LAter
&& [ ] && 0 comments
See ya'll next time! Im away!
Chillaxin'
&& [ ] && 0 comments
Well I havent Checked in for a while, but I thought I'd post a quick update on my life. Patricia and I are still travelling together, we did end up getting free accomodation at Cacktus Jacks in return for 2 hours of work a day (it always ended up just being about 1) so that was sweet. That was 4 days ago. Now we are taking a small vacation on vacation to the Coromandel, which some of you miay remember as being the first place I went to after leaving the big city and the first place I rode my bike. Its really nice, we are taking everything slow, enjoying eachothers company while thinking of what to do next. Theres just so many possibilities!
Goodbye to the vines, and my final revenge!
&& [ ] && 0 comments
So what have I been up to? Patricia and I finished 3 weeks of worek in the vineyards, while staying in Leeways again. It was a little dull. We didnt do much but work, but Dylan and some of the other germans from last time were still there so I had some friends to reminice with.
Dylan, Patricia Christopher the Chilean and I went to the beach on our last work day. Christopher was a kite surfer, WHICH IS AWESOME, and he brought his gear with him. I helped him set the thing up. He practiced flying the kite on the beach before getting on the water so see if it was safe… the wind was so strong it knocked him on his ass and drug him 10 feet along the rocky beach! What a laugh! So it was deemed unsafe so we sat on the beach and drank beer instead. Once we got cold, and a little tipsy, we decied to drive back. The ride started with a 4WD ascent of a muddy hill in a 2WD sudan, and it only got better from there. I had one more beer to drink in the car and I have to say it was one of the best rides of my life. High on Alchohol and life, but mostly life, watching rows upon rows of vines pass at 80mph knowing that I may never work with them again after becoming so intimate with the vine over so many months. I had one of those rare moments of pure ecsasy - a spark in my brain triggered by copious amounts of pleasure catapaulted me into a deam like trance and I could do nothing but smile and stare out of the window like a man possesed, with the dry air blowing in my face, stining my eyes and drowning out all sounds. When Dylan spoke to my I was incable of answering, my body was incapacitated while my brain was exploding, it felt as if a thousand lighting storms were raging in my head at once, each a different color and feeling and bringing a different moment of pleasure in itself. As I looked out the window at the passing rows, I had a vision of the limitless possibilities of life, and each of these possible paths occupied its own row of vines, lines that started at the four of us in the car and stretching out paralell into infinity between walls of green blue and brown.
When the reverie passed the car was pulling into Montana Winery. Christopher was going to work the night shift. The beer had done its job and we all had to piss, so as Chris went to his job Dylan, Patricia and I went into the winery to empty our swollen bladders. On our way to the loo we passed enourmous shining silver vats. They were as tall as a 2 story building and their circumferences were about 15 feet. The whole building reeked of fermenting grape juice. I noticed that the vats had small spouts on them, presumably so the wine makers could taste the progress of their wine. I decided to take advantage of this mechanism - I ran back to the car and emptied a 2 liter Pepsi, then brought it inside and filler 'er up with a much better liquid! The three of us roared off in the car, and passed the bottle between us all the way back to Leeway's.
On the 12th Patricia and I met up with Julia the German, drove to Picton and hopped on the ferry to head back to Wellington and the North Island. We spent three pretty unenventful days plodding around Wellington, with the exception being Saturday night, when we dressed up and walked arm and arm down to the esplande, and watched from a bench (ourselves to poor to drink) the grand spectacle of Wellington's insane night life and high society.
The next morning we jumped on a bus headed for the famed Rotorua, and here we are, at Cactus Jacks where I stayed for 3 weeks nearly 6 months ago. We got a job as cleaners at the place so we dont have to pay for accomodation, which is a lifesaver because niether of us have any money!
More Lord of the Rings and stuff.
&& [ ] && 0 comments
Today I went jet boating and conoeing on the dart river for free cause my rafting buddy/teacher fletch works for the company that runs it. Just goes to show you in pays to have friends in the tourism industry!
It was so amazing! The jet boats can go up to 70mph in water only 3 inches deep! And man, it was FAST! We went up the dart river, which passes through a place caleed the Paradise Trust where a lot of the LOTR movies were filmed. As you will see the in the pictures, there is another movie being filmed there now, Narnia! but Narnia sucks. Anyhoo, it truely is paradise. There was no place I would rather be!
After the jet boat ride we hopped in canoes and went back down the river in those. On the way we went up a side stream a few hundred meters and paddled through a really narrow crack in the rocks that was formed over hundreds of years by water. It was more beautiful than the oldest cathedral in Rome!
