So is the title a question or statement? After 5 days there, I am here to say, it’s a statement. What started off as a quest on the fly, as usual, ends up with another trip that took its course, as Rolf Potts would say. So without further ado, here is the 411.
1-Culture Shock- Yet again, another country hits me off my rocker. Picture NYC, but without the understanding of facial expressions, language, or the ability to read any information. Period! Either way, this is a true glimpse in my opinion of the future and that alone is an adventure in itself.
2-Attempting to Vagabond-Quite possibly, the toughest location for me to date. There is nothing cheap about getting around here and unless you speak the language, its next to impossible to travel hack this country on your first go around. I saw very few westerners and not one typical hotels or mom/pop accommodation.
3-Iwatayama Kyoto Monkey Park-Simply awesome. If a city and Tokyo is not your thing, you MUST give the suburbs a try. Exploring Japan is similar to the size of New Zealand, only you can use the train system to access everything. However, you will need your YENS (money) as the one way ride from Tokyo to Kyoto (2 hours) is around 175 USD. Once there, you will get a chance to visit all of the local hot spots, including my favorite animal interaction to date.
In summary, the Japanese people are extremely nice to the extent of the Kiwis from New Zealand. Regardless of the language barriers, that makes it well worth the culture shock. Understanding not every adventure has to be adrenaline will hold true in Japan. It is one place few Zen can be found along the road, less tourist travel.
Greetings from the future, my spaceship has landed! Sounds funny? Well most of it is exactly true. Ahead of most of my readers in time zone, I have traveled 2300 Kilometers over 8 days and continued to do business as normal. While exploring, camping, wine tasting, fishing, huntings, and a few adventures, throughout the South Island of New Zealand, this is the way to do it. That is right, I circled my way around, while flash packing, in my spaceship. Now…let me explain…
I was recently given the opportunity to travel around in a rental van called, “The Spaceship” . At first glance its an ordinary van but once this thing has hit the road and you are ready for a rest/camp/picnic, it becomes the Spaceship. With some additional equipment this vehicle becomes a mini-camper with a stove, cookware, full size bed, curtains, picnic chairs, table that is covered by an attachable add-on canvas top, and even your own DVD player.
You are allowed to stop at various ‘Space Stations’, throughout New Zealand and swap out the 2 complimentary dvd’s for others at no charge. You are also permitted to trade them with any other spaceships you find on the road. Knowing that car rentals can be pricey especially with deposits, this is another plus. There isn’t a bond or hold on your credit card for the amount of damage that may occur. This has often been the case and presents some flash-packers with a challenge of getting those funds back on the card, in a timely manner. The price of this vehicle is even cheaper than your typical car rental. It is also available in other countries. Something I am sure to try out again. I added a mobile USB hook up to my laptop and was able to email as needed from some of the most remote areas in New Zealand. If you are a flash-packer who has wants to still camp and explore, this is my pick. Freedom camping is not really permitted but you can pull this ship up to various sites that are camper friendly for 1/10 of the cost of a hotel. If you really want to get a laugh, make sure you tell the receptionist, “Your spaceship has landed, where is the best place to put it”. From the future…Aaron.
9am Tuesday, Mad Travel -
“Do you have experience mountain biking, there are a few levels of expertise and I wouldn’t want Adventure Aaron to get hurt?” said Sarah, the manager of Mad Travel. I replied, “No worries, I have tons!” Little did I know, I was in way over my head and anything goes in this country. Having only ridden a bike when I was about 10 years old, this was a whole new ball game. It is here, only in this very country, that you don’t have to worry about the level of liability from an operator standpoint. After all, you can do any adventure you want, at any risk level you choose. If you get hurt, it is your own gringo fault, as this is New Zealand, which is exactly why I love it!
As I make my way from the top of New Zealand to the South, I find my first main stopping point to be in Rotorua. It was here I originally filmed the episode for ‘Alive!’, last January. If you are interested in seeing the video you can see it here where you can see some of the activities. Note-This is just a segment of last years filming, the full episode can be seen here-
Now back again, here is my top 10 list of adventures in Rotorua. Located about 4 hours south of the major airport, Auckland, its here you can explore the thermal activity, explore the indigenous Maori Community, and get the adventures of a lifetime!
My Top Adventures In Rotorua, in no particular order.
Mountain Bike Rotorua- Bike through the redwoods and either go guided or just rent the bikes here. Make sure you pick your proper course or you will end up over the handle bars, like I did. RULE OF ADVISE, DO NOT BRAKE BEFORE THE JUMP! Quad Zone-Brent and his crew will be happy to show you the bush and if you play your cards on a raining day, its will be perfect. Make sure you ask Brent about the “Kiwi ingenuity!” Kaitiaki Adventures-These boys are beast! If you want to raft, they got it. If you want to step it up a notch, go Sledging…and if you have big ones, do the Heli-Sledge! My second time was just as hard as the first time, but the fun level is through the roof. Squeeze and Jet Boat-Ultimate culture and adrenaline experience and you can do both adventures in the same location Luge-Speaks for itself, no age restrictions Agroventures-Have a few hours, get in a few of the best adventures all in one spot. Make sure you try the Jet Boat course. Nzone-Quite far the classy group of people I have ever met. They cut no corners here as this sky diving jump is the highest around. Do the 15,000 foot jump and get the pictures and video after it. Its the jump and experience of a lifetime and their overall package gets two major thumbs up from me. Ogo-Go flying down a hill in a big plastic ball, need I say more??? Clearwater Cruise-One of my favorites. This Yacht caters to all income levels, if you want to simply rent a boat or let the masters take over, Ian and Pauli will be sure to show you the ropes. Its the hot water beach I was after and they help me find it.
