It was a really long night in Nadi, Fiji after saying goodbye to Alexa, as my hostel-mate and I were appalled to find several bed bugs in our beds. It was a long, sleepless night with a very early drive back to the airport. But, my excitement grew slowly over the flight, and holy cow the North Island was so beautiful from the sky! It was so cool to also see the Coromandel Peninsula out the left-side of the plane, where my first Workaway was located!
On the flight, I finally remembered that this was the moment I had been thinking of for so long, when the plane actually touches down and I’m in NZ! But this thought had actually scared me for the past few weeks. I was scared of not having plans, of not knowing what I was doing, of not having friends or places to go, etc. But none of that was in place as I listened to Frank Turner for the final hour and as the wheels hit the tarmac. I made it off, got through security and past the very cute sniffer pup, and took public transit all the way to the Central Business District (CBD) of Auckland. Popping out of the train station and into the sunshine and wind of this coastal city was such a great moment.
After a few hours at the hostel, I joined a group of kids (am I old now?) and popped a few drinks. One too hard, and it fizzled up all over the place, and we had a good time but the crew was lazy at actually leaving for a bar. An American from Oregon joined me for a walk and a beer in the weirdly quiet city, and we seemed to just talk about North American politics for an hour haha.
Day 2! I went out for coffee and a horrendously expensive bagel, then visited the Maritime Museum and learned lots about the Polynesian migration to NZ. The most surprising to me was that they only discovered this island in about 1200 CE! That’s so recent!! Then, I got to out for a sail with the museum’s 3/4 replica sailboat, and got to host the sails while chatting up an engineering firm that was out for a company event!
Then, I realised that I had only two days to buy a car!! So a lot of my free time and mental energy went towards that, and it really dragged me down. Without many friends here, I treated myself to a comedy show and met the headliner, Brendhan Lovegrove at the door! We talked for a while, and I really enjoyed the acts that night. Then he introduced me to his friends and we hit a few bars…. and again, New Zealand surprised me with how late their bars stay open!! I blinked and it was 330 am. This did not help with me buying a car.
But, with some good advice from my friend Ella, I made it out to some industrial area and bought a campervan! Well, less of a van and more of a car, and it’s cramped… But it works! Mostly! And it’s been really helpful with free accommodation and flexibility. I figured I can check into a hostel if I want to, but will always have the car to crash in when I need it.
With his infinite kindness, Brendhan offered me two tickets to the next night’s show, and a friend from the hostel and I rolled up and had a couple pints. There was some repeat jokes for me, but it was still a great start to a night out, and we bar hopped a few places, which included a cover band, a great DJ set, and a bar similar to the Heart and Crown in Ottawa. Once again I blinked and it was 330am, so I grabbed a banana, a Gatorade and some granola bars on the walk home.
The next morning, I checked out and drove my new 2006 Mazda MPV to the Coromandel Peninsula to start my first Workaway!
