The long and winding road


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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland
February 17th 2005
Published: February 17th 2005
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A very early start for the long drive North, estimates vary between an unlikely 8 hours and a conservative 12 for the drive from Wellington to Auckland, I always like to shoot down the middle so we plan for 10 hours.

In order to get to our hostel at Auckland Airport for 8pm, and the latest check-in time, we must get the 05:30 ferry from Picton, this means arriving at the terminal for 04:30 which in turn involves getting up before 4am.

Now I've been caught banging on the door of the Penny Black at four in the morning looking for a pint on my way home, I've even watched Davy and Jolo eat dodgy looking pies in the Dirty Windies at 4am during the World Cup in Japan but for the life of me I can't ever remember getting up before the sun to start a day, my Dad still thinks it's amazing to see me up before midday even though I've neem working since I left home 8 years ago, I think he would still like to believe that I'm still a lazy 15 year old, anyway back to the trip to Auckland.

Our plan for an early night was disrupted when we found an Irish bar that sold Fiona's favourite tipple, Archers Aqua, and a fine pint of Guinness, (quite) a few hours later we were bedded and, what felt like, two minutes later the alarm was assuring me it was 0400 hours and no mater how many clocks, watches and alarms I looked at it was indeed time to get up.

We got to the port at 04:40 and lined up for the Ferry, we were both still half asleep when the driver from the car in front of us walked up to my window and made an out-of-the-blue comment, "you may have noticed that that I put my cigarette butt back into my car". I was confused, was this a question, a statement or a threat? I really searched for a reply but the only thing I could muster up was "what the hell are you talking about?" Come on, it was before 5am and this dude just approached me like he was away to stab me and uttered the phrase/sentance/question/comment, "you may have noticed that that I put my cigarette butt back into my car".

I hadn't a clue what was happening, it could have been a dream for all I had known but Fiona assures me it wasn't, anyway he just laughed, "ah you're Scottish" he said "I once married and English girl, bloody worse that the Australians" he explained, and that's when it clicked, he wasn't a mentalist, he was eccentric, isn't that what you call posh mentalists, eccentric?

At this point Fiona visably relaxed, she would later tell me that she too had thought that he was going to stab me and she was ready to dive on top to cover me, anyway at this point I noticed that the guy was still speaking. He was a pilot and used to fly with Caledonia Airways, he then told us his life story, and that of the airline before going on about Scottish Islands and where he set up home on Lewis, he loved the place and you could see the sadness in his eyes when he talked about leaving the Motherland, he loved his time there and still resents his (second) English wife was making him move to London.

We shot the breeze a bit more about our adventures in New Zealand then he was off, back in his BMW and on to the boat, Fiona and I were trying to work out if that bizarre episode had really just happened, thankfully it had and we were now on the boat.

The plan was to get more sleep on the Ferry but it was so bright on board, I then had the genius idea of going to the cinema, it would be dark and I've often fell asleep at the flicks before, I was sure it woudl do the trick

"Finding Nerverland" started at 6am and we settled down to drift off to sleep, we were 50% of the audience so noise wouldn't be a problem, unfortunately a couple of things conspired against us, we had bought pies (at 6am) and the film was really good, no onboard snoozing and at 08:30 we were disembarking the Ferry on the road to Auckland, only 647 KM's to go.....

The drive was non-eventful, Fiona slept from approximately 08:33 onwards, we stopped for a terrible lunch in Tauranga at the half way point and found our hostel just after 5pm, none to shabby, we had made great time and the airport was 20KM's before Auckland so we missed the rush hour too. Fiona made an amazing steak dinner and we relaxed with a bottle of wine, it was a long day and I was out for the count by 9pm.

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