Bye bye Ms. American Pie . . .

Not that Don!

We hit the Waitakere Ranges just west of Auckland again today for some tramping.  The highlight was a trip to the top of Mt. Donald McLean- 389 meters above sea level.  It's spring here and we have been getting plenty of rain which made things a wee bit muddy.

Auckland just a zoom of the camera lens away

JMP after an extended uphill slog: "Now I know why Frodo and Bilbo were so tired in that movie!"

A well deserved break at the summit

Jess with headlands of the Manukau Harbor and Tasman Sea in the background

Aratiatia Dam

Aratiatia Dam is on the Waikato River (Jess posted some pictures of Huka Falls- also on the Waikato- in her last post).

The hydroelectric stations on the river provide 1/3 of all of New Zealand's energy requirements so it's a massive amount of water.  Still pictures don't do it justice.

Aratiatia is opened 3 times daily for 30 minutes to provide flow through this ravine.  The water rushes through the dam and within just a couple of minutes, a river has appeared.

Before

After

Some serious plopping mud

Sensomatic

Black Swan!

This past weekend we got a rare opportunity to give all 5 senses a serious workout.  Paul and I drove down to Taupo on Friday evening.  Taupo is a cute little touristy town on the northeast corner of Lake Taupo which lies in a caldera that developed as a result of the most massive volcanic eruption in history 26,500 years ago.  The area surrounding the lake is still an active geothermal field which means hot springs abound and the smell of sulphur rears it's stinky stench.  Our motel room even had a thermal mineral pool which filled with water pumped from below the surface.  Quite flash!  Unfortunately the sky stayed fairly cloudy so we couldn't see the 3 looming volcanoes on the opposite side of the lake but on a clear day it is supposed to be spectacular.  We spent Saturday following the Waikato River to Huka Falls which Paul thoroughly enjoyed!  The water doesn't fall a far distance but there is a narrowing of the river's path before the fall which turns the water into a churning freight train of aqua blue water.  Absolutely gorgeous. 

Waikato River 

Hot Spring Stream

Thunder River!

Huka Falls

Sunday we made our way up to Rotorua by way of Wai-O-Tapu (first by way of a super rad dam that Paul may nerd alert you about separately).  Wai-O-Tapu has to be the most unique place we've been to yet.  There is truly no way to describe or show with pictures how extraordinary it was.  It is a gurgling, steaming, smelly, colorful wonderland of geothermal activity.  Yes I said wonderland.  I felt like I was walking on Mars.  Here are some of the highlights, I'll probably send out a picture gallery to show the full monty.  

Artist's Palatte

Money shot - Champagne Pool

Devil's Bath

The duck whisperer?

Taking after her father

Success!

The All Blacks pulled out an impressive win (37 - 17) over the Frenchies last night and we had an absolute blast!!!  

Kiwi Sheep people from the South Island

They ran a tight ship!

Giant rugby ball that's traveled the world since 2007

El Manifico, El Diablo and El Fenomeno folks

Art installation on the Fan Trail

Mysterious and spontaneous French display of support

We aren't the only rugby loving Americans in NZ!

American flag suit anyone?

Too bad the Eagles went down 67-5






Ready to get pumped up for NZ - France tonight?









From these pictures, it would appear USA scored more than once

A San Francisco Treat

Paul and I had a really wonderful and full trip to San Francisco as you can see from the posts!  It is one of the most if not THE most dynamic cities I've ever been to.  There is endless culture, architecture, scenery, food, art and people to bewilder.  It is so difficult to pick out my favorites but here is the VERY shortlist: evening jazz on the harbor in Sausalito, the views from Angel Island, dinner at Delfina and tramping Golden Gate Park: notably the Presidio, Palace of Fine Arts and Crissy Field.  
Now this could be a real shame or a real gift for a myriad of reasons but the thing that affected me the most was the condition of the homeless population.  It is undeniable how extreme the "problem" is.  It is made only more obvious when you see a filthy googly eyed man begging a tourist carrying a Prada bag for spare change.  It disgusted me at first, enraged me after that and left me simply obsessed with finding out how, why and when.  Now I understand that there are circumstances to every situation and some people even choose this lifestyle so I don't claim to be holier than thou or say that there are not equal or far worse problems elsewhere or even in SF.  I only sniffed at the surface of this city so after careful thought and contemplation I know that I can't make any judgments.  This is simply an observation that I feel compelled to document.   
I read that the city of San Francisco spends around $200 million per year to shelter and feed this population of homeless.  At first upon hearing this number I was astounded that so many were still in such extremely addicted and miserable states.  I kept reading and found out that there were huge federal cuts in the early 1980's to affordable housing options and mental illness programs.  With just enough food and shelter to keep them alive and no alternatives, why would they ever change.  It seems there would be almost no chance of rehabilitation for the mentally ill and certainly not for the addicted.  Disease and crime prevail.    
One night after dinner on our way back to our hotel, I stopped when yet another man was asking me to donate a dollar in order to buy the "Street Sheet" which is a publication by the Coalition of Homeless about current conditions.  We locked eyes and his didn't seem as cloudy as previous requests so I stopped to have a little chat.  I immediately starting firing off rhetorical questions about how shocked and bewildered I was by what I'd seen.  I turned my head slightly to see a crazed woman on the street corner flailing her arms and yelling at passers-by.  I said to this man "See look at that woman!  I mean look at her, she is out of control!".  He turned back to me and said "That's my wife".  He then told me how they used to live in Berkeley in a nice home with good jobs.  She'd found her way to the streets to join the inflicted.  He eventually followed to keep watch over her and admitted he had an alcohol addiction now himself.  He very well could have been telling me stories but after that night, I started looking at each "bum" differently.  I imagined them cleaned up, smiling and not talking wildly to themselves.  I also started seeing other folks who looked inebriated but still had some weight and normal color to their face.  I imagined they'd just began on that fateful road due to a psychotic break, a loss or an addiction that was waiting to take control of their mind.  
I'm not sure what this post is supposed to accomplish except that what I've described moved me.  It is such a complex issue (involving much more than the street corner) but so easily forgotten.  And this shouldn't cloud your dreams of visiting San Francisco.  So much of it is FANTASTIC and fulfilling.  It is a journey worth taking.  Thanks for listening if you made it this far!!  Cheers

