Tuesday brought us south to Tauranga where we stayed in a laid back hostel run by a strange man. A short bus ride brought us to the beautiful beaches of Mt. Maunganui. There, we spent some time relaxing on the beach as well as doing quite the opposite by climbing 232 meters (about 760 feet) to the top of The Mount. We even got to randomly play with a team in a recreational volleyball league, though the net was incredibly low. We made some volleyball friends and we were able to play doubles on the sand courts in Tauranga, which has been the only sign of good volleyball we've found so far.
In our down time, Mai and I worked on our cooking skills, attempting and often failing to make the perfect Egg In A Nest breakfast. They were still delicious, but we couldn't quite get the yolk just right so that it would explode when you bite into it ("how did johnny do it?" is the question we kept repeating). We spent many evenings sitting outside the bus stop using the random free wireless internet connection we found to write e-mails and do some job searching.
Friday came around and it was time for Mai and I to go our separate ways. She headed back to Auckland to meet up with Federico and Rami for the Chinese New Year while I stuck around in Tauranga for a little more volleyball and sun. This was the first time during the whole trip that Mai and I were apart from one another for more than a few hours time.
Up in Auckland...
Chinese New Year festival was relatively okay. I saw a little Asian woman perform magic tricks on stage. I was memorized. She had lots of paper flowers popping out of her hands.. and there was glitter. Every performance intended to capture an audience should include glitter. There were multiple outdoor tents with food for sale. For a moment, I thought I had found my paradise but I should have known.. I am not in the NYC Chinatown and the Asians in New Zealand are getting away with murder for their prices. I did have some delicious shrimp skewers :)
While munchin' on some grub, I witnessed yet another awkward concert/show in New Zealand. A young Asian pop-star wannabe wearing high black heels, red lipstick and a short romper sang some songs while accompanied by three dancers wearing leotards and heels. I tried not to judge, but how could I refrain? The singer kept telling the crowd to join in on her songs.. but no one new the words... OUCH.
After hanging out with Rami for a few hours and having an intense youtube session I've discovered Parkour. If I thought I could leap off a building and not splatter my brains on the sidewalk, I'd try it. So for those of you who are far more coordinated.. I recommend it.
Down in Tauranga...
I spent my weekend meeting up with our volleyball friends (Viola & Taylor) for some more volleyball. Saturday, we went to the beach to swim in the crystal clear waters on the Mt. Maunganui coast. Viola and Taylor are associated with a local prayer house and by pure coincidence, I met pretty much the rest of the people who work with them at the beach. One such person was a Vassar alum! It's a small world after all!
That night, I took part in my very first Couch Surfing experience. For those who have never heard of it, basically Couch Surfing is a website for people to search for willing hosts that have a spare couch in their house or apartment that they're willing to allow travelers to come crash on for free. I found such hosts in the Mount and met up with them in the early afternoon. They were incredibly nice, friendly, and accommodating. They fed me snacks, let me shower, I even had my own bed! I talked with two of the three people living in the apartment for almost four hours, about anything and everything. From the front yard balcony, you could see the waves crash onto the beach, and from the backyard balcony, the calm water of the bay in between the Mount and Tauranga, with the sun setting in the background. So beautiful.
The next morning, I grabbed a 7:20 bus and met back up with Mailynh on the same connecting bus down to Wellington! Looks like we survived just fine on our own.
