Day 81: Auckland or Bust

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My new housemates proved to be an Asian couple, very surprised, just as I had been, to be sharing a whole apartment rather than just having a room. They were polite and quiet (despite their being up well past midnight), but we didn't develop the rapport I'd felt with the Canadians. I made the same deal with them I had with the Canadians, asking them to shut the door when they went to bed; in fact, they shut it well before then.

I had to check out at ten, and my bus didn't go till noon, so I hung around the computer lounge for two hours. It was comfortable enough except when some idiot started smoking just outside. At 11 I went up and fixed a quick lunch (oatmeal), just in case there was no chance to get lunch at a reasonable price on the road.

I was out there at noon, and the bus came at 12:15. It went all of a mile into town, and then stopped for an hour-long rest stop. I ate lunch again; this time fish and chips at a local sandwich shop called "The Tides." It was decent enough but nothing to write home about. (And yet, come to think of it, I am writing home about it. 😊)

When the bus showed up again, we found we had a problem: 13 passengers and 12 seats. This was eventually resolved by one passenger sitting on another's lap in the van, and by someone's luggage being placed so that it was almost in my lap. It was actually balanced on the pizza bag, which was in my lap -- not really a problem, except when the passenger in the leftmost seat in front of me tried to lean back against it.

We spent a crowded hour together, and then five of the passengers got off at a filling station in the middle of nowhere. It seems they were headed for a music festival on some remote beach somewhere, and they were about to pay a taxi $60 to take them there from the station. Better them than me.

AFter that, the remaining hour and 15 minutes of the trip to Thames were much more comfortable. Then, of course, we got to Thames, where I had to change. And the Auckland bus didn't come. It didn't come, and didn't come. The Tauranga bus, which should have come 15 minutes before it, didn't come either. Finally an apologetic announcement was made over the speakers, saying that both buses would be coming "soon" and that passengers should not leave the immediate area of the station.

About fifteen minutes after that announcement, the Auckland bus showed up. After its arrival had been announced, another apologetic announcement informed the Tauranga passengers that their bus had broken down and that a replacement vehicle was being sent out.

The Auckland bus was more than half full, which meant that I had to share a seat with someone for the first time ever on Intercity. No one looked especially ready to share, so I asked a slim young woman in the second seat on the left whether I could share with her. She let me do so, politely but of course without enthusiasm. She put down the armrest, but I found that I fit inside it, which was a pleasant surprise. I have definitely lost weight on this trip.

About an hour into the trip, the seat across from us became vacant, and the young woman immediately moved into it. Unluckily for her, at the next stop, only a few minutes later, the woman in front of her asked her seatmate if she could get up and stretch her legs, explaining that her recent hip replacement made sitting still for too long a pain. She was of course in the front seat, with very little legroom, which can't have helped. Anyhow, her seatmate took the hint and moved back, right into the seat next to the poor young woman who'd just moved away from me. It just wasn't her day.

We were doing well, time-wise, until we hit Auckland's rush hour traffic. Then it was gridlock. We ended up arriving over half an hour late. I got a taxi without incident at a taxi stand. This time the fare was $9, but I believe it was an honest fare; traffic was very heavy indeed. This should be the last time I need to take a taxi on this trip, unless I need one in Paihia.

To my pleased surprise, I was upgraded to a double at Auckland City, though I'd only paid for a single. I should be comfortable here, though as I'm only on the second floor, traffic noise will be a problem. People noise so far has not been, though the night (Friday night!) is yet young.

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