Hey, everyone! I am currently sitting in my hostel in Waiheke Island, killing time before heading to the 7pm ferry. I had bought an “off-peak pass” which means I can’t take it until the evening. So… what better time than to write my blog? I came to Waiheke to get out of the city for several nights – I figured I’d prefer to be in nature. The week did end up being quite chill, but I still managed to go explore.

Whakanewha Regional Park

I arrived to Waiheke in the afternoon and after walking 180 steps up a steep flight of stairs to get to my hostel, I spent the rest of the evening getting acclimated to the area. I checked in, got groceries, etc. I had only a single mission during my time in Waiheke: go to Whakanewha Regional Park.

If you remember, my favorite musician is Amanda Palmer. As the pandemic struck in 2020, she was doing a show in Aotearoa New Zealand and decided to stay here for the duration of lockdown. She and her son were here for two years. Anyway, she made an album called New Zealand Survival Songs and one of the songs is titled Whakanewha. Since the release of that album, I knew I had to make it to Whakanewha for the novelty of it all.

(The staircase above is 180 steps and is the path I took to get to my hostel with my huge backpack. OOF!)

I had spoken with an Austrian guy at the hostel who had just gone on the hike to Whakanewha the day before. He recommended the trail to take to get there. So off I went!

It took a little over an hour to weave through neighborhoods and dirt roads to get to the start of the trail. It was hard to find the proper trail. Much of the track was going down roads that said it was private property, that only walkers were able to enter the area. Well, I walked too far and ended up accidentally walking onto someone’s private property. A man called out to me and told me I’d passed the track. He gave me some details on where to find it. I apologized profusely but he said it was fine, that it happens all the time.

The entrance to the track was incredibly discreet. There was a small blue sign at shin-height with an arrow. I was like, of COURSE I missed that. As soon as I got onto the trail, I was immersed in the bush. Luckily, the trail was easy enough to navigate. There was one area where there was a steep decline. Rope was tied to trees for walkers to hold on to as they descended. It reminded me of one of the walks I’d done in Coromandel.

Whakanewha Regional Park is beautiful. So much greenery with a small river cutting through the area.

I walked the Cascades loop track, which took me to Cascades waterfall. I hadn’t looked up pictures beforehand… it was a pretty waterfall but also a very, very tiny waterfall haha. Not that impressive compared to many of the other waterfalls I’ve seen in New Zealand. Alas.

I continued along the walk. Ups, downs, ups, downs. It was a warm day and I was most definitely sweating.

I decided to head down to the beach. By the time I was almost there, I began listening to Amanda Palmer’s New Zealand album. And wouldn’t you know it… as Whakanewha began to play, I literally stumbled upon the location she had used for the cover photo of her album. My mom later told me it was serendipitous. Of course, I had to ask some people in the area if they would take a picture of me recreating the album cover.

I took a break near the water to have a snack and to walk barefoot in the water. The water was so clear! If I’d had my bathing suit with me, I may have gone for a swim. The endangered dotterel bird was skittering along the beach. Oystercatchers were around, too. It was noon and the sun was high in the sky, so I walked over to a shaded area and sat down for a while.

Eventually, I continued on the trail. More trees, but this time there was a thicket of bamboo-looking trees. I had about another hour of walking before finishing the trail.

As I exited the park, I stuck out my thumb to hitchhike back into town. The first car to pass by picked me up. It was a short drive but the driver and I ended up talking the whole way. The man was also an American and he and his partner had lived on Waiheke for the past seven years. Before that, he lived in Chicago (originally from Oregon). Imagine that? He works in Waiheke helping to make the area predator-free, which is a very important job here in New Zealand. Lots of stoats, possums, etc. I’ve talked about that a lot in past blog posts, so I’m sure most of you already know this.

For the remainder of the day, I hung around the hostel. I worked on a drawing that I ended up VERY happy with. I will share that later in this post. The next day, I didn’t do much. I was feeling quite lethargic so I hung around the hostel, ate food, and read a new book. It’s important to relax!

(Below: a bird that let me get incredibly close to it without flying off, a lilac bush which smelled amazing, and a hedgehog!)

Stony Batter Historic Reserve

Once I’d recovered from my Day of Nothing, I decided to go to Stony Batter Historic Reserve. To be honest, I had no idea what was there. It seemed like some WWII tunnels, but I didn’t have much information about it. It was nearly a four hour walk from my hostel and no busses went there, so there I was again… sticking out my thumb. After some time, a kiwi man picked me up. His daughter had gotten married the day before and he was heading home to pick something up for the family members who were staying at a nearby farm. He was beaming with pride and happiness for his daughter. He wasn’t able to take me the whole way to the reserve, but he sure helped. I waited another twenty minutes. Lots of cars passed me by – mostly families and couples who were probably going to various wine tastings. Waiheke is very big on their wine and vineyards.

Finally, a group of German travelers picked me up. They were going to the same place. Yahoo! I was glad I was able to find a ride because otherwise, it would have made for a very, very long walk up and down gravel roads. The Germans were all volunteering on an eco-friendly farm for the next few weeks. How cool!