Here is a video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqopbiKbkAs
Quest complete! Queenstown baby!
&& [ ] && 0 comments
5 months and 1700km (1056 miles) later, I've finally arrived in Queenstown! How can I describe my excitement…
Arms flailing, lots of yelling, laughing, crying, jumping up and down, leg cramps, cant believe it, am I really here?
In the last 3 days I rode over 250km because I was so anxious to finally get here. And now that I've arrived, I cant say I've ever felt better. This place is gorgeous, full of tourists and a mind blowing amount of activities to empty your wallet. I'm staying with Fletch and Stacey, 2 friends I worked with on the river last year. I also met up with a buddy, Josh, who I met my first day in New Zealand but havent seen since. Blast from the past, mang!
So yea, my biking days are over, for now. Can't say I'm very dissapointed! Its about time really, but sheeet, did I ride one hellavu distance. Now everything is going to be cruzy, just work, and travel by car. I'm going to feel spoiled!
For those of you curious when I'm coming back, its looking like the beggining of may. Thats when the rafting season starts back home and I'd like to get an early start and make some good american cash!
And for you Lord of the Rings fans, here in queenstown a lot of filming was done. I've uploaded some pictures of Mordor and Rohan that I took today while on a 5 hour hike. I felt like I was in middle earth the whole time!
So close yet so far!
&& [ ] && 0 comments
So for the second time in a week, I am holed up in a backpacker because of bad weather! Now I am at lake Tekapo, if I could ride every day from tomorrow on, I would arrive in Queenstown in exactly a week. Somehow I don't think thats going to happen!
Of course I cant complain, life is still great and this lake is amazing! Its got a turquoise blue color that Ive never seen before. There is snow everywhere surrounding me, Im so glad to be out of the plains! No more straight, flat roads with nothing to see but sheep and nothing to do but pedal and count fence posts! This is the promised land!
Going to Queenstown with an aching heart.
&& [ ] && 0 comments
Well its that time again. As some of you have probably noticed, I haven't been as in touch as much as I would like.
About three and a half weeks ago I rode into a town called Waipara. It is your standard small town, New Zealand style. Just a few houses bunched around an intersection, and a pub. It was raining out and I was pretty hungry, so I decided to pull over and grab a burger. There were a few things I liked about this pub. First of all, the burger was made American style. I know you probably are thinking you cant tell the difference between one burger and the next but kiwis just make them different, its hard to explain. I soon found out the reason: the cook was American. Not only that but Californian, from Fresno. He was a nice guy, and we talked over beer for a while. All the while, sitting at the table behind him was two pretty dark skinned girls, speaking some kind of spanish. The rain just kept coming down harder and harder, so it looked like I would be there for a while. The Californian noticed my wandering eyes. “Hey man, I'll give you the beers for $4 (as opposed to 6) if you go over that and talk to those girls!” “I dont know if I can handle it” I said. “But I'll try.” So I took my time finishing my burger, and quickly downed another 24 oz. I pushed myself away from the table and started to get up when an enormous shock wave almost knocked me off my feet. A bright flash came in through the windows, and the lights went out and were swinging back and forth from the ceiling. The railroad crossing bells were going off, but no train was coming. The girls were screaming and my eyes were a mile wide. It was the closest I have ever been to lightning, it struck just a few meters outside the pub! It must be an omen, I thought. But lightning usually means something bad is going to happen, and I was about to go try my luck with the girls. I pondered it for about a millisecond but approached their table anyway. We all took a while to calm down, and then got to talking. I learned that they werent speaking Spanish, but Portuguese, and were from Brazil. Thier names were Patricia and Caroline. They were working on the Vineyards there in Waipara. The beers kept coming as it got later and later. And just like its supposed to happen in the movies, they invited me back to their place to continue the party. I was a little nervous but decided it was too good an opportunity to give up. They lived in a moderately sized house a few kilometers away. Everyone there was Brazilian so it was pretty intimidating, but they seemed interested in what I had to talk about and laughed at my jokes (not sure if they really understood what I was saying or just being polite) As time wore on, people started retiring. Work tomorrow, they said. Only Patricia and Caroline remained. We BS'd for another half hour before they asked if I was going to stay the night. I told them, honestly, that I had no other place to go, and that could I pitch a tent in the lawn for the night if thats ok. They laughed at that and very slyly informed me that “what kind of hosts would we be to make you sleep outside.”
