GREETINGS FROM AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND (THAT’S WHERE THE DAY BEGAN)

ALSO DON’T MISS THE ALWAYS ENTERTAINING (FOR THE STATISTICALLY MINDED ANYWAY) RANLAY RACING ANNUAL REPORT.  IT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL MAILBOX TOWARD THE END OF JANUARY 2007.  IT IS NEARLY FINISHED.

SPECIAL NOTICE!

 

I just wanted to alert all of my Trackchaser Report readers to an important point regarding the timing of when you receive these reports.  I have a few guidelines that I will stick too.

 

First, I will maintain my policy of never sending more than one Trackchaser Report email per day, except in the most unusual of circumstances.  I will always send the TRs in the chronological order in which the tracks were seen.

 

There may be times, like the New Zealand trip, when a few days pass before I send out my reports.  Often this will be caused by a lack of suitable email facilities or simply because I don’t have time to get the reports out as quickly as I would like.  You can always scroll to the bottom of the Trackchaser Report to see the exact date when I visited the track.

 

Finally, I will continue to offer as many subject headings as possible, just as a newspaper does.  This way, if you don’t have time to read the entire report, you can skip to those areas that you find most entertaining.  Alternatively, you can go to www.ranlayracing.com and see the trip’s photos followed by the Trackchaser Report for each track I see.

ALL PICTURES HAVE BEEN UPDATED AT WWW.RANLAYRACING.COM  FOR THIS TRACKCHASING TRIP.

This is the FIFTH AND FINAL report in a multi-part series that will detail our 17-day trackchasing and touring adventure to New Zealand and French Polynesia.  The format of this Trackchaser Report will differ from those you have been reading all season. 

 

Our activities will be listed chronologically by day and divided into “Trackchasing” and “Tourist” categories.  You will get a glimpse into how another family approaches and takes a long and exotic trip like this.  I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures, until you and your family head out on your next tour of the world.

 

Warning:  If you do not want to experience the feeling of “being there” I recommend that you not read the descriptions of what went on or view the pictures of what was seen.  I would not want any future visits to these faraway parts to be ruined by the realism you are about ready to experience in words and pictures.

 

If you are receiving this Trackchaser Report via email, you can view the pictures at www.ranlayracing.com.

 

 

Part V

 

 

 

Sunday/Monday, January 7-8, 2007

TAHITI TOURIST ACTIVITY

 

The Waikaraka Park Speedway is just 5 kilometers from the Auckland International Airport.  After the races, we grabbed a motel nearby.  Our trackchasing in New Zealand was finished.

 

I returned our Subaru Outback rental car with 4,236 more kilometers on it than when I picked it up two weeks ago.  We stopped to fill-up seven times (only after the orange light was illuminated on our fuel gauge) with a final top off near the airport.  We used 381.12 liters of petrol.  That meant we got 11.11 kilometers per liter.  I guess that’s about 29.87 miles per gallon.  I think that might be about $3.52 per gallon U.S. but I’m not sure.

 

When I had made our flight reservations for this trip, the agent told me, “I can’t get you back to the U.S. after your final day in New Zealand without having you layover in Tahiti for two days.”  Rats!  Those rotten airline people!  I’m finished trackchasing and they want Carol and me to stay over in Tahiti for two days at no extra charge.  All right.  You’ve twisted my arm, we’ll go to Tahiti for two days.

 

By the way, New Zealand charges a $25NZ departure tax when anyone leaves the country.  This fee is not only assessed to tourists, but everyone leaving New Zealand.  I asked the agent about this tax.  She told me that rather than access various airport and other taxes, they simply use a departure fee. 

 

We had our first ever flight with Air Tahiti Nui Airlines from Auckland to Papeete, Tahiti.  They used a Boeing 747.  I must say I was not very impressed with Air Tahiti.  Getting our boarding passes took a long time.  Then I convinced Carol we needed a chocolate sundae at McDonalds in the airport.  We were casually eating our sundaes when we heard this announcement, “Air Tahiti flight 102 to Papeete is ready for departure.”

 

I looked over at Carol and in mid bite, a full panic attack came over her.  That made a full panic attack come over me.  Aucklanders were now seeing two worldwide trackchasers in full panic.  Yes, a couple of elderly women had to be sacrificed so we could make our flight.

