Celebrating Independence Day in Samoa

How far from home are we?

Beth and I took our first vacation this past weekend.  We jetted off to Samoa over the holiday weekend.  New Zealand celebrated the Queen's Birthday and Samoa their 51st Independence Day.  We arrived in Apia very late on Wednesday night or I should say Thursday morning.  We were treated to a very hot and humid evening and a long church filled drive to our lodging for a few hours.  We definitely weren't used to the Samoan weather.  In Thames, we had just had our first window scrapper morning.  Samoan's are very religious and you might be shocked to see the quantity and size of the churches that are only surpassed by the number of dogs that roam the country. 

A waterfall near a "cult" town.

We rented a car for the 5 day vacation which allowed us to explore the island of Upolu.  With the amount of time we had we didn't venture over to Savai'i which is the largest of the Samoan Islands.  That is on our list of things to do.  Our traveling list however never seems to get smaller as I'm always looking for an excuse to go see friends in places that we have been like Japan and Germany not to mention seeing family in in the US.  There is a long list of places we haven't been to, but want to.  So who wants to sponsor our travels and I will write and take photos for your personalized "experience"?

Our first full-day was spent driving across the island and then checking into beach hut at Faofao Fales for the next 2 evenings.  Besides providing an awesome view, it included dinner and breakfast.  We were also subjected to driving rain, a leaky thatched roof, and gusts of wind that blew open the thatched panels.  Beth tried in vain to weave the panels closed as I slept most of the evening only waking up when drops of rain hit my face or when Beth stepped on my leg.  The next night wasn't as bad as it was just raining without the gusting wind. 
 

Ship marked the end of the boat race.

At the fales, we met an older couple from Auckland who have been coming to Samoa for the last 17 years.  They had a wealth of knowledge of the area and culture and a German girl, who is on a working holiday in Auckland, was grilling them for information.  She was busing and hitching around Upolu and getting caught in the sudden downpours that appeared out of nowhere.  

Morning view

Beth found on the tourism site that was going to be an Independence Day swim (either 1.5k or 3k) across the harbor.  So we registered our interest in the swim.  It would be our first open water swim in awhile and our first in the country.  We didn't know what to expect so we went with the shorter distance.  The swim was beautiful as you could see the bottom, including blue star fishes, and looking around we were treated to mountains peeking out of the mist.  This wasn't a race, but rather a group swim with designated stopping spots for roll call.  There were 34 individuals swimming and another half dozen in water crafts offering support for those who needed it.  After the swim we ate with the group and talked with the organizers who started this event last year as well as a swim series.  We have some friends going over in August to do one of the races in the swim series. 

At least it wasn't a horse.  Just everything else.

Driving around the island you have to pay close attention.  The speed limit isn't much, but we had to dodge or slow down for many a creature darting or meandering across.  This included dogs, chickens, kids, adults, pigs, and cows.  However, I really wanted the horses tied up to the side of the road to break free and cause us to recognize their superior size on the roadway, but no such luck.  Beth learned the passing rules from our cabbie on the first night.  This basically means you can pass when and where ever just give a little honk prior to over-taking.  We also saw how quick nature could reclaim an area.  Don't leave your car parked for too long.

We did a little walk to see the Robert Louis Stevenson grave at Mount Vaea.  We walked through a botanical garden past a little waterfall and a pool filled with locals.  Instead of bothering them, we scooted past and trudged up a very muddy and at times covered trail.  In case you are wondering?  We took the long path on the way up and the short one on the way down.  On  the descent there was even a rope to give you assistance where it was very necessary.  The scenery was amazing on the walk and made me want to talk other walks on the island.  The only issue is that you need a guide as it is crazy thick and any trails are probably reclaimed by nature after a short amount of time.

The other Independence Day activities we took in were 30ish man boat races across the harbor and locals signing in front of some street food.  I partook in the street food with a good helping of hot bbq.  It was taro, chicken, and a hot dog.  There were a lot of little signs dotting the main highway with these temptations.  I'm glad we found one open on our trip as the country is one of the various churches on Sundays and this particular Monday just happened to be a Monday-nized holiday.  

Brownie with ice cream and chocolate pie with fresh cream.

I'm sure I'm missing tales, but my mind is tired as we were delayed out of Apia last night for close to 3 hours and didn't get into bed until 4am and I was at work by 8 this morning.  It was a quick trip, but it was a lot of fun.  We found a quaint little Italian restaurant that did wood fire pizza and an amazing desert plate.  We enjoyed it so much that when nothing else was open on Sunday, we sought out another round of Indulgence.  The good news doesn't stop, our residency application has been accepted contingent that we send in our passports and pay a one-time, one-more, fee.  That is being done tomorrow.  Now time to enter resident only contests.  Let's hope my luck has followed me.  I'm sure 93x listeners are happy someone else is winning.

