Rotorua to Devonport

New Zealand

2923-E Olney-Sandy Spring Road Olney, MD  20832 Phone: 301-774-4646 Fax: 301-774-3610

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October 13, 2000

 The drive to Waitomo is almost like the drive through the Caitlins only not quite as hilly, but the same amount of sheep.  The roads were a lot better though being paved not gravel.  We are too late, as usual, to do Black Water Rafting but are told we could still do the jet boats up the road.  The Billy Black's Jet Boats is a whole complex run by this guy named Barry, who is Billy Black.  Four years ago he built this huge complex by himself where he puts on shows with sheep and pigs and the kiwi bear.  We asked what a kiwi bear was but he said we would have to see a show.  Maybe next trip.  This guy had traveled the world as a sheep shearer and handy man and had put all he had learned into this operation.  He was a real nice guy.  We obviously had shown up late since there was no one in sight but Barry, but you could tell it was his place and if we had shown up an hour later he would have still let us ride.  The jet boat is a smaller personalized one seat version of the one we road on in Queenstown.  The only difference is we got to drive.  Barry had set up a double figure eight course complete with tires lining the shore to keep us from killing ourselves by running into a wall.  Scottie was first and really impressed Barry.  He kept saying he was a good driver.  Above average was 1minute 10 seconds with the record being 1 minute 3 seconds.  He gave us about six laps to warm up, which was a little more than usual, for being a travel agent, then times your last two laps.  Scott recorded a 1 minute 6 second personal best.  He gave the boat a little more juice for me since I was significantly heavier.  He said I would pretty much be an experiment.  He even thought out the track to figure out which side I would be on to make sure I wouldn't flip the boat.  No worries mates, I had a blast.  I recorded a 1 minute 10 second lap and claim victory since I am carrying more than two Scott's in my boat.  The key we were told and found out quickly was that you can never let off the gas like in a car as you go around corners or you lose control of the boat.  The boat is designed to drive on top of the water and you kind of slide around all the turns like you are on glass.  We left Barry after a long conversation about his business and went back to book the first Black Water Rafting trip of the day. 

Scott Finishing His 1 Minute 6 Second Run On Billy Black's Jet Boats (Scroll Over Box For Movie)

Next was to the booming Friday night of Waitomo.  We had a couple of beers at the Waitomo General Store GloWorm Bar.  Scott called in the first call bar of the night since they closed at 8:00 PM.  Then headed for the last call bar in town The Waitomo Tavern.  We were told that since it was Friday night some of the locals might show up.  They did but it was almost like Deliverance with mostly sheep farmers.  We kind of compared it to what we imagine Francis will be like at Snug Harbor after thirty more years.   They did have a neat little money maker in the bar.  Coin golf, which looked like someone at the bar, had made it.  You put a 20 cent piece in the box then try to flip it through a course which has all kinds of holes in it.  You try to avoid the holes and get to the bottom.  I tried once and got to the second of about five rows before losing my 20 cent piece.  We headed to Te Kuiti about 15 kilometers outside of Waitomo looking for a little bit more for our Friday night.  We had passed Te Kuiti on the way to Waitomo and the thing that stuck out the most was the 20 foot tall statue of a man shearing a sheep.  We found less.  The only bar we found was How BarZarre.  Great name weird little place.  It is like a tavern at first then at 9:30 PM they turn down the lights and turn on the colored disco lights and become a disco.  Only problem was no one seemed to want the disco.  Everyone stayed in the pool room and played pool.  One real funny thing did happen there though; Scott asked the guy at the table next to us what he was eating.  It looked like some sort of fried pastry.  Instead of telling Scott he just hands him the bowl to have.  Ends up they were boiled potatoes that had been lightly fried.  Of course we had no idea if the guy was being real nice or that the plate of food was real bad when we were given the bowl.  The were pretty good so like usual it was someone just being really nice.  I ordered a Egg & Bacon Burger and found out it had no burger at all and we split a plate of nachos.  We both were getting run down so we went out to the camper and took a nap deciding that if when we woke up anything was going on we would head back inside.   At about midnight Scott headed us back for Waitomo so we would be closer in the morning to where we had to be for Black Water Rafting.  I was pretty awake when we got in so I packed for the trip home.  We camped at the Watiomo Holiday Park.

