Thursday, 03 March 2005
I’m so bored. Waiting for a ferry to take me to New Zealand’s north island in 2 hours. Got a fine this morning for parking too long in a 60 minute bay. The warden wrote ‘20 minute overstay’; I was there 4 hours. But the car rental company told me, when handing over the keys, there was no point paying fines as the car is a rental. I don’t think it would leave me broke, though, if I did decide to pay the 7 euros! Take that for a fine! In Paris, the same thing would cost me 185 euros (150 to get the car out of the impound, 35 for the fine). But that’s as much excitement as I can get around here. I spend most nights in the car - not so much for savings (although it does help) but to catch the most amazing sunrises. Then I just drive off to the closest hostel, get a free shower, and sometimes cook myself breakfast. Everything is going well meeting people - usually hitchhikers - if not those at hostels. My six-day girlfriend also seems to have disappeared. Our telephone conversations are so rare in any case that it probably - technically - does not make her my girlfriend anymore. As for things to do around here, well - there are plenty of walks, and loads of expensive guided tours. That’s what I enjoyed so much about South East Asia: feel like doing something? Hey, why not do it! Here: feel like doing something? Hmmm... check wallet - wallet empty - take more cash out - bank is empty - pay by credit card or forget it? Hmmm... back to square one. I’m so bored. And this writing has only killed 10 minutes of my time. I will have to continue writing until the boat arrives. Tomorrow, I’ll be visiting Mount Taranaki, a dormant volcano. Hopefully, I’ll climb to the summit and get a few snapshots. After that I’ll make my way up north. I’ve finally managed to buy an inexpensive pair of shoes to replace the ones I have (which are split in two - both feet - despite the extensive 1 USD repair surgery they undertook on a crowded street in Cambodia). But I’m still wearing them - the new ones hurt like hell. New Zealand is so beautiful; I wonder if there’s a cinema around here. 
New Zealand: Mount Taranaki (2518m)
--- Note: since writing this text, NZ promptly became fun again: my 6-day girlfriend became my 12-day girlfriend; I did climb mount Taranaki: it took me 6 hours return and the 1600m climb was very painful but well worth the effort; I then skydived in Taupo: jumping out of a plane 12,000 feet high is truly is satisfying; and finally, drove for 16 hours in one day to get to the northernmost accessible point of New Zealand before having to return the rental car in Auckland with 8000 km on the clock! |
