Brookvale House, Kumeu

This post will be another long one. And to date the place with the most rainbows I have ever witnessed in such a short amount of time. I stayed with Neil and John for a month. This was not part of my original plan (as unplanned as it is). I was hoping to stay a week or two with each host in New Zealand; in an effort to see as much of the two Islands as possible. Of course the third week I stayed was just my inability to make a decision and the forever lingering issue of me procrastinating. The final week was due to the advice of a dentist.

Damn I hate Dentists!

When I first arrived at Brookvale House I was introduce to John, Neil's partner, Edward and Iris, John's son and daughter in-law, and Claudio, another HelpXer. Claudio had been traveling the North Island on holiday from Australia. What turned out to be a couple of weeks, turned into a few months for him. He had just happened upon www.helpX.net, via word of mouth. Brookvale House was his first Help X host site; and Claudio was the first HelpXer I have had the pleasure of working with. He arrived just a few days prior to my arrival. John and Neil already had him building a new bridge over a small creek that would allow them to walk directly to the stables. I, on the other hand, was helping in the gardening department. Claudio the Builder and Allen the Gardener!

While Claudio worked on the bridge I worked on the front garden. My first job...Eradicate the Agapanthus!!! Luckily for me I already had some experience in this area at Munmurra Park. "Hack them out!" Then make sure all the roots came out too. Once both sides of the drive were completed, it was obvious, the earth would need to be leveled. If not, the run off from the road could cause some erosion along the front of the property. John decide the best place to get some fill dirt would be... The Horse Stables. Now every morning I worked with John feeding the horses and picking up their pooh. Not as terrible of a job as one would think. John had two horses in the stables. A foal named Kiri and a two year old named Looby Loo. Each morning after they had their breakfast I walked them up to their paddock, so they could spend the day grazing and playing. Each evening they would be walked back to their pooh free stables for dinner and a nice sheltered sleep. All to be repeated the next day. Even though I know I was only the "food guy" to them, I would like to think we built a special bond. Especially Looby Loo. Anyway the day came that all the saw dust from the stables needed to be shoveled out and taken up to the garden to help level it. After that John and I went to the local nursery to buy hebes. They are a native species of shrub that comes in many varieties. We chose the ones that will flower a lilac color. Once in the ground we laid newspaper to help keep the "Aggies" from returning and then placed four inches of bark on top of that. It turned out beautifully. Claudio had finished the Bridge, which at the ribbon cutting ceremony, we named it "Ponte Claudio." Complete with ribbon and champagne. Once completing the bridge, we became more like partners in crime until leaving. Claudio was very helpful with the whole leveling/planting/papering/barking part of the garden. We worked together on another garden project by the bird aviary. John wanted a rock feature put in as a retaining wall between the gate leading to the stables and the aviary. There were some dirt piles in one of the paddocks that had lava rock mixed in with them. Some pretty good size ones at that. The first few attempts to get the rocks up to the garden Claudio and I made using wheel barrows. This was challenging in the mud but we managed. As the job became bigger we started to drag them out of the paddock with Leonard the Land Rover. There is more to the Leonard story; but I will tell you about that in a bit. Then the question came up,"Where do we get the fill dirt to fill in behind this retaining wall?" John's answer, "The chicken house." Yep, More pooh! This was the nasty stuff. It did the trick though. Then it was some regular dirt , some paper, some hebes, and some bark. Well the wall looked so good we needed to balance it by creating another one on the opposite side of the Gate. More rocks...More pooh...More dirt...More plants(a rose this time)...More paper...More bark. Well by the time Claudio and I left, we had built a rock wall from the gate leading to the stables all the way down the garden path almost to the bridge! And it looks GOOOOD! Now keep in mind there were days that one project was on hold for one reason or another. When this occurred, Claudio and I both would be helping Neil cut down some pretty big trees along the roadside that had mostly died or had become diseased. This of course opened up the opportunity to plant a new hedge. I don't remember exactly which plant it was that we went to pick up. What I do remember was that it was over a hundred of them. So you guessed it...More holes...More plants...More paper...More bark. No pooh this time though, just a handful of granulated fertilizer. Sorry no pictures of the hedge, although Claudio and I have plans to "Google Earth" it in five years to see exactly how well it has grown. That is, of course, if we don't just stop by on the next holiday to New Zealand. Claudio is now a full fledge gardener. You can add that to you CV, Buddy
