“When you see the Southern Cross
For the first time
You understand now
Why you came this way
‘cause the truth you might be running from
is so small
but it’s as big as the promise
The promise of a coming day”
Southern Cross - Crosby Stills & Nash

When I listen to the song Southern Cross, it’s not for just the melody. The lyrics have a very special meaning to me. Certain verses reflect parts of my personal life, especially my desire to roam and get away.

I wanted to see the Southern Cross – a constellation of stars only visible from the southern hemisphere. So, I made a promise to myself: travel to New Zealand and I looked forward to that day.

New Zealand is a group of two main islands located southeast from Australia. The climate is sub-tropical and that’s about all I knew about the place. I honestly didn’t conduct much research about the destination. I was just happy and thrilled to actually be going.

I was comfortable with arriving in New Zealand knowing that I had a good friend named Janet who lived in the city of Auckland. Janet greeted me at the airport and she drove me back to her residence. The ride was interesting because I observed many new sights and was intrigued with all the cars driving on the left side of the road.

It was a beautiful hot and sunny afternoon and I unpacked my luggage and settled in to my suite at Janet’s flat. My first day in Auckland and was a bit uneventful due to the twenty-one hour time difference.

By the next day I was fully adjusted and Janet showed me some of the immediate surroundings around the city.

Auckland is an interesting place and is home to about one third of the population of New Zealand. Even with 1.2 million people in the city, I found it extremely easy to make my way around and check out the centrally located shops and attractions.

The most prominent feature of the city is the sky tower. The tower is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere measuring 323 meters. The view from the top is fantastic and if your brave enough, you can even jump off of it. Of course the jump is controlled and appears to be quite safe.

New Zealand is home to many extreme sports. Bungy jumping also originated in New Zealand in 1988 and if desired it can be done from the Harbour bridge in Auckland.

So far, the only thing I found extreme here was crossing the road. I was still not used to cars being on the left hand side and after a few near misses I remembered to always look right before taking a step.

However, before I could start partaking in any activities, my current mission was to figure out a way to travel around the country. Traditionally, I am used to having my own vehicle but attempting to drive a car on the left side of the road was out of the question.

I have heard about people that have hitch hiked around New Zealand but I desired a less risky option. So I consulted with Janet and she provided me with a wealth of information with personal stories, travel magazines, brochures and activity guides.

Most importantly, I had to be able to survive at least a month my limited funds. I took my time looking into different options. How could I see the country, be stress free and have a memorable trip?

Janet suggested that I backpack and I probably would have a great time. I felt a little out of my league, as I didn’t even own a backpack. She said that it’s the best way to see and experience New Zealand, besides I would meet a lot of friends.

Perhaps I could give it a try. While I sifted through the pile of information, an orange leaflet caught my eye. Stray appeared to cater to backpackers who wanted to tour New Zealand by bus.

So I did a bit more research about the Stray packages. According to the brochure, the company promised to have flexible guided trips – getting me further from the beaten track, closer to the locals with more exploring and unique attractions.

I continued to read and this is how it works:

The company has a network of buses that drive around New Zealand in a set schedule. Each bus has the capacity to transport about 35 people between major points of interest.

You purchase a pass that is valid on a set route for all or part of the islands.

The pass is good for a year so one could take their time on using it.

What makes these trips unique is the fact that you are not rushed. You have the option of staying in each overnight stop for as long as you desire.

Stray also takes care of your accommodation by booking it in advance for you. So you can sit back on the bus and not worry about finding a place to stay. Most of the overnight stops are at hostels. I found the statements informative but I still needed to find out more.

The next day I took the city bus and I made a visit to the Stray travel office. I inquired about the packages and asked if I needed to be an expert backpacker or not. The staff explained that a travel pass would be the ultimate way to see New Zealand and a backpack was just a form of hauling your belongings around.

Since I never set foot in a hostel before, I was unfamiliar with what I should expect or what kind of facilities they would have. I was told that hostels are an efficient low cost accommodation and would consist of sharing a room with about four travelers.

Meals were up to me - either I could shop at the supermarket and prepare my own meal at the hostel or eat at a restaurant.

