Back to the beginning...

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Well, here I am, back in Auckland where this whole adventure began 27 days ago. I took the overnight bus last night from Wellington...I was thinking this was a brillant idea cuz' I would save the money on a bed...but it was horrible. Eleven hours on a bus and barely any sleep. Oh, well...note for next time.

My last couple of days have been great. On Monday morning, I casually woke up after having too many beers in the hostel bar with a Irishman that I could barely understand and the bar staff. Good times...learned a lot about Rugby and Cricket - it's only good to watch the very end - and some other sport played only in Ireland that happens in September. I will have to try and watch it next year. Anyhow, I wondered down to the information desk to find something to do for the day. I had already walked around and seen a lot of the city. The info girl recommended this little bus tour thing that takes you over to the coast and you can see the Red Rocks, seal colonys, a couple of nature walks, the zoo...things like this. This sounds good to me, but they were booked for the day. So I signed up for Tuesday. Instead, she gave me some suggestions on movie theaters and I figured maybe I would take in a museum. All the theaters were on the other side of town...an area I had not walked to yet, so I was off. I decided to walk along the waterfront harbor. There was a really nice park area and walkway and I made me way around to Te Papa Museum. It's this huge museum that has everything from NZ history to fine art exhibits to science exhibits. It was also free. I noted the hours it was open and continued on to find the theaters. I ended up in a very cool hip area of town. I found all the bars, restaurants, cafes, boutiques, things like that. Most were in old buildings that had lots of character. It was a fun area to walk through. I ended up at the Embassy Theater - where the Lord of the Rings Return of the King World Premier was - but they were only showing Harry Potter and I'm not into that, so I just peeked around the place. It looks like an old ornate theater from Chicago. Everything was very decorative and huge marble and wood stair cases. It was fun to just see the lobby. Then, I was on my way to the next theater. It was just playing indy type films and none of them sparked my interest. I finally made to another theater - I don't remember the name - and they were showing the Fastest Indian. Now, I have no idea was is going on in the US and I don't know if any of you have seen this movie or if its out there or what, but I have heard a ton about it here in NZ and decided to see it. It's about a man from NZ and I figured it'd be fun to see a NZ movie while here. It was playing at 1:55 p.m. It was about 11:30 am now, so I headed up another cool street I found that looked like an old street that was now turned into a large walkway and was lined with stores. It was similar to an outdoor mall. I found an Irish Pub that was serving a $5 bunch. Since that was within my budget, I ordered, and of course, got hot tea. I sat at their tables outside in the plaza area to people watch, read and eat. The food came out and it looked really good - fried tomato (very popular here, served with breakfast), two sauage links, hash browns, and scrambled eggs on a thick piece of toast. It was wonderful to have a hearty meal. And for $5!!! Then I sat and drank my tea and read my book for a while. After my tea was done, I moved to an bench area and continued to read. Once that chapter was done, I moved to another area in a park and did some more people watching and read some more. It was a great relaxing day. I was watching people meet up for lunch and shop for Christmas gifts. Fun stuff really. Then it was time to head to the movie.

The movie was amazing. One of the best movies I have ever seen. It's about Bert Munroe, a Kiwi who owns a 1920 Indian Motorcycle and after years of changing and upgrading the engine, he dreams of taking it to the Bonniville Salt Flats in Utah to see what kind of speed records he could break. It's a story about never giving up on your dreams and that believing in yourself is the most important. It was moving and a true story. It may have had even more of an impact on me because I am here, living out one of my dreams and I firmly believe in them and strive to follow them - sorry this is a little philisophical - but it just caught me up. Anyhow, it was a wonderful story and will lift your spirits. It's a must see.

