Fresh off our last full weekend in New Plymouth where one of us doesn't have to work. We made it action packed.
Friday we watched that documentary The Cove about the dolphin slaughter that still occurs in Japan. It was pretty brutal and shocking what goes on but the film was very interesting. Highly recommend it and even though I'm squeamish it wasn't too graphic for me.
We slept in a bit on Saturday and then drove up to Egmont National Park to try to summit Mt Taranaki. Dustin didn't have luck getting set with a guide earlier because most of them don't do the guiding full time so it's really tough to schedule in and you really want a clear day to make the most of it. The summit trail wasn't completely clear of snow yet but the woman at the visitor centre reckoned you could get up about 4 hours before hitting the snow rather than the 5 hours to the very top. We started out trekking up steep roadways after we got through the trail in the rain forest section. It was warm and windy out so it was hard to keep a hat on. We got up to a lodge that the Alpine Club has and stopped for a snack. It was only about an hour in but the path so far had been challenging without many level sections. The total elevation is about 2500 m but I'm not sure where you start at elevation-wise because you drive up to the visitor's centre first.
We continued past the lodge and at this point you start climbing over rocky sections and they have also built kind of a stairwell up a few sections. We didn't even attempt to count but there must be more than a thousand stairs up there. After that it becomes scree so it's kind of one step forward and then two back since it's very loose and the sections slide very easily. About an hour from the lodge I was feeling totally dizzy and just couldn't keep up with Dustin anymore. It felt like we were shockingly high up and the wind was howling enough to keep you on your toes for sure. Without any handrails or even trees or anything to break a fall, I think I got a bit scared. (If you're reading between the lines, that's an understatement and I kind of freaked out - by "kind of" I think I mean flat out freaked out.) I hadn't even read this yet either: "This mountain is possibly the most dangerous in New Zealand, with a reputation for the highest annual fatalities."
So unfortunately for Dustin we called it there. He was ok with it though. I'm not sure how much further to the top because we had made it to the lodge in less time than it was estimated. Maybe there was another hour or more? And I think the terrain stays as scree pretty much the rest of the way. We stopped and had a bit of our lunch before moving back down the many many stairs and over the boulder sections. We took a different trail down after getting back to the lodge. This one is the Round the Mountain trail so the trail goes across the side rather than straight down. It was a little longer back but it was more interesting than the roadways. So we were up for about 4 hours in total and I was absolutely beat. My calves are still feeling it well into today. My stamina definitely doesn't compare to Dustin's - and proof of that is that when we got home, we turned right back around to go to the beach so he could surf. But we stopped for ice cream first.
The surf conditions were still kind of small and it was a bit choppy out but he suited up and went in anyways. It's so warm here now that you could probably wear boardies and a rashie but Dustin has a shortie spring suit that he wore. I sat on the beach and read a magazine quite content to be on level ground at sea level.
We just made it home in time to eat dinner and get into the city for the Santa Claus parade. I had been hearing about it on the radio and saw it advertised. Apparently about 12000 people turned up last year. So I was kind of expecting something big. We got there about 5-10 minutes after the parade started and missed half of it. haha. It was over in less than 20 minutes. I think I love parades because we used to go to the PNE parade when they had it and I just always enjoyed that. Dustin is not much a parade goer so hopefully this one won't be held up as an example in future attempts to get him out. So we went to go see Due Date - just released here this week! It was good to have a laugh and we liked it.
Sunday we made a nice big breakfast before heading to another beach for more surfing. The swell had picked up slightly but it was much cleaner than the day before. I stayed out of the water still, opting to try to relax a little. Both days were absolute crackers and even though I thought I was careful, got a little sunburn on my arm where I apparently missed a spot. I am really going to have to be very careful. After a few hours at the beach we went home to get ready for the concert.
So yes, I finally had success in getting tickets to Jack Johnson last week. The show started after 6:30pm so the sun was still out for another couple hours but all the trees make it quite shady. The first band was local and kind of reggae style music. Then Tegan and Sara played for 30-45 minutes and I really enjoyed that. They don't have a lot of exposure over here so I don't think many people knew who they were but the crowd was polite enough. A group of about 4 people sitting near us had this Canada flag and kept waving it so I reckon they were fans. The girls had just flown in from India and played most of the songs I wanted to hear! The only drawback to the pond in front of the stage means you're quite far from the performers. Then around 9pm Jack Johnson started. Both Dustin and I found it amusing that we have bought or burned nearly all his albums and yet whenever he came to Vancouver we just never went. What a difference the draw of this venue makes. Surrounded by trees, fresh air and several thousand people sitting on blankets, we enjoyed ourselves. He played for nearly two hours and I think he covered everything we wanted to hear! He also threw in a Steve Miller cover (The Joker), a Sublime cover (Badfish) - which I think he had done for a compilation previously?, as well as transforming a couple of his songs to include a bit of "Red, Red Wine" by UB40 and "Just What I Needed" by The Cars. It was entertaining and he has a great band backing him. During one song he sent one of them out in a little boat across the pond towards the audience - while the guy was playing the accordion! That got everyone (including us) out from under their blankets and up to see and most people stayed standing and dancing. He came out for an encore and ended with Better Together. Overall it was great and he's a likable performer too. One thing about the pond is there's very strict rules that if you go in you're kicked out. During the encore, someone attempted to make it to the stage and in the middle of his song, Jack stopped and said "hey at least let me give him a high five before you put him back - he almost made it" and even again he commented that he hoped the guy wasn't getting kicked out. A great way to wind up this weekend and a lovely part of our time in New Plymouth.
