Day 72: Breathless in Rotorua

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Well, darn. Rotorua Central Backpackers was great. Even though the room next door was a huge dorm, my neighbors quieted down at a reasonable time of night. The bed was comfortable. The restroom was quirky and cheering, with a "Do Not Enter" sign on the shower curtains.

And I woke up at 5 a.m., choking and spluttering and gasping for breath.

I felt better once I stood up, and for a while I even considered the idea of staying here for four nights. It was such a good hostel.

But I started feeling worse, so I called the Geyser Link Shuttle and cancelled my tour. He successfully resold my ticket, so with any luck I'll receive a refund. I hope I do, anyhow; it was $110 and the other Geyser Link tour, the one I was going to take next week, was $65. Rotorua Central's owner said he normally didn't give refunds but that under the circumstances he would think about it.

Just as in Wellington, I spent the morning reshuffling my travel arrangements. Oddly, I don't feel quite as distressed about it this time. I think the difference may be that while the Wellington problem completely blindsided me (whoever heard of a motel not having heat?), I'm used to my body's failing me. Making allowances for a sudden health problem is all in the day's work. Besides, I was already anxious about Gisborne; it was so far from the ocean, and there wasn't a supermarket within walking distance, though I was assured that there was a decent convenience store nearby.

I meant to devote the afternoon to rest and the hot tub, but around 1 p.m. I went into a tailspin. The chest pain got significantly worse and I developed an upset stomach. I went to an urgent-care place. They gave me a breathing treatment (albuterol and ventolin) and three-count-them-three inhalers: one "rescue inhaler" with albuterol in it and two "preventative inhalers" to be taken together twice a day. That should get me through another night.

I'll be doing the long journey to Auckland (with Waitomo Caves Tour), tomorrow. That's not the best thing for my shoulder, but I can live with my shoulder swollen and stiff as a board; I can't live with my lungs feeling like they're being eaten from the inside by starving mice.

I'll only be staying one night in Auckland, and then I'll be off again, to spend a week in the Coromandel rather than the East Cape. After that I should be back on my original schedule: Auckland-Paihia-Auckland.

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