# upnorthkyosa in kiwiland



## Makalakumu (Aug 3, 2007)

Hi Everyone

I just wanted to let everyone know that right now, I am typing this thread from a large internet cafe in Auckland New Zealand.  So far, this has been a pretty sweet vacation.  My parents agreed to watch the kids and its just me, my wife and another couple.  Even the flights have been good.  They were mostly smooth and people were well behaved and I even managed to get some sleep last night as I was crossing the Pacific.  

I don't know if I'll be able to get back online to update people when I get back, but I will make sure to post some pictures of our trip in this thread when I have time.

Anyway, just trying to make ya'll jealous...

upnorthkyosa


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## michaeledward (Aug 3, 2007)

wife ?

another couple?

Leaves me thinking there may not be any brown trout in your immediate future. I hear they grow them big down there.


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## bydand (Aug 3, 2007)

michaeledward said:


> wife ?
> 
> another couple?
> 
> Leaves me thinking there may not be any brown trout in your immediate future. I hear they grow them big down there.



:lfao:  I'm glad somebody else thinks like I do.  A vacation is the PERFECT time to pack a rod or two and find something new in whatever area you are going to.


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## Jade Tigress (Aug 3, 2007)

upnorthkyosa said:


> Anyway, just trying to make ya'll jealous...
> 
> upnorthkyosa



Gee thanks. Soooooooo _very_ thoughtful of you! 

Enjoy your trip.


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## michaeledward (Aug 5, 2007)

By the way ... 

If you do get to fish in New Zealand, before you fish again at home, please research 'Didymo' (aka Rock Snot) (Yes, that is an accurate psuedonym).

This is an plant organism that is creating some serious challenges to the fisheries of New Zealand. The plant will grow thick over the base of the waterway, preventing all aquatic insect life from completing their natural life cycles. It can kill a healthy aquatic habitat pretty quickly. 

Several of our more pristine rivers in Northern New England have just discovered infestations. 

Before putting your gear in local waters, you must be certain to kill all of the didymo cells that may be on your gear.


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## Brian R. VanCise (Aug 5, 2007)

Okay I am jealous.


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## Makalakumu (Aug 8, 2007)

michaeledward said:


> wife ?
> 
> another couple?
> 
> Leaves me thinking there may not be any brown trout in your immediate future. I hear they grow them big down there.


 
Heh.  Yesterday, I chartered a boat on Lake Taupo and managed to catch four nice rainbow trout.  My wife caught two and one of hers was the biggest.  I'll post pics in the usual thread when I get back.  

And, yes they do get big down here.  Real big... 

In a few days, I'll be heading to the south island and then we'll really get some action!!!


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## Makalakumu (Aug 8, 2007)

michaeledward said:


> By the way ...
> 
> If you do get to fish in New Zealand, before you fish again at home, please research 'Didymo' (aka Rock Snot) (Yes, that is an accurate psuedonym).
> 
> ...


 
Biosecurity in NZ and the US are on the lookout for that.  I've got a spraybottle with some disinfectant for all of my gear before I get home.  I was in Turangi this morning on the Tongiriro and the NZ Dept of Conservation had *billboards* up letting anglers know about this stuff.


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## Makalakumu (Aug 8, 2007)

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm posting this from a hostel in Downtown Wellington.  This has been a great trip so far.  Lots of hiking and fishing for me and anyone else who is interested and lots of other things to do as well.  

Wellington is a pretty cool city from what I've seen of it.  It's very beautiful and almost everything there is to do is free.  This is NZ's capitol city, so, just like in DC, there is lots to do.

Tomorrow, I'll be hitting Te Papa, the national museum and then going out for some most excellent sushi at a sushi dai recommended by my fantastic kiwi friends.  

After that, it's off to the south island.  I'll be fishing in Rohan in a few days...


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## Sukerkin (Aug 8, 2007)

Glad you're enjoying yourself, *Upnorth* ... and, yes, I am jealous ... very!


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## Brian R. VanCise (Aug 8, 2007)

Okay I am even more jealous!!! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



(not everyone gets to go to Rohan)


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## Makalakumu (Aug 8, 2007)

The time difference is so weird.  I just talked to my children and they've been up for most of the day already.  In fact, its 4 pm, *YESTERDAY*.  I told my daughter..."Hi Olivia, this is your father calling...from the future."

She thought that was pretty cool.  Then she told me that she has another loose tooth.  

I thought that was pretty cool.


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## Makalakumu (Aug 10, 2007)

Well, I'm in Christchurch right now and I may be on the verge of scoring a free night at a hunting and fishing lodge way up in the mountains on one of the best rivers in Queenstown.  The internet rocks, man!  Just start talking to people and BAM stuff starts happening.  

The hostel we are staying at in Christchurch is very busy.  Lots of college kids who are out very late having a bit of fun.  It brings me all back to those days and reminds me that I don't think I could keep that pace up anymore.


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## Flying Crane (Aug 10, 2007)

What are the hostels like?  Your own room?  Safe? Cheap?

We are hoping to come down there in about February and would like to bring our scuba gear.  Just wondering if the hostels might be a good place to stay, but security is an issue when we are dragging all our gear around.


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## bluemtn (Aug 10, 2007)

Are you planning on posting pictures?


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## Carol (Aug 10, 2007)

Sounds like you are having a great time!   So glad to hear the trip is going well.  Hope you bring back lots of pix


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## terryl965 (Aug 10, 2007)

Yes I'm envy, so when does the fun end.


