11 April 2011: Windy in Welly and the beginning of a new journey

Being that this is the first blog, it seems pertinent to start with the scenario. Picture this, if you will, completely erasing the life that you have spent the majority of your adult life building in order to uproot and move to a country in which you have never been. Now, adding more to the painting of our picture, go through every scrap of belongings in which you have accumulated over the years and limit it down to two check-in bags and a carry on. This is the start of my new adventure.

After three months of yardsale after yardsale after yardsale, followed by ebay and craigslist up the wazoo, all the while dealing with international pet transportation issues and numerous goodbye parties..... I landed in Auckland at 6am on the 1st of April.

Jeanne picked me up at the airport and we spent the day galavanting around the city enjoying eggs benedict and a beer for breakfast down on the wharf, followed by a bit of sight seeing and practicals (i.e. phone and bank account setup). Then, it was off to the northern part of the island for a bit of a weekend stay with some kiwi burn friends. It was a wonderful way to be introduced to such a beautiful country. The girls spent their time cooking, chatting bout girl stuff, and shimmypoppin! Dave and I escaped for some guy time in his "tinnie" and ended up catchin 5 decent sized snapper and 2 gurnered (which are these really cool fish that have wings like butterflies!)

After a very quick weekend it was back to Auckland for orientation, last minute errands, and getting Jeanne to the airport only minutes before her flight to Wellington (she had to start her new job on "The Hobbit" the following morning). And thus begins my tramp.......

Due to New Zealand's strict biosecurity measures I was unable to bring my fishing equipment along for the ride, so first order of business was to find some new stuff. Man..... outdoor gear is insanely expensive here. Put it this way, I purchased a decent 14' penn surfcaster with akuma reel, small tackle box, a the bare necessities of tackle and the bill was......... $500! Guess I am gonna have to catch a hell-of-a-lot of fish to make up for that lil investment!

After hours of car trampin I ended up in this cool little town called Karangahake. Established in 1875, K-town was a bustling mining town back in the day. This place was hopin, it had a suspension bridge, post office, school, churches, shops, nine boarding houses, a bowling club and two hotels. Today you would hardly be able to tell. There are the remnants of a glorious town, gone the way of a dodo bird, but the landscape is glorious. This was to be my first night of accommodation. Being that there were no campgrounds, I cleverly arranged my luggage in the back of the car and set up a nice little sleeping area and food prep

station....... and was extremely glad that I did the first....... because then came....... the RAIN! By the way, in order for a country to be lush and green it must rain CONSTANTLY! They don't tell ya that part in the travel brochure. But can you really complain when the entire countryside is covered with amazing spots like this. Deep, lush ravines covered with pine tree forests and crystal clear stream with deep pockets and a slow, meandering quality. And It's everywhere! You don't even have to look that hard, just drive for a bit on some back road and you'll end up in paradise. Well..... paradise with a chance of showers!

Actually got a pretty good nights sleep for such precarious conditions and it was off to find a good fishing spot after a quick stop in Coramandrel. As I was told, and it is definetly true, this is the posh ocean front lifestyle. Very classy and upscale beach neighborhoods with hints of french cheese shops and fine wine cafes. It was pretty..... but it's time to FISH! Headed on down the coast a bit to Waihi Beach. Stopped in the pub for a pint and after a chat with the locals found the ideal fishin spot: The Cove! Although the weather was a bit testy on the other side of the hill, the cove was freakin phenomenal. And on top of that I caught a HUGE trevalli.

Bit of history, captain cook landed not to far from Waihi beach and restocked his hold with tons and tons of trevalli.

After a lovely day fishin it was time to head on down the road in search of the next great fishin hole. Oh, by the way, this being a Danny trip the entire thing is based around road-trippin and fishing holes! I decided to head on down towards Opotiki and find some friendly accommodations near the beach. As per any great road trip, you have to stumble upon (and get your touristy picture taken in front of) a "World's Largest." Actually, my friend Zak and I spent over a month road-trippin from New York City to Los Angeles doing nothing but searching out the best roadside attractions that the states have to offer. Eventually, I think it may make an awesome coffee table book! Anywho....... on this road trip I happen to stumble across the "World's Largest..........KIWI!" It has an observation deck inside and a small trinket shop.

Back to fishin! Arrived in Opotiki and found a great spot. Pulled off into the grass parking lot and proceeded to find a superb beach with long lengths of sand, a bay inlet, and a bunch of people on the beach in modified go-carts with sails. That looked awesome..... gonna have to build one! Walked back to my car, started her up, and immediately got stuck! Yup. Trying to get out of the muddy grass back onto the road the carolla high centered on a tuft of sand and I was stuck. I tried pushin, I tried rockin it, I even tried building ramps out of driftwood. Stuck!

Fortunately, after sittin down and havin a coke and a smoke, the crew of wind ridders happened upon me. A gaggle of girls ranging from 13 to 16 and two chaperones. With a brief intro and a handshake they had the entire group surrounding the car, and...... Viola! It is true what they say about the people here, they truly are nice........ and helpful!

Went up the road a bit, found a camping site, set up shop, then back to the beach. Did pretty good, caught two Kahawai (sort of like an ocean trout) and enjoyed a stunning sunset on the beach. Not a bad day! Plus, I finished her off with a bit of fresh fish and port. Mmmmmm! The best part about this particular campground is that they had super hot showers...... and they were only 50 cents. So, got everything packed up in the morning to head on out, took a shower, washed dishes, and hit the road.

Next stop..... Mahia Peninsula.

For those of you who have never been to New Zealand, this is where we really start to get back woods country. Really glad that I had put gas in the car last night, cuz there was absolutely nothing for ever. In fact, when I actually got to Mahia, I believe I ended up having a beer with the only 3 men that actually live there year around! One owned a bar, one owned he campground, and the other tried to keep the golf course in good repair. Of course, at this time of the year the only thing I saw enjoying the golf course was a herd of sheep!

I did end up finding a great little spot to fish off the peninsula that had steep rocky banks with a sand a seaweed bottom. Really hoped that I might catch a flounder. Didn't...... but i did catch a nice sized Kahawai.

The next jog of the trip went away from the coast and into a mass of curvy roads and hillsides. Lots of spectacular lookin streams to fish, but as of yet I don't have my freshwater license, so, gonna have to come back. BUT...... i did find another "World's Largest." This time it was "Longest Place Name in the World."

You ready for this....... Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu!

I think I spelled that right!

Anyway, after gettin stuck in a bit of "Morning traffic," ..

i took an off-shout road and ended up in a tiny, tiny town called Herbertville. However, the weather had turned and the waves were pounding the beach, so this became a camping spot after a good long trip to the pub! Gotta love Tui!

Got up, ate fish, and headed on down the road. Final destination...... Wellington! Got here a bit early, so ran around a bit and checked out the locale. Beautiful spot with tons of bays and beaches. More to come on that later. We are now at the end of day two in Wellington, so, let the adventure....... continue!