Kind of like Christmas

A very expensive Christmas that is.  Our stuff is supposed to be delivered tomorrow.  Much of this stuff I haven't seen in over a year so it will be like opening a box of goodies, except they are all from ourselves and I've used the majority of them.  There are some new hiking boots as my other ones didn't not meet my expectations and they waterproofing died a tragic death after only a couple months. 

I must apologize as I haven't had the opportunity to post any pictures lately as my phone stopped uploading to Picasa.  I have a feeling I have to update to whatever Google Plus product it changed to in order to get it to work.  Much like Talk went to Hangouts and well the UI on the phone kinda sucks.  Any way, I have lots of photos that I have to manually transfer to the computer to post.  Yeah its an extra step and I don't really charge my phone by my computer.  However, once I get my desktop set-up and all the software upgraded, I might actually do a back-up of all the images and music I have on my laptop.  I would hate to see a corruption.

Beth and I bought a Honda Fit not this past weekend, but the one before.  We spent this last weekend sick.  The flu is going around the office and a lot of us got sick.  Beth has been indoctrinated with work speak already as a few of my coworkers come over to the house for lunch.  I've been whipping up little meals for us to munch on.  Its a lot better than the options in town and a fraction of the cost.  I've introduced them to spicy beans from scratch, bbq pulled pork, pancakes, french toast, homemade pizzas, and chimichurri.  It is nice to be able to make a meal for others.  Beth and I often get the left overs as well.

I've signed up for a Half Ironman in January, just happens to be around the time that Beth's parents leave.  They'll be over around Christmas time for a visit.  The people I've been swimming and running with keep asking if I have signed up for Ironman New Zealand, which is hosted in Taupo in March.  I keep saying I'm thinking about it.  I really am.  Its just that I was thinking of heading back to the States for a quick vacation in February and that would kill any training I would be doing and I would probably put on weight from catching up with all my favorite food spots.  So who knows on that one.  I'm tempted to do a 2 day adventure race in August that involves mountain biking, trail running, road riding, and kayaking.  It starts and stops in town with an over-night in Tairua (the start of K2 last year). 

So in other words, I've been keeping busy.

Fall Already

So the never ending MN Winter seems to have come to an end and the rainy New Zealand Autumn/Winter has just started.   My friends and family back in MN would complain when we conversed that sprinter (as the guy from comcast called it) was never ending.

Beth has been busy getting things situated back in the States.  She sold our car, rented our house, sold a bunch of stuff, and donated some as well.  She also was a little unsuccessful in quitting her job as they'll be keeping her on part-time until they hire a replacement.  They are in the process of interviewing at the moment, so it shouldn't be too long.  She also arrives here on Thursday.  I'll no longer be living the single life.  No more being able to drop whatever I'm doing and head out for a long bike ride or a hike with Shiv.  I'll be cooking for 2 instead of one.  Its been difficult as we don't see each other, but we talk daily.  We probably talk more apart than when in the same house.  Ok that isn't exactly true, but you get to the important bits a lot faster and she doesn't have to listen to my stupid stories.  She can read them if she wants.

So I've moved into our 3 bedroom house  recently and its pretty nice.  The only complaint I have right now, is that I'm hungry looking out the window everyday as there are lambs and sheep roaming in the paddocks behind the house.  I don't think my neighbor would miss one of the three back there.  I could even put it on the rotisserie grill that is on the deck.  I can feel that I'm getting stronger on the ride back from work as the hill is worse than Ramsey Hill over in St Paul as its just a little longer, more elevation gain, and a wicked curve.  I can do it in my 2nd ring on my disc trucker, but not the big ring as of yet.  I biked past a woman who was mowing her lawn the other day and she said I was awfully fit for biking up the hill.  I felt pretty good as I passed her, but if she would have seen me gasping for breathe a couple weeks back she probably would have called 111 (the emergency number here).

Shiv and I have been hanging out a fair amount.  We take turns making dinner, play various PS3 games, and just bs.  We did go out on a short hike this past weekend.  We parked at our co-worker Janet's house and forded several streams while enjoying a pleasant morning.  I came home and spent several hours in the kitchen.  I made ribs and kumara nuggets with brown sugar butter.

