After Queenstown and the Routeburn Track, Mr. Wonderful and I flew to the north island (see, Tez, I know there are two!) and stayed on the Viaduct waterfront in Auckland. New Zealand’s biggest city has a similar feel to Seattle, only warmer. Built around the same time and fueled by the gold rush, both cities sport cute Victorian buildings to more modern glass and steel structures. It’s spread out, but the downtown is still walkable (I walked so much my feet nearly fell off). Both cities have skylines dominated by a well-recognized skinny tower. Tourists can’t bunjy off the Space Needle. The vibrant waterfront has a busy harbor with small ferry boats that service the many islands. Sailing is huge in Auckland, and I realized the sailboat-racing hero of my cruise book #2 is a Kiwi.

As usual, Mr. Wonderful had meetings all day, every day, until late at night, so I amused myself exploring the city. I enjoy touring new cities, taking notes on the urban design and special interest in historic preservation. Friday I walked from the Westin on the Viaduct all the way up Parnell Street to the Auckland Museum. The large colonial building lords over the city from the top of a hill, providing great views. It reminded me of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (of Rocky fame). I saw a Maori cultural performance, which was very similar to Polynesian performances in Tahiti. The singing was lovely. The six-member team demonstrated the poi – softball-sized puff balls on long strings that are swung about and bounced off the body – and short and long blades. They finished with the war dance that is widely recognized from the All Blacks rugby games. Afterwards I took pictures of the Maori carvings for future ceramics projects and walked through the giant park grounds of the Domain.

The Domain is 75 hectares in the hollow of an old volcano. It has formal gardens, lawn bowling, and thickly forested paths, like Lovers Walk. A lot of the names in Auckland are English – Albert and Regent streets, I stopped by the Wintergarden, two greenhouses connected by a courtyard with shallow pool, to knit and was photographed by some strange asian tourists. I’m not sure if they thought I was a local or just odd. On the return trip I passed through the Auckland University campus and Albert Park, before finally arriving on Queen Street and locating a Borders. Since I can’t resist a bookstore, I checked out the selection of romance books down under. No Nalini Singh. Mass market paperbacks for $20. AAAAA!!!!

Saturday I took the ferry to the volcano island of Rangitoto and hiked to the top. The volcano rose out of the sea 600 years ago. Trees and brush cover much of the black lava rock. It was hot, but the beautiful 360 degree views were well worth it.

Part I: Queenstown & Routeburn Track
Part II: Auckland (see more photos!)
Part III: Rotorua & Wellington

Mr. Wonderful and I set off today for 10 days in New Zealand:

On a hippie trail, head full of zombie

Part 1: Hike the Routeburn Track, one of the Classic Hikes of the World, out of Queenstown, South Island. The 3-day hike is either 45 K or 32 K, according to the Classic Hikes Book or the NZ Gov’t site, respectively. It passes through Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks. We will be staying in huts along the way.

The Routeburn Track is…a hike of rich variety and complex beauty that whets the appetite for more. This historic alpine route penetrates the glacier-carved landscapes of New Zealand’s Southern Alps–rain forests, high basins, and mountain peaks. From classic U-shaped glacial valleys to snowy passes, the Routeburn traverses strikingly diverse mountain terrain while delivering botanical surprise, exotic bird song, and scenic payoff on a big scale, (Potterfield, p204)

six-foot-four and full of muscles

Part 2: Auckland (where Mr. Wonderful will be occupied with business meetings) I don’t have plans. My usual pattern is to wander a new city, admiring/criticizing the city planning and browsing bookstores, until I can’t feel my feet anymore. However, after a 28-mile hike, I may chose to take it easy. Maybe I’ll rent a bike.

I’ll most likely have internet connection Thursday, when we arrive in Auckland. Until then, here is your moment of zen————->

On our return to Tokyo, Mr. Wonderful was occupied preparing for and presenting at the Adobe MAX Conference, so I learned the Tokyo subway and explored the city by myself. Solo exploration is lonely, but more instructive, since I am forced to relinquish my passive role and make a decision. It is a testament to a shrinking world and the genuine friendliness of the Japanese people that I was able to get by knowing a single world of Japanese. Even that one word–thank you–slipped through my swiss cheese brain more often than not.

Ginza–the 5th Avenue of Tokyo–where giant signs assail you from every angle and fashion is hot off the runway. I was in pursuit of washi–Japan’s traditional handmade paper. Looking lost on a street corner, someone took pity on me and helped me locate my target stationary store, Haibara (est. 1806). Street names and addresses are almost non-existent here. Despite my Lonely Planet guidebook and map, lost was my middle name and there were a handful of restaurants and stores–including the Tokyo Disney tourist booth–that I never did find. Next stop was Ito-ya, housing eight floors of stationary, handmade paper, cards, pens, art supplies and a tea lounge. I confess I became inspired to start writing more snail mail!

