually stop and chat with her for a few minutes while the coffee’s going. She goes off to do yoga in the afternoons sometimes, and she lives about five minutes away, so she’s only really around in the mornings for sure.
Courtyard Area
The kitchen is upstairs above the rec room, so I generally spend the rest of my free time there - either hanging with whoever’s making breakfast or reading my FSO book. Then I have to be back downstairs to meet Beth with the other cleaners at 10am to start the rounds. It really depends on the day on how much work we have. Someone usually takes the bathrooms and someone else does the vacuuming, and then we meet back at the kitchen to finish that off. When we have three cleaners, it goes even faster. We tend to finish sometime between 12 and 1, and then we’re free to do whatever we want for the day. I like to pop back upstairs for lunch and then go hiking or something. I’ve seen Huka Falls twice now - once with Hannah and once with Daniella. It’s pretty spectacular. The walk there is a little bit of a trek, but it makes up for it by being absolutely gorgeous. I’ve also been down to the lake a few times now, and I’ve gotten to know the downtown area pretty well. It’s actually a really cute, close-knit community with lots of little shops and restaurants all over. They don’t do the whole mall scene, so they just have tons of specialty stores scattered everywhere. The whole town is sheltered by mountains and huge hills on one side, forest on the other, and the lake at the far end. It gets pretty cold at night, but the weather is not nearly as bipolar as it was in Auckland. As long as you dress warmly and bring a coat with a hood just in case, it’s a beautiful place to be.
Images of Lake Taupo and Sunset
That’s about it for now, I think. I’m here at Blackcurrant for at least another two weeks, but I’m looking for other part-time work, too. It would be nice to get something for a few hours at night to supplement my fun. Food in New Zealand is incredibly expensive (especially cheese!!!), so groceries are a bit of a pain. It would be nice to get some pocket money, but even if I don’t, I think I could easily have a really good time here for however long I decide to stay.
I"ll leave you with some breath-taking shots of Huka Falls and the trail out there.
Taupo Bungy - Where All the Jumpers Go
Thermal Springs Park - Lots of Natural Hot Springs
On the Way to Huka Falls - Keep In Mind That These Are Not Edited Photos
A NZ Silver Fern, the National Plant Identified By Its Silvery Stalks
Huka Falls! People Can Get Very Close By Jet Boat
My next post will be a little different. Expect to have it posted in a couple of days. It will be worth the wait. Bye, guys!