Today I spent the day baking and cooking.  My co-workers and I have been eating out daily and its gotten old.  So we'll be coming back to my place for lunch and I'll be whipping something up.  So today I made some spicy beans to compliment the planned fajitas.  I also made 2 pumpkin cheesecakes and a pumpkin cookie with caramel sauce.  Annette from work was nice enough to get Graham Crackers for me from Auckland for the base.  Yes, I even had to roast the pumpkin again.

I've gotten all the necessary paperwork and filed for residency this past week.  We'll here pretty soon from Immigration about the process as Beth is going to be entering the country on a visitor's visa.  This means she has to have a ticket with a destination out of New Zealand upon entering.  So we are going to Samoa over the Queen's Birthday Holiday.  Evidently there is some good diving over there so I might head over to Tairu to get certified one of these weekends. 

Immigration Woes continued

So after having my application for weeks I was told it was incomplete.  I had to supply 2 sentences from my doctor for the first round of inspections and then I had to supply a scan of my diploma from the U of M for the 2nd.  Today, I was granted a 2 year working visa so I'm a little less stressed otherwise I might have had to leave on the 7th.  Holy smokes I've been here for almost a year now.  Anyway, I'm just waiting for my passport so I can get Beth some details for our shipping agents.  Then once my FBI certificate is received we can submit our residency paperwork.

How did I spend my Easter? Cyclecamping

Current set-up

I spent 4 days riding my bike and camping around the Waikato region and you can see my SPOT progress here.  I forgot to turn it on the first day and I'm new to the site so I believe they disappear after 7 days.  So I packed up on mid Friday morning and headed out after lunch on my disc trucker to do some cyclecamping.  My intentions were to go South to Matamata and then cut West to Raglan, but realized after closer inspection of my map that I would be on busy highways most of the way to Raglan.  Not so much fun, so I deviated and went further South to the Waikato River Trail instead.  I didn't get to ride much of it as it is designated an advanced mountain bike trail with lots of switchbacks and lung searing ascents.  Instead I poked around on country roads and enjoyed nature.  I talked to several guys who just got done doing the majority of the trail and they said not to attempt it with my current set-up.  I'll have to come back down with my mountain bike and blitz the trail to make up for lost time.

Hauraki Rail Trail

The first day I rode from Thames to Matamata and stayed in the Opal Holiday Park.  I took the Hauraki Rail Trail until Te Aroha then I took a country road past the Wairere Falls and came into Matamata from the East.  I rolled up to the holiday park looking for a place to toss my bivy bag.  I was shown a spot next to a large RV with 2 televisions that were on all night and buckled down for some rest.  I had spent roughly 4.5 hrs in the saddle and I needed to recharge for the next day.  It was during this time that I decided not to push to Raglan as I would have to ride the shoulder of highways the entire way and go through Hamilton and Cambridge to do so.  The distance was doable, but drivers here aren't the most observant to bikers.  I know from personal experience.

A place Skog and I scaled while he was visiting.

The 2nd day I went from Matamata to the first leg of the Waikato River Trail in Arapuni then took country roads to Putaruru.  From there I was going to head down to Tokoroa, but my guide said there were only hotels there.  So I headed back North along Hw1 to Tirua where there is supposed to be a backpackers but I learned from the ladies at the iSite that there is a campground in Okoroire just 6km away.  I did the short little peddle out there and was pleasantly surprised with the sweet spot that I set up in.  I also came across 2 other cycle tourers camping from Rotorua who just spent the last couple days doing the Bay of Plenty.  We talked about different trails and bike set ups.  It was recommended that I do the East Cape, so Tauranga to Gisborne in the near future.

A quick turn off of Hw1.

 Day 3 started early as I was awakened by mosquitoes galore and by hunger.  I was eating food at basically every stop as I felt like I was famished.  So before breakfast I rode 23km to Matamata where I had to chuckle at all the tourist buses that showed up and people scrambled out to take photos of the Hobbit-esque iSite.  They would descend in droves and just stand in the middle of the road taking photos as cars wanted to get past.  I have no problem being a tourist nor taking photos, but you have to be smart about it.  Speaking of photos, I have to apologize for the quality as I was trying out shooting from my handlebars.  I had asked for a gorilla-pod for X-mas and I have taken to slapping it on the stem and just hitting the button when I feel like it.  The exposure on the camera is acting a little weird as well.  Lots of photos are turning out dark.  From Matamata I headed back up to Te Aroha via the back road and came across a Kiwi touring back to the South Island.  He has been away for several years riding across the States, but we chatted in the middle of the road for probably 20 minutes or so, only having 2 cars come past during that time.  He was an interesting fellow and we talked about being on the road and our next destination.  I had decided on my way home, that I was either going to stay in Te Aroha or Paeroa, even though I could have made it back to Thames as I stopped riding at about noon.  Instead I ate at Ben's Roast again and wandered up to the YHA.  I made up my bed and then guarded it from any scoundrel that would claim it as their own.  There was a girl from Malaysia, but she just locked herself in her room and didn't want to converse so I just read.  I'm glad I opted for the hostel as it pissed down rain for a long time last night.  Not to mention my body is covered in itchy mosquito bites. 

