I saw that quote on a magnet and should have bought it, because it is so true. My experiences in the last year are a direct testament to it. My spring break in New Zealand brought me outside my comfort zone as well (mainly because I had to drive on the opposite side of the road). My week in that small green island country was incredible, and I’ll try my best to sum it up for you…be prepared…this is a looonnnnggggg post. So go get a snack before you begin….
Aotearoa, or ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’ is the Maori name for New Zealand. The Maori are the native Polynesian people of the country. Maori influences can be seen all over, in the souvenirs that you buy at the gift shop, to Haka that the National Rugby team (The All Blacks) does before each game, and in the greeting you hear when you step onto your Air New Zealand flight – Kia Ora!
Those of you that know me know that I travel quite a bit. Those of you who know me well know that I have a strange love of airports. (It’s weird and unexplainable). However, that same love is not always transferred to the actual airlines themselves. Most American airline companies have gone way down in terms of making a flight enjoyable, or just plain comfortable for that matter. But as someone who has flown on several different airlines to a variety of states and countries, I can say without hesitation that Air New Zealand is the best. Not only did they give out ice cream as part of their in-flight meal, but the domestic flights have the most leg room I’ve ever gotten in coach, and the safety video is absolutely hilarious.
Anyways, enough of my raves for the plane ride. Let’s begin at the beginning, shall we?
After a somewhat stressful start, Julie and I arrived at Pago Pago International Airport on Thursday afternoon, ready to leave American Samoa for our week of spring break. I was pretty apprehensive about flying on the tiny Inter-Island plane to Apia (you cannot fly directly from Pago to New Zealand, or Australia, or Fiji, or anyplace that isn’t Hawai’I, basically. You have to take a 30 minute flight to Apia, in Western Samoa first). Julie had done it when she went to Australia for Christmas break. It is the smallest plane I’ve ever been on. There’s only about 20 seats, 10 on each side of the plane, with a small center aisle leading to the cockpit which is open. You can see the pilots and all the buttons and switches and stuff. Before getting on the Inter-Island flight, you and your carry-on bag must be weighed so that they can assign you a seat and distribute weight evenly throughout the plane.
We left on time (which, if you have been reading this blog, you will know that’s an incredible feat), and were soon soaring above Tutuila and over the open ocean (again, in the smallest aircraft I’ve even been on…a bit nerve wracking…) But we made it safely to Apia. One of Julie’s friends from her island of Aunu’u was on the flight with us, and his family met us at the airport. Our flight to New Zealand did not leave for about 10 hours, and they were nice enough to pick us up and drive us around Apia and keep us entertained for awhile. It was cool to see Western Samoa, since I had never been there. Western Samoa (or simply Samoa) is an independent nation. They have close ties with American Samoa, but they drive on the opposite side of the road and have their own currency.
At midnight, they dropped us back off at the airport. Our flight left at 2 am for Auckland and we were exhausted. I was able to sleep a little on the flight, and we landed in Auckland at 5 am local time.
My friend Megan from home was flying in from San Francisco and meeting us in Auckland. The plan was to meet up, then catch a flight down to Wellington. Julie and I got through customs quickly and then were waiting for Megan. And waiting…..and waiting….our flight for Wellington was leaving at 7 and by this time it was almost 6. Megan’s San Francisco flight had arrived at the same time as ours so where was she?
After a short moment of panic, much running between the domestic and international terminals, and a page over the intercom, Julie used her phone (which had an international plan) to call both Megan and our travel agent. Megan was still in San Francisco. She wasn’t arriving in Auckland until the next morning. Something had gotten mixed up with our flight schedule and our travel agent had tried to contact us the night before, but we had been in Apia. However, she had booked us a room at a hotel in Auckland and had arranged a shuttle transfer. Julie and I, sleep deprived and having just survived an extremely stressful ordeal, just looked at each other and laughed. Then we grabbed our bags, exchanged some American money for colorful New Zealand dollars, and made our way to the hotel.
Our one day and night in Auckland was fantastic. We went into the city and got Starbucks, did some shopping, and had a few drinks. We met some pretty cool people along the way, from all walks of life. It was just what we needed!
The next morning we went to the airport and although Megan’s flight was delayed she showed up this time! It was great to see such a good friend from home. I had seen my family over Christmas break but hadn’t seen any of my friends since I left in July. When we got on our domestic flight down to Wellington, we had our first uniquely New Zealand experience….a rugby team got onto the flight. They were the Hurricanes, Wellington’s team. They were of course tall and muscle-y and very good looking and I wondered how I would ever leave New Zealand.
Wellington is a beautiful city. It is perfectly laid out, and although it is big, it doesn’t feel overwhelming. It sits at the southern end of the North Island, and is nicknamed “windy Wellington”. The weather was usually a bit gray and overcast, with a light rain falling occasionally. (kind of like Seattle or Portland!) But people say, if you don’t like the weather in Wellington, wait 5 minutes. The sun came out every day.
