Raglan and Taranaki
I'd been wanting to go to Raglan since I got to New Zealand. I started surfing last May here in New Zealand, but haven't really done it since Newcastle. I wanted to get back into the ocean and check out the legendary town which is in that famous surfing flick "The Endless Summer". I arrived in Hamilton and walked what seemed miles with my 40 pound back pack to a hostel that caters pretty much to American students. I won't say any more than that about the place as I shut the door and just ignored the obnoxious 19 year old New Yorkers.
On my way to the hostel I noticed a statue of Riff Raff from "Rocky Horror Picture Show" on the main street. Richard O Brian, the super camp fag who invented the cult classic was from Hamilton and invented the show there while watching B movies at the local Empire movie house. The statue was a tribute to the now torn down movie theater, but it was a pleasure to see a life size bronze of one of the campiest queens in show business decked out in fabulous B movie space alien duds that even Ed Wood would have envied.
I made it to Raglan, an easy going seaside town with a relaxed atmosphere, lots of cool cafes and ...of course...the longest left hand break in the world!!!!I checked into the Raglan Backpackers where a lovely couple Jeremy and Linda lovingly took care of the place. They also rented boards and wetsuits for super cheap. Most of the people who stayed there were surfers...friendly folks who were touring the world searching for the perfect wave. I set out to the beginners beach and rented a board and suit. It was beautiful...and I had a fantastic time. For the next four days I was there I went to an international pro surfers competition there in Manu Bay and watched some of the best, and youngest surfers (12-18 years old) dance, twirl and jump along the ocean one some startingly large waves (12 feet some of them). I also went kayaking and explored the beautiful rock formations of Raglan Bay while surfing every day. As there was no public transport, I hitched a ride. Hitching is a remarkably safe and an accepted practice and Kiwis never let you stay on the road with your thumb in the air for more than 3 minutes before picking you up. I met some wonderful people along the way.... a science teacher, a farmer and a massage therapist...all who surfed of course. In Raglan...there really isn't much else. Some of the best surfers in the world live and surf in Raglan and watching them is very inspiring. I was starting to feel like a real beach bum, and realising I had about 10 days left, decided to head down to Taranaki where there was...you guessed it...MORE SURFING!!!!
I landed in New Plymouth, another nice (but much bigger) seaside town and stayed at another hostel run by another friendly Kiwi couple Cere and Bill. I took a one on one surfing class from Daisy Day, the local surfing guru and former professional photographer who teaches out of the Beach Street surf shop. She gave me lots of tips and helped me get up on the board much easier. On my way back from the class I decided to stop where there was a lovely park with loads of ducks. I sat there and an old guy approached me...another friendly Kiwi. He sat down and we began chatting. He revealed to me he had lost his little dog a couple of weeks before and was really still in mourning. His health had suffered and he had suffered from scurvy since the little dog passed on. He was a very sweet old man who had grown up on a farm in the area. Talking to him made me appreciate this country even more, that there is a gentleness and trust here that is very heart warming. He told me he speaks to everyone and indeed, everyone that past by him said "Hi Bob". Bob Bowers was his name and I encouraged him, when he was ready of course, to maybe think about adopting a little stray dog that may need a good home. In due time I suppose.
I went to the local museum here in New Plymouth. IT WAS REMARKABLE. Every town in New Zealand seems to have these amazing cultural museum. The exhibits even included "The Taranaki Experience" Which was a film in a theater with glowing/lit chairs. The film was on two screens, and super dramatic and LOUD. It went into the history of the Maori in the area, the great battles that were fought here against the English. The film ended on a retrospective of the local petroleum plant, and I wondered if some of the money from the company went into "the experience". I'm sure it did. That said, the museum had a fantastic Maori exhibition section and natural history section. I'm always amazed when I walk into New Zealands public museums and galleries. You'd never see anything like it in the states...not in a small town like this. There is also a toy library, where folks can check out toys for their kids and return them. It's a fantastic idea which could greatly reduce the waste that goes into all those crappy plastic toys that kids get tired of in a few weeks.