 October 14, 2000

We paid our usual $20 NZ in the morning for the camp ground.  Out of the all the camper places we stayed there was really only one that didn't stand out, the one at Fox Glacier, and we spent the least amount of time there anyway.  They all had really clean bathrooms and most had kitchens, TV lounges, and barbeques.  It really is a great way to travel this country.  We got to Black Water Rafting at about 8:30 AM for our 9:00 AM trip.  The cost was $65 NZ and I got a $6 NZ discount.  They had seen me the day before and swore they had a wet suit and boots that would fit and to my surprise they were right.  Deb, one of our guides took our picture and we were off with two Swedish guys who had been to the Olympics, Gerard a radio journalist graduate who wanted to work for ESPN and had volunteered at the Olympics, and our two girl guides.  They drive us up to the end point of the trip where we grabbed out inner tubes.  You fit them by sticking them on your behind.  I actually found one big enough for this also.  They had us jump from about ten feet off a dock into the river because we would have to do it in the caves also.  Scott forgot to swing his feet out and landed face first.  Not very impressive.  I jumped OK but somehow my Sportglass goggles strap broke and lost my goggles.  The very reason I didn't wear my real glasses so I wasn't to upset but had to squint the rest of the trip to make things out.  We had to walkup the hill to get to the cave entrance.  For the first time I was real happy it wasn't real warm since we are walking up hill in these wet suits.  On a hot day it could kill someone.  We head in the caves and the first 100 feet or so are walking in about a 5 foot tall space.  Not a problem for Scott but I'm thinking I've made a huge mistake.  It didn't last that long until we could raft some in the caves.  The boots were amazing.  Scott was especially impressed with his traction since his last experience with needing traction was on the glacier with bald Rockports.  The caves are great, every once in awhile we would stop and turn off the headlamps on our helmets and look up at the glow worms.  It looked like the evening sky (without my glasses) the worms spin their cocoons that glow and attract food.  Scott being horticulture guy had lots of questions.  The most important being why the gloworms looked like the Grinch that Stole Christmas.  I had bought a shirt the night before that bore his likeness.  The guides were confused at first but then caught on as we explained the shirt.  The two girls were great.  They really know the cave.  You could get hurt real easy without them as hidden waterfalls and sharp drops in the water are everywhere.  They just know where all the rocks are underwater to help navigate the cave.  At one point they handed out chocolate fishes to eat.  I didn't know what they were until I saw someone else eat one, this being that it was dark and I didn't have my glasses.  We got together one time and formed a chain by our feet to do the eel down the cave.  Scott was behind me so I grabbed onto his feet.  He was shivering.  He said this wet suit wasn't as good as the sledging wet suit.  I happened to have some natural layers of protection and was quite comfortable.  The caves were great but you weren't in there as long as you wanted to be.  At the deepest we were 65 meters underground.  We stopped and looked up at a hole above this spot.  It didn't look that big but we were told it was nine feet across.  A funny thing happened as we left the caves.  We emerge at a point where three Japanese tourist were taking pictures.  It probably scared them to death originally.  I told them we come in peace and gave them a Vulcan V sign with my hands.  They were cute.  They had to take pictures with the strange cave dwelling wet suit people.  We floated back to our van and the girls said that when the level of the river goes down some they will probably find the glasses and they'd send them back.  They had once found a lost wedding band so I gave them $40 NZ to send them back or keep as a tip if they didn't.  They had some soup and bagels for us after we showered and changed.  The trip is basically over. 

 We left Waitomo and Scott drove us to Auckland.  The good new when we got there was that we didn't have to drop the camper off at 6:00 PM at Maui but could drop at the closest hotel anytime before midnight.  We had filled up with gas and I headed for Devonport which overlooks Auckland.  It took awhile to get there since I couldn't find any on ramps to the only motorway in the country.  Scott packed while I snaked our way through Auckland to Devonport.  I had a beer at Bar 3 while Scott tried to shop to no avail.  He did like the Dean Martin music at the bar when he arrived.  We argued over who was the greatest drunk.  Scott likes Dean Martin; my vote was for William Holden.  We stopped at the next bar that was previously a bank, The Bankers Arms Alehouse (The bar as of July 2006 is now called The Patriot Bar).  The bartender was working his first day and had to look up prices for everything.  He was a nice enough kid who had been in the New Zealand navy.  One assignment was to work surveying Milford Sound for about three months.  Tough job, but someone had to do it right.  Our last stop was the Devonport Bar & Brasserie (The bar as of July 2006 is called Wicked Wanda's).  The bartender gave us Steinlager rubber mats to give the Rafferty's.  We head for home.  We drop of the camper and Scott asks one last time if I've got everything.  I'm not thinking and just say yes as I go to set up the drop off of the camper with the front desk.  I had finally told Scott earlier in the day I had business class seats.  They had a separate check in so I was going to try to get him in before I started having problems of my own.  My duffel bag weigh more than 35 kilos and couldn't be checked that heavy.  It was the same as when I left but he said there rules were different.  Thank God.  I start to transfer stuff from the blue to red duffel bag which I had intended to carry on and realize the computer is not in the bag.  I panic and realize dad's first question when he picks me up is going to be how the camera and computer worked. (I was right).  I had planned on typing all this in between Waitomo and Auckland and had the computer still in the drawer I had kept it in the whole trip.  Scott wanted to drive to Hamilton then let me drive to Auckland though so he could pack.  I had never taken the computer out of the drawer to do my journal entry.  Scott then drove all the way to Auckland and