 

We made it to the back of a very long and slow security line.  When we were about twenty people from being screened, this announcement was made, “Air Tahiti to Papeete is now in the final boarding stage.”  With our combined blood pressures reaching 1,500/1,250, we cleared security and ran like crazy.  I think Carol was cussing at me all the way, but my heavy breathing seemed to drown her out.

 

We pushed to the airplane’s open door only to find that we were nearly the first people on the plane.  Then, we sat in our seats for 25 minutes before the flight took off.  I have no idea what these people were up too.  I know I can’t prove it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Gordon Killian had something to do with this.  By the way, I hope trackchasing’s censure police (and that is NOT Will White) read far enough to pick this up.

 

By the way, New Zealand airport security did not check for liquids, require us to remove our shoes or ask me to take my computer out of my briefcase.  I don’t understand airport security.  One of the sample questions on an airport placard of what might and might not be allowed on the plane included, “May I carry a tear gas bomb in my handbag.”  Please!

 

I really didn’t like Air Tahiti.  Their flight attendants did not speak English well and the P.A. announcements were nearly impossible to understand.  When we landed and stopped at the gate, the first passenger was not allowed to deplane for 15 minutes.  They told us there was something wrong with the ramp.  We had a very long wait to get our luggage in the Aeroport De Tahiti FAA’A.  Clearing customs also took a long time amidst a crush of people.  When we reached the head of the line, the customs officer simply waved us through without a word.  Talk about racial profiling.

 

When we landed at past 10 p.m., the airport was going crazy.  The temperatures were tropical and nearly everything at the airport was outdoors.  I went to pick up the rental car.  I feared our two hundred pounds of luggage would not fit in our Smartcar.  Therefore I upgraded to a Peugeot Pilot.  It looked like a mini-delivery truck and had a manual transmission.  I would have preferred automatic but it worked out O.K.

 

It was now nearly midnight.  The next challenge would be to find our hotel, the Le Royal Tahitian.  This was supposed to be a four-star hotel located in a somewhat run down part of Papeete.  Papeete is the only major town on the island of Tahiti.  Tahiti is the largest of the 118 islands that make up French Polynesia.  French is the official language and the Pacific Franc is the currency.

 

Tahiti is essentially a third world country.  I liken it to Tijuana, Mexico a city just 75 miles from my home.  We finally found our hotel but it wasn’t easy and we didn’t find it right away.  There were virtually no road signs and the streetlights were hit and miss.

 

When we checked in we heard music coming from the bar.  We hurried over to have a drink and listen to the music.  There must have been 30 people on the dance floor dancing to island music.  These folks were local.  They were outstanding dancers.

 

I asked our server if he could bring us some nuts or chips to go with our drinks.  He left for a few minutes and came back with a saucer full of black olives.  That’s O.K.  I come to these far away places to experience their culture not mine.  I paid our bill that totaled 1,850 Pacific Francs.  That seemed a bit high for just two drinks.  My server gave me a credit card bill to sign for 2,000 Pacific Francs.  Along with the bill was 150 Pacific Francs in coins!  By the way, French Polynesia is reported to be the second most expensive place on earth behind Tokyo, Japan. 

 

On Sunday morning, remember we did Sunday twice because of the International Dateline, we had breakfast at the hotel.  This was a beautiful outdoor café that had us overlooking the Pacific Ocean at a distance of five feet!  I overdosed on their delicious French bread.  Then Carol laid out in the sun before we embarked on our drive around the island.

 

Tahiti is located between New Zealand and Hawaii.  It’s a little closer to New Zealand.  There is a circle road that encompasses the island.  It’s about 130 km in length.  The landscape is most similar to any Caribbean island you may have visited.  Every thing is very run down except the churches.  They are in pristine condition.  There are lots of stray dogs and roosters!

 

Just before we took off on our ride, we had lunch at the Sheraton Hotel.  It’s located somewhat near the airport.  The Sheraton is one of the nicest resorts on the island, if not the nicest.  Our lunch was delicious in a small building with large windows that extended out over the ocean.  The most basic room at the Sheraton went for more than $300 a night. 