That night I was thumbing through my Rough Guide and came across an "Eco-Hostel" in my book.
www.ecoinn.co.nz
I decided to hitch a ride to the place, about 15 Km out of town. I caught a ride with Thomas, a typical Swiss guy (slightly uptight but friendly nevertheless) and he dropped me off at the base of Mt. Taranaki. The weather was crap and when we got there the Tourist Information told everyone that there was a search going on for some missing hikers from the night before. The swiss guy decided to take a look but I decided to just continue hitching to Kent road where the hostel was. All the backpackers drove by me while I was standing in the pouring rain (I don't blame them...I look like an ax murderer afterall) but a police car picked me up and gave me a lift. Believe it or not, this is the first (and hopefully last time) I have ridden in a police vehicle. It turned out the police were carrying the rescue team that had been up on the mountain all night looking for the people. "There's still one guy up there.... an 80 year old man...if he survived he'll be the luckiest man of this century". I sat in the back seat with one of the volunteers...a scrappy looking English guy who mumbled when he spoke. They had been up in the freezing cold all night looking for people. He said this happens all the time, that people go up to the mountain without realizing the conditions, and within minutes, the weather changes and they are stuck. He said some people had heard the man yelling for help while they were coming down from the mountain. I wondered why those climbers didn't go to find and help him. He said that on average one person per hear dies on the mountain, and this man was probably going to be that statistic.
They dropped me off at the Eco Inn, a beautiful 10 acre farm at the foot of Mt. Taranaki. I was greeted by a huge old dog and Michael Lawley, a Leeds born Britt, who is an engineer and a super interesting guy. He and his wife Linda built the house, two hostels and work shed out of recycled wood (from a faulty gym floor) and hooked up everything to solar, wind and water generating renewable energy. The entire place is GORGEOUS, with a lake occupied with Pukeko and swimming ducks, a tree house complete with slide and flying fox swing, permaculture green houses, cows, and a very friendly goat.
I interviewed Michael about his work with my video camera. He also owns a company called Eco Innovations where he basically manufactures wind and water turbines from old broken washing machines. He has the washing machine manufactures send him old parts at a super cheap price and then tinkers away, making the precious turbines and selling them locally and abroad at reasonable rates, mostly to farmers and eco folks trying to save some bucks and get off the grid. He's also working with a company in China in trying to get cheaper wind turbines manufactured as that is the biggest obstacle at the moment. He's testing one turbine that is 80% there but still has loads of bugs because the Chinese manufacturers are cutting too many corners to save money. I didn't really go any deeper with him about the labor/globalization issues involved with the use of "cheap" labor in Asian countries. But I understood his reasoning in wanting to get these products mass produced as cheaply as possible so that they would become the norm rather than the exception and could in the long run even provide renewable energy to poor countries like Cambodia and Laos (also big providers of cheap labor to corporations). Right now, the biggest obstacle is labor costs in manufacturing these products as they are very very labor intensive.
Linda took me to the greenhouses where she offered me access to whatever vegetables I wanted (a great perk when staying at the hostel). They are food self sufficient year round and pretty much just go to the grocery store for wine and odd products. By far, the most important point she made, was staying out of debt. She said that is how most folks get into trouble with this kind of set up. But if you can keep the costs low, you can live on pretty much nothing. It's the initial costs of course that are the biggest hump. Linda let the chickens into the green house to clear all the weeds etc. "It cuts down on a lot of work and with this much land, you're always looking for creative ways to cut your work load". Michael also built a solar hot tub, which I didn't get to try but have heard it is quite impressive. At night, he lit the fire for us. The Fire also heated up the hot water, so the other folks who stayed got to take a super warm bath. It was a great place, and well worth meeting folks who were totally doing it...living off the grid quite gracefully and comfortably I might add.
When I returned to New Plymouth the following day, I checked in again to the Sunflower Lodge and Cere told me that the 80 year old man was found dead on Taranaki and there was a girl in my room who was one of the 7 who got stuck. Cere was upset with the girl because she told her she heard his cry for help but didn't help him. As we were talking, the girl walked in. She was Canadian, and looked a bit shaken. It had been a day since it happened and getting stuck on a deadly mountain could shake anyone up. We got to talking, and she told me what happened. I could tell she felt guilty. But according to her, when she heard his cries, she herself was lost, and didn't know what direction the shouts were coming from.She was with another person though, and I wondered why one person didn't go for help while another stayed put and continued shouting at the man. She also couldn't determine what distance he was from her and couldn't tell if he could even hear them. That said, it came down really to just one decision, keep going down the hill. I've thought about this all afternoon. What would I have done in her shoes. She is a perfectly nice person who was obviously scared for her life but I can't help but wonder, if she went back up that mountain and tried to find him, if he may be alive. Perhaps both of them may have died seeing as she only had a short sleeve shirt on and no supplies whatsoever. I'm sure she's thinking about the same thing, and will be for a very very long time. After talking to her though, I felt bad for her...to feel that kind of guilt in a situation that really was due to blind ignorance. It was a difficult circumstance and any decision would have been a tough one. One thing is for sure, I've learned that if you go walking on any kind of mountain...or into the wilderness... take the right clothing and emergency gear with you. If that man had it, he would have seen his 80th birthday which was today.