It wasn't all work and what was work was fun. One afternoon off, Neil let Claudio and I use the car to go down to Muriwai Beach. We had taken a group outing earlier that week to watch the sunset over the Tasman Sea at Muriwai. But on this trip we had taken off earlier in the day and with a car at our disposal we went exploring the coast. It was magnificent. The sand is black from ancient volcanic activity, the cliffs are tall, and we really had a great time of it. It was low tide which allowed the opportunity to find our way into a cave caused by the crashing surf at high tide. Just above the cave is a huge Gannet nesting site. There were a few Gannets hanging about; but I believe during nesting season there are thousands between this cliff and the island just of shore. We explored all up and down the coast until sunset. The day couldn't have been more perfect especially when we were able to bring home dinner. A towel full of fresh New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels! They were yummy. Of course I should mention Dinner...John is an incredible cook! Every night, with-out fail, he made something tasty. We would all sit down at the table for dinner and the conversation was always as good as the food and the company. The only time I didn't return for seconds was when Neil beat me to them. (Just Kidding, Neil) I never went hungry with the guys. Even though I may have eluded to possible starvation, it was just an attempt to have more of John's cooking.
Earlier I had mentioned "Leonard the Land Rover." Leonard it would seem is a bit of a Kiwi Celebrity. Neil is a member of the Auckland Land Rover Club. So he and his club mates gather at various locations every few weeks to go off roading for a day. Well, Land Rover New Zealand approached the club president about placing an older style Land Rover in an advertisement for one of the new Land Rover Models. Well "Leonard" was the chosen vehicle. His picture was on billboards, magazines, and TV commercials.
He is quite the star. So much so, that one day Claudio and I were hauling tree parts to the fire to be burned. We had parked Leonard next to the road near the fire. Some guy pulls up on the roadside. He gets out of his newer model Land Rover. Walks up to the fence and asks, "Is that Leonard?" I thought he was going to ask if he could take some of the wood bits as fire wood. It was if I was watching myself in a "something" of a Land Rover advertisment. I smiled, a bit dumb founded. Then I answered, "Yes." The man just stood there for a moment, staring. I stood there Smiling. Then he said,"I thought so." He then turned around got back in his Land Rover and drove away. Hmmm?
Well anyway,
I had the opportunity to go off roading twice during my stay with John and Neil. The first time was definitely a muddy mess and much fun. There was a huge turn out of about 20 some odd vehicles. It was so big, we ended up having to separate into two groups. I tell you it took me back to my childhood. Being a kid in Florida, going to the Mud Races every few weekends. Of course, I guess, the difference here is everyone works together to get through the mud instead of trying to get through the mud first. Oh, and there are no trophies. Just a Good Ol' Day in the Mud! Claudio and I both got cameo in that issue of the Land Rover Club Magazine. Neil is the publisher.
The second trip off road was the last Sunday of my stay at Brookvale House. The weather was extremely windy and the turn out for this event was only three rovers. Still great fun! Safe to say, more fun then the first. Mainly because we were not waiting on people to get through tough spots or have their go at a good mud hole or slippery hill. This time was different . We went to the beach. No mud really, just big sand dunes. We could all try each obstacle as it came up and if one of us got in trouble the other one could lend a hand. There were a few areas of water that we played in too. Claudio even tried his hand at a bit of Sand Surfing while we breaked for a bite to eat. I think he should stick to the water personally. I am confident he agrees. During our trek, Neil let me drive "Leonard" a few times through the dunes. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Actually, I am sure I enjoyed it more then Neil. Sorry Neil, I didn't mean to grind those gears. I had the opportunity to drive Leonard a lot back at Brookvale House. Hauling downed trees and big Lava rocks. But this was my first attempt at really giving him a go for fun and not as a work horse. All in all, a successful day "Off The Road!"
Before I close this post I would like to take you back to "Ponte Claudio." Remember that small creek that runs beneath it? Yeah, well for those of you that know...I just was itching to dam it up and build a pond. I approached John about it and he was keen on the idea. He said, "Yeah, it would be nice to hear the trickle of water as it passed underneath the bridge." Now Claudio and I were kept pretty busy during our stay. So I didn't take the dam project on until the last couple of days there. But of course you know I couldn't pass the opportunity up. Claudio helped me in the construction and was willing to listen to my advice. I told him I could see the water and how it would travel, without even building any of the structure. I have always been able to do that. From the springs and creeks, to the ditches on the side of the road that I grew up around; and most recently, the forever growing pond in my old yard back in Phoenix. Complete with its multiple waterfalls and log creek. If John wanted to hear the water under the bridge, well, I could make it sing. I could make it last too, I hoped. If there was any doubt, the storm that followed its construction, definitely put it through the test. It passed. With no time for champagne, we gave it the title,"Allen's Damn Dam under Ponte Claudio!"
The following day I boarded a bus and headed North. My plans are to stay in a Maori Community, at Mangamuka Bridge, as my host site. Jude has invited me to come up and help out. That will be my next post.