The best part about Wellington was the Lord of the Rings tour. Now, I am a big nerd. I love maps, and Harry Potter, and yes, Lord of the Rings. I even named my cat after one of the hobbits. Going on this half day tour was one thing that I was really looking forward to. Megan and I took an afternoon and went on the tour. Our guide was named Mike, and he was awesome. He wasn’t one of those annoying tour guides who you wish would just stop talking. He was really cool, and began by telling us the story of how he met his fiancé (a girl from Portland! Small world!). We were joined on the tour by 2 other people from another hotel. I was happy that we had a small group. Mike was a big LOTR fan and knew a lot about the city and how the movies were made, and small bits of trivia. The tour was fantastic, well worth the time and money, and allowed me to show off my geeky side. Megan, even though she’s not a big fan of the movies and books, still enjoyed it because we were able to see more of Wellington and even go outside the city a little ways. Looking back, it was one of the major highlights of the trip.
In the Shire!
"Get of the road!"
Helm's Deep!
River scene from Fellowship
on a swing bridge in the park
Being nerdy....forgive me, I'm in Rivendell!
Isengard
After two nights in Wellington, we got on the ferry and made our way to the South Island. I’m a big fan of boats and nautical things, and I was really excited for the ferry ride. It was a windy day, but clear and the crossing was beautiful.
We came in to Picton and picked up our rental car…and here came the thing I had been most nervous about….driving on the opposite side of the road, and the opposite side of the car. I had not driven in 7 months, when I left Washington. However, I got the hang of it pretty quickly. I had missed driving. I do not have a car in Samoa, and even if I did, the island is very small. I missed the feeling of just getting in the car and driving for hours. The drive to our next destination, Nelson, took about 2 hours. It was a beautiful drive and we stopped several times to take pictures. When we arrived in Nelson, we had an excellent dinner at a little Italian place, then found our hotel. This hotel was absolutely adorable. We stayed in a little cottage, that had a kitchen and living area downstairs and 2 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. It even had a cupboard under the stairs! (Harry Potter reference, anyone?) We did not spend much time in Nelson itself, but went out to the Abel Tasman National Park. This place definitely lived up to the pictures on all the post cards. It was beautiful. We took a water taxi (and saw penguins!!) to another area of the park (the whole park is huge) and hiked for awhile, then relaxed on the beach before the taxi came to pick us back up. It was a great day, another highlight of the trip.
Our last destination was Christchurch. As we drove there, we stopped at a couple wineries along the way. I am not a big wine fan, so I stayed in the driver’s seat.
We passed through some gorgeous countryside, dotted with sheep! Yes, we got out and took pictures of
them too.
We stopped and ate in Kaikora and saw the seal colony.
A year ago, Christchurch suffered a major earthquake that destroyed much of the city center, including a large cathedral. There was not as much to see/do in Christchurch, but we did get to walk through the botanical gardens. Christchurch is known as the “Garden City”. March is autumn for the southern hemisphere and the leaves were beginning to turn. I love fall, and was sad to have missed it this past year. So seeing the foliage was a nice surprise.
The best part about Christchurch was the people that we met. We went out to a couple bars both nights that we were there. The Kiwis (New Zealanders) are very friendly. It was great to talk to so many cool people. Several were doing some sort of construction job, helping to rebuild the city after the earthquake. One of the bars that we went to was actually in an old shipping container. Several shipping containers had been brought in as a temporary replacement for businesses whose buildings had been destroyed.
After two days in Christchurch, we made our way back to the airport. I said goodbye to Megan, a bit jealous that she was going home to Washington. I love American Samoa, but it was really nice to have some cooler weather for a change. The humidity makes wearing jeans and nice clothes nearly impossible.
After a long day of traveling, Julie and I were back in Pago. Because of crossing the International Date Line, we were reliving St. Patrick’s day (in celebration I was wearing a green shirt my grandmother sent to me). I was glad that we had 2 whole days to get ready for school.
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So what did I ultimately take away from my trip to New Zealand, adventure capital of the world? When I think about it now, the thing that strikes me is how alive I felt. This may sound strange to some people, but it’s true. I had not felt that alive in quite awhile. I was in a foreign country, with my friends, having new experiences and meeting great people. That is what I have always wanted out of life, and it happened (again) in New Zealand. I know I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again….Life the life you imagined. I was never meant to stay in one place, doing the same old thing, year after year after year. I was never meant to settle down early. I was meant to see the world. I was meant to have great adventures. This is the life that I imagined, and I thank God for allowing me to live this way. I have no idea what awaits me, what my next adventure will be. But I will I am open to any and all possibilities.
You can’t count on luck. You have to get up and get out there. Don’t be afraid to take the opportunities that are presented to you. Get outside of your comfort zone. It is there that you will feel most alive.
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Wow that was a long post...hope you enjoyed it! Until next time...
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