Week one - New Zealand Diaries

Well, I apologize for not writing for so long, especially about my fabulous US trip. It has been a hectic 6 months with work hours stretching to more than 11 hours a day sometimes. Weekends were consumed with working, shopping for the NZ trip, and relaxing, if time permitted (sometimes working too). Also, my laptop is not working since 4 months (an achievement in itself- surviving without a laptop), though they say “pen your thoughts”, I usually type them, being a Gen X kid.

Right now, am sitting in the living room of my sister/brother-in-law’s house in Auckland, New Zealand. I never thought I would get a chance to visit this country, it was not on my bucket list either. The only times I heard of it was in my childhood in Kaho Naa.. Pyaar hain.. and when India played against them in cricket. Might be just about how much an average Indian’s knowledge about the country.  After a week here, I urge people to put it on their definitely-to-visit-in-a-lifetime lists. To the uninformed & all the people wondering why I seem to be on a world tour, my brother-in-law moved here almost two years ago, and my sister following a few months later. Hence, am here.

The initial few days were spent in accustoming to the new timings (7 ½ hours ahead of IST). We visited a big park in the city when it was sunny and the malls when it was raining. Oh that reminds me of something which I found unique to New Zealand. The weather can change almost rapidly. In an instant, the unapologetic wrath of the sun hides behind the canopy of gloomy clouds that melt into a torrent of rain in the next. An umbrella, a windbreaker and a sunscreen bottle always to be kept handy for a comfortable time outside (not that I did). Maybe the sunny weather is the best of all, at least the clothes will dry!

Oh, and the views, be it from atop a hill or across the sea, breathtakingly relaxing. And so many numerous sunsets over mesmerizingly blue lakes. (The blue lakes get a special mention since you rarely see such a rich blue colour anywhere else, honestly, I haven’t). The dense redwood forests that at places, do not even allow sunlight to enter them. The waterfalls, technically not falling, but gushing waters at high speeds (200,000 litres per second) that can fill an entire Olympic pool in 5 seconds! There is no dearth of beautiful, heavenly nature here in this country, I say!

Have you ever seen lushly green meadows, sprawling across acres of land with cattle and sheep, grazing happily, with the sun and the clouds playing hide-and-seek with you while you have a beaming smile on your face? You will find them here in many parts of NZ. So much till you get bored, if that is even possible. Doesn’t that paint a pretty picture!

A few kilometres away, tucked away in a small town called Rotorua, are geothermal geysers, mud pools, and hot thermal springs bubbling in action all the time. (Trivia: While the gases were released above 100 °C, I was at 101.5-102 F). Also known as the “sulphur city”, it is known by the pungent odour that engulfs the city due to sulphur emissions. The thermal park has pools of varying colours, formed due to various minerals leaching into water, such as Sulphur, Manganese, Arsenic, Ferrous salts etc. We even saw the Lady Knox water Geyser that is made to erupt every morning. Visit the thermal park if you want to be enchanted and astonished by what our Mother Nature is capable of.

An intriguing place is the Blue Spring. The Blue Spring is natural spring water stream that contributes to a whopping 70% of New Zealand’s bottled water. The water is crystal clear, so clear that you can see the bottom bed too. It has floating green plantings giving it a sublime appearance. Confounding Fact: the water always remains at a constant temperature of 11 °C throughout the year in spite of the variations in the weather conditions.  

The latest place we have been to is the Waitomo Caves. These caves are known for the glowworms on the dark roofs resembling twinkling stars. These glowworms in larvae stage release light to attract & trap insects and flies for food. This stage of the lifecycle lasts around 6-9 months. It is a mind-numbing experience gliding slowly on a boat under the ground that succesfully wiped my fever away.

One week down. Two more to go…

To be continued…