The staff answered all my concerns and guaranteed me that I would have a wicked trip. I had the time, but could I justify the price?

To convince me, they introduced me to the founder of Stray travel: Neil Geddes. He is the owner and operator who created the world’s first backpacker network. Neil is now independently operating his own company and ensured me that Stray is the best way to experience New Zealand.

The cost for the package that I bought was about $900 Cdn. The pass was called the Max and it would allow me to see both the north and south islands.

I returned to Janet’s flat and borrowed a large backpack. Packing for several days on the road was easier than I though it would be. I only had to bring the necessities such as clothes and my shaving bag, noting that most hostels have laundry facilities. I also brought along a daypack and a sleeping bag.

The next morning Janet drove me downtown and I waited for the Stray backpacker bus. The first day of my journey to see the rest of the New Zealand was about to begin. I was excited as I saw a big orange bus round the corner. The driver came out and greeted me and other backpackers. We loaded our gear into the bus’ cargo hold and I climbed on board.

I expected to ride on a crowded bus, but only a few came on board. There were a total of seven backpackers and I was impressed that we had such a large bus all to ourselves. I was amused that I was the only guy on board with exception of our driver named Nemo.

Prior to departing the city, Nemo drove us to the top of one of Auckland’s extinct volcanoes. After a brief look at the view of the city, we headed down the freeway towards the Coromandel Peninsula about 200 kilometers east from Auckland. The passengers on the bus were very friendly and outgoing.

I introduced myself to Sophie, Nicki, Karen, Lucy, Antonia and Emma.

Meanwhile on the bus, Nemo made the trip interesting by pointing out interesting facts and figures about places we drove by like Thames. It is a town of 20,000 that was named by captain Cook. We stopped for a brief lunch and took a look around.

The trip was already off to a great start and I shared many conversations with my travel mates on the bus. Occasionally, we would stop on vista points along the ocean and check out the view. Nemo asked if it was okay if he could treat us to a traditional Kiwi barbeque tonight – we unanimously agreed.

We arrived in a small village called Hahei. The bus pulled into a campground that was adjacent to the ocean and our hostel for the night was a cabin. It had three rooms with two bunks in each equipped with a community kitchen and two bathrooms.

For my first activity of the trip, I rented an ocean kayak with Antonia and had a tour of the famous and picturesque Coromandel coastline. The guided sea kayak tour of Mercury Bay was absolutely fantastic as we explored caves, bays and set foot on beautiful beaches. Our guide even made us a cappuccino on the beach to give us the energy boost for the enduring yet breathtaking ocean paddle back to camp.

By the time we arrived back to the cabin, we sat down for the Kiwi feast that Nemo prepared. We enjoyed the meal while we continued to learn about each other, talking about our backgrounds, countries of origin and unique experiences.

Later that evening, our driver had a special surprise for us. Nemo passed a couple of shovels around and said that we were going to a very unique place. It was 10:30 at night and Nemo started up the bus, and our group of seven left the campground and headed into the darkness.

The bus pulled into an empty parking lot. Equipped with only our bathing suits, beach towels and shovels - Sophie, Nicki, Karen, Lucy, Antonia, Emma, Nemo and I walked along the empty moonlit beach towards a rocky outcropping.

This particular beach was called hot water beach and is usually swarming with tourists. However, since it was nighttime, we had the area to ourselves. The reason it is named hot water beach is for its natural source of geothermic heated water that rises to the surface of the sand in a certain areas.

When the tide is low enough, the heated area is exposed and a hole can be dug in the sand. The hole fills up with heated seawater and essentially you have your own natural hot tub. The girls and I dug a few large holes just deep enough so that we could lie down and relax in our own private natural spa. It was now past midnight and this part of the trip was surreal.

Side by side we continued to lay motionless in the hot pools of water, listened to the roar of the ocean and observed the brilliant stars in the night sky. I looked for the Southern Cross in the heavens above and I started to understand why I came this way.

Day two of my New Zealand backpacking trip began when my alarm on my watch started beeping at 7:30 a.m. I opened one eye and thought to myself “what will I see today or experience?”

