Trip of a Lifetime

East As

Kia Ora! That means hello, in Maori, if you hadn't already guessed as much. I'm now in a tiny town of about 500 people called Te Kaha, which means The Strength. This town is, as they say here, Sweet As, which basically means as sweet as anything else that's ever been sweet. Yesterday we went to the most easterly part of the country, and were amongst the first few people in the world to see the sun ride (though certainly not the very first). The hill is a sacred Maori place - it's something to do with one of about 827435234 Maori legends - they've got a story to explain absolutely everything (From the shape of New Zealand to the reason their noses are flat). I'm really enjoying myself here, and I'm going to stay on for a few days to work for some much needed New Zealand funds. The internet on this computer is incredulously slow, so posting pictures would be an overnight event... I guess you'll just have to be satisfied with my incessant ramblings :) Today I start fruit picking, and fruit packing, and I'll be here for a few days, maybe even 5 or 6, depending on when the next bus comes around to collect me. Yesterday, though, I got some unbelievably bad news - my Ipod glitched out. As you may or may not know, my Ipod is not only the source of all my musical entertainment, it's also where I store every single one of my pictures from this trip... Essentially, there are three things that I absolutely cannot lose before I come home - my passport, my plane ticket, and my Ipod. So, when I turned my Ipod on to find that it had wiped itself, I was slightly upset, though optimistic that it might just be an error that wouldn't let the ipod read data, without the data being erased. Basically, I was hoping it broke the right way, instead of the really really shitty way. Thankfully, the latter was the case, and all the data is still on the Ipod, which I can exchange for a working one when I get home (Thank god for future shop extended warranty ;D), after I take all the pictures off. I won't be touching the bloody thing until I get it home - computers are evil things, and it might break even more. Other than that brief but ghastly scare, things have been fantastic for me, as usual! New Zealand is a raw and beautiful country, but with a softness that comes from the green fields and trillions of sheep, coupled with the lovely local Maori population. I'm staying in a small hostel (Well, not really a hostel, it's a guy's house) here in Te Kaha, owned by Paul O'Brien, who's quite a character, and a warm and generous host. I think he may teach me to do the Haka... Which would make my entire trip worthwhile. Anyway, fruit picking is starting soon, and I'm off to earn my 10 bucks an hour :) Not much more than three weeks till I'm back in Canada, land of Kraft Dinner, pine trees, maple syrup, and the endless barren wasteland we call the prairies. Much Love from New Zealand! Kia Ora! Spiker

posted by Spiker @ 6:36 pm