it just slipped my mind that I hadn't move it (or as I explained at the time my Alzheimer’s is coming much quicker than I expected) to a bag yet.  I tell the agent my dilemma.  Thank god I had business class and walked right up to a counter.  He let me keep all my bags at the gate and I made a dash for the hotel.  I got lucky and caught a cab driver right outside the terminal.  He told me he couldn't pick me up on the drop off curb but when I explained my story he told me to jump in.  I got to the hotel and got the keys.  I almost smashed there automatic sliding glass doors on the way out.  The computer was right where I knew it would be.  I grabbed it and headed back to the airport.  The cab driver as before was great, very cordial, and dressed like he was going to church.  I explained all my cab stories from before and told him the Auckland cabbies were the best I'd ever encountered.  He was appreciative and said they try to uphold the image for the city.  He got me back in time and I even had time to spend my last $40 NZ.  I got on the plane a half hour later and wondered if Scott had seen my mad dash out of the airport.  I was at a different area than him for business class and didn't see him when I walked on the plane.  We left on time at 9:30 PM and the flight was 11 1/2 hours.  I watched The Patriot with Mel Gibson and Rules of Engagement with Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson.  I was nodding in an out for the second though.  I slept for the next six or seven hours, a first for me on a flight.  The only thing that really stood out was landing at LAX we made a right hand turn to make our final approach and right out my window was a JAL 747 not more than 1/2 mile away and looking huge.  I've never seen another plane that big, that close in the air.  LAX is so big though, they were just landing on the runway next to ours.  I had a two hour layover in Los Angeles but almost missed my connecting flight.  We sat on the runway for over 30 minutes upon landing because of an Air Canada jet in our gate area.  My bags didn't get the priority treatment they were supposed to since I was talking to Scott at the baggage claim area his bags showed before mine arrived.  I got on the airport connection shuttle and got the slowest driver in the world and of course had to travel six of the nine gates to get to USAirways.  I tried to get time from people since I knew I was running behind but everyone's watches were set to somewhere else in the world.  When I get to USAirways there terminal clock say 1:15 PM which I know is wrong since we landed at 1:30 PM.  I do my best O. J. Simpson/Hertz impersonation running to my gate and getting there at last call for boarding with about ten minutes to spare.  I typed my journal until the battery died since I had no interest in the Woody Allen movie playing.  Got another nap and arrived home on time at 11:30 PM.  Like usual my luggage was last off at BWI.  I never get lucky there luggage wise and saw mom.    She took me outside to where dad was supposed to be.  Of course it took us over 45 minutes to hook up.  He was farther down than she remembered and we thought he had just had to drive around the airport again because of the BWI police that roam the passenger pickup area.  The second we walked in the front door we got a call from Scott's mom wondering where Scott was, I told him he flew into Dulles and was spending the night with Bob Devlin.  I'm going to have to talk to him about that.  Since I'm still on New Zealand time my day didn't end until 3:45 AM when I finally went to sleep.  I got a phone call early in the morning from Mrs. Rafferty telling me I have been invited to John McManus and Liz's wedding in Miami.  I struggle to stay awake during the Redskin's 10-7 win over Baltimore.  The trip is definitely over when I start doing wash. 

 This was probably the most fun I have had on a trip as an adult.  New Zealand is the most beautiful country I have seen and the people, what few there are, are unbelievably nice.  It's late Sunday night as I type this and dad has played with the new digital pictures, I seem to have done alright, and try to recall the last two weeks that seem like a whirlwind.  It was a great experience and as big of a pain in the butt it was to keep this journal I'm very glad I did.  Mostly because of the Alzheimer’s kicking in sooner than expected, no just kidding (hopefully).   Mostly because for being gone such a long time it just seems impossible to remember everything I have just done and now finishing this journal I know I was pretty meticulous in everything we did. 

 I was told on the flight to New Zealand that if the was my first trip down to New Zealand it would definitely not be my last.  I'm pretty sure it will not.

Back To Rotorua

Return To Beginning Of Trip - Auckland