Saying goodbye to the Adelaide boys on Sunday morning was really hard. Sharon and Adrian Stone drove me to the airport, a wonderful bookend to my year in Melbourne, as they were the ones who picked me up when I first arrived. With my apartment packed into two suitcases, I was ready for the last leg of my journey.
Upon checking in, I discovered that for an extra $500, I could get my 2 pieces of luggage to Auckland.
Oh.
I was allotted 40 kilos and was 20 kilos over! At $25 per kilo, I had to clear some weight. What followed was an outrageous airport-repacking scene. I definitely didn’t have 20kg of stuff that I could dump, so I had to find a more creative solution. I considered wearing all my clothes onto the plane with me, but opted to use myself as a coat rack instead. Everything that could be attached to me was somehow strapped to my body, including my scuba gear and yoga mat. Wearing my mask, snorkel and flippers through security and onto the plane was not out of the question either. When I showed up again at the counter to check weight, the attendant congratulated me for making the limit, and then promptly informed me that they’d be sending me right back when I reached the gate as I was over the carry-on limit. Unable to comprehend this, I decided to press my luck at the gate. An hour later, I made it onto the plane thanks to a nice New Zealander that was willing to claim one of my bags as his own. I arrived in Auckland refreshed by the idea that it was all going to work out and fall into place even if I didn’t have all my plans mapped out.
I slept in the back of my rental car 2 of the first 3 nights in New Zealand. While things weren't going as planned, I was having a wonderful time. Here are some albums from my week in the North Island.
Auckland:
Waitomo Caves:
Lake Taupo and the Volcanic Valley:
Wellington:
Happy Turkey Day!
