Friday, April 2, 2010
Quick Update
It's been too long, I'll have to use some shorthand here.
Going on break tomorrow, two weeks on the south island. So many places to hit - we'll be moving around the island counter clockwise. In our car.
Yeah I bought a 1994 Toyota Camry. For three-fifty American. All the cars with engines on TradeMe (NZ's ebay) were wayy to expensive - 2.5K+. So I started looking in other places. I found Yoda - we named it that for it's nice dull green color- on a flyer for on a wall in the grocery store. Some nice guy named Max, who later turned out to be named Louis, and who used three different phone numbers, exchanged us the keys for a wad of twenties. It was slightly sketchy... (we got the paperwork later, it's legit, and it actually runs so well looks like we're going to be able to make money on top when we sell it to someone else in July)
Before this weekend we (Riley, Mark, Robin and I) took Yoda on a dry run to Tongariru Crossing, said to be one of the prettiest day hikes in NZ. To be honest I found it a little barren - it was extremely rugged volcanic terrain. We took a side track and hit Tonganiu - Mt. Doom from Lord of The Rings, which was loose stones and gravel. Flying rocks the size of watermelons from the people above us were a bit of an issue, but the top was gorgeous and sliding back down was a blast.
We spent the other two days rock climbing on Mt. Rapeheu. Side note - All of these names are probably incorrect, I'm just guessing the spelling the way they're pronounced. Climbing out door is a whole 'nother world, far more intese. We started with a great repel into the basin, then did some sportclimbing - where you're clipping into preset bolts into the wall as you go up, until sunest - then Riley and I made the rest of the kilo of bacon I bought back in Wellington. Delicious.
The next day was back at Tongariru, where we did some trad climbing on a big ol wall at the base of Mt. Doom. Trad climbing is on an unbolted piece of rock - you place your own protection as you go up, rather than using bolts in the wall. When it's done properly, it's way more safe than it sounds. Still, I honest can't think of a time when I've been as scared/pumped as when I was 175 off the ground, clinging to a little crack in the vertical face, with the wind whipping around the corner.
On that note, anyone who's interested in climb needs to watch the movie "the Sharp End" it's a short film about some climbers who do some absolutely insane stuff.
Mark Riley and I will defiantly be seeking out some rocks on the south island, we've been going to the local climbing gym pretty often - and we've gotten to meet some great locals there.
Since then I've also been doing some solid sailing (but not enough!), not to mention an awesome trip to Able Tasmen, and Jess' visit. There's so much to do here the only problem I've got is choosing between one or the other.
Pics of these things are on FB, I'll throw some up here later. Cheers.
Going on break tomorrow, two weeks on the south island. So many places to hit - we'll be moving around the island counter clockwise. In our car.
Yeah I bought a 1994 Toyota Camry. For three-fifty American. All the cars with engines on TradeMe (NZ's ebay) were wayy to expensive - 2.5K+. So I started looking in other places. I found Yoda - we named it that for it's nice dull green color- on a flyer for on a wall in the grocery store. Some nice guy named Max, who later turned out to be named Louis, and who used three different phone numbers, exchanged us the keys for a wad of twenties. It was slightly sketchy... (we got the paperwork later, it's legit, and it actually runs so well looks like we're going to be able to make money on top when we sell it to someone else in July)
Before this weekend we (Riley, Mark, Robin and I) took Yoda on a dry run to Tongariru Crossing, said to be one of the prettiest day hikes in NZ. To be honest I found it a little barren - it was extremely rugged volcanic terrain. We took a side track and hit Tonganiu - Mt. Doom from Lord of The Rings, which was loose stones and gravel. Flying rocks the size of watermelons from the people above us were a bit of an issue, but the top was gorgeous and sliding back down was a blast.
We spent the other two days rock climbing on Mt. Rapeheu. Side note - All of these names are probably incorrect, I'm just guessing the spelling the way they're pronounced. Climbing out door is a whole 'nother world, far more intese. We started with a great repel into the basin, then did some sportclimbing - where you're clipping into preset bolts into the wall as you go up, until sunest - then Riley and I made the rest of the kilo of bacon I bought back in Wellington. Delicious.
The next day was back at Tongariru, where we did some trad climbing on a big ol wall at the base of Mt. Doom. Trad climbing is on an unbolted piece of rock - you place your own protection as you go up, rather than using bolts in the wall. When it's done properly, it's way more safe than it sounds. Still, I honest can't think of a time when I've been as scared/pumped as when I was 175 off the ground, clinging to a little crack in the vertical face, with the wind whipping around the corner.
On that note, anyone who's interested in climb needs to watch the movie "the Sharp End" it's a short film about some climbers who do some absolutely insane stuff.
Mark Riley and I will defiantly be seeking out some rocks on the south island, we've been going to the local climbing gym pretty often - and we've gotten to meet some great locals there.
Since then I've also been doing some solid sailing (but not enough!), not to mention an awesome trip to Able Tasmen, and Jess' visit. There's so much to do here the only problem I've got is choosing between one or the other.
Pics of these things are on FB, I'll throw some up here later. Cheers.
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