By the time the other eye opened, the adventure started. It took some getting used to being in such close proximity with a room full of women while they changed and got ready for the day, but they didn’t seem to mind.

There was not much time to feel uncomfortable as we all scurried around, ate breakfast, showered, changed and collected personal items to be stuffed back into our backpacks. At 8 a.m., our bus driver Nemo was ready to depart the campground. I double checked the room and threw my backpack on the bus.

My original backpacking partners Nikki, Karen, Antonia, Emma, Sophie and Lucy joined me. As the bus meandered to the next destination I sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the view of the countryside.

Another day of excitement was ahead of us so I consulted my Stray travel guide to find out more about our day’s journey. We could look forward to traveling south through rural Waikato, stopping over for the night at a mountainside lodge in near the famous surfing town of Raglan. Evidently, the activity for the day - would be surfing!

Located on the west coast of New Zealand, Raglan was a few hundred kilometers away. Although it sounds like a long bus ride, we kept ourselves entertained. Of course Nemo would give a commentary of history or facts about places we passed through over the PA system.

Fortunately, when he wasn’t talking music would be playing.

We arrived in Raglan mid afternoon and we checked into the mountainside lodge. I decided to go surfing.

Our surf instructor Gomer transported us from the lodge to the surf beach in a mini shuttle. Once at the beach, we climbed into some wet suits, grabbed a surfboard and headed into the water. Lucy and I managed to catch a couple good waves.

After two enduring hours of being in the water, the swell slightly subsided. Surfing was equally a workout and a great time.

However, we had to get back to the lodge for a prepared dinner, but we were never really told an exact time when it would be served.

I noticed that everyone in the country seemed to be extremely easy going and trusting.

For example, Gomer wanted to stay at the beach and catch some waves - so he threw me the keys to the mini shuttle and said, “you look the responsible type, mind if ya get ‘em back to the lodge?”

With the keys in hand, I walked back up to the parking lot mentally building up the confidence to attempt driving on the left side of the road.

Nine fellow backpackers followed me to the mini shuttle and I wondered if they were crazy. I should have reconsidered as I opened the door on the wrong side of the vehicle – the steering wheel is on the right side.

I slowly left the parking lot and turned onto the main road. As this was my very first right hand drive experience, I drove with care and attention. Several kilometers later, we all arrived safely at the lodge.

My passengers soon discovered that this was my trial run because I was so thrilled to accomplish such a task.

We dispersed and went back to our rooms to clean up and to get some dry clothes on.

To celebrate the day we opened a few beers and waited for the dinner bell. The lodge prepared a tasty meal. That night we mingled with other fellow travelers who were also staying at the lodge.

The next morning, a few people that we met the night before joined our group of backpackers. We welcomed Elaine, Ramera, Michaela and Shane as they joined us on the bus. Today we looked forward to stopping at the renowned Waitomo caves.

I decided to partake in the blackwater rafting or locally known as tumu tumu tubing. This activity involved crawling through an underground cave, which was partly formed by volcanic activity and with water erosion and deposits.

We arrived in a farmer’s field typical of the green New Zealand landscape covered with sheep.

Our subterranean guide was Enna.

We followed her through the field wearing a full wetsuit, rubber boots, hardhat and a headlamp until we arrived at a tiny hole in the ground. One by one, we turned on our headlamps and descended down the shaft.

The pale yellow walls were smooth, and a network of underground caves disappeared into blackness. We crawled over, through, around and under rock formations. Stalagmites and stalactites surrounded our group and a unique sight was around every corner.

We were about 10 meters below the surface. In some areas, ground water filled the lower points of the caves. Sometimes we waded through various depths of water, occasionally swimming in some sections.

Enna told us to turn off our headlamps. I looked up at thousands of blue points glowing in the darkness. It looked like stars in the night sky, but these bright blue fluorescent specs were not what one would expect. The Kiwis call them glowworms and they provide an amazing phosphorescent display, which draw thousands of tourists a year.

In the last segment of the caves, we climbed into inner tubes and floated through a series of caves. The tour lasted about 2 hours and we covered a total distance of about 900 meters underground.

