Raglan Part Deux

The hostel we chose to stay in is awesome.  Our travel book recommended this place called the Raglan Backpackers, and we have learned to trust the book thus far.  It is filled with unusually friendly international folk and they have everything from a free sauna to free kayaks. Joe and I showed up early this morning to check in (we were up early, we slept in our car, it was a terrible idea) and they set us right up.

It was pouring all day so it was definitely a stay-inside kind of day.  Hostels are sweet for saving money not only because they are a cheap bed, but they also offer kitchens, and preparing your own food here is about 1/5 as cheap as buying it in a restaurant.  I tried some eggs and lamb sausage this morning, and the sausage was phenomenal.

Joe and I then proceeded to play rummy for a bit, as it was really coming down outside.  Of course Joe won, but we both felt victorious when a delightful Texan girl brought us both cookies she had baked.

As the weather cleared a bit we decided to take advantage of the free kayaking and paddled for an hour or two in the beautiful estuary here (sorry no pictures, the camera isn’t waterproof).  Upon our return we hopped in the hot tub and sipped some kiwi beer with the other residents.

Meeting other people has been the best part of the trip so far, as so many people come to New Zealand for no other reason than to explore a land the rest of the world knows very little about.

Later in the night we prepare some food, talk with Italians, Germans, Danes, Dutch, Canadian, Swiss, and Americans over cheap beer and wine watching the sunset. It reminds me of the great feeling of content I get during Tahoe sunsets with my family.

Just about everyone in the hostel then heads downtown to a bar called the Yot Club, for an event called “Sunday Sessions” - essentially a big reggae and dubstep dance party till the wee hours of the morn.

Joe and I have an absolute blast - the foreigners are hilariously fun on the dance floor, and there was no shortage of kiwi girls to dance with (we were informed they like to have their fun).  Joe and I tore up the dance floor, in retrospect we either looked like awesome carefree Californians or strange drunk Americans.  Either way, we were able to find girls who liked our style.

Joe and I plan to check out the glowworm caves due East in Waikato soon, and eventually make our way to the white sands of the East coast in Rotorua (with hopefully better surf for Joe).  From there, we’ll either get too content and never leave, or head South to the capital, Wellington, which has a reputation of one of the largest bar to people ratio in the world.  Either that means a great party city or empty bars.

I’m very glad we opted for a rental car, as sleeping in a van would not allow us to visit these wonderful hostels and meet all of the people we have. It is hard to bring girls back to your dorm-style hostel accommodation though, but we’ll find a way to work around that...

It’s still raining, and although it isn’t cold, we get a bit frustrated with everything being so wet. It looks like it’s going to clear up from wind coming in - but that means the waves conditions are pretty poor for Joe.  Luckily we’re both here for long enough to wait it all out, and the locals are telling us things will get much better.