Auckland's Gay Scene

Exploring Auckland's gay scene was a bit of an adventure. And, sadly, underwhelming and disappointing.

Before we left the U.S., we did some internet research and made a list of gay bars, restaurants, etc., in cities that we'd be visiting. The only bar we could find in Wellington was closed the day we were there. So Auckland was the place to explore.

We went searching for a place relatively close to the hotel on Anzac Street. We got bad directions from two different people but finally found a hole-in-the-wall adult book shop and went inside to ask where to find the bar. "Oh, it's in the sauna upstairs," said the man behind the counter. We asked for directions to other places.


Most of Auckland's gay places are in Karangahappe Road ("K' Road"). The man at the book shop said that's where we should go. Jeff asked whether we should take a cab and the man, literally, gasped and said, "Oh, no! Walk! It's only 20 minutes walk." He gave us some quick directions and off we went.

Ummm, yeah. Not 20 minutes. More like 45 minutes. Uphill. To the top of Queen Street then to K' Road.



Our first stop was a place called the Family Bar. They were very nice folks. Treated us really well and gave us some suggestions for other places to visit. The bartenders, Francis and Mark, found copies of the local gay paper for us and told us a little about the community.

We were surprised how subdued the nightlife was. There were very few people out and about.

Urge Bar was not too far up the street. It's the local leather bar. It was a single, small room with a bar. My backyard patio is a larger space. Again, everyone was very friendly. And, it turns out, they were ready for us. They had a heads up from the folks at Family Bar that a couple of Americans were headed there... and they were told to treat us well. It was nice.

We called it a night by 10:30pm.

To be honest, for a country that is so progressive... light years ahead of the U.S. in terms of gay inclusion... it really seemed like the community was in hiding. Jeff is right when he calls it "heartbreaking."

TVNZ

The Auckland headquarters for Television New Zealand is only a few blocks away. So, of course, I had to stop for a look. It's smallish... but still kind of cool. We rang security to see if they had a gift shop. Nope. No TVNZ souvenirs.

Rydges Hotel Auckland

The drive up to Auckland takes about 2.5 hours. It's an okay drive through rolling countryside. It's pretty. Getting into the "big city" is a little bit of culture shock after being in small towns most of the week.

The Rydges Hotel is great! It's in the middle of the Central Business District, two blocks from the SkyTower. We're on the 9th floor... with a view looking directly at the SkyTower!

Buried Village

The village of Te Wairoa is gone... along with 153 souls. So are the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Pink and White Terraces. They were all lost in the massive, overnight eruption of Mt. Tarawera on June 10, 1886.

For "four terrifying hours," the mountain exploded and hot ash and boiling mud rained down on the village. Buildings collapsed. Homes were buried under a couple of meters of ash and mud. The terraces were destroyed.

Today, you can see what's been excavated. The family who bought the land in the 1920's began the task of uncovering the village.

The village's tragedy is partly told through the letters of a woman named Margaret. She seems to have written letters to family and friends every hour, on the hour documenting the devastation. Jeff points out, "She needed the comfort of a man." Amen.

Maori Hangi

The Hangi is the traditional, cooked-in-the-ground Maori feast. In Rotorua, it's become a tourist-trap-style event... complete with a show and demonstration of Maori dance and hakas. We partook of the show in our hotel.

We were the only non-Asians in the audience. In fact, other than the performers, we were the only English speakers. And the cheese factor was off the charts.

White Island

We walked through the living, breathing, killer crater of New Zealand's only active marine volcano. White Island is connected to the same system of volcanoes that rumble around Rotorua and Taupo. The same group that helped form the North Island and has been responsible for some of the world's greatest eruptions.

The shuttle picked us up from a hotel down the street and took us 85km, past Lakes Rotorua, Rotoehu and Rotoiti, Rotoma, and past Mt. Egmont, to the coastal town of Whakatane (fah-kah-TAHN-eh). Then a boat took us 29km to White Island. The boat can't actually dock at what's left of the White Island wharf... so we had to use inflatables to get to the actual island.

We spent about two hours trekking over the crater's wasteland, exploring the vents, the boiling mud pools and the crater lake. The lake is extremely acidic. In fact, on the pH scale, some scientists have placed it at -0.5... yes, even more acidic than pure acid. (On the pH scale, 14 is alkaline, 7 is water and 0 is acidic.)

The activity on White Island is actually relieving some of the pressure on the area's volcanic system. Without it, other volcanoes could erupt sooner... perhaps even in Auckland. Ngauruhoe, by the way, is being watched closely because it's due for some kind of "release."

Hell's Gate Wai Ora Spa

Hell's Gate is on tribal land but now owned by a private firm. Many of the employees are members of the land's original Maori tribe. It is said to be one of the most active thermal areas in Rotorua.