Our next destination was Rotorua. The town is active with geothermic activity and has the distinctive odor of sulfur. Prior to our arrival, Nemo passed an activity sign up sheet around the bus. Tonight, at our option, we could meet and have dinner with an authentic Maori family that live in Rotorua.

The $50 cost for the activity seemed a little high, but the Stray guide claimed that it would be a truly unique cultural experience. Nemo also mentioned that this activity is not commercially available to the public.

Because our backpacking group was relatively small, we all signed up.

Upon arrival in Rotorua, the bus pulled up to a pullout near the lake.

A tattooed Maori warrior dressed in war garments stood and stared at each one of us as we stepped off the bus. We cautiously formed a semicircle around the warrior and he continued to intimidate us by his piercing stare and dramatic facial expressions.

He waved his spear, danced and chanted in his native tongue. Then one by one, he approached each one of us and pressed his nose against ours.

This is the traditional Maori greeting.

He introduced himself as Te Rakumia Solomon or “Sali” He explained the Nga tapuwai o tupuna, which translates into footsteps of our ancestors.

The Maori are descendants of the Polynesian race and about 1200 years ago, the Maori first arrived on Aotearoa (New Zealand). They accomplished this by rowing across the South Pacific Ocean in a waka. Some waka canoes measure up to 40 meters in length.

Sali handed out a paddle called a “hoi” and he instructed us how to properly use it by following Maori language. Prior to dinner, it was required for us to get into a replica of a waka and row to the upper side of the lake where the family lived.

We rowed in unison under commands by Sali. We also chanted in Maori: “Ko-Keri-He” rowing between the phrases: “Manini Waka-Hi, Tere Waka-Hi, Tere Ki Hea-Hi” meaning the waka was swift, fast and broke through the tides.

It was hard work and we arrived on shore to our destination. We met with Slim and his family for a traditional Hangi dinner. Slim explained how a Hangi is prepared buried in the ground with steam and hot rocks. With our mouths watering, we then sat down for dinner and enjoyed the meal.

Afterwards, the children of the Slims family demonstrated traditional customs. His young daughter, named Kayla had a stuffed ball on a string called a poi. She gracefully swung the poi around herself in a rhythmic fashion. Then she passed a poi to the women in our group and I watched in delight as they slowly mastered the technique.

However, it was now initiation time for Shane and myself. Slim demonstrated the Haka war dance step by step. Not only did we have to practice the moves and the gestures, but we also had to coordinate while yelling out the Maori words to the dance.

Shane and I made our best effort as we entertained the family and our backpacker tribe. Sticking out your tongue, making an intimidating stance and yelling out an expressive sound signifies the end of the dance.

We all said goodbye to Slim, his family and thanked him for giving us an up and personal Maori experience.

We arrived late back at the hostel, but we still had time to socialize and grab a few beverages at the pub downstairs. Tonight, we could stay up late, as tomorrow’s departure wouldn’t be until the afternoon.

I had the morning free to do whatever I wished, so I hung around the hostel to find out what everyone else was doing. A few of us decided to go Zorbing.

This is an odd sport, even by Kiwi standards. Invented in New Zealand nine years ago by Andrew Akers, the activity consists of rolling down a hill in a giant plastic ball called a Zorb. Manufactured locally out of PVC plastic, an inner sphere is held in place by cords to the outer sphere.

Keith Kolver operated the Zorb park and he convinced me to try both the dry and the wet Zorbing.

I crawled into the sphere and strapped myself in. When ready, the gate was released and I rolled straight down the hill. It was a bizarre sensation and I had no idea which way was up or down as the Zorb spun me into oblivion.

The wet option was much more fun. This time you are not strapped into the sphere, but I sat in some warm water that is poured in.

The ball follows a slalom course down the hill and it felt like I was in a giant stir-fry. I couldn’t stop laughing, even after the ride was over because it was so much fun. Each ride costs about $40 and last about 45 seconds.

As I dried myself off, I felt really lucky to have picked the Stray backpacker bus for my method of travel.

During the last three days – I relaxed, saw parts of the country and met new friends.

Vernon resident Allan Ewanchuk is a frequent traveler.