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Published: January 12th 2015
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I think it’s definitely a rite of passage for Bermudians to travel. When you live on one of most isolated and smallest islands in the world, “getting of the rock” is a necessity to keep ones sanity. Trips with empty suitcases for a short hop to the US for shopping are common and become as routine as a bus ride.
Some venture further and rather than fill up my bags with purchases I m looking to fill my time with experience. It only takes a trip a bit further to realize that in a few plane rides over a day you can get to the other side of the world. A twelve or 14 hour flight may seem daunting at first, but with today’s range of devices it s pretty easy pull up an entire season of a series and binge watch one season and if you don t fall asleep when the advil PM kick in (which is a bonus of course) you ll be there. Poof fourteen hours gone!
Just for a long trip has completely changed as well. With wi-fi becoming the standard and websites catering to the “flash traveler, we re able to
travel without having accommodation booked other than for a few days in advance. This gives you the ability to change plans and ideas on the ground. Isn t this really the whole point of a vacation? Getting away from the whole day after day that is mapped out for you. In terms of travel having the whole week or two planned out months in advance without room for changes and if you decide to you re hit with penalties. Once you are at the location you may find activities going on recommended by locals, a muscic festival, food markets or native ceremonies. And your locked into the “original” plan. Some trips are meant to be planned on the road. New Zealand is definitely one of those countries.
New Zealand here I come!!
An easy enough hop on paper, Bermuda to Toronto 2.5hours, Toronto to San Francisco 5hours, San Francisco to Auckland New Zealand, the big one, 12.5 hours. Uneventful flights as you d like it and all set to board the long haul. First let’s say that comparing airports Toronto Pearson has one of the best equipped gate areas I’ve seen for with the traveler in
mind. There are workstations with power source plugs at each station for keeping your phones and tablets etc. charged or just use one of the hundred ipads set up and ready to use while you order the food and drink right from it at the place you re sitting in. San Francisco not so much. The gate area and rows of chairs with a few outlets filled with a spaghetti sprawl of way to many plugs and people layed all over the floor.
Anyway so here goes the last flight, making my way down the aisle, I arrive at my seat only to find there’s someone in it. Well they re not in the wrong seat. They re in their seat, as well as mine. So I forced my slender frame into the few inches I have left and of all the travelling I ve done this is the most scared I’ve ever been. How am I going to sit wedged in like this for over 12 hours? Notes for another blog on travel, if you know you re going to take up two seats you need to let the carrier know or at least request to
sit in a row that has an empty seat. I paid for my 18 inches of seat and I’m intending to use every inch of it during the next 12.5hours. Thankfully an alert steward notices just before we begin to push back and moves the space invader to an open two seats. Now I and the girl next to me have a whole extra half and I can actually take whole breaths again for the next 12.5 hours. Bonus!!!!
I quickly get into a series (The Killing) a great murder mystery type show and after 9 or so back to back episodes fall asleep for a couple and voila I’m in New Zealand.
New Zealand Week One
The first part of the road trip takes us from Auckland airport south to Gisborne. First day and we ve covered 472km already.
We arrive in Gisborne and get sorted into “Girvan BnB”. A really great picturesque Bed n Breakfast . This was a great place to stay and start as the three nights here will be the longest we will stay in one place for the next 4na half weeks. The first week we ve clocked over 2000km,
traveling from Auckland to the bottom of the North island. The goal of being in Gisborne on the east coast is to be able to head out to the East Cape lighthouse so we can catch the very first sunrise of 2015. Setting out at 1:30am 2.5 hour drive out to the Cape and a 4:45am workout climbing the 758 stairs to the lighthouse hill we get our spot and at 5:47am here comes the sun! Add to that a whole rainbow behind us perfectly framing the lighthouse completes our first amazing New Zealand point of interest and a great start to 2015. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
From Gisborne we headed South making a few stops heading towards Masterton. Napier was a really interesting town. Known as the Art Deco capital they really take it not as an exhibit or an Art festival, but the whole town is set in the early 1900’s. Antique cars drive through the streets and the building s and shops really do give you that back in time feeling. This was a really great place to stop and see. On towards Wellington as we have a ferry to catch to get us and our car
to the South island in the morning. We stop in Havlock for ice cream at “Rush Monro’s”. Best natural ice cream in New Zealand!
We pull into Wellington and get sorted for the Interislander ferry in the morning. Bye Bye North island till we return!
Recap: POI : East Cape Lighthouse, Cape Palliser and CastlePoint lighthouse.
Towns: Auckland, Gisborne, Napier, Havlock North, Martinbourogh , Masterton, Wellington.
ACCOM: Girvan BnB, Chanel Court backpackers Masterton,
Welligton Air BNB Pat’s Place
Car: 1,589km / 987km
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