cara

fun!fun!fun!

here is all the fun stuff i have been doing since bike ride. figured i break it up a bit, as i want to tell you all about apple picking and the orchard, but that requires its very own special entry. so here you are...

Trip to Takaka

Trip to Wellington

....hope you like!

kia ora my friends!!

Well when we last left off....Cara had returned from her bike trip to prepare for starting work. Well the appeles were not ready for us, so the start date was put forward by one week. What is a girl to do!?
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Trip to Takaka
February 15-19

Off I rode on my bike. Bound for Takaka, a neighbouring town where my (first and new) friend Martijn was staying. Remember the dutch hitch hiker?
Martijn had come to Motueka for a couple for days and we decided, in a drunken state, to have a race: i would ride and he would hithc hike. I know I know, not really a fare race, but he didn't have a bike, so we made some fun out of it anyway. So off we set for the starting point....mark, set, go!!!

The ride to Takaka is bit daunting as there is an 800m climb to get over the Takaka Hill (aka the Big Fuck Off Hill). But as always I was up for it, gosh darn it I was even looking forward to it! It was a short ride to the base, maybe 45minutes, then an hour and 50minute climb, whew! Switch backs and farely steep (not as steep as coming up the other side). It was an grreat ride up, if panting and sweating for almost 2 hrs can be enjoyable. Hhmmm yes! The Hill takes you up high; at the top you look north, on the right (east) of the Hill is the Tasman Bay- looking over Motueka and over towards Nelson. To the west (left) is Golden Bay and Takaka. Un believable!!! The top is short and then there is the decent, which only took 15 minutes!!!

(Why is it that at times the flat part of a ride is the annoying part? The ride in the Takaka valley is beautiful, but both ways it bugged. I guess the Hill is the captivating part!!)

Oh ya the race -- well i was pushing up the hill when Martijn passed me, about 1.15 hrs into the race. The trip took me a total of 4hrs (excluding the 30 min break at top). So yes he won!!! No trophies were given out though.

Anyway, I found Martijn at the camp site. A cool, just for rock climber camp site on someones private property, called Hanging Dog. It is situated right beside this area called Paynes Fjiord-- an area with limestone cliffs and walls all hidden behind the rainforest. So amazing. All in all I spent 3 days there. Martijn taught me how to climb!! He is an instructor in the Netherlands, so I was in good hands. We meet others and went out, doing different grade climbs, easy ones for me and hard ones for the others. We met a Canadian guy, from Burns Lake, and we made a great trio. We climbed together for 2 days, even hitting an area just outside of town called the Sea Cliffs (yip right across from the ocean).

It was so great to rock climb. I had gone once and it scared me as I didn't have proper instruction. I had rappelled before and that was fun. After one day, maybe my first or second, by the end of the day I was ecstatic. I couldn't stop smiling, I had energy and was pumped. I hadn't felt that since the last time I went mountain biking!!!!! Oh how I love that feeling!! So cool.

The campsite: it was open field/grass for tents and campers. It has a big sink and food storage area, it has a fire pit area you can sit around, and it has a dry hut for when it rains or it real windy. Plus you can hire a belt/harnass and shoes (which i did). A real special spot. Cheap and run on the honor system; everyone respect each other and the space. For all you climbers out there, a must visit locale.

So after my glorious days learning to climb I set off to ride back over the Big Fuck Off Hill. I was really looking forward to it, but not the hour long flat ride thru the valley. The ride up was hard but good. Steeper on this side, but shorter, by oh about 20min. But just you wait....

....the ride down was probably the best downhill (non mountain bike) that I have ever done!!!!!!!! Why you ask??? Well here you go: 1) after a hard ride up a ride down is always enjoyable 2) the views from the top were so stunning they made you to scream, smile and scream some more Hoohhoooh!!!!!!!! 3) and scream some more Hooohhoooo! 4) the wind was blowing hard, so you could actually ride down hill 5) i was passed by only 1, maybe 2 cars = meaning i got to take the lane (carefully) and cruise the swithcbacks all the way down. Oh you girls! It was grreat!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

So there you have my trip to Takaka
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Trip to Wellington
March 5-7

Here is the back ground. I have a super great, and I mean gReAt, friend named Kristin who lives in Montreal. None of you will have met her cuz she has lived in MOntreal for the last 4 years. Kristin was one of my first friends when I moved to Vancouver oh back in 97'. SHe rocks!

Anway, we had tried on every Canadian (airline) seat sale to visit. But with the price of flights in Canaduh, we could never pull it off. So who could believe it when a dear friend of Kristin's treated her to a trip to NZ!! (no not me). So after 4 years we were reunioning in Wellington, NZ!!!

I took a Friday flight to Wellington. A 30 min flight, kinda like flying to Victoria from Van. It was so amazing as you fly acorss the Cook Strait. From the plane I could see the North Island approaching, so wild. Planes eh!!??
Kristin and her friend Jason were driving down. I decorated their hostel room with apples I had especially picked earlier that day. APples make beautiful decorations. (more on apples next blog entry....i think i'm in love...with apples that is). Our bodies collided later in the evening ( car trouble) and the three of us stayed up till the wee hours drinking champagne and yapping a km a minute!

We spent Saturday wandering the streets of Wellington, enjoying an unusally beautiful day (unlike where i live, Wellington is known for its wind and rain. it is compared to San Fransico). Jason and Kristin were even side kicks in a busking show. Ah we were on fire! Saturday night we made a yummy dinner at the hostel before hiting the streets. But not before we would meet some bikies outside the grocery store; 2 cool people I hope to see again when up there.
We had a ripper of a night on the town. Started at a pretty cool queer bar, tripped around to a few others, before settling at a late nite lounge where we met a local guy and drank the night away. Lets just say we didn't make bed before sun up!!!! Such fun.

It was so truly amazing to visit with Krisitn. She is a gem! We have the kind of friendship where we can pick up where our last conversation (or email these days) left off. We make each other laugh, we cry, we hug and marvel at how great each other is. We can talk about everything, and do. Ya we are smitten friends!!!!!! Hopefully if she ever gets her rad self back to BC, some of you will meet her. After a whirlwind 2/3 days I was back on the plane.

BUT I have to tell you about the airport!!! Ok you probably don't know this seeing you aren't here, but Wellington was LOR (Lord of the Ring) headquarters. The production, design, the works were done in studios in the city, Miramar. A special theatre was renoed for the premier etc. Anyway, when the plane touched down in Wellington, on my trip there, travellers are surprised by a massive, huge Smeegle that is learing over top the main terminal. Yes a giant, size of a small house, Smeegel peering over the airport. So cool.

oh yes and one must have one or two words about the Oscars. I know I know...But it was obvioulsy a truly exciting night here in NZ. Besides LOR, we had Whale Rider and the Last Samuri on the nomination block. LOR is in the veins of every Kiwi and person here. One of the Art Directors is a local and lives over the hill.

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I have been composing a special entry to tell you all about apple picking and the orchard and the family I am living with. But it must wait. It takes time to get these out, plus I tie up the phone line. Its funny I think about the blog often, what I want to share, how I want to say it etc. I guess I am really trying to have conversations with you all communally. Sometimes I loose the voice once I get to the computer, but I hope you hear it.

All for now,
Cara

Posted by cara at March 11, 2004 06:19 PM