Until then, there are rainbows all around you. They can disappear as quickly as they appear. So keep your eye to the sky as will I!

NEW ZEALAND!

I made to Auckland New Zealand with just a small two and a half hour delay at customs. I had to relinquish my cockatoo feather. I was given the option to have the New Zealand Government hold it for me until my departure in three months. But I decided the $15 dollar a week holding fee was a bit steep. Besides I hope to see Belinda At Munmurra Park in October. I am confident she will help me locate another one then. I made arrangements to stay with Neil and John on their horse property. Neil picked me up from the airport. Luckily he was patient enough during my hold up in customs. We joked about it as we got to know each other on the drive out of town. He said that as he watched people coming out of the restricted zone he noticed fewer and fewer people. He was beginning to question whether or not he had the right day. Or even if I had made the flight. I on the other hand was worried he had already made the decision to leave. I don't think I have ever been so happy to see my name on a sign someone was holding at the airport. It was all I could to just shake hands and introduce myself. I felt like giving him a great big hug! Apparently there were 5 separate international flights that all arrived within an hour of each other. If you add that amount of congestion and one cockatoo feather you end up were I ended up...The Red Line-Customs. I guess I could have forgotten I was carrying it but that could have caused an issue if I was found out. My conscience took over and I disclosed it. Both New Zealand and Australia have strict guidelines in place to protect the indigenous flora and fauna.

Disease and invasive species are only kept at bay from the efforts at all entry points to each of the countries. I would rather have them incinerate one feather than to have been the cause of some catastrophe. Even if it meant going through The Red Line.

The two photo's on this post were taken by Claudio a fellow HelpXer. I post them with his permission.

Sydney, Australia - Full Circle

Back again. I do love Sydney. I have walked all over Sydney at all hours. Till sunrise a time or two. I have taken the bus, the train, a cab, and the ferry. Except for the occasional request for money or a cigarette, that is about as dangerous as I have witnessed. Of course please understand there is no plan here. I get bored . So I walk. I look for interesting things to take a picture of. Of course I am hunting a few Rainbows too. I listen to people on the street and see how many different languages I can decipher in one walk. My record so far is eight seemingly different languages. I people watch. I have always said that I enjoy doing this but I don't think I really every did it. Not at the level I have done it here. You have to truly stop, lean on a giant match stick, sit on a bus bench, just stop. And I don't mean just for few minutes. Stop for an hour. In a city this size people are moving, working, hustling and bustling. If you can find the time, it can be very entertaining.
I chose to step out of another comfort zone upon returning to Sydney. I stayed at my first Backpackers Hostile. Luckily for me it also caters as a host site. I had contacted Daniel at The Palms. He offered to exchange accommodation for 2-3 hours of work. I stayed for 5 days before having to leave for New Zealand. Of course I was a bit hesitant when upon my arrival the night manager had no idea I was coming. So he put me into a room that already had people a sleep in it. The room was dark but I was able to make out an empty bunk. An empty top bunk. Yikes! I didn't want to wake the strangers sleeping in the room by my rustling around. I dropped my bags and headed downstairs to the common area. STRESSED! I jumped on the internet and sent out a few " I made it Ok " emails. I researched some of the HelpX hosts that I could stay with once I arrived in New Zealand. It was sometime in the wee morning I found the strength to cross the fear barrier. I headed back upstairs and jumped into my bunk as gracefully as one can in a dark, unfamiliar place. The next morning I met Daniel and cleared up the mix up. Over the next 5 days my work included some wall repair in the main stair well. Plastering, sanding and priming. Cleaning the huge community fridge inside and out. I also had the experience of cleaning the kitchen walls from ceiling to stove top. Not the most glamorous of jobs; but it put a roof over my head and a place to store my gear. Although the other "Job" I was required to do was walk Bandit, while Daniel went surfing. Not really work by any means. Even with Bandit being a bit "stick obsessive." I was able to explore the various surf beaches and surrounding areas of Sydney. It is nice to have a local show you about. The first time I visited I didn't have that luxury. With Daniel and Bandit I was given the opportunity to go places I would probably would not have found by myself. My whole travel plan of, "Maybe I will turn left here," just doesn't get you as far as one would think. Let's face it, after enough lefts you end up making a circle. This works well in a strange place provided you are paying attention. I rarely find myself lost. At least not lost for long. Of course, I guess I have spent a life time of going in circles. The opportunity to catch a ride, and not have to make the decision to turn left, is a welcome one. Before leaving Sydney I had the pleasure of meeting up with Belinda from Munmurra Park, my first host and now good friend. She was in town visiting her daughter and grandchild. We made arrangements to have coffee and catch up. It was great to see her! Hopefully I will see her again in October. I must revisit Munmurra Park and check out the gardens in bloom. So we made the plans and if all goes well it will happen. For now I am New Zealand bound!