I stayed the next day because one of the guys there, Rafael, a small brazillian boy with a permanent grin and high pitched voice was having a birthday party. There was a barbecue, which was amazing, thin strips of meat seasoned and cooked over a wood fire, and beer, of course. Patricia and I really hit it off and it was pretty obvious to everyone there that something might be happening. I stayed another night with plans to keep riding the next morning.
Patricia was visibly sad, but bid me farewell. I said goodbye to everyone, and rode away. I felt like something wasnt quite right, and I kept thinking about Patricia all day. When I got to the next town Waikari that night, and was ready to go to sleep in my bag, the itch became too much.
I picked up my phone and gave her a call:
“Hey Patricia, I have an idea! Lets go to Christchurch and spend a night there, just for fun.” She thought it was a great idea, so I booked a bus and met her the next day.
Christchurch was extremely fun. We went out to the bars like usual, but this time I had a girl with me, so it was a completely different experience. She is an amazing dancer and looking at her I started noticing that she was one of the more beautiful people in the city.
The next day we went back to Waikari, and I prepared myself to say goodbye, once again. Of course, I just couldn't do it. I told her I would stay with her and work on the vineyards. She was ecstatic, and so was I, if a little nervous. And that was that.
The last few weeks have been amazing. Never felt anything like it. Its just good. Also, I've been working 12 hours a day, sometimes more, in the fields. Its been good money, I've saved over $1000 in 3 weeks. However, I still need to get to Queenstown, to complete my quest. So once again I'm packing my bags and heading out. I've made plans to meet Patricia in QT in a month, but you never know those kind of plans. She seems pretty sad and I cant say I'm super happy about leaving either but some things can't change, eh? All I can really do is look forward to completing my bike trip and hope that I see Patricia again, that would be ideal. We hope to travel together for a few months after Queenstown.
So theres my story. Its a little rushed and I'm sure I left a lot out, but you get the idea. More pics?
Oh, and a video for y'all:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db2rNT8Ydo0
Letter to my mum
&& [ ] && 0 comments
Hey mum! You guessed right, my cell battery ran out right in the middle of a conversation with Olivia! I was so pissed, I threw the phone at a grape vine! Anyways, Olivia sounded really stoked about the the weekend so it brightened me up and made the time pass quickly afterwards. Hung out the whole time with Biezad huh.? Tsk Tsk. It was cool to hear he is well too. If you havent figured it out yet Im out in the boonies. I'ts hard to do much of anyhting out here, except to work, so its an ideal place for work. Mainly because there is nothing here, so no place to spend money, which also means no place to use computers, and the cell reception is usally absent as well as you noticed! By the way its starting to get very cold here already, I think El Nino is coming this year do you think. The kiwis said the summer never really came here in New Zealand, it never stopped raining! I So anyway Im really anxious, I mean REALLY anxious to get going again, because its getting colder and colder and I need to keep travelling South where its colder and colder the farther you go. Yikes! So I've been working on average 11 hours a day to save up a bunch of money so I can zoom down south as fast as I can for 2 weeks and then turn around and follow the sun back north all in one sweep I've maide over 1k in two weeks!. I think next Friday I'm going to gather my things and ride into Christchurch, spend a night and then head off into uncharted territorry again. I cant wait! Oh and tell my friends that they dont have to tell you that they still think of me to make you feel better ; ) So hows life? How fast is the time passing at home? I hope it flys as fast as me as a bike because that means your having fun. By the way, do you still want to send a package? Cause I think I'll leave soon, but if you send it soon I'll wait as long as it takes to get it. I heard Andy came by the other day, when I heard the message on my phone I had to laugh when he said he was hanging out with you. Nice to hear another familiar voice! Anyway, I'm going to head out for a whie, I'm at another worker's house, all the people here are Brazillian! Its pretty… trippy. From Waipara with love, Austin.
By the way I edited it a little for facebook!
La vida loca!
&& [ ] && 0 comments
Hey ya'll!
I've been riding my ass off for about a week and I am now finally in Christchurch! Its been a good trip, good riding, good people, good everything. I dont have many words that can describe it. I let the pictures do the talking.
12 hour madness
&& [ ] && 0 comments
Well now that I have control of my fingers enough to type again I figure I'd tell you about this weekend, and the Blues Brews and BBQ festival. This is kiwi drinking culture at its best!
I will spare you the details, although I could tell you more if you want to know, but Im sure nobody wants to know. Although I will tell you I have a bloody hand, a severly bruised hip and 2 girls that now look at me funny whenever I see them.
The drinking started at 2 in the afternoon, and didnt stop until 2 that night.
It was really fun.
Later all.