We took the shuttle (The Mud Bus) about 15km out of town toward Whakatane to the spa. The first hour includes the walk through the thermal reserve. There are dozens of boiling pools, thermal vents, bubbling mud, sulphur crystals and a real mud volcano. (Apparently, the volcano was a few meters higher a few months but it blew itself apart again... as it does every few months.)

The mud baths are like stepping into a vat of muddy water with thick, dark grey mud. You can scoop the mud off the bottom of the pool and apply it to your whole body. It feels really wonder. The icy cold shower afterward closes your pores and invigorates your body. (It really sucks.)

After the mud is the sulphur bath. It's a huge hot pool full of yellowish-greenish water. The sulphur is supposed to be good for your skin. As a note: Jeff did not wear his rings into the water... but there is so much sulpher in the air, the rings turned brassy. They're a mess now.

The massages were wonderful. As always, too short.

Exploring Rotorua

While Jeff was napping this afternoon... so stole away to explore a bit and headed for the lakeside, etc.

The first stop was Government Gardens, the home of the Rotorua Museum, the recently-restored Blue Baths, and the city's best lawn bowling greens. Today people were bowling in their traditional whites. One of the thermal vents in the Gardens is an ancient Maori burial site. It is still considered tapu (sacred). Warriors' bodies were tossed into the deep vent to keep them from falling into enemy hands.

Lake Rotorua itself is a thermal wonder. The entire south end of the lake is a milky, yellow-green because of all the sulphur in it. Steam vents and boiling pools line the edges. Even when you can't see the boiling water in the holes, you can hear it gurgling and gushing around. Just be careful of the gulls... they did a bit of dive bombing today... thought at least one was going to take out my head.

Zorb

The Zorb is, quite literally, a big ball of fun.

We did the water version.

It's a giant, hamster ball, surrounded by an even bigger hamster ball. They dump some warm water in it... and roll you down a huge slalom. It's almost impossible to control which way the thing rolls. And you just bounce around inside the inner ball. It's a blast!

The sign-in certificate includes an emphatic disclaimer: "WARNING! Sporting activities such as Zorb riding can be dangerous. You can be serious injured or even killed as a result of your participation in Zorb riding."

(The photos are stuck on a CD... so you'll have to wait to see them. In the meantime, you can check out the Zorb at http://www.zorb.co.nz.)

Rotorua

We stopped for petrol again today. Oy. $1.70/litre. Total of NZ$90.01. Gawd it's expensive to drive a car here!

Jeff's keen sense of smell was quick to notice the ever-present aroma of sulphur in Rotorua. "It really stinks here." The thermal vents produce a sulphur smell... and so doe the lake itself. For most of us, it doesn't take long to get used to it and not even notice it.

The Rydges Rotorua Hotel is okay. It's right in front of the Rotorua Race Track (harness racing). It's time, though, for the Rydges to do a little updating and remodeling. The rooms are nice but a little dated.

Orakei Korako

Orakei Korako was our first thermal area. It's just north of Taupo, in the middle of rolling rural area, between Highway 1 and Highway 5. It's private land... with its own lake and thermal reserve.

We took the boat shuttle to the reserve and started wandering the track over the steaming, mineral-coated, rocky terrain. The colours are like an Artist's Palette (they named part of the reserve that). The Diamond Geyser was steaming but not quite ready to erupt. The Sapphire Geyser (how appropriate for us) DID blow while we were close by. Interestingly, it erupts horizontally.

We climbed down into a huge cave. Scientists still don't quite understand how or why it was formed. The water in the bottom is very alkaline and said to be good for cleaning jewelry. Jeff tried it and said it seemed to work a little bit. If you put your left hand in the water and make a wish, the legend says the wish is guaranteed to come true.

The boiling mud pools sputter and spit constantly. And the landscape is dotted with random steam vents. In the middle of some trees and brush, a constant column of steam just belches forth.

Allergies

The allergies are going a bit nuts on the North Island. We don't really know what the specific triggers are... but since it's late spring and everything is in bloom, there are a number of suspects.

The New Zealand Christmas Tree (pahutukawa) is going into full bloom this time of year. The Manuka trees are full of dense pollen. Screeds of other flowers and trees are also blooming and spewing crud into the air. It's an allergist's nightmare.

Television New Zealand

Twenty years ago, TVNZ had only two channels. Now, there are at least six main channels and a few side channels.

The daily "newscast of record" comes from ONENews on TV1. But TV3 also does a nightly newscast.

ONENews' "New Zealand's Breakfast" is every morning from 6:30am to 9:00am. TV3 does a show called "Sunrise." In reality, TVNZ is competing against itself with the new morning shows.

"Breakfast" is, IMHO, the better, more watchable programme. Paul Henry is mouthy, opinionated and dryly funny (a kind of toned-down Paul Lynd). Pippa is a cute-but-credible blonde sidekick. Pete is the older, serious newsreader. And Tamati is the young, hot, modelesque weather boy. It's a good combo.

