It's the same every time.
"Where are you going this weekend?" A coworker asks.
"We're heading to <insert my best attempt at pronunciation here>."
"Where?"
"<Repeat slightly differently>."
"Where's that?"
"It's near <insert another poorly pronounced place name>."
"Oh, you mean <blur of syllables in Kiwi accent>?"
"Yes! That place."
I try hard, I really do. But in the end, even if I'm pronouncing the vowels correctly, there's a different inflection, or a twist of Kiwi accent that makes the actual place name completely different from my careful articulation.
If you think I'm exaggerating, or that this is a problem everywhere and I'm making a big deal out of nothing, let me show you an actual place name in New Zealand. This is the name of a hill in Wairarapa:
Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu
It is the longest place name in the world.
Now, Orongorongo is pretty famous because this is where the Rivendale set was built. Like most of NZ it's a very scenic place. The bonus of this section of the Rimutaka Forest Park is that you can book huts just for yourself, unlike 99% of NZ's huts, which have a first-come-first-served, no-one-turned-away policy. It's nice to be able to have the hut all to yourself, though we had to book this popular hut months in advance. We went out with our friends Neda and Kambiz, who had never been camping/tramping before, and they say they want to do it again so I suppose we didn't scare or bore them too much.
Tramping in NZ can really spoil you! Our hut was equipped with a camping stove that included fuel, a woodbox with a supply of wood, vinyl-covered mattresses like the style used on boats, and running water inside. Very posh. Keep in mind, though, that huts here run the entire spectrum of fancy to ramshackle, bare-bones shelter, so it pays to read up on the particulars of the hut you're going to. |
Some of the trails in the Orongorongo are like little highways. This was a serious swingbridge.
Coming up: Trip #2 to the South Island! Featuring a bonus entry on Stewart Island....exciting stuff....so stay tuned!