Of course, I also visited Maruzen book store to drool over the romance novels. Harlequin had an entire rack of books in japanese with familiar authors and completely new covers. Discovering Outlander and Twilight in Japanese inspired a giant grin. I attempted to locate anything by Linda Winstead Jones to bring back for my mother-in-law, but without understanding the organization of the books I was unable to find any.

The Imperial Palace is in the center of Tokyo. Koi and swans swim in the wide moat that separates the ancient rock wall from the surrounding skyscrapers. It is a travesty that two major arterials bisect the historic grounds. Only the East garden is open to the public, but this outpost of history is a must see for visitors to this modern metropolis. My pictures were taken at dusk as it began to drizzle. Notably, the lighting could be better.

And that concludes this edition of Wanderlust: Japan. Stay tuned next time for Wanderlust: Cruising the Caribbean!

Part I: Tokyo

Part II: Minakami

Part III: see more photos on facebook

Sunday we rode the train to the center of Japan, up into the mountains to Minakami. The scenery was…um, to be honest I was reading a book instead of paying attention to the scenery. Minakami is a hot spring town that attracts numerous outdoor enthusiasts to Joshinetsu Kogen National Park. The river running through it and beautiful snow-capped peaks surrounding it were picturesque.

We stayed in Tanigawa Ryokan: a traditional japanese inn dating from the Edo period (1603–1868). Upon entering, we were instructed to remove our shoes and were provided slippers. Our room had traditional tatami mats and a private hot spring bath, call onsen, on the balcony. Yukatas, traditional cotton kimonos, were provided for morning and evening wear. We read, we soaked, we lounged we drank sake. It was all very relaxing and quite a unique experience.

Kimono-wearing staff brought elaborate dinners and breakfast of traditional japanese delicacies. The language barrier prevented us from understanding what it is we were served, but I took lots of photos. If presentation is everything, then these meals were some of the finest to be had. At night, staff moved the short table and spread futons on the floor for sleeping.

Tuesday we hired a guide to take us snow shoeing around the Tanigawa-dake mountains. We had beautiful sunny weather and saw monkeys on the way back.

Part I: Tokyo

Part II: Minakami photos on facebook

Part III: Tokyo Returns

First Impressions: A city of lights, of fast moving people and colorful umbrellas, active streetscapes and efficient mass transit. A relentlessly modern metropolis of towering office buildings. Tiny snatches of history tucked in convenient corners. A fashionable shopper’s paradise where my no-nonsense shoes and bright green gortex jacket stood out like a beacon of uncool among polished black boots and sleek black peacoats. Wet asphalt, cloudy skies and drizzle–just like home. In many ways it felt like New York to me, just as big and crowded and incomprehensible. Rushing, well-dressed people on cellphones packing into small boxcars to be whirled through space. Each alone in a crowd.

Unlike New York, Tokyo is clean. I could eat off the pavement. People are infinitely polite and welcoming despite my inability to communicate. How could I ever feel homesick in a city with so many Starbucks? By pointing I ordered my hot tall mocha with whipped cream, unable to say “short” or “non-fat,” but still comfortingly familiar.

Food, as usual, was a problem. I envy my husband’s ability to order the unknown. “What’s good?” he asks if he speaks the language. He points to a random item on the menu if he doesn’t and savors the adventure. I am a vegetarian. Ovo-lacto. No meat. No seafood. Perhaps with a time machine I would enjoy Tokyo cuisine in the 1800′s, before the carnivores overthrew the Buddhist vegetarians. Fish is a staple of the Japanese diet. Tofu became my constant companion. Boiled, steamed and fried. Freshly solidified silken soy that made me think of toothless babies and geriatrics.

Eventually I gave up and embraced the barbarians. Pizza is king.

But it was, as always, the experience that matters. Stepping outside my comfort zone. Trying new things. I don’t have to fall in love with traditional cuisine to have been stretched and strengthened by my time abroad.

Our trip began in the sleek Ebisu neighborhood, which rekindled my dormant city planning dreams. The walkable streets! The high density mixed use! The efficient, effective subway system! The vibrant urban landscape! I saw all the ideals of textbook Smart Growth brought to life. Not a blighted building or trash-strewn alley to be seen.

We visited the Tokyo National Museum‘s permanent exhibit on Japanese art through history. Ryan ogled the calligraphy, claiming that no other culture had such an art of lettering. I disagreed of course. Hasn’t he heard of the Book of Kells? I was more attracted to the samurai armor and wished to see more on Washi, the art of paper making. Ueno Park, where the National Museum and others are located on acres of tree-lines paths, would be beautiful to visit in the spring. Someday I hope to return to see the cherry blossums.

After a dinner of more Tofu than you could ever possibly eat, we took the subway to Shibuya. Often called “the Times Square of Tokyo,” Shibuya is known for it’s bright lights and rushing people. The busiest pedestrian intersection in the world is located here, with a Starbucks overlooking it. The photo is from a different busy intersection nearby.

Part I: more photos on facebook

Part II: Minakami

Part III: return to Tokyo