Tiburon and Sausalito

Looking out from Sausalito

We hopped the ferry out to Tiburon from SF and then boarded the bus from Tiburon to Sausalito.

Great views of the Bay!

We caught the ferry back to SF from Sausalito at the end of the day.

Can you spot the tourist in this photo?

Headed back to the hotel after ferry ride to SF from Sausalito.

Burmese Superstar

Yum!

Came highly recommended from the foodiest of foodies- did not disappoint!

From far to near: tea leaf salad, fried brussel sprouts, spicy tuna tacos with a banana shake and lemon iced tea to wash it all down.

Fleet Foxes at the Berkeley Greek

As you all probably know, my wonderful wife Jesse is quite a music fan.  When I first started "wooing" her, when things were long distance and I was definitely feeling pressured to impress, we were talking about music one night and I told her how much I liked Fleet Foxes.  Lucky for me, she was already a big fan and thus I scored serious cool points.

The Greek

Tonight, we made our way out to Berkeley to catch the band (along with opening act The Walkmen who weren't too shabby themselves).

Robin and the boys

Quite flash!

A little place I call 'The Rock'

Golden Gate Park

Nancy, John McLaren and Jesse

Do I have some competition?

Enjoying a wonderful day in SF!

First impressions:

1) this place is quite flash
2) At least 50% of people on the street are having conversations with themselves
3) Where else can you see a nudist, a CHiPs, barking sea lions, a guy playing kettle drums with flaming drumsticks and a stunningly beautiful bridge all in 24 hours?

Werkin' it

Well I seem to have gotten myself a part-time job! I've been eyeing a cute little cafe in Parnell for a while and decided to ask the owner if she needed help one day. Alas, she did! A coupla afternoons a week I work at Organic Africa and I'm loving it so far. 100% organic and fair trade breakfast, lunch, coffee and delicious treats. They also sell heaps of really cool African art, noteworthy are the warthogs made by Tanzanian polio sufferers from reclaimed metal.
After a couple of quiet weeks and weekends, Paul and I are heading down to Raglan tomorrow for the weekend. We've heard it's a bohemian arts and crafts laid back surf community (hmmmmmm?) so we're excited to explore. Full report to follow! We miss all ya'lls very much!

A Hidden Path

One of my favorite things about Auckland are all the hidden walkways that link the neighborhoods. We live on a cul-de-sac but everyday I see random groups of school kids or couples walking down our street never to round the cul (or is it the sac) and head back up the hill to Parnell. Finally this morning feeling triumphant after successfully changing a parking bulb on our Volvo, I bravely stomped over to the edge of the road and found a narrow staircase leading down the hill which slithered between the homes and disappeared into the woods. I am a complete sucker for exploring unknown paths sometimes against my better judgment. Draw what comparisons and/or conclusions you will! So I happily trotted down the steps and delighted in this hidden world under the tree ferns winding its way along a gurgling stream not knowing where I would end up. The sounds of the city were faint but lingered to keep me company. Eventually I came out across from a beautiful little park I've recently discovered a few blocks around the corner on Hobson Bay. Although this path was quite short and didn't uncover anything monumental, I can't help but translate each occurrence as being some kindof raw exploration of this new place and maybe even my proverbial path in life. There are hidden paths everywhere and it's up to me to find them.

Trampe le Monde

Hello from chilly nilly Parnell! Coldest days of the year here in Auckland yesterday and today. 43 degrees I think is the high today. Sounds like an Atlanta winter eh? Good on ya.
Paul and I had a great weekend! We caught up on True Blood Season 3 (not up to par if you ask us), did some clothes shopping for Pauly with a hilariously playful salesman, signed up for DSL finally (which means Skype is close on the horizon) and took a trip to the Coromandel Range on Sunday for a hike around Karangahake Gorge. We ended up climbing a mountain actually! The views and scenery were worth the stiff hips and sore calves. The last part of our walk was through the mountain via a 1 kilometer long tunnel. Yes dark damp and FREAKY! It is Paul's mission in life to scare the you know what out of me every chance he gets too. I'm convinced now. Something about a ghost train and conductor named Stevie McNichols who haunts the tunnel ... so original yet I still held on for dear life snapping my head back every few minutes assuming ole Stevie would be close behind.

It is important to savor, celebrate and honor the past, to save, hope and dream for the future but never miss the space in your moment. ~ Juicy
Kthx