We parted ways as we got to the reserve and I walked to the entrance of Stony Batter. I think there is some way to do self-guided tours but I ended up paying the $30 to do a guided one. I’m not a huge history buff but the tunnels were super cool. The WWII bunkers were built after Japanese planes had been spotted flying near Auckland, trying to locate one of their gun posts. The area never saw any action luckily, but New Zealand was prepared.

A portion of the tunnels had been converted into… well, art. There were some “meditation rooms,” there were beautiful lights strung throughout the tunnels.

One room was used for art shows, etc. In fact, there was art hanging up and music playing on stereos. There were two artists featured. One of them was exploring depth via shapes. The other artist had placed a petri-dish of water on top of images and then froze them. The water began to take the shape of the pictures beneath it. It is now being used in scientific studies, which is fascinating.

In that same room was a piano… and Amanda Palmer molds into my story once again, somehow. During her time living here, she filmed a music video in this very room, on this piano. When going to the bunkers, I wasn’t positive, but I was reminded of her music video. I asked the guide if someone had ever brought a piano into the space. Tim said, “Which musician are you thinking of? Amanda Palmer?” Mm-hmm. He had told me it was his piano and that he’d take a picture of me when we got to the room. And so that’s what happened!

Eventually, our guide Tim passed us along to another guide, who was seven flights below. Creepy! We were shown around the engine room, and the planning room. They explained the ventilation of the area, the underwater mines they’d set up in case of Japanese subs, etc. Lots of information! He joked that the engine room was the “beating heart” of the operation and the planning room was the “brains.” And because it was the brains, who employed that operation? WOMEN, he said.

After I finished the tour, I walked around the area some more. Lots of sheep were hanging out on the paddocks. I ended up climbing to a vantage point where I could see Coromandel off in the distance. I also was able to see Rotoroa Island, where I’ll be staying from the 15th to the 17th of November. My last hoorah before leaving New Zealand!

Hitchhiking back to the hostel was looking dismal. There were five cars in the parking lot and because I went on my little detour to the lookout, the people on my tour had already left. Damn! I ended up walking down to a fork in the road, and would you believe it, the same guy who picked me up in the morning was back! This time, he had the groom’s father with him haha. After learning I was an American, the groom was very interested to talk about Trump winning the election. Most people are curious to talk politics when they find out where I’m from. Problematic as it may be, everyone seems to be fascinated with America haha.

They dropped me off halfway to my hostel. And then a hippy and her young daughter picked me up. They had just been to a birthday party and were heading back home. The mother asked me about my time in New Zealand, etc. As she dropped me off, I thanked her for the ride (as I always do). She said to me, but I think also to her daughter so she would learn, “always have time for hitchers.” I love the sentiment – helping others through a simple act. When I had my van, I was hoping there would be a hitchhiker for me to pick up along the way, to pay it forward for all the times I’ve hitchhiked around the country. Funnily enough, during all 50+ hours of driving… I had never seen a hitchhiker going in the same direction I was.

Matietie Track

The trend was to have a rest day every other day. After Stony Batter, I hung around the hostel. I’ve started watching an online playthrough of a Zelda game I’ve never played before. I talked with some people at the hostel, hung out, read, exercised, etc. Sometimes I’d go into town to get fries or a sandwich, etc.

Yesterday, my main plan of the day was to go into a nearby town for ice cream. I was having a slow start to my day. I worked on my book in the morning and went to go stop in my room. But then… at reception, I saw an old friend. MARION! Adventure personified. I could not believe it. “No way,” I said. It took her a second to register who I was and then we were hugging, laughing, etc. We could not believe we were bumping into each other so randomly! If you’ve forgotten, Marion and I worked together in Queenstown. She left back in April but I met up with her near Arthur’s Pass in September, shortly after starting my road trip. How insane to bump into her again! The world is big, but it is small, too.

Marion ended up telling me about a trail she had walked the day before. It was supposed to be really nice and it was nearby where the ice cream shop was. We made plans to have a proper catch up in the evening.

I took the bus to where the ferry was, which was the start of the track. Immediately, I was glad I did the walk.

There were beautiful views of the ocean and of the Waiheke landscape. Up, down, up, down, but it was incredible.

Along the way, I saw lots of small pockets of private, secluded beaches. In hindsight, I should have taken some time to just lay down by the beaches! They were beautiful.

I could see Auckland far off in the distance and Rangitoto as well. I was listening to music but I could see various species of birds fluttering about. I was surprised to see a grey heron standing in the middle of the trail. As I approached, it flew away. Just beautiful.

After descending a steep hill to Cable Bay, I had to ascend an even steeper hill to then exit the track and head back into town. Once in town, I got my ice cream. Two scoops – biscoff and pistachio. HEAVEN. I walked around town for some time and then took the bus back to my hostel.