On my way to the hostel I noticed a statue of Riff Raff from "Rocky Horror Picture Show" on the main street. Richard O Brian, the super camp fag who invented the cult classic was from Hamilton and invented the show there while watching B movies at the local Empire movie house. The statue was a tribute to the now torn down movie theater, but it was a pleasure to see a life size bronze of one of the campiest queens in show business decked out in fabulous B movie space alien duds that even Ed Wood would have envied.
I made it to Raglan, an easy going seaside town with a relaxed atmosphere, lots of cool cafes and ...of course...the longest left hand break in the world!!!!I checked into the Raglan Backpackers where a lovely couple Jeremy and Linda lovingly took care of the place. They also rented boards and wetsuits for super cheap. Most of the people who stayed there were surfers...friendly folks who were touring the world searching for the perfect wave. I set out to the beginners beach and rented a board and suit. It was beautiful...and I had a fantastic time. For the next four days I was there I went to an international pro surfers competition there in Manu Bay and watched some of the best, and youngest surfers (12-18 years old) dance, twirl and jump along the ocean one some startingly large waves (12 feet some of them). I also went kayaking and explored the beautiful rock formations of Raglan Bay while surfing every day. As there was no public transport, I hitched a ride. Hitching is a remarkably safe and an accepted practice and Kiwis never let you stay on the road with your thumb in the air for more than 3 minutes before picking you up. I met some wonderful people along the way.... a science teacher, a farmer and a massage therapist...all who surfed of course. In Raglan...there really isn't much else. Some of the best surfers in the world live and surf in Raglan and watching them is very inspiring. I was starting to feel like a real beach bum, and realising I had about 10 days left, decided to head down to Taranaki where there was...you guessed it...MORE SURFING!!!!
I landed in New Plymouth, another nice (but much bigger) seaside town and stayed at another hostel run by another friendly Kiwi couple Cere and Bill. I took a one on one surfing class from Daisy Day, the local surfing guru and former professional photographer who teaches out of the Beach Street surf shop. She gave me lots of tips and helped me get up on the board much easier. On my way back from the class I decided to stop where there was a lovely park with loads of ducks. I sat there and an old guy approached me...another friendly Kiwi. He sat down and we began chatting. He revealed to me he had lost his little dog a couple of weeks before and was really still in mourning. His health had suffered and he had suffered from scurvy since the little dog passed on. He was a very sweet old man who had grown up on a farm in the area. Talking to him made me appreciate this country even more, that there is a gentleness and trust here that is very heart warming. He told me he speaks to everyone and indeed, everyone that past by him said "Hi Bob". Bob Bowers was his name and I encouraged him, when he was ready of course, to maybe think about adopting a little stray dog that may need a good home. In due time I suppose.
I went to the local museum here in New Plymouth. IT WAS REMARKABLE. Every town in New Zealand seems to have these amazing cultural museum. The exhibits even included "The Taranaki Experience" Which was a film in a theater with glowing/lit chairs. The film was on two screens, and super dramatic and LOUD. It went into the history of the Maori in the area, the great battles that were fought here against the English. The film ended on a retrospective of the local petroleum plant, and I wondered if some of the money from the company went into "the experience". I'm sure it did. That said, the museum had a fantastic Maori exhibition section and natural history section. I'm always amazed when I walk into New Zealands public museums and galleries. You'd never see anything like it in the states...not in a small town like this. There is also a toy library, where folks can check out toys for their kids and return them. It's a fantastic idea which could greatly reduce the waste that goes into all those crappy plastic toys that kids get tired of in a few weeks.
That night I was thumbing through my Rough Guide and came across an "Eco-Hostel" in my book.
www.ecoinn.co.nz
I decided to hitch a ride to the place, about 15 Km out of town. I caught a ride with Thomas, a typical Swiss guy (slightly uptight but friendly nevertheless) and he dropped me off at the base of Mt. Taranaki. The weather was crap and when we got there the Tourist Information told everyone that there was a search going on for some missing hikers from the night before. The swiss guy decided to take a look but I decided to just continue hitching to Kent road where the hostel was. All the backpackers drove by me while I was standing in the pouring rain (I don't blame them...I look like an ax murderer afterall) but a police car picked me up and gave me a lift. Believe it or not, this is the first (and hopefully last time) I have ridden in a police vehicle. It turned out the police were carrying the rescue team that had been up on the mountain all night looking for the people. "There's still one guy up there.... an 80 year old man...if he survived he'll be the luckiest man of this century". I sat in the back seat with one of the volunteers...a scrappy looking English guy who mumbled when he spoke. They had been up in the freezing cold all night looking for people. He said this happens all the time, that people go up to the mountain without realizing the conditions, and within minutes, the weather changes and they are stuck. He said some people had heard the man yelling for help while they were coming down from the mountain. I wondered why those climbers didn't go to find and help him. He said that on average one person per hear dies on the mountain, and this man was probably going to be that statistic.