The White Cockatoo, The Play

Ok ,where do I start? I guess being the Professional Rainbow Hunter that I am, I will start with my most recent capture. Tony had taken me for a ride in the area. Upon leaving Rocky Point (a jetty suitable for boat launching),we took notice and photos of this Rainbow over the ocean. Somewhere out there is where Tony took me out on to the Great Barrier Reef, but that is later in this Journey. So be patient.

The area that I called home for about a month is smack dab in the middle of sugar cane fields, mountains, and rainforest. There are plenty of creeks and rivers that find there way to the ocean here, and the beaches range from sandy to muddy depending on the tides. The main river system in the area is The Daintree. A "World Heritage" site. This is where I saw my first Croc! Tony took me out on to the Daintree River one afternoon. It travels right through the Daintree Rainforest and various farm plots (cattle and sugarcane).We launched onto the river in search of the infamous "Salties." Tony pointed out that they actually don't live in saltwater. They just use the ocean to travel from river mouth to river mouth. Occasionally crocs are spotted out on the reef. I was told that this generally occurs when the smaller crocs are forced out of the rivers during mating season by the big crocs. I guess after spending a season(mating) or two fattening up on all the fish out there, eventually you become one of the big boys. They are quite ferocious just the same. At each entry to the water, either river or ocean, there are warnings posted, "DO NOT APPROACH WATERS EDGE! Crocodiles are known to inhabit these waters." these crocs are the man eating variety. Apparently the "freshies" are more like an American alligator in their temperament. Ether way, I chose to stay in the boat. Even launching and retrieving the boat I found myself a bit nervous. The water isn't exactly clear.

The Mosman River enters the ocean at Cooya Beach. This was my first bike ride into my surroundings. I think it was a few kilometers from The White Cockatoo. It definitely was a good work out, how ever far it was. Tony and Lenore have mountain bikes available for their guests. If no guest were using them, then one was at my disposal. I took advantage of this a few times, but not enough to really make an impact upon my increasing weight. Which by the way has started to alarm me. Well, "alarm" might be a little harsh. It has not become a big (no pun intended) enough issue to curb my appetite. OOPS! I digress, that would be a whole other story.

The Mosman River travels through the rainforest out of the mountains (that seem to hug the coast), through Mosman, and into the ocean at Cooya Beach. This track has created the Mosman Gorge. I took a hike through the area which has also been deemed a "World Heritage" site. It essentially is a walking path up in and around the Gorge, taking you through virgin rainforest. Here the water does run clear. Thankfully it's cold too. Too cold for crocodiles!