From the movie, I went back to the museum where they had the motorcycle used in the movie on display. Since I was on such a high, I told the girl at the information desk all about the movie. Just another crazy American was the look I was getting, but oh well, I had to tell someone about it. It was cool to see the bike. So different. He was a brillant man. The rest of the museum was really cool. I was only there about two hours, so I only saw a small bit of it, but I really enjoyed it. More Maori history, more NZ settlement history, a huge modern art display with some wonderful pieces, an interesting exhibit on the volcanoes and fault lines/earthquakes that have shaped the country. All good stuff. Once it closed, I was hungry again - shocking! - and decided to find a little place for dinner. I came across an Asian restaurant and it looked really good. Boy was it! I had a huge plate of noodles and veggies and chicken and it was $7. Today was my day for good eats at cheap prices! Then I headed back to the hostel to hang out, write in my journal, watch some tv and read, then to bed.

On Tuesday morning, I got up early and re-organized my stuff. This was an exciting day...I was able to throw away my sheet and one shirt. This helped to make my bag much lighter. I had to check out of the hostel and put my stuff in storage. I was picked up by this tour group at 8:30 a.m. We started out with a bit of a tour around the city. Today was suppose to be sunny in Wellington, but there was a huge fog storm and you could barely see the building across the street. So, some our scenic outlooks were not so scenic. The guide was cool - Nathan - also an elf in Lord of the Rings - was giving us great information about the city. The city is modeled in some ways after San Franscico. When the English first settled here, they didn't realize it was so hilly and steep. So, they sent for four framed houses from SF in order to better build on the hills in Wellington. It's funny how parts of the town really do resemble it. It is also mostly wood houses due to the fact that the city sits on a fault line and the English quickly learned that their traditional stone homes did not withstand the earthquakes. Anyhow, I decided to jump out at the zoo. There was a noctural house there and I really wanted to see a kiwi. Well, as it turned out, there were lots of great animals there. There was a Malaysian Sun Bear. That was really cool and baby lions and cheetah cubs and these huge ostriches that came really close to you. Then the kangaroos and birds and different types of monkeys/apes. They had some great stuff there. I was very impressed. The little van tour guide picked me back up about two hours later. The weather was getting worse as we made out way towards the coast. I was planning to get out and do a costal walk to see the Red Rocks and seal colony (I just can't get enough of seals!), but the weather was so bad on the coast that I decided against it. I stayed in the van and we could just barely see the coast. It was really cool. All this rough almost buddled like rock that was left there after the volcanoes. It really creates a dramatic coast line. We pulled off at one point and Nathan pointed in the direction of the south island saying that on a clear day, you can see it. Damn man, don't tell me what I'm missing! After going around a few more points and bays, the weather began to clear a bit. We were at one of the scenic walk stops and I decided to try this one. The other guy in the van, Mark from Manchester, got out and did the walk with me. With little instruction from Nathan, we headed up the hill to a beautiful lookout area and Nathan drove away saying he would pick us up at the Chocolate Fish Cafe at 3:50. At the top of this ridge, it was great. The weather was finally clearing and you could see a lot of the coast. I got some great pictures here. Then we continued on the walk. Well, it was not marked very well and we went the wrong way. It led us into a neightborhood of horribly modern houses. Mark and I commented on how bad it was. After climbing another steep ridge only to find out it led no where, we finally found the path again. It really was a pretty wallk through lots of forest area and then great outlooks with ocean and coastal views. You could really see the rocky coastline from here. Mark seemed to be a pretty nice guy. A tradesman from Manchester who was here visiting his brother who recently moved here. He was kind of bull headed too though, which wore on my nerves. We came to the end of the trail and he was just doing to start walking one way without really thinking about it. I said that after looking at the map we needed to head the other way. Of couse, this polite argument lasted long enough for a man to stop in his car and ask if we were lost to which I quickly replied yes. What is wrong with you men!? After we were given great directions, we were off again in the direction of the beach. It was more of a rock than sand, but still nice to stroll along. I found a Puna Shell - they are only found in NZ - and the sun was beginning to peek out. After quite a long walk, we finally made it to the Chocolate Fish Cafe. This is apparntly were much of the crew and actors from LOTR ate during the movie. It was nice. They had outdoor seating and I ordered a panini. It came with two sauces on it and two on the side. Lord knows I love my sauces...each bit was like whole new sandwich! Then I treated myself to an ice cream cone. The conversation wasn't too bad with Mark. We stuck to travel dicussion for the most part. Nathan showed up a bit early and it was nice to get back into the van. We continued around the point and came back into the harbor area where Wellinton sits. It really is a beautiful area of the country. Nathan continued to give us information about the neighborhoods and then got into a bit of a lecture about how the US is horrible and refuses to do business with NZ ever since they went Nuclear Free in the 80s. It was said as if I had some sort of influence on the decision. It continued with Mark chimming in saying that good for NZ to stand up to the biggest terrorists in the world. Now, I'm not really one to talk politics, but this whole thing seemed weird. I have met all these people from all over the world and some have asked me about politics in the US and were more curisous about it than judgemental. It really showed me that there are those that understand that just because you are from the US doesn't mean you necessarily agree with everything that happens and there are those that will dislike you regardless. The latter is what was going on in the car. Mark had hinted at politics earlier in the day and I just glossed over it, but why make the statements. It was obvious that it was not a "normal" part of the tour. I went with the "to each their own" statement and changed the subject with another question about Wellington. Instead of continuing the tour to the Botanical Gardens which I had already seen, I asked to be let out early at the hostel. I have to say, it was a great way to see some of the surrounding areas of Wellington!

Now, I had to pull off a couple of things...it was 4 p.m. and I was not going to access to a shower again until I arrived in the US. So, I got my bag out of storage and snuck upstairs to the one floor that had a bathroom in the hallway. With all my stuff, I managed to squeeze in and re-organize again, shower, repack again, throw out my towel and a long sleeve shirt and then my bag was even lighter. Then, back downstairs to the lounge area to read my book. About an hour later I snuck into the kitchen to make a quick dinner and then I was off to my overnight bus.

Most of the time, the bus has been half empty. I should have know this one would be jam packed. I was there early enough to get a seat next to a window, but it was still cramped and hot and smelled. This is not the way to travel. We of course made several stops along the way and I was conditioned as a child...when the car stops you pee. If you don't, you have to wait until the car stops again. There were no unneccessary stops made during our family car trips. Therefore, even though I was only allowed off the bus twice, I woke up at every stop ready to dart to the bathroom. That was the other thing in my house...if you didn't make it back to the car by the time dad had finished pumping gas, it was likely you could be left behind. As a woman, this meant learning to pee quickly at an early age. I have a serious annoyance for woman that linger in the bathroom. Especially when there is a line. Anyway, we rolled into Auckland at 6:50 a.m. I am still a zoombie and it's not 1:45 p.m. I have to get on another bus in a couple of hours to head to the airport. I was hoping to go out to an island while here for the day, but it is grey and raining, so the bag went into a storage locker and I began wandering around the city. I found a fun market and shopped around some. That took up quite a bit of time. Then here for this and then finding some food again. Then I am off to the US!

All in all, this trip has been amazing! I have met so many people and seen almost the entire country. It is one of those experiences that you can never repeat. This is exactly what I was looking for - freedom to roam and explore and discover and adventure. This country had it all and I soaked up as much as I could. I feel truly happy for the first time in a long time and I'm excited to come home. I am looking forward to the holidays with a refreshed sense of self. Thank you all for travelling along with me. Your quick comments your a fuel for me and I felt close to home the whole time! I wish you all the best of times this holiday season!

I will leave you with a few thoughts and tid bits:

After three weeks, I finally remembered to look right first when crossing the street - you would have thought the first couple of near misses would have been enough...

The weather changes with the breeze

Honesty and good hearted people are the common here

Words/Phrases to use:
Sorted - get things together "once your ready" or "once your sorted"
Sweet As - much like Hella is used on the West Coast of the US - this can be used with anything. If your having a good time, it's Sweet As!
Brillant
Lovely
Cheerio! - as in thanks or good-bye

Love you! I'm coming home! CJ

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Comments

[Rachel]

Brilliant, lovely, Hella Good You're Comming Home!
I think I would have kicked Mark from Manchester in the shin! Ooops, sorry! And good idea to skip the politics debate. No more random phone calls to report about this time. Just finishing up the Christmas shopping and waiting for you to come back to sunny South FL! Travel safely and hurry home. Miss you -R*