Day 13: Enroute from Rotorua to Auckland + Viaduct Harbour

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Me: Are you sure you’re okay?

M: …. Yeah… I’m fine

Me: Mmm… Okay.

For some reason M looks “blank” today. I was wondering whether it was because his dorm was so cramped, or it’s because of the weather that still refuse to clear up. I gaze out to the window and can see rolling hills of Rotorua, running beside this bus. Yes, this time, we’re taking a bus. It’s a 5 hours drive to Auckland, and in this weather, taking the 19 NZD intercity bus is the right decision. My ensuite room was also cramped – although not as cramped as M’s dorm – but for some reason I slept very well last night. I think they put some kind of spell to the bed ha ha… But as the result, I can’t really sleep on the bus. I chose to admire the scenery and try to filter out the rain in my head. If the sky is blue and sunshiney, perhaps it’s much easier to enjoy the journey. Well, actually – there’s another reason why I chose not to sleep. M seems unable to sleep, so I stayed awake and accompany him. I tried to engage him in conversations to keep his mind away from sad things. I thought it would be the appropriate thing to do.

The sky cries even harder as we approach Auckland. And then the bus driver swings my backpack out of the belly of the bus – out to the wet pedestrian walk. There’s a torn sound that scares me. I’ve heard that sound before. It seems like something snatched from my backpack. I prayed that the bag would remain in one piece, at least until the end of the journey. Hhh… This is what you get for buying a cheap product in a country that is well known for copying things.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to carry your bag for you? Here, let me take that – you just carry my small backpack”, M offers. I shook my head strong. “OMG, your ego”, he said. I don’t even have the strength to grin. All of my focus is to ensure I don’t fall, the bag don’t fall, and everything stays in one piece. Besides, I want to make sure as much as I can, that I’m not a burden to anyone.

“Shall we just eat there while waiting for the rain?” I just point to some random Japanese restaurant. M agreed. I actually felt bad because we are soaking wet. The waitress just grin, perhaps realizing that she’ll need to clean up after us later. But surprise, surprise – the food turns out to be very good actually. My body was aching for a boost of nutrient. I can feel the energy flows again after the meal. And then it really feels like a scene in Japan TV series (dorama) that I used to watch back in college. It’s raining outside, it’s warm inside, with good food ahead of us, the shared dessert, and the instrumental music played in the background…. I feel like I’m really in a dorama! I closed my eyes for few seconds, just trying to absorb and carve it in my memory. I never thought I would get a 12 happy moment in North Island, but I just did.

After we ate, the rain becomes a bit lighter although it still gives a drizzle. Now I got the chance to see the city for what it is. Mmm, sorry… I don’t like it. This… doesn’t feel like New Zealand… Or perhaps I’m just too used to South Island sceneries from the past 10+ days or so. We saw Asians and Asian restaurants left and right, it really doesn’t feel like New Zealand anymore.

M dropped me at my hostel, before he continues to walk 500 meters ahead to his accommodation. OMG, mine is like a rickety ex mental house – with an elevator so old that it gives a big bump every time it stopped. The only reason why I’m there is because I was careless for once, and didn’t realize they will cut my money upon booking.

Anyway, after that we took a long walk to Viaduct Harbour. It’s part of the survey to prepare for the NYE’s firework tomorrow, so that we know the best place to take picture from. But the sky is so gloomy that I’m not sure whether the fireworks will pushed through. Even the sky tower is masked by clouds surrounding it. Thank goodness I didn’t pre-bought vouchers to sky tower. Or else it would be a waste of money.

We then walked into this souvenir shops. In general I would say the prices in North Island are higher vs South Island. Felt lucky that I bought most souvenirs from friends and family in South Island already. One interesting thing about the souvenir shops in NZ is that there are so many Asians manning the booth. Then I realized, it’s to accommodate flock of tourists who can’t speak fluent English.

I ended up spending my evening accompanying M in his daily coffee routines; while I don’t even drink coffee ha ha… I got dizzy by the taste, and got annoyed by the smell. But I soldiered up anyway and sat there with zero complains. I guess that’s part of being a good friend. As usual M was busy trying to catch the free wifi and connecting with his friends worldwide. I wonder whether he’ll even realize if I slip myself out of the door and sneaked out, as he’s so absorbed with his smart phone ha ha…

Such weather made me realize how lucky we were in the 10+ days before. It was something to be thankful for. Had South Island have this kind of weather too, I don’t think I would enjoy it as much. But every cloud comes with silver lining. For me the good thing about Auckland is that it has some halal food offerings. So for once, I’m not protein deprived. I can eat if I wanted to. And perhaps, being in big city like this is also good to transition myself to come back to Singapore (although I would beg to differ that Singapore is much cleaner ha ha…)

It’s day 13. I can’t believe I say this, but I think I had enough of vacation for now. I’m ready to go home.

To view more of my travel pictures – pls go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/ariyanti_p/sets/72157628705874019/

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Photos

One Tree Hill "look a like" - how I missed my blue skies!!!
So many things got cut off from the itinerary due to bad weather, one of them is One Tree Hill in Auckland. I took this one in South Island, and can only imagine perhaps it looks something like this.