William's RSS

Catching Up

By William on Tue, Dec 16th 08 at 11:05PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I don't really know why I haven't written in so long.  I have no excuse. I've had plenty of time, plenty to write about, I just haven't done it.  Thanks to everyone who has sent me messages and emails telling me just how much my blogs have been missed.  I will try not to leave you hanging for so long in the future.  So, for the sake of getting caught up, I will go over the highlights of my time since then, which has been great, although nothing has quite compared to hiking Fitz Roy.

Leaving Patagonia - Not having much time, and not wanting to spend 30 plus hours on a bus, I took a plane. And it only cost about $20 more than the bus.  So my journey took 3 hours, was comfy and hassle free.  Except they confuscated my cooking fuel.  I made it through 4 flights with that stuff.  Oh well...

Buenos Aires - Probably my least favorite place so far.  No offense to the great friends I made there, the city just has nothing I really look for in a place.  It's just a big city.  I don't like being so far from nature.  I couldn't even see outside the city the entire time I was there.  We were by the ocean the whole time and I never even saw it.  Santiago was huge, but at least I could see mountains in the distance.

Auckland - By far my favorite big city in the world.  It's just awesome.  Everyone is amazingly friendly, there's lots to do, and if you drive north, west, or east you hit amazing beaches.  Drive south and you get the rest of New Zealand.  Plus, it's so spread out that you never really feel like you're in a big city.  It is definitely a place I could live.  Maybe one day...

The Car - During week 2 in Auckland, we finally gave in and bought a car.  Everyone we talked to had said it was the only way to travel New Zealand.  A 92 Subaru Legacy Wagon.  It's old, ugly, and slow, but I love it.  Maybe it's being in such a great place, or that it's basically an old version of my dream car, or simply that I haven't driven in 3 months, but I've been driving it around New Zealand for a week and still get excited every time we go somewhere.

The Northland - After we bought the car, I was really excited to go exploring with it.  Finally we had the freedom to go where we want in this country.  Sam and I sit down to plan our trip and he tells me he needs to stay in Auckland for a few more days to finish web projects.  Grr... So, I took the car north by myself.  For three days I drove around the Northland, checking out beaches, meeting locals, and doing little hikes to the numerous landmarks. 

My second night I ended up camping at a place called Sandy Bay.  It is basically a perfect little surfing beach, with gorgeous waves and soft sand.  Wishing I had my own surfboard, I settled for watching the surfers as the sun went down. 

On my way back to Auckland the next day, needing a break from driving, I stumbled across a little Miners' Museum in the town of Hikurangi.  Seeing that it was closed, I was about to drive off when a little old lady came out and told me she would open the museum for me.  Not only that, but when she let me in she then gave me a personal tour of the whole place.  It was great to listen to her tell all about this former mining town's history.

Heading South - Since then, we've been driving south, stopping in different towns throughout the North Island.  We've been in Taupo for a couple days now, which is basically the tourism center of the North Island.  Basically, any outdoors activity you can think of, you can do it in Taupo.

Soon - We'll be heading to the south island, for backpacking, more beaches, and who knows what else.

Comments

Daniel wrote on December 17th 08 at 12:34AM
W00T W00T for explorations via cars!
Ryan wrote on December 17th 08 at 06:13AM
D, I think we get your point, we know how much you love driving! If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now, jealous!
Mom wrote on December 17th 08 at 07:27AM
Glad to hear about your travels. I've been told there is a tiny island on the southern tip of New Zealand that is awesome. Might want to check it out. :)
Love and Miss You!!!
Scott wrote on December 17th 08 at 08:49AM
I can hardly blame you for not posting throughout all those amazing adventures... I, for one, would not want to be on the internet for very long in such wonderful places with so much to see and do... even if I had down time.

With that being said - thanks for the update, we miss you, and continue to have fantastic adventures!
Beau Robertson wrote on December 17th 08 at 08:18PM
William, your parents visited us on the 8th in Richmond, VA. We are 1st cousins and you have a cousin in Queensland. His name is Gus Lyall-Wilson (do not ask me how he got Lyall before Wilson)and he lives at 24 Minerva St, Rochedale South - email: alyallwi@bigpond.au. Perhaps you can see him. He has traveled the world.

It looks like you are having a wonderful time. We look forward to your updates.
Abby Kunes wrote on December 18th 08 at 02:26PM
William, Loved all your pictures esp the water falls WOW. I think it would be so neat to get intouch with your cousin. Thanks for writing. We're having a huge snow storm here. love ya
David P. wrote on December 22nd 08 at 10:04PM
Hey William,

Great update man. I'm reading this from Lexington wishing you guys were here. Living vicariously through you two!
Ryan wrote on December 24th 08 at 03:18PM
Merry Christmas William!
Susan, Lana, and John in Seattle wrote on December 24th 08 at 04:44PM
Merry Christmas Eve for us & Day for you! - William and Sam! Sounds like you guys are having a great time in Kiwi-land! Lana really liked the sheep and sky driving minisodes. We are - surprisingly - snowed-in in Seattle! Hope to drive to Boise Friday. If you are missing family - I think meeting a kiwi cousin - Gus Lyall-Wilson would be great! Wilsons are usually a lot of fun - and for Sam, they have dancing in their blood! Love to you both and Happy Holidays! Susan, Lana, and John
Abby,Jim,Brian,Todd,Linsey wrote on December 24th 08 at 10:00PM
Merry Christmas William and Sam. We received over 100 inches of snow in Crested Butte this month. Great skiing. Love and God Bless. I loved the sheep--they look healthy! Abby
The incredible story of how two recent college grads are traveling around the world on an impossible budget.
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