Russell to Whangarei

July 11, 2009

This is a new one for me. I’m experiencing my first cyclone! It’s actually much more pleasant than I’d imagined as I’m in a hotel on the computer with heat, electricity and internet so I really can’t complain.

I woke up at 7:10 this morning, which seems like sleeping in after the 6 am wake ups of the week previous. There was quite a storm brewing in the night with blustery wind and driving rain. I didn’t realize at the time that it was the precursor to the cyclone but I was quite impressed all the same. We got up and decided that we were not going to stay two nights in Russell at Pukeko Cottage because it felt a little strange being there. Unlike most backpackers, we were truly sharing the house with Barry, the owner and his girlfriend Jane. The previous evening, I had to admit to Barry, while they were eating dinner no less, that I seemed to have plugged their toilet. I was hoping that this wouldn’t surprise them, that they’d say that it happened all the time. No such luck, they seemed surprised. Ugh. I told Raven and she confessed to me that she was the one who had caused the problem and we both started laughing. The worst part is that their bathroom is right off the kitchen so when you’re cooking you can hear the goings on in the bathroom. Needless to say, we didn’t want to have two nights of this.

We packed up and got ready to go into town to fully experience the Russell Birdman Festival. Barry had told us that he would be dressed up as a bee, so we promised him that we’d be sure to look for him. We went to a local café that we felt would be the perfect place to sit and watch without being cold as it was pouring down rain. However, we were eating at 9 am and we’d have to wait for 2 hours so after breakfast, tea, coffee and more tea we gave up and walked around the town. We situated ourselves under the eaves on the street where the parade would take place and took pictures of the various participants. People were dressed up as a monarch butterfly, Michael Jackson, the Flintstones, Big Bird, the Pope, toast and an egg, the Jamaican bobsledding team, the busy bee (also known as Barry) and several other things. They paraded down the street towards the pier and waited for the jumping to begin. Each participant had a number and when it was their turn they would head down the pier, some creatively, some straight and true into the frigid water. Each participant had music playing and there was a commentator on the PA system. It was quite the event, very funny and unforgettable. I took pictures for a while but started to worry about my camera as I was DRENCHED so I put the camera away and watched the rest. By the end of the competition I’d had enough as my fingers were getting numb and water was pouring through my hood and down my back. We immediately hopped into the car and headed away from Russell, hoping to leave ahead of the worse of the storm.

We plugged our destination into the GPS system and headed away. We decided that we should stay away from the water’s edge as the winds would be the worst by the water so we tried to modify Magda the Lying Bitch’s directions. We drove for a while and decided it wasn’t the optimal way to go so headed back a bit because Magda had complained so loudly and we second guessed ourselves. In the meantime the storm continued to get worse. We followed Magda and realized that she was trying to make us turn onto a gravel road. Did I mention the cyclone? No, Magda! So we turned back around again and tried it again. Magda screamed at us again so we pulled over and tried to have her show us a different route. I agreed with her new route so we started to follow her, only to discover that she was trying to make us drive on a gravel road again, this time where a sign said that in heavy rain there was likely flooding. No, Magda! So we ignored her and followed maps the old fashion way, realizing that the only paved roads hugged the shoreline. We knew that the cyclone would really hit around 2 pm and it was 1 so we really had to book it through the country. Since we were hugging the shoreline, we could see the tremendous waves crashing on the beach. We raced along until we finally arrived in Whangarei, drenched but relieved to have made it through the storm. We had an address for the YHA backpacker and found it, relieved to have made it. However, when we got in we found out that there was no reception until 5 and it was 2:30. Grrr. We didn’t want to wait, especially since it looked like it was pretty full so Raven suggested we stay in a hotel instead. We found one in the Lonely Planet Guide that looked promising so we drove there and sure enough, they had a vacancy. Not only that, after a week of backpackers, it felt soooo luxurious! It is kind of like a backpacker except that it’s beautiful inside. I mean, the kitchen is gorgeous, we’re toasty warm and we have free wi-fi. I immediately took a shower to warm up and we’ve been holed up here listening to the storm ever since. It’s now a quarter to 9 and the wind is still roaring outside. If I have to experience a cyclone, this is how I want to do it!

We had the place to ourselves most of the evening until a large group of Koreans came in. We were using the kitchen table to type on the computer and decided to start dinner when this older woman came up to us and informed us that they would be needing the table. I told her that she could use it after we finished our dinner and she asked when that would be. I snapped at her that it would be when we finished. She kind of glared at me and then when the other people came up to the kitchen she said something in Korean and then glared at us. Grrr. Wait your effing turn. We cleared the table except for our dinner and proceeded to eat. They then got annoyed that we still had our dishes in the sink (did I mention that we were STILL EATING?) and started washing our pots. WTF?! We finished and did our dishes as they hovered. It was quite obnoxious. A Kiwi family also arrived and they were NOT obnoxious. Good.

Now we’re in the office typing on our laptops and life is good!