for a country that doesn’t let in mud, they sure have a lot of it here
This post wraps up our third day in the small coastal town of Raglan. It's been a very relaxing few days among the surf, mountains, and peaceful people that make up this community. Let's do a quick rundown of the past couple days.
Day 1 in Raglan
Rain and wind caused us to spend the afternoon on the beach playing with Ben's failboard (he insisted on calling it a skimboard). Before that we checked into "Sunscape," a small eco-community/campsite/hostel/experimental living/hippy haven up on a hill above the ocean. Some relevant pictures:
we're living in a train car...it's awesome
marvin struggles with the laws of physics for the first time
Day 1's dinner was delicious. There might have been lamb. The rosemary plant outside the kitchen might have been involved. The local police are still sorting through the details.
Day 2 in Raglan
Sunshine! Glorious sunshine meant that it was time to surf. Or as Matt said, "Surf's up, but DC is not." Once we all woke up, we headed to the beach, rented surfboards and the required wetsuits, and headed for the beach. Before we break into surfing photos, it's worth mentioning how awesome this beach was. Ngarunui Beach, a black sand beach, consisted of several miles of perfectly(unnaturally, we think) flat sand. So flat, in fact, that most of Ben's pictures seem mirrored. This isn't just water, the ground was probably cut by lasers....
Anyways, pictures of the beach:
nathan getting his TRON on
Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. But Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. This does not make sense. There are horses on this beach. Again, this does not make sense.
why is this not an album cover?
And now, moving on to day three, lovingly entitled: "THE BRITISH ARE COMING." Here we go!
THE BRITISH ARE COMING*
*they're not. We were going to meet up with some members of the Cambridge Solar Car Team, but they were waylaid in Auckland by administrative details including but not limited to lost wallets and persnickety rental car companies. Very sad. Hopefully we'll see them around at some point in the future (NASC hint hint nudge nudge).
Anyways, we spent a third day in anticipation of meeting the Cambridge team for dinner in Raglan. In order to pass the time, Matt, DC, and myself did what we usually do the pass the time...climb a mountain! This hike was amazing, and involved lots and lots of mud. I felt like a good hippy with my feet:
finger-lickin' good...
Anyways, pictures of the hike:
hike
the view from about 3/4 of the way up. We're currently staying in the closest spot of civilization.
The others went into town to do laundry and get kebabs, which were supposedly really really good. Upon hearing this, the first thing both Matt and I asked was "what was the place named?" Over the past several weeks, we've realized that the kebab quality is proportional to the quality of the pun in their name:
Abrakebabra: 9/10
Mecca Kebab: 6/10
Ali Kebab: 5/10
Wrap-Up: 9/10
We've gotten to know a few of the characters around the hostel over the last couple days. I talked to a guy from Germany for a bit today and ended up asking him what brought him to New Zealand. He said: "In Germany...everything has its place....is exact. This is not for me. New Zealand is....different." This is the most insightful description I've yet heard of this awesome country. It's a shame we're leaving so soon.
I leave you, as always*, with a picture of Marvin!
what is there to say?
*it's a lofty ideal...we don't always make it, but we try.