Some of the Waikato River Trail

Yes that is a giant slide.

The place I crashed in Okoroire.

My humble set-up to sleep.  I didn't have my pillow out yet.

Day 4 started early again as I had some weird dreams.  I do advocate reading the Felix Castor books, but as they deal with the dead (ghosts, zombies, geists, and were-things) you might have some vivid dreams.  I know I did.  So I was out making breakfast of spaghetti and tuna for breakfast and then setting off for the final 60km of gravel trail.  It was a very humid morning and it didn't take any effort to break into a sweat.  I only overtook 4 people on my way back and a couple ladies asked where my accent was from.  I slowed down and talked to them for a couple kms and then parted ways.  I saw plenty of people just outside of Thames as I waited for them to cross the bridge and then for a family to get organized in the middle of the path.  I slowed down and deftly maneuvered between kids and downed bikes.  I got back before noon and had a bite to eat at a local cafe where I finished the last 20 pages of my book before summoning the energy to ride up the hill to the current house.  My legs were a bit sore and not looking forward to the steady climb.  After cleaning my bike and doing my laundry, I had to head back down the hill to the grocery store.  Ugh my legs are tight and a swim in the morning will probably do them well.

Tauranga is on the other side of the Kaimai Mamaku Forest.

Doing this just solidifies that I still want to do my tour.  Just have to train Beth up and we can do it together.  Save up a fair chunk of cash and set off in a couple years time?  See what I can do. 

More places to explore.

Cyclecamping Gear:
Sleeping bag
Bivy Bag
Cocoon Pillow
Camera
Gorilla-pod
Camp Stove (didn't use)
Fuel (didn't use)
Cooking Pot
Bowl
4 pairs of socks (2 unused)
2 pairs of padded shorts
2 pairs of shorts
2 wool t-shirts
1 tank top (didn't use)
1 long sleeve shirt
1 pair thermal pants
1 pair of gloves
1 bandana (didn't use)
sunglasses
toiletries
shammy towel
nook
phone
ipod
3 cycle books/maps
food stuff
rice
tuna
crackers
fruit
1st aid kit
headlamp
2 tubes
pump
multi-tool
tire levers

Next time things:
Sleeping pad (it is coming over with Beth)
mosquito spray

Immigration woes

So here is a quick update:
We are doing our immigration paperwork and it is taxing.
FBI background checks (6 week time period)
Medical Exams with blood work and chest x-rays (Charged 3 times)
Educational background checks (Ordered transcripts and sending diploma)
Previous Employment checks (Emailed previous employers for information)
Current Employment checks (Stopped in HR for files)

Was told that I would have to apply for a 2nd working visa as my current one expires in just over a month.  I asked if I couldn't get an extension until our residency application goes through.  I was told that it could take up to 9 months for that to happen and that I need to have a valid working visa in order to continue to working.  Ugh so basically have to spend close to $300 on that and a day up in Auckland at the Immigration office as I have to sign some form in front of a Justice stating that I've requested a background check from my home country and that I have not committed any crimes.  Funny things is that the items needed for both applications are about the same, but the fees are drastically.  I'm going to call Immigration again and see if they can't explain some other options as the first girl wasn't very helpful at all.

Beth is compiling her paperwork and will be sending it over to me to compile into a gigantic amount of paperwork.  She is also busy trying to rent out our house and packing.  I kind of left her with a large amount of stuff to do.  I get to deal with immigration, housing here, and purchasing a car.  She has gave her final day at her current job, but is also starting to do some consulting work during her free time.  So if you are in Minneapolis and want to live in NE we have a duplex we are renting out. 

Truckin'

Thanks for Bri for making this post possible!

