I’m thrilled to report that after two full days in two big New Zealand cities my trip is back on track. Looking back to Franz Josef, I heard via my new friends on Instagram that most people were able to get out on Tuesday as they led a convoy of cars out through the south. I’m still very glad I flew out on Monday since they were saying the roads would be clear on Friday at the earliest, I’m not sure what happened with the buses, and the anxiety was just so strong. As I recover from that ordeal, I’ve been counting my blessings, as on Monday a volcano on White Island off the coast of the North Island erupted suddenly, killing 5 tourists and injuring about 30 others. At least I wasn’t there. New Zealand is a wild country.
I took a shuttle to the Christchurch hostel by the airport where I had stayed earlier (with the pod beds) and checked in for a night. My first stop was the shopping center next door where I was very excited to eat Mexican food and have a drink. I slept in, checked out of the hostel at 10, then hung in the hostel common area a while longer to catch up on things with reliable WiFi. Around noon I ventured into the central city by bus, for which you had to pay cash. I walked around a good amount and found it was pretty easy to see most of Christchurch in a few hours – it’s a small city. I started with the Botanic Gardens, a really nice free park. Then I made my way along a narrow winding river to a big food market and got some Greek food with lemonade from a local co-op. I saw lots of shopping areas and electric scooters, plus some cool street art. Christchurch was rocked hard by earthquakes in 2010-12 and is still recovering, with tons of construction everywhere and lots of new buildings. The old central church is still partially collapsed, and you can see it at the construction site.
After Verizon conked out on me and ran out of my prepaid data I decided to get a New Zealand SIM card for my final week. It was very easy to find a cell phone store and set up and very cheap. So now I can’t call or text the U.S. but I have much more data and can talk to my friend in NZ, all for about $7 US. I just need to switch back the SIM on the way home. For comparison, Verizon charged me $70 for a data plan that ran out after 2 weeks of very light usage.
I also decided to go for another yoga class. I was feeling really off during class and my ears were popping a lot through poses, but I think it helped me feel more balanced again. I bused back to the hostel, showered with my full suitcase in the bathroom because I no longer had a room, and got a ride the 2 minutes to the airport to check in for my short 9pm flight up to Auckland. It was the better of my recent flights, with some ear popping but little actual ear pain this time. I flew in a full day earlier than originally planned, but fortunately the rest of the trip’s logistics were much smoother.
What a joy it was to meet my friend Albert at the Auckland airport. Albert and I met on our Contiki Europe trip in 2012, and he stayed with my family in New York in 2013 for a week while solo traveling the US. Now it’s finally my turn, and now I get to stay with him, his wife Claire, and his 2-year old daughter Michelle in their nice house in the suburbs. Both have fairly flexible work schedules so I got to spend a good amount of time with them, plus get driven around a lot instead of trying to figure out transit. It’s so great to have a familiar face around when you are traveling alone – to have someone to talk with and show you around beyond the regular tourist spots. It’s also pretty nice to have a change from the hostel bunk beds and awkwardness.
On Monday I slept in a bit and then Albert dropped me off at a beach near their neighborhood. It was beautiful weather, sunny but not too hot. There’s a great view of a grassy island from the beach, which is actually a volcano, like much of the land in New Zealand. I walked around a lot, seeing some other beