New Zealand trip 2008 - Chapter 1

I preface this entry by saying this is the beginning chapter to the book I started writing after my trip to New Zealand in January 2008. That trip transformed my life, re-igniting my passion for travel, the desire to move to New Zealand and the journey I am currently on.

"This is not what I expected" is what I keep telling myself. In all honestly I didn't know quite what to expect before I started the 33 hour airport hopping adventure that took me from Washington, DC to Auckland New Zealand on January 12th 2008. I do however know that when I booked the plane tickets last September I wasn't expecting the whole process to be emotional and self explorative.

Its been almost 4 years since I returned to the US after living abroad in London for 7 months on what had been the most life changing and eye opening experience to date. The things I had learned on that trip transformed me in ways I had never thought possible through gaining this knowledge of other cultures and an unquenchable thirst to continue traveling. Since I could no longer stay in the UK due to the lack of securing an extended visa, and the majority of 21 housemates and now friends were from Australia and New Zealand, I vowed to only spend two years living in Washington DC working as an architect and then continue my travels on to Australia and New Zealand. The personal desire I had was to not become a stereotypical American working a a job I didn't fully enjoy only to pay the bills, support the family and provide a house in the "burbs" with a white picket fence. "Only Two Years" I said.

Two jobs, three different living situations, 36 months, and zero buildings actually constructed later I was starting to feel disappointed that I had "settled in Washington and never fulfilled my Austraila/New Zealand adventure. Meanwhile my project manager was about to head to NZ for a two week honeymoon and another co-worker had recently quit her interior design job to move to New Zealand for a year and work at a winery. While feeling even worse about my situation I received an email from my friend Faye. Faye and her fiance Niall had lived across the hall from me in London and she was emailing to let me know that they had set a wedding date for January 17th 2008 in New Zealand. Immediately checking bank account balances versus credit card balances, the price of plane tickets, vacation days and creating a budget, I realized with some saving, of both money and vacation days, I could make this a feasible 3 week trip. I booked the tickets at a "reasonable" $1700, received a 120 hour vacation request sign off from the bosses, and saved enough money while at the same time paying off my credit cards.

10 months of strategic planning were about to pay off. The countdown to my three week New Zealand adventure had begun. For some reason though I couldn't fully get excited for it the weeks leading up. There was something that was holding me back! I had done exactly what I was fearing from the time I moved to DC, I had settled. There was a stable group of friends, a nice house to live in, a job that I loved and was comfortable in, and a certain life satisfaction. Was I no longer the adventurous girl who moved to London on her own? Was I no longer the free spirit who wanted to commit herself to a life of travel? More importantly who had I become? The week leading up to departure I decided to avoid thinking about the reasons I was not completely excited about this trip and focus on the practicalities of physical preparation, packing clothes, making mix cds, sorting out everything at work.

Departure day came, my aunt and cousin brought me to the airport. 3 hours in the airport later I boarded plane number 1 for LAX. A 767 with only 60 people aboard, everyone was able to take up their own row. I was sprawled between two seats while watching the movie in Spanish because the sound on the English station sounded much like a radio station based 50 miles away. I arrived at LAX prepared for my 7 hour layover with books, soduku, and my Ipod. 9.5 hours later at 4:30 am LA time, plane number 2 started boarding. Wedged in between a large older Fijian woman and a Swedish guy who reaked of boozed and had stolen my window seat I became scared that this 10 hour flight was going to make the 9.5 hour layover feel like a margarita on a hot summer day. Five rum and cokes consumed later, by the Swedish oil boat captain, we landed in Fiji. Luckily all of the connecting flights were delayed due to our flight and the Fiji layover was only 45 minutes.

The first ounces of excitement that shocked my body were on the runway approach to Fiji's Nadi Airport when I witnessed the beautiful hills and islands of a land so foreign to anything I had experienced before. I switched planes and flew and easy three more hours to Auckland. Suddenly realizing that my 33 hour journey was over I hopped off the plane, grabbed my bags, got another stamp in my passport at customs, bought a New Zealand SIM card for my cell phone and picked up the rental car I would be touring around with for the next three weeks, a Nissan Bluebird.

Driving on the opposite side of the road from what I am accustom to came somewhat naturally as I had rented several cars in London during my stay there. However as I made the drive into downtown Auckland to find my hostel, I couldn't seem to remember that the turn signal was also on the opposite side of the wheel. Every time I would try to signal left the windshield wipers would violently thrash across the dry glass, while also causing me to panic as I am trying to locate the actual signal, read the map, and remember that while turning left I need to again end up on the left side of the road. Some how I successfully found the hostel in downtown Auckland along with an adjacent parking lot that was $8 for the night. I grabbed the bags from the car and checked into "Nomad's Fat Camel" hostel.

Upon entering my temporary single room for the night all I could think was "I cant believe I'm staying in hostels primarily for the next 3 weeks". The room wasn't horrible but it definitely wasn't my room at home. This was also the only night I booked a room for myself since finances dictated that I stay in "mixed dorms" of the 4 and 6 bed variety. The flight was long and I had transferred twice so the decision was to "splurge" on a single the first evening. After a quick shower which would be the first of many hostel showers, I decided to explore the town a little before dusk set in. I walked up to queen street and thought that I might wander towards the waterfront. I made it two blocks before an older man who was some what suspect stopped me proceeding to ask if I was Egyptian followed by Iranian. I became very disturbed by this interaction and decided to just continue on my way. Bothered by that situation and realizing that darkness was about to set in on this newly discovered city I decided to simply walk around the block and return to the hostel. On the return I noticed the hostel seems to be located next to a variety of "gentlemens clubs". All I could think was "great I pick the hostel in the Auckland red light district". This was only to be the beginning.

Returning to the hostel, I checked myself into the hostel bar. With the room comes a free dinner at the bar and on this night the dinner special was spaghetti carbonara which I paired with a glass of Local New Zealand savignion blanc. Suddenly I received a text from my friend Ameilia who was another of my housemates in London. She had recently returned to NZ after extending her London stay to 4 years. Just happening to be 5 minutes away from where I was situated she said she would be right over for a drink and to catch up. It had been three years since I last saw Ameilia in London when I had traveled back for my 25th birthday weekend. She was the first of my London kiwi friends that I met up with and it was so good to see a familiar face after the longest trip of my life. We chatted about everything from where all of the 20 St Pauls crew were now, how our lives were going, to how crazy it was that we were meeting up in New Zealand. After a few drinks and a few trips down memory lane it was time for me to enjoy my single bedroom complete with double bed. I was to meet up with Faye's friends Anya and Hayes at 8am in the morning to begin the trek to Mahia Beach. Ameilia and I said goodbye and agreed to meet up in Auckland on my return before departure for the states.