Here's a link to Breakfast:
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/tvone_minisite_index_skin/tvone_breakfast_group

Huka Falls

The Waikato River is the largest river in New Zealand. It flows out of Lake Taupo. And just outside the city, the entire river narrows to a 20-foot gorge... and becomes the raging, blue waters of Huka Falls.

We hiked about 3km (about 50 minutes) each way to get from a park in Taupo to the Falls. The falls were absolutely --here comes that word again-- spectacular. The photos and video just don't do it justice.

Jeff declared (2,837,491 times to and from the falls) that there will be no more hiking during this trip.

We'll see.

Lake Taupo

We left the central volcanic plateau a little earlier than planned... and headed north to Taupo and it's namesake lake. It's a beautiful drive through Turangi and along the lake.

We have landed at yet another wonderful hotel... with our own balcony overlooking Lake Taupo. You can still see Mt. Ngauruhoe in the distance.


After a bit of Chinese takeaway by the lakeshore, the heated pool was a very relaxing way to spend part of the afternoon. There's a grotto... a mock cave with a spa pool... but it was just way too dark and creepy to stay in there for long. Instead, some sun by the pool was the way to go... and the fastest way to get a little bit of sunburn. (Thanks to the massive ozone hole, New Zealand has the highest ultraviolet radiation on the planet.)

NZ Mobile Phone Service

Thankfully for Jeff, New Zealand has good mobile service just about everywhere. Even on the hike to Taranaki Falls, practically the middle of nowhere, he had a great signal and was able to make calls and send/receive text messages to/from the U.S. every few minutes. It's like never leaving home.

The Vodafone SIM chip is working very well and can be topped up with more minutes at convenience stores all over the country. The T-Mobile and Verizon phones also seem to work most of the time... but they are much more expensive.

Kiwi Cuisine Update

We had a great pavlova the other day, on our way to Tongariro. But had some new culinary adventures at the Skotel. A kiwi breakfast staple is beans and spaghetti on toast. I had completely forgotten about it... Rose used to make it all the time and then send us off to school. It was great!

And Jeff tried Marmite for the first time. Yeah. I tried to warn him that it's just like spreading axle grease on toast. He agreed. Ugh.

Chinese takeaway, it turns out, is the same all over the world.

New Zealand Weather

We've been lucky so far. The weather has been mostly cooperative.

Christchurch: mostly sunny.
Kaikoura: partly cloudy
Wellington: partly to mostly cloudy
Tongariro: mostly cloudy to overcast
Taupo: mostly cloudy with occasional showers and fair bits

New Zealand's weather is a forecaster's nightmare. There are dozens of microclimates because of the influence of the oceans, mountains, valleys, plains, downsloping, etc. The high- and low-pressure centers are the same as in the northern hemisphere, except that they rotate in the opposite direction. (I’m still trying to get used to the weather maps!)

In NZ, the warm, humid breezes are from the northeast. In the US, they tend to be from the southwest. The North Island has been dealing with a northeast flow (and lots of showers) for the past week or so. Hopefully, some of it will clear up before long.

We did, by the way, walk past the home of NZ MetService in Wellington. The headquarters is on top of a hill in the Botanic Gardens.

Tongariro National Park

We're staying at the Skotel in National Park. It's a backpacker motel that claims to be the "Highest Hotel in New Zealand" (1140 metres ASL). And it has a much more laid-back attitude than most hotels. And, thankfully, we were able to do a little laundry during our stay. So, we're ready to go again with a fresh set of clothes!

We decided against the Tongariro Crossing. Yes. After all that planning and all that talking... we blew it off. The mountains are almost totally shrouded in clouds (and have been for weeks). That makes for some cold, wet, windy, miserable tramping. Not ideal conditions, to be sure.


So, we opted for what the people at the Skotel called "the Mini Crossing." It was a two-hour hike to the Taranaki Falls. It was an wonderful tramp through open tussock lands, nearly-tropical forest, subalpine scrub, rocky flats and river crossings. Jeff took a bit of a spill at one point and scraped up his knee but it wasn't anything serious and he trudged onward.

The Taranaki Falls turned out, just as the Skotel waitress predicted, "A very pleasant surprise." They're at least 50 feet high, cascading down the front of a steep, rock face and into a pool below. The water is icy cold... most likely melted snow from the mountains.

The pictures just don't do it justice, really.

Skotel

We have a room with a mountain view! Looking out our very own sliding glass doors (and stepping out onto our own deck), Mounts Ngauruhoe and Tongariro are just in front. The Skotel is just behind the Tongariro Grand Chateau near the Whakapapa (FAH-kah-PAH-pah) Ski Area.


The clouds come and go... so do the showers. It's much, much colder here on the plateau.

We're watching the forecast for tomorrow... to decide whether to actually do the Tongariro Crossing. The forecast, at the moment, is for the weather to be foul. If that's the case, we'll probably skip it.