I spent the rest of the day hanging out. In the evening, I conversed with a Swedish guy, an American woman, and a Dutch woman. We talked for a while. Much of the conversation was dominated by the American. I suddenly was able to see how people must view American visitors from an outside lens. She was very loud, kept interrupting people as they spoke, kept talking over them. The Dutch woman was trying to get a word in, but the American kept cutting her off. I felt pretty embarrassed.

The conversation turned to… America. As it often does. The Swedish and Dutch folks were very curious to hear about our experience there. The American was giving them a pretty glum view of our country. She talked of how as Americans, many of us have a hyper-awareness about our surroundings, where we’re leaving our belongings, etc. This is absolutely true, and something that I haven’t had to worry about in New Zealand and Australia (although I still do have that “sense” engrained in me). The Dutch woman was pretty shocked by this. She says she never really feels the need to wonder if someone is going to steal her things, etc.

At times, I felt the American was painting a very negative picture of the US. It almost felt like fear mongering haha. Yes, it is problematic. It isn’t always the safest. But everybody has different experiences. Have I ever been robbed? No. Have some people I know? Not at gunpoint, but yes. One of my friends had his car broken into. Another friend had her house broken into and her laptop and other various items were stolen, etc. It absolutely happens. And obviously gun violence happens, too. After the American went to bed, I tried to explain this to the Dutch woman. How it’s just complicated and no, it’s not perfect, but it’s not a scary hell hole where everyone is running around in the streets shooting at each other. I mean… in some places, maybe… I don’t know. Our country is so damn complicated lol.

The Dutch woman and I ended up speaking of many things. New Zealand, travel, her job working as a case manager for at risk kids. It was a great convo. Around 11, Marion came by and we shared what we’ve been up to since we last saw one another. I couldn’t believe we so randomly bumped into each other once again. Insanity!! Just after midnight, we went to bed. I was able to chat with Marion again in the morning. As I type this, we’ve just shared our final farewell together. I watched her from the window as she and her friend left the hostel, backpacks strapped on tight.

Marion will be heading back to France on the 17th. Her friend has only just arrived, the beginning of a year long journey in New Zealand for her. This happens so much. The constant cycle of people coming and going, coming and going. Sharing experiences, suggesting hikes and locations. It is a beautiful thing, truly.

In a few hours, I will make my way down to the ferry, leave Waiheke, and cross back into Auckland. As of this moment, I have almost exactly seven days (to the hour) that I leave for America.

Miscellaneous

At my Waiheke hostel, I was lucky enough to score… a TWO BED ROOM! Just a single bunk bed, and I got the bottom bunk. Yahoo! For a few nights, I had the room to myself, too, which was just the absolute best. Love having a room to myself, and for a cheap price, too!

There was one night, I started hearing some shrieks and screams from another room. One of the girls had freaked out about seeing a huhu beetle and… had killed it. “This is why I live on the other side of the world!” She had said. Poor beetle!!! Earlier in the week, there was a huhu beetle on a chair in the kitchen. I held out my hand and let the beetle crawl up onto it. I then placed it out on the grass outside, so no one would kill the beetle. I guess I can’t save them all LOL.

Also including some inspirational plant life below.

Renee keeps sending me new pictures I’d never seen before of my last nights in Queenstown LOL so I have to keep sharing them (below).

Art of the Week

I love, love, LOVE this piece! It has been so long since I’ve really felt super happy with a piece. I think I’m learning to slow down more, take the time each artwork really needs in order to be successful. I think this also comes from the relaxation of not being constantly on the go-Go-GO. When I was on the road trip, I was kind of always going somewhere, doing something. Even when I had chiller days, there wasn’t always a picnic table for me to use. Now I have more time. I also worked on another piece yesterday (which I’ll share next week). That one is maybe the best piece I’ve created in… geez. A year? I’m really thrilled with how it came out and it’s made me feel really good about my artwork moving forward.

I’ve uploaded some recent designs to my RedBubble site. If you’d like to buy a sticker, hat, shirt, etc… the designs are all uploaded to RedBubble and I get a small commission for the item purchased!

I also have more time to write, which I’m happy to report I’ve been doing more of. Working on the book. I’ll throw it out there again – if anyone is interested in having an early glimpse of the book I’m working on, I would love the feedback! Please reach out and let me know.

Reflections

One week left. And I definitely feel ready to go home. While it is nice to have lazy days where I don’t do much, it can also be kind of boring at times. In a perfect world, I would have had another week with my van to see some more stuff around Northland but we all know how that turned out. So, I’ve spent a lot of time just kind of… existing lol. But that’s good and healing and healthy as well. To read, write, draw. That’s all good stuff!

I probably could have left the country a little sooner but I bought my flight months and months ago. Plus, I still have Rotoroa Island to look forward to. I have two nights in Auckland, two nights on Rotoroa, three nights in Auckland, and then I leave.

Rotoroa Island is a predator-free island, with takahē, kiwi, and various other birds. There are a few hikes there, too. I am looking forward to my time there. The grand finale!

Until next time, sending you all my love. x