The whole time I was staying at The White Cockatoo the wind offshore was clicking at 20 to 30 knots and it seemed to rain a lot! You would think that this would be normal being in the "wet tropics." It's not, at least not in the month of June. Tony explained," This is our dry season. Things should be drying out, and I can't believe the wind has been so relentless." He tried blaming the weather on me. After three weeks I was starting to believe him myself. You see, the wind was keeping me from The Great Barrier Reef. Tony has a very nice and powerful boat. His offer to take me out there was on the table, provided the weather cooperated. But anything over 15 knots is just to rough to make the 45 minute journey to the protected waters of the outer reef. So we waited, and waited, and waited. After three weeks, my time was running out. I was going to have to leave for Sydney, in order to catch my flight to New Zealand in a couple more weeks. Tony and Lenore came to me one morning and struck a deal. If I guaranteed my stay until leaving for Sydney, they would book a charter trip for me on one of the newest, if not "the" newest vessels traveling to the reef. Well, just look at the grin on my face. Of course I said yes! I didn't have the fore thought to bring an underwater camera along so unfortunately the photo's from that experience are all stored in my head. Except for the one of Tom, Sarah, and Myself. Sarah's mom took the photo for me. If you look, you can make out the reef just below the surface in the second photo. This was a snorkel trip. I was amazed by all that I saw. So many fish, so many colors, so much coral! I even swam with a school of cuttle fish which was an amazing experience in it's self. On two separate occasions during my underwater adventure I swam with a sea turtle. The first one I named Barney, due to the barnacles on his shell. The second one I almost named Stubby, but then I noticed the flipper I thought was missing. So I guess I didn't really come up with a name for him. Hmmmm? You know, now that I think about, I don't even know if it was a him! Anyway, it was an incredible experience on a beautiful boat. We traveled to two different locations on the reef.

AAAAGH! But there is more to this story...

The following Sunday, the last weekend before moving on...

THE WEATHER FINALLY BROKE!!!!!!!

Yep, The Great Barrier Reef Part Two! With Captain Tony Fox.

Allen's private tour.

I will let the photos speak for themselves. Tony ever so graciously allowed me to use his underwater camera. I snapped well over 100 photos. (don't worry I won't post them all) I didn't see any turtles or cuttle fish this trip but I did see...

YES!!! I EVEN SWAM WITH A WHITE TIP REEF SHARK!

As I was in awe of this whole experience, I couldn't even have imagined that I would feel "No fear." The absolute beauty of the reef and of this shark was incredible. As soon as it came by me I immediately started to follow it. It was about 4 feet in length, or so it appeared underwater. Just amazing! I swam with it for about 15 minutes and than I thought, "Hmmmm, maybe this isn't the most intelligent behavior." So I let it swim on. Not that I could have or would have, prevented it. Thankfully my limited knowledge of sharks gave me comfort in knowing, "This was not the man eating variety." It was just as curious about me as I was of it. Once that curiosity was fulfilled, and better judgment set in, we went our separate ways. So between two reef trips the count stood at countless fish, a couple of sea turtles, a school of cuttle fish, hundreds of types of coral and the like, and a white tip reef shark. Oh, but the trip didn't end with the shark...

THE TRIP ENDED WITH DOLPHINS!

I was casually enjoying the ride back to shore, reflecting on the whole experience of the reef. When suddenly, off to my left side, I am eye to eye with a porpoise. Who is traveling, about 20 meters out,"completely" out of the water. BAM! Then another one, and another one! They were literally flying through the air!They were in a race to catch our bow wave. Stupidly, I had packed my camera away, making it a bit difficult to retrieve quickly. This pod was a good 20 members strong. By the time I had camera in hand and ready, They were already in sync with the boat. The moral of this story...

DO NOT PUT THE CAMERA AWAY UNTIL YOU HAVE REACHED SHORE!!!!

(or when the batteries die, which is what I did to Tony's camera out on the reef.)

I know this has been a huge post. Please keep in mind it covers almost a month to the day. There is one more bit I would like to share. My Fourth Of July. I say it like that because, as far as I could tell, I was the only American with in miles celebrating American style. Thanks to Tony and Lenore we had a good old American Barbecue complete with Sparklers! Oh, and a red white and blue duster. American flags aren't readily available; but it did the trick! Tony worked the Barbie, Lenore cooked the side dishes, I made the deviled eggs. It was great fun. What a wonderful night. It was chillier than I think I have ever spent on Fourth of July; but, hell, I was still in the tropics and that was close enough!

Good On Ya, Mates!