 

Our rental car comes with a mileage charge.  There was no way for us to avoid it.  It would cost us about 60 cents U.S. for each kilometer we drove.  That would make our 130km drive around the island somewhat expensive but it was worth it.  We sort of wanted to complete our drive by dark.  Carol told me, “We don’t want to go out at night, because we’ll be eaten by wild dogs.”  That doesn’t sound like the bravado of a woman who has just ridden in a real sprint car race, does it?

 

Like I said this is a third world country.  Although the circle road keeps the water in view nearly the entire way, there are really no good sand beaches.  We were pleased to see there were very few street vendors and no beggars.  They also don’t post any prices at their petrol stations.  The tour book at the hotel posted these less than reassuring words, “Nowadays most of the cities of French Polynesia have not provided drinking water to their citizens yet.  We invite our visitors to use bottled water instead.”  Wow!  No tipping is expected anywhere on the island.

 

We passed the Tahitian Princess cruise ship during our drive.  She was shipping out this afternoon.  Tonight at dinner our table was situated next to a table of four people who had just finished their cruise.  They were staying at our hotel for a night before heading back to their respective homes.

 

One couple was from New Zealand.  The gentleman offered this comment that we overheard, “I miss the cruise ship already.  I’ll bet there’s some American sleeping in my bed right now.”  Ouch!

 

On Monday morning it was time to check out.  Our bill came to about 45,000 Pacific Francs.  Ouch!  This international jet setting lifestyle can be expensive.  We needed to check out by 12 noon, but our flight wasn’t until 11 at night. 

 

We spent the day shopping in downtown Papeete.  Imagine Tijuana and you’ve got it.  Tahiti is known for their black pearls.  We stopped at one jewelry store where they show prospective buyers a 12-minute video on how the pearls are harvested.  This is really a very nice experience.  They put us in a private room about 12 feet square, sort of like a TV sound booth.  They offered us refreshments and then shut the door for us to view the film in private.

 

The harvest process takes 2-3 years to yield a pearl.  The rounder and larger the pearl the higher the price.  Following the film, I wanted to buy Carol some pearls.  She didn’t want any claiming they were too large!  I’m sorry I found her first, go get your own wife who turns down black pearls because they are too large.

 

Next we stopped at an open air Chinese market for refreshments.  This was a great place to hang out with the locals.  One of the main types of transport in Tahiti is by truck.  Imagine the types of trucks that you see our U.S. military riding in Iraq.  Yes, the type where 20-25 soldiers are sitting in the back.  This type of truck in Tahiti acts as a taxicab of sorts for the masses.

 

I wanted to ride one of these.  Carol didn’t.  Finally, I convinced her to get on board.  We paid a small fee and tried to ask the driver if they would return to the spot where we were boarding.  We didn’t really get a firm answer on that one.  Soon about 20 passengers had hopped in the back of the truck and we were off. 

 

The driver was taking the circle road that we had traveled yesterday.  We were getting further and further from Papeete.  Carol was getting than panic look about her.  You know the one.  The look pretty much says, “If this truck takes us to Tim Buck Too and we miss our flight, you’ll be trackchasing by yourself for a very long time.”  Yes, that look. 

 

It was time to get off the truck!  I pulled a cord and the driver pulled over.  He dropped us off at the FAA’A airport.  It was about 3 p.m.  We decided to explore the airport, since it had been a mob scene two nights before.  We were shocked to see the entire thing was nearly closed down.  I guess most flights come into or leave Tahiti at night.  Our airline would not even open for business at the airport until 8:30 p.m.

 

We got another truck after only a short wait back to Papeete.  This truck cost more than three times what the first truck did, but I was in no position to argue.

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon eating ice cream bars and sitting at the Sheraton Hotel’s pool.  It would not be too difficult to get the cheapest hotel possible, sleep there and use the Sheraton for all of your meals, pool time, etc. 

 

I was amazed there was very little English either written or spoken.  Of course, the official language is French.  There was one exception.  All of the traffic stop signs were in English!  What’s up with that?

 

We spent our final evening in Tahiti having a very nice dinner at the Sheraton.  Our flight from Papeete to Los Angeles would be eight hours long.  It was also be a “red-eye.”  That’s O.K. When we landed in Los Angeles, son Jim was there to pick us up.