Friday we watched that documentary The Cove about the dolphin slaughter that still occurs in Japan. It was pretty brutal and shocking what goes on but the film was very interesting. Highly recommend it and even though I'm squeamish it wasn't too graphic for me.
We slept in a bit on Saturday and then drove up to Egmont National Park to try to summit Mt Taranaki. Dustin didn't have luck getting set with a guide earlier because most of them don't do the guiding full time so it's really tough to schedule in and you really want a clear day to make the most of it. The summit trail wasn't completely clear of snow yet but the woman at the visitor centre reckoned you could get up about 4 hours before hitting the snow rather than the 5 hours to the very top. We started out trekking up steep roadways after we got through the trail in the rain forest section. It was warm and windy out so it was hard to keep a hat on. We got up to a lodge that the Alpine Club has and stopped for a snack. It was only about an hour in but the path so far had been challenging without many level sections. The total elevation is about 2500 m but I'm not sure where you start at elevation-wise because you drive up to the visitor's centre first.
We continued past the lodge and at this point you start climbing over rocky sections and they have also built kind of a stairwell up a few sections. We didn't even attempt to count but there must be more than a thousand stairs up there. After that it becomes scree so it's kind of one step forward and then two back since it's very loose and the sections slide very easily. About an hour from the lodge I was feeling totally dizzy and just couldn't keep up with Dustin anymore. It felt like we were shockingly high up and the wind was howling enough to keep you on your toes for sure. Without any handrails or even trees or anything to break a fall, I think I got a bit scared. (If you're reading between the lines, that's an understatement and I kind of freaked out - by "kind of" I think I mean flat out freaked out.) I hadn't even read this yet either: "This mountain is possibly the most dangerous in New Zealand, with a reputation for the highest annual fatalities."
So unfortunately for Dustin we called it there. He was ok with it though. I'm not sure how much further to the top because we had made it to the lodge in less time than it was estimated. Maybe there was another hour or more? And I think the terrain stays as scree pretty much the rest of the way. We stopped and had a bit of our lunch before moving back down the many many stairs and over the boulder sections. We took a different trail down after getting back to the lodge. This one is the Round the Mountain trail so the trail goes across the side rather than straight down. It was a little longer back but it was more interesting than the roadways. So we were up for about 4 hours in total and I was absolutely beat. My calves are still feeling it well into today. My stamina definitely doesn't compare to Dustin's - and proof of that is that when we got home, we turned right back around to go to the beach so he could surf. But we stopped for ice cream first.
The surf conditions were still kind of small and it was a bit choppy out but he suited up and went in anyways. It's so warm here now that you could probably wear boardies and a rashie but Dustin has a shortie spring suit that he wore. I sat on the beach and read a magazine quite content to be on level ground at sea level.
We just made it home in time to eat dinner and get into the city for the Santa Claus parade. I had been hearing about it on the radio and saw it advertised. Apparently about 12000 people turned up last year. So I was kind of expecting something big. We got there about 5-10 minutes after the parade started and missed half of it. haha. It was over in less than 20 minutes. I think I love parades because we used to go to the PNE parade when they had it and I just always enjoyed that. Dustin is not much a parade goer so hopefully this one won't be held up as an example in future attempts to get him out. So we went to go see Due Date - just released here this week! It was good to have a laugh and we liked it.
Sunday we made a nice big breakfast before heading to another beach for more surfing. The swell had picked up slightly but it was much cleaner than the day before. I stayed out of the water still, opting to try to relax a little. Both days were absolute crackers and even though I thought I was careful, got a little sunburn on my arm where I apparently missed a spot. I am really going to have to be very careful. After a few hours at the beach we went home to get ready for the concert.
So yes, I finally had success in getting tickets to Jack Johnson last week. The show started after 6:30pm so the sun was still out for another couple hours but all the trees make it quite shady. The first band was local and kind of reggae style music. Then Tegan and Sara played for 30-45 minutes and I really enjoyed that. They don't have a lot of exposure over here so I don't think many people knew who they were but the crowd was polite enough. A group of about 4 people sitting near us had this Canada flag and kept waving it so I reckon they were fans. The girls had just flown in from India and played most of the songs I wanted to hear! The only drawback to the pond in front of the stage means you're quite far from the performers. Then around 9pm Jack Johnson started. Both Dustin and I found it amusing that we have bought or burned nearly all his albums and yet whenever he came to Vancouver we just never went. What a difference the draw of this venue makes. Surrounded by trees, fresh air and several thousand people sitting on blankets, we enjoyed ourselves. He played for nearly two hours and I think he covered everything we wanted to hear! He also threw in a Steve Miller cover (The Joker), a Sublime cover (Badfish) - which I think he had done for a compilation previously?, as well as transforming a couple of his songs to include a bit of "Red, Red Wine" by UB40 and "Just What I Needed" by The Cars. It was entertaining and he has a great band backing him. During one song he sent one of them out in a little boat across the pond towards the audience - while the guy was playing the accordion! That got everyone (including us) out from under their blankets and up to see and most people stayed standing and dancing. He came out for an encore and ended with Better Together. Overall it was great and he's a likable performer too. One thing about the pond is there's very strict rules that if you go in you're kicked out. During the encore, someone attempted to make it to the stage and in the middle of his song, Jack stopped and said "hey at least let me give him a high five before you put him back - he almost made it" and even again he commented that he hoped the guy wasn't getting kicked out. A great way to wind up this weekend and a lovely part of our time in New Plymouth.
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