Adventure, NZ style

You don't have to go very far or pay very much to get some adventure in New Zealand. If it's possible to jump off it, swing from it or climb it, then the Kiwis find a way to do it. Any tall building, bridge, ravine or volcano will do.

You can climb the harbour bridge that connects northshore suburbs to Auckland City, day or night. You can take a flying leap (bungy) off Sky Tower, Auckland's revolving restaurant-topped needle. In Auckland alone, it would be easy to build adventure into daily life. For a $100 usd or less per item, you could go dolphin/whale watching (my pics) and swim with them, kayak to the Rangitoto volcano for a hike one evening after work, hang glide at Mission Bay or race in one of Team New Zealand's old America's Cup yachts one Saturday afternoon.

Just three hours from Auckland, I rafted the highest commercially rafted waterfall (7 metres) and level 4-5 rapids on the Kaituna River (pics) between breakfast and lunch, and then had time to go for a swing into the sky above Rotorua on a swing with a 50-metre line (pics) and luge down the mountain, twice, before driving back to Auckland (the left-side driving is a whole other adventure).

Really, the Kiwis take New Zealand's title as the adventure capital to heart. This article by Mike Haney, Unlimited's previous Medill resident, should give you a good taste.

I'm convinced they sit around thinking of ways to frighten tourists. Most vulnerable are the ones who, though gripped with fear, can't resist. Next weekend, I'm heading to Queenstown, where they have the world's first gondola jump. I can just imagine what brought that about. "Hey, this is a freaking deep gorge. Let's build a gondola that crosses it." "Yeah! and let's halt the gondola half way across and make people jump into the 440-foot abyss." According to Lonely Planet, the Nevis Highwire bungy is an engineering feat, a contraption that established 30 international patents.

So many fears to overcome. So little time.

International birthdays & crosswalks

I had a nice birthday dolphin and whale watching on the Dolphin Explorer.

Crosswalks on Queen Street...here's how it works: a throng of people amass at each of four corners. all the traffic lights turn red. The pedestrian lights buzz and turn green. And, streams of people go in every direction, including diagonally, colliding in the middle and disintegrating into little pieces, meeting again on the other side. Even walking down the street, they don't pick a side. Must be a result of there being lots of immigrants from both left- and right-favoring countries, making auckland kiwis among the most ambidextrous (i.e. versatile) pedestrians I've ever experienced.

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Photos:

Viaduct Harbour, Auckland

Paris

Zen and the spin cycle

The washer/dryer-in-one has been gurgling and spinning and swishing for at least one hour now. I just realized if this thing destroys my clothes it'll diminsh my wardrobe by at least half. Hmmm.

I took my first astanga yoga class today. At the end, the teacher came to me and said, "You've done this before." Hehe. Fooled her! I can already feel the day-after soreness creeping in, except it's not the day after. But, I'm definitely going back. Three more beginner classes and I can move to Mysore yoga, which is basically a way to develop your own practice with some pose adjustments from the instructor. Breathing is the hardest part. You have to close your throat almost complete making it a kind of stopper, so your breathe squeezes through noisily and begins and ends right there.

Just Zen

Went for yoga at the Yoga Academy on Federal, behind the Aotea Center. It's a peaceful studio with wood floors, lots of windows, and a meditation room. Very different from the rumbling floors and flourescent lights back at Westlake Fitness. They had all kinds of props: straps, bolsters, wood blocks, blankets, sandbags, and each other. I've never used props before. It's not my style, but I gave it a go. The sandbags were heavy and cool...nice to put over your eyes in savasana.

After yoga, I walked to Viaduct Harbour, home base for the America's Cup teams during the race earlier this year. Now, of course, they've all gone, except for Team New Zealand. But there were a couple of amazing super yachts tied there, like the Kokomo. Really beautiful.

I finally bought an umbrella, carried it around all day but then left it at home for the walk to the grocery store. That's when it rained. Figures.

Correction on the dehydration PSA. It's actually an ad for Pump bottled water.

Finessing chopsticks

I have to learn how to use chopsticks! Korean and japanese restaurants abound, and they're not big on forks or spoons. I'm told they'd give me one if I asked. But, in my effort to do as the Romans (or Kiwis, in this case), I haven't asked.

So, I've been in Auckland just over a week. It's officially rained every day I've been in Auckland. I'll have to break down and buy an umbrella, though I've not used one in years. They keep telling me it's unusual for this time of year. An eventful first week at work, though...I've lost one story because of an ornery PR guy, I've discovered a major discrepancy that minimizes another story, and I'm rewriting a third, short one. Several other shorts ones and one feature are in the works.

Auckland firsts

I'm having my first dinner in my new little, cozy studio in Auckland city center...fettucine from a packet and baked beans from a can, all I could scrounge up from the little superette. I ate better on the Emirates flight. One of the effects of living right in downtown---there are no grocery stores nearby but at least a bus ride or 20-minute walk away. But I live only a couple of minutes walk from work and right off the main street of Auckland, Queen Street, which goes from K Road (the redlight-turned-artists' district, except for a small seedy part) to the harbor. It's lined with shops, restaurants, food courts, internet cafes and gaming centers and office buildings.

OK, timeout.

I'm watching a documentary on Princess Diana and the night of her death, in English and on NZ tv. Since it happened in France, they have many French-speaking sources, for whom they have provided english subtitles. Now, they just showed Newsweek's European bureau chief, Chris Dickey, stammering away in French with subtitles below. Except, I just saw and heard him speak in Paris just two-three weeks ago, and he speaks perfect English--- in an American accent. (Correct me if I am wrong, globalites.) So, I have no idea why he is interviewing in French for English-language, NZ television. Speaking of which, it's interesting what they have here for what seem like public service announcements: one is about taking care on stairs to prevent a broken leg and another is about preventing dehydration. Hmmm....not exactly "this is your brain on drugs."

Paris-Dubai

Just landed in Dubai. I had quite an interesting flight from Paris. First I missed my original flight on the 27th, and took the same flight on the 28th. So, I'm reaching Auckland a day later than expected. Next, I let my curiosity get the best of me. If I had sat in my seat just one more hour, I would've reached Dubai without incident. But, there was a group travelling on the plane. They drank and sang from the back of the plane. Turned out to be the French Parliament's rugby team, which is made up of parliament members and rugby players. So, I went back there to find out more, see if there was a story, etc., and ended the flight with a senator in the French parliament propositioning me. He was incredulous when I ultimately refused. It's worrying when someone you see as a potential source and contact propositions you, especially when it is a person of authority and power. In this case, I was not writing a particular story, but I was scavenging for myself, or for my colleague who is now in Sydney, where the team will be playing. If I was actually writing the story, I would be in danger of losing my source for simply bruising his ego.

I think it's kind of hilarious that a subplot of the rugby World Cup is this tournament among parliamentary teams from France, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and others. It's curious. First of all, they are old, and rugby is physically very challenging. And, secondly, why?

Piercing Paris

Got a nose ring today at a place near the Chatelet metro. A diamond stud. Alex, my Shiva-looking piercing guru, was kind and made sure I didn't open my eyes throughout the process. Kendah served as my comfort and photographer. But, don't worry...no gory photos.