 

If you’ve read all five of my New Zealand trackchaser reports, you deserve a metal and have my full thanks and appreciation.  We had a wonderful time over the past 17 days.  If you don’t travel much, I hope you get some enjoyment reading about our exploits.  Sometimes it’s almost as much fun to read about someone else doing something, as it is to do it yourself.

 

If you are an active traveler, I hope we might have stimulated you to embark on an adventure like this to New Zealand and Tahiti or wherever your travel itch might take you.

 

I’m signing off now, but it won’t be long before the 2007 domestic trackchasing season begins.  I’ll be talking to you then.

 

 

 

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE:

 

These worldwide trackchasers are within 100 tracks (plus or minus) of my current trackchaser total.

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,145

2.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,077 (-68)*

3.  Rick Schneider – Bay Shore, New York - 1,064 (-81)*

7.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 965 (-180)**

 

* Warning, you are within 50 tracks of being removed from this list. 

 

** Special exemption.

 

 

Other notables

 

These worldwide trackchasers are within 10 tracks (plus or minus) of Carol’s current trackchaser total.

 

31.  Chris Economaki, Ridgewood, New Jersey – 302 (+1)

34.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California - 301

32.  Gary Jacob, Turlock, California – 301 (+/- 0)

33.  Ron Rodda, Lincoln, California – 297 (-4)

 

 

 

 

 

2007 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS

 

1.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 7

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California - 7

3.  Ron Rodda, Lincoln, California - 1

 

Tracks have been reported from three different worldwide trackchasers through January 6, 2007.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

 

Randy Lewis

#1 Trackchaser Living West of the Mississippi

 

Your best bet is to work your butt off, reach your goals and enjoy your rewards.

 

 

 

CUMULATIVE TRAVEL DISTANCES:

 

AIRPLANE

 

Los Angeles, CA – Sydney, Australia – 7,490 miles

Sydney, Australia – Auckland, New Zealand – 1,340 miles

RENTAL CAR – AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

 

Auckland International Airport – trip begins

Driving all over New Zealand

Auckland International Airport – 2,648 miles (4,236 kilometers) - trip ends

 

 

AIRPLANE

 

Auckland, New Zealand – Papeete, Tahiti – 2,540 miles

Papeete, Tahiti – Los Angeles, CA – 4,110 miles

 

 

 

 

Total Air miles – 15,480 miles

Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 18,128 miles

 

 

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

 

Western Springs Speedway - $20NZ

Blue Chip Speedway at Baypark – Free

Upper Hutt Family Speedway - $20NZ

Stratford Speedway - $15NZ

Huntly Speedway – Free

Meremere Raceway – Free

Meeannee Speedway - $15NZ

Top of the South Speedway – $12NZ

Woodford Glen Speedway - $12NZ

Robertson Holden International Speedway - $20NZ

Taupo Motorsports Park – $20NZ                   

Waikaraka Park International Speedway - $15NZ

 

Total racetrack admissions for the entire trip - $149NZ

 

That’s about $102.81US.

 

 

 

 

 

Past trackchasing reports are available at:

www.ranlayracing.com

 

Official trackchaser standings can be viewed at:

www.trackchaser.net

 

Some of my standings data comes from www.trackchaser.net

 

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS

 

G’by, mate.  Yep!  Our trip could not have been any better.  The people were great, the scenery was beautiful and the racing better than in the states.  However, all good things must come to an end.  However, I won’t be on the trackchasing sidelines for long.

 

 

 

 

 

RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2007 (** not the first time to visit this track)

 

 

1,139.  Meremere Dirt Track Club, Meremere, New Zealand - January 1

 

1,140.  Meeanee Speedway, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand - January 1

 

1,141.  Top of the South Speedway, Richmond, New Zealand - January 2

 

1,142.  Woodford Glen Speedway, Christchurch, New Zealand - January 3

 

1,143.  Robertson Holden International Speedway, Palmerston North, New Zealand - January 5

 

1,144.  Taupo Motorsports Park, Taupo, North, New Zealand - January 6

 

1,145.  Waikaraka Park International Speedway, Auckland, New Zealand - January 6