slowly, but surely, i will do this!! shanny's finished, and glen's already on day 3. add oil add oil!

day 1, 24th-25th august 2007: dunedin to whanganui, here we go!

we are at omako river lodge in whaganui, north island. it is a much welcome change from sleeping in the car the night before. we drove 9 or 10hrs from dunedin to picton. by 445am, we had reached picton with 2 to 3 hours to kill before we could board the ferry to north island. i don’t know about you but I find it strange sitting in a stationary car full of sleeping people in an almost empty parking lot, shivering our asses off in the wee hours of the morning. i didn’t know where i would rather be or what i would rather be doing. i just wanted to survive it.

we finally board the ferry and picture this: 7 people sprawled out on the seats of the ferry, deep in sleep.

the views were really pretty though. but i was so sleepy i didn’t take much pictures. the views of north island welcoming us were a refreshing sight. endless green hills, waves crashing against rocks, a lighthouse. this was everything i pictured my exchange to be. seriously, when i was choosing where i wanted to do my exchange, i told myself that it had to be a place with cliffs by the sea and a lighthouse and waves crashing against rocks. i’m not disappointed.

(doggy on my dashboard, which i pat every once in a while, as a proxy for reno)

i think i really like north island so far। the greenness of the rolling hills are really soothing to the eyes.but let me fast-forward to the best part. our lodge.

omaka riverside lodge is a really amazing place to stay at. really cosy, and well-stocked with goodies so you’ll never get bored. like their really cool vinyls collection, the really old school record player, their book collection, yadda yadda. the best part is where we are. outside the lodge runs the whanganui river. as you step out of the house in the evening, the sounds of birds tweet-ing and sheep baa-ram-you-ing greet you. you hear so clearly the sound of the sheep chewing on grass. they never seem to stop, don’t they? it’s just perfect, this place. but let me tell you what’s the best part.you can watch the sky full of stars, undisturbed by light pollution, from your bath tub! yes, there’s actually an outdoor bathtub, in a cosy little nook. but u have to make sure you burn firewood underneath so that you won’t turn into an ice-block. not too much or you’ll turn into stew as well. well, sounds like I actually went out buck-naked in the cold to take a bath and watch the stars. but the truth is, i didn’t, NO STARS. just clouds.
dinner was not bad. bavani and i cooked rice, chicken with chilli and basil, and vegetables in oyster sauce. really filling.

(outdoor bathtub, yummy!)

after that, we randomly formed an air band and put up a kick-ass performance to a song by the cars. i don’t even know what song it was now.



also, being amongst the hills so wide where you can spread your arms and just spin around forever, yodeling your lungs out (and blasting the sound of music soundtrack on the record player in the lodge), inspired this unique and award-winning rendition of doe-a-deer. be warned. toxic on ears. not on eyes though, because you get to see 2 pretty girls for free! haha.



but this is one of those places where i keep feeling that “i wish you were here” kinda feeling. the drive here, the music playing in my ipod in the car, the selection of vinyls here (the cars, simon and garfunkel, dire straits), the tea, the rustic sense you get here, the open-air bath-tub, the cosiness, the ferry ride with the spectacular views, the cold. yeap, i think of all of you. papa (the music and synchronicity in our thoughts), mama (the charming little lodge), pravin (the drive here and how we might have taken turns), jeevan (exploring the place and laughing at the sheep), prrrrraaaaaaak (need i explain even?). i can’t even call or sms you guys. there’s no reception and no phone here.

it’s a bittersweet feeling i’m feeling in this moment. simon and garfunkel echo off the walls, some of them are playing cards infront of me, my thoughts drift between the beauty and surrealness of this place and how much i..well…wish you were here.