Kerosene Creek (FREE!)-But you will need to find this on your own as it is not a popular place and I would prefer to keep it that way!
So how do you travel hack this region? Simple, go here, Mad Travel Shop at 1103 Hinemoa Street or go here, http://nomadshostels.com/
Tell them you want to do these and/or other activities and they will help you arrange it for FREE. They have a working relationship with over 100 adventures in Rotorua and can even provide you any discounts or promotions that may apply, including free pick up and drop off. Up next, the ultimate way to flashback while traveling, camper style!
For the next few weeks, I am going to be blogging about New Zealand and why I have been gravitated back here, 3 times, over the course of the last 18 months. In life, it has served me the Ultimate Master Class. Although I am filming a new spin series, ‘Catch and Cook‘, it is more than that. It just so happens to be the host for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the adventure capital of the world, and the stomping grounds for the cultural Maori way. So please stay tuned over the next week as I feature one item every week or so, based on one of the most breathtaking places I have gone to date. Here is a brief glimpse on the newest series that I am very excited about. With the help of some great Kiwi’s that I have become friends with, I am now able to illustrate the behind the scenes of cooking. I will be covering all of New Zealand for a 13 part series, featuring the best chefs and foods, New Zealand has to offer. Join me as I attempt get the famous recipes for these amazing meals, assuming I can get the grocery list item, the catch. If you have ever wanted to hunt, fish, or just go back in time to experience the cultural way of earning ones keep, this is for you! Stay tuned as there are more adventures to come next week. For now, here is a brief look into New Zealand, as I now see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO_IsiJy56A
For more information on this series, please visit;
“Run Baby Run!!!!” Those were the last words my fellow American friend told me, before I boarded the flight to Spain. I have always heard of this event and never really registered the idea of how dangerous it may be. With “Running With The Bulls” on my 2011 Bucket List, I knew this is the one event, that would push my comfort zone. There will be more video to come, as this is part of the second season of “Alive!”, but I wanted to provide you an uncut point of view from the stadium. I have been doing a lot of adventures recently, as many of you know, but this one was the most surreal. Most of my adventures last an average or 1-2 minutes, full of adrenaline or culture shock. This however, lasted an average of 20 minutes!
It all began as I started my way running down the old stone pavement to the stadium. You see, when the gun fires, the bulls are released. The object for me was to get into the stadium to experience the “Gladiator” feel, as I now call it. The only problem with this is, the doors do not open until the bulls are about 100 feet away from the stadium. This means at some point, if you want to get in the stadium, the bulls are going to steam past you. The doors will then close as the last bull enters. If you are lucky enough to be one of the few hundreds of the thousands running to get in…you get to experience this. I am pleased to say, here is the uncut version of inside the stadium. Note, I jumped over the wall, back down again, and then back over again! To me, this is one adventure, I couldn’t face. It is one thing to run around in the stadium as the bulls circle and charge, it is another thing to get on your knees and go head to head with the bull as it comes back into the stadium. What you are about to see is the release of another bull into the stadium. After the running of the bulls, they release the bulls into the stadium for everyone’s entertainment. Here is one of the craziest things I have ever captured on film. Special thanks to GoPro for Sponsoring this camera. It is with this camera you will see more, great footage, soon.
Not every adventure has to be adrenaline and here is the proof. I recently had a chance to hop my way over to Australia, to meet the founders of ‘The Chilli Factory’. They are home to the Scorpion Butch T Pepper and its now the official Guinness Book of World Record, Hottest Pepper in the World!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSIHq4OgxvM
With the help of Alex and Marcel, the founders of this adventure and factory, I attempted to be one of the few to eat the whole thing. If you thought your wings were hot or that local hot sauce you have, is the best in the world,brace yourself! I went through about 20 minutes of waves of hotness. Words can not describe how hot this pepper is so please enjoy this video. Having traveled the world tasting some of the hottest things people have to offer, this is officially it. Unlike most hot sauces, this is a “good hot” and one that I will recommend to all, regardless of your tolerance. Enjoy!
Watching ‘Dhani Tackles the Globe’ on a Delta Airlines monitor, I sit, my legs slightly bent back at a 90 degree angle, now known to me as, the “Kayak” style. I then take another glance at my airline meal, pushing the potatoes over and going with the omelet, inhaling the slow carbohydrates. Following the guidelines of the Tim Ferriss book, The 4 hour body, I also take a swig of my second glass of red wine. You see, it is this diet and style I am now using to prepare. What takes most people years to prepare for, I am doing over the next month. Even better, I am doing it as I continue to travel the world, not in an actual kayak. One of my items this year is to set a world record and after much debate of trying to eat 4 pickled eggs in a minute, I pick this one. ‘The Longest Solo Journey in a Kayak’. As Dahani continues to tackle another challenge on my TV monitor, I continue to get more motivated and excited about my upcoming challenge, even at 3am on a 16 hour airplane. After all, I just wrapped my first training session with two time kayaking gold medalist, Greg Barton. With my little experience, Greg provided great insight and a great kayak, to help me paddle my way up the entire distance of the east coast. It is my attempt to set a Guinness world record, and it’s Epic Kayak that believes I have a chance. With Epic Kayaks as my sponsor, I had a chance to sit down with the president of Epic Kayaks who also happens to be the first American to ever get a gold medal in this sport.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95D7W2obESc
Join me for the official launch party as I paddle in the kayak for an estimated 3 months. Creating awareness for Cancer, I am going to prove that if you put your mind to your new perspective, anything is possible.