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## Makalakumu (Aug 11, 2007)

Flying Crane said:


> What are the hostels like? Your own room? Safe? Cheap?
> 
> We are hoping to come down there in about February and would like to bring our scuba gear. Just wondering if the hostels might be a good place to stay, but security is an issue when we are dragging all our gear around.


 
The hostels are a crap shoot.  I would take the normal precautions that I would take in any place here.  People are people and they are always capable of doing the negative things that they are capable of.  As far as the hostels go, it all depends on the amount of time the owners are willing to spend on security.  I wouldn't trust thousands of dollars of equipment to a cheap lock...


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## Makalakumu (Aug 11, 2007)

tkdgirl said:


> Are you planning on posting pictures?


 
Yes, when I get back to the computer that I'm used to...


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## Makalakumu (Aug 11, 2007)

terryl965 said:


> Yes I'm envy, so when does the fun end.


 
Aug 17th.  We'll be flying back from Auckland on this date and into new adventures...


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## crushing (Aug 11, 2007)

upnorthkyosa said:


> Aug 17th. We'll be flying back from Auckland on this date and into new adventures...


 

Don't forget to bring back some of their excellent shoe polish!!!!


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## OUMoose (Aug 14, 2007)

Can I just send you a shopping list to bring back for me?  

1)  2 cases of "V" berry... the green one is rough, but the red one..smooooth
2)  1 case of "Crunchy" bars.  
3)  1 case of potato-top pies.  Can't find anyone here to make them, and CBF to make them myself. 
4)  At least 3 different pizzas from Hell Pizza (Preferably, a "Mordor", "Pandemonium", and perhaps some "Spirit" pasta)
5)  A couple bottles of 42-below.  Preferably the Manuka honey flavor. 

*sigh*

I do miss some stuff from over there. heh.


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## Makalakumu (Aug 16, 2007)

OUMoose said:


> Can I just send you a shopping list to bring back for me?
> 
> 1) 2 cases of "V" berry... the green one is rough, but the red one..smooooth
> 2) 1 case of "Crunchy" bars.
> ...


 
Great list!  All of that stuff is excellent, especially the pizza.  It's like nothing we have over here in the US.  In fact, all of the food is better here.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe its the clean and green way the kiwis run their farms and food industry, I'm not sure.  Anyways, it's been great.  I'm flying back at 5:00 pm NZ time.  That is in about seven hours.  I'll post pics when I get back.  All I can say now is that my wife and I are definitely moving.  We can't even describe how beautiful everything is over here...


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## Makalakumu (Aug 18, 2007)

Well, I'm back after three flights and a total of 15 hours of flight.  I'm a little jet lagged.  I'll post pictures later...


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## Sukerkin (Aug 18, 2007)

Welcome home *Upnorth* - looking forward with eagerness to seeing the pictures .


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## Makalakumu (Aug 18, 2007)

Well, here is the first round of pics...


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## Makalakumu (Aug 18, 2007)

Here is another round...


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## Makalakumu (Aug 18, 2007)

And another...


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## Makalakumu (Aug 18, 2007)

And lastly...


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## Makalakumu (Aug 18, 2007)

And now for some weirdness...


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## michaeledward (Aug 18, 2007)

No Hobbits? No Elves? No Dwarves? What's up with that? 

Nice trout ..... what is that, about 21" ... from a lake? Did you get any in the streams / rivers with that fly rod? 


I spent three days in the 'North country' this week. The fishing was great. A did a triple, salmon, rainbow and brookie. To get the home run,  I would have had to move down the river to find the browns. And I was having too much fun where I was.


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## Makalakumu (Aug 18, 2007)

It's winter in NZ, so many of the streams were closed to fishing.  On the North Island, the stream fishing was open, but pretty much everything on the south island was closed except for fishing the lakes.  Thus, except for a short time on the North Island, my fly rod was pretty much useless.  As it stands, that trout came out at 46 cm.  That was the size limit for the lakes.  My wife nailed a 80 cm trout harling a fly.  My friend has some good pictures of that...

I did get to see quite a few LOTR locations.  It's easy to see why they were in the movies.  Most of the most beautiful pictures down there were used in the movie in some way.


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## OUMoose (Aug 21, 2007)

Those were some great pictures, UpNorth!  Glad to see you had a good time. 

Someday I'll go back to see everything again, but those flights are rough.  Did you take Quantas, or another carrier?


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## Makalakumu (Aug 21, 2007)

I took Quantas and I will always fly Quantas whenever possible.  I have never seen an airline like that before.  It puts carrier we have in the US to shame.  Also, they offer a high level of service, for really really cheap.


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## crushing (Nov 19, 2007)

Are you still considering moving to N.Z.?  If so, at least you won't have to worry about this problem (unless you're really good with photoshop and really aren't the fine fit man we see in your pictures  lol!).



> Richie Trezise, 35, a rugby-playing Welshman, lost weight to gain entry to New Zealand after initially being rejected for being overweight and a potential burden on the health care system.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/17/wfat117.xml


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## Makalakumu (Nov 20, 2007)

Yeah, I'm still planning on it.  That story is wrong in so many ways, but it's a natural result of socialized medicine.  The democracy, has a strong incentive to promote health and healthy immigration because ultimately the taxpayer have to pay the bill for people's decisions.

I can see arguments for and against this on both sides.


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