Work???

Feb 24th - Mar 8th, 2008

Something about travelling on a train inspires optimism in me. I don't know if it's the industrious sounding clankity-clank of the train's mechanical parts, the efficiency of the transport, or the rapidly changing surroundings, but during a train trip I can usually come up with a pleasant plan for my future. It's when I am once again burdened by my checked baggage that reality reclaims its hold on me.

The 'Overlander' train from Auckland to Wellington NZ.

This is a picture taken from the seat on the 'Overlander.' There was some film footage being taken from the helicopter which followed alongside the train for about a half hour.

Most of the terrain was very similar from Auckland to Wellington except for these volcanic mountains one of which is Mt. Raupehu which contains the ski resort where Terry hopes to operate his Argo skiing service from.

I had grand plans working more on sailboats in Wellington, New Zealand (I failed to mention on my last post that I had worked for a short time varnishing a sailboat in Opua) in order to earn some money for a trip up Australia's East coast with some friends from Victoria, (an anonymous reference to my 'friends' but they are very good friends indeed. We're talkin' H. Russell and Amanda T.) but I concluded that it would be much more wise for me to earn Australian dollars. It doesn't take much reasoning for me to make an excuse to continue traveling, so my time in Wellington was thus, half touring and half arranging my Oz work visa.

Being more noteworthy, I'll write about the half spent touring Wellington. The first full day was an incredibly beautiful, calm summer's day. I climbed to the top of Mt. Victoria which offered me a 360 degree view of the city and its suburbs. The city is built on steep terrain around a very large bay surrounded on both sides by ocean. It was a view that only a panoramic photo could do justice so the only picture I have of Wellington is from ocean level. Day two in the city and it revealed its true nature to me. Below is a short video which provides some insight into why Wellington is coined 'The Windy City.'

Wellington, New Zealand from ocean level.

Apparently Canadians aren't the only ones who say 'awesome.' Here's a nice bike I spotted in Wellington made not so nice by the personalized license plate.

WARNING - you may want to reduce your volume!

What I said in the video :

"So, I'm in Wellington right now. I'm not too sure why they call it 'The Windy City.' (Don't know what I say at this point) Really, it only is windy over sixty km/h on average for over 170 days a year. It's not very windy here at all. It's quite calm and relaxing." What a smart alec I am...

As you may recall from a few posts back, I shared my 'English propers' experience when I was asked to stop playing my guitar. As it turned out, the YHA (YHA of course, is and acronym for Youth Hostel Association) I was staying in at the time was a temporary home to many folks similar to the 'propers' resulting in a somewhat dull environment for a single male. Fortunately, I was rescued from certain dullness when a mountain unicyclist (muni for short), guitar playing, neuroscience graduate student from Santa Barbara California named Eyal entered my dorm room. Eyal was on a two week vacation starting in Wellington to take part in the Karapoti Classic mountain bike race. Eyal and I had many a good time playing guitar, riding or in my case trying to learn to ride the muni, and discussing our respective theories on criminal neuroscience. Eyal raced an incredible distance of fifty kilometers during the race in around seven hours. In comparison, I was able to ride the muni successfully for one pedal stroke lasting about 0.6 seconds. While Eyal got his share of exercise during the race, I too felt inspired to expend some energy by speed-touring the expansive Te Papa Museum. Although an impressive museum, I was a little toured out at the time and was anxious to check my email for a reply on my Australian visa application.

Work visa in hand, I had the good fortune of booking the same flight to Sydney as Eyal who was to spend the second week of his vacation in Sydney. After departing the plane we were bused to the terminal in Sydney's very busy airport. Sydney was larger than I had imagined (the trains for public transport within the city were two floors high) and as beautiful as all the hype I'd heard said it was.

This picture is taken from my seat on the plane from Wellington to Sydney just after take off. The three mountain peaks in the distance are all that I saw of New Zealand's South Island.

Eyal looking for the Sydney Opera House (in his defence, he was actually not looking for the Opera House but for his accommodation for the night).

The public barbecue at a beach in Coogee where Eyal, Dorothy, and I made food and music.

After a bit of research, I learned that living and working in Sydney would not be a very profitable venture. If Eyal didn't have accommodation at an all female nursing dorm I may not have heard of the work available in Tasmania. Yes, that's right, Eyal had accommodation in an all female nurses dorm - that lucky son of a gun. He found the digs through a website called couchsurfing.com where people invite travelers to stay at their residence at no charge. He just happened to hit the jackpot at the nurses dorm. I was invited to a barbecue with Eyal and his host at a beach in Coogee, just South of Sydney.

We had a most delightful barbecue where we enjoyed Australian produce and beef which is so very good, followed by a quick nighttime dip in the ocean and guitar and singing on the beach. At this stage I was already very fond of Australia. It was during the music session that Eyal's host, Dorothy, from Germany, informed me of the plentiful work to be had in Tasmania - a place I expected to miss out on this trip to Australia. Once again, not much of an excuse was needed to keep moving and the following day I booked a train to Melbourne and a ferry to Devonport, Tasmania.