This past weekend, we had some awesome weather and I did some riding.  Albeit I would have liked some rain as it was a dry 82+ degrees.  I don't ask for rain often, especially after last winter when it seemed to never let up, but it is really dry here at the moment.  Anyway, I grabbed the bike that I bought off a friend while I was back home.  Well that is how I was told to explain it by a certain individual before I was allowed to enter the country.  Technically I did purchase a new bike off of a friend.

Just outside of town

I left the house before most of the house was up and told Heather that I was biking to Paeroa and would be back this afternoon.  I quickly road down Pollen St looking for the Farmer's Market as I would have liked to have a pie stashed for later, but they weren't set up yet.  So I just road down the street and hopped on the trail.  I took a quick detour and went over the new bridge to take a shot a little out of town.  Then it was back on the trail and time to pass some fools.  I was prepared with 2 bottles of water, 2 bananas, an orange, and a flat kit. 

In Te Aroha. 

I wanted to break in the disc trucker with a long rough ride and my 110km didn't disappoint.  I comfortably finished the distance in just over 5 hours with a break for ice cream, bathroom breaks, and a roast roll from Ben's Roasts.  I keep giving this place business and I think he is the only one that works there.  I found the place when Skog was visiting last August and then took my dad there after we did the entire Hauraki Rail Trail in December.  I happened to call my parents while eating and told my dad where I was at and I could tell he started to salivate at the thought of the massive roast plate he attempted to finish a few months back.  I stopped next door to a bike shop to see what kind of prices they have on mountain bikes as there is a couple trails close by and a park up in Whitianga.  There happens to be paintball as well.  Hopefully they are a little cheaper than the other places I have found.  So the shop owner was telling me about the new rage of 29ers and I told him I have a rigid 26 back in the States and that when I do purchase I'll probably opt for a 26".  If I go big, I'll go Pug big.

110km of this.  Bone shaker indeed

Hobbit sized pony.

So I turned around and started back up to Thames only to be stopped for a 3rd time by some Waikato University students conducting a survey about my use of the trail.  I explained again that I had done the survey in Paeroa and they just repeated the name of the city and I jetted off.  Come on, how many guys on the trail look like me?  They must be wearing sunglasses of unperception -5.  So I'm heading back up the trail and realized that I had a new toy to try out.  I took out the gorilla pod and attached it to my handlebars and started to snap photos while riding.  I took some video but it made Saving Private Ryan look like it was shot with a steady cam.  The constant jarring of the bike did cause the camera to tilt after a bit so I kept fidgeting with it.  I got back to Thames in the early afternoon and had a big meal as I was starving.  The people I'm flatting with asked why I wasn't a chef after looking at what I put together.  Nothing special, diced kumara, broccoli, diced pepper, and diced lamb.  Then again today when I made venison kebabs with grilled onion and roasted tomatoes in a cheese roll.  I think they would steal my food if I left it out too long.

On Sunday, it was supposed to rain in the morning, so I opted to finish my latest book 'The Jefferson Key'.  It is another Cotton Malone tale that blends historical fiction with an ass-kicking ex-government agent with an edict memory, who owns a book store.  So imagine Robert Langdon mixed with either Jason Bourne or Bob Lee Swagger Jr.  These typically are page turners and this one didn't disappoint.  After I finished that, I ended up reading the bulk of Ender's Game which I finished this morning.  Now I'm on to Ken Follett, an author I never heard of until a German girl made fun of me for not knowing this prolific author or historic fiction.

My afternoon was spent outdoors.  I packed my day pack with some water, first-aid kit, spot tracker (still haven't found how to display my maps to you guys), and a little food.  I set off down the valley road, one that I have done several times on my road bike, but I continued on once it turned to gravel.  It also continues to ascend and it bumpy as one could imagine.  My hands were pretty raw from the previous days ride, but my legs and bum didn't bother me at all.  I kept riding up until I got to the DOC visitor center and took a couple photos.  They have a cool 3D model of the area and several large maps of the area on the outside of the building.  The building itself is closed for another couple weeks as they redo their floors.  Looks like polished concrete if you ask me.

DOC Visitor Center

I continued up the road and pulled over to do a couple short loops, which I ran.  I haven't tested my ankle really since I twisted it coming down from the Pinnacles a few weeks back.  It felt good and I got a good sweat going between the grinding up the road and my short runs.  I found another water hole that people love to fling themselves off a high ledge.  Its not that far past the visitor center.  Up the road is Hitoritori Camp site, where the mountain bike club is building tracks.  I've offered up my services to help with this effort.  It will be a good way to get to know the local riders and I can say down the road that I built tracks in New Zealand.  I might be able to find a gently used mountain bike as well.

Kids launching themselves off the ledges