They dropped me off at the Eco Inn, a beautiful 10 acre farm at the foot of Mt. Taranaki. I was greeted by a huge old dog and Michael Lawley, a Leeds born Britt, who is an engineer and a super interesting guy. He and his wife Linda built the house, two hostels and work shed out of recycled wood (from a faulty gym floor) and hooked up everything to solar, wind and water generating renewable energy. The entire place is GORGEOUS, with a lake occupied with Pukeko and swimming ducks, a tree house complete with slide and flying fox swing, permaculture green houses, cows, and a very friendly goat.
I interviewed Michael about his work with my video camera. He also owns a company called Eco Innovations where he basically manufactures wind and water turbines from old broken washing machines. He has the washing machine manufactures send him old parts at a super cheap price and then tinkers away, making the precious turbines and selling them locally and abroad at reasonable rates, mostly to farmers and eco folks trying to save some bucks and get off the grid. He's also working with a company in China in trying to get cheaper wind turbines manufactured as that is the biggest obstacle at the moment. He's testing one turbine that is 80% there but still has loads of bugs because the Chinese manufacturers are cutting too many corners to save money. I didn't really go any deeper with him about the labor/globalization issues involved with the use of "cheap" labor in Asian countries. But I understood his reasoning in wanting to get these products mass produced as cheaply as possible so that they would become the norm rather than the exception and could in the long run even provide renewable energy to poor countries like Cambodia and Laos (also big providers of cheap labor to corporations). Right now, the biggest obstacle is labor costs in manufacturing these products as they are very very labor intensive.
Linda took me to the greenhouses where she offered me access to whatever vegetables I wanted (a great perk when staying at the hostel). They are food self sufficient year round and pretty much just go to the grocery store for wine and odd products. By far, the most important point she made, was staying out of debt. She said that is how most folks get into trouble with this kind of set up. But if you can keep the costs low, you can live on pretty much nothing. It's the initial costs of course that are the biggest hump. Linda let the chickens into the green house to clear all the weeds etc. "It cuts down on a lot of work and with this much land, you're always looking for creative ways to cut your work load". Michael also built a solar hot tub, which I didn't get to try but have heard it is quite impressive. At night, he lit the fire for us. The Fire also heated up the hot water, so the other folks who stayed got to take a super warm bath. It was a great place, and well worth meeting folks who were totally doing it...living off the grid quite gracefully and comfortably I might add.
When I returned to New Plymouth the following day, I checked in again to the Sunflower Lodge and Cere told me that the 80 year old man was found dead on Taranaki and there was a girl in my room who was one of the 7 who got stuck. Cere was upset with the girl because she told her she heard his cry for help but didn't help him. As we were talking, the girl walked in. She was Canadian, and looked a bit shaken. It had been a day since it happened and getting stuck on a deadly mountain could shake anyone up. We got to talking, and she told me what happened. I could tell she felt guilty. But according to her, when she heard his cries, she herself was lost, and didn't know what direction the shouts were coming from.She was with another person though, and I wondered why one person didn't go for help while another stayed put and continued shouting at the man. She also couldn't determine what distance he was from her and couldn't tell if he could even hear them. That said, it came down really to just one decision, keep going down the hill. I've thought about this all afternoon. What would I have done in her shoes. She is a perfectly nice person who was obviously scared for her life but I can't help but wonder, if she went back up that mountain and tried to find him, if he may be alive. Perhaps both of them may have died seeing as she only had a short sleeve shirt on and no supplies whatsoever. I'm sure she's thinking about the same thing, and will be for a very very long time. After talking to her though, I felt bad for her...to feel that kind of guilt in a situation that really was due to blind ignorance. It was a difficult circumstance and any decision would have been a tough one. One thing is for sure, I've learned that if you go walking on any kind of mountain...or into the wilderness... take the right clothing and emergency gear with you. If that man had it, he would have seen his 80th birthday which was today.
posted by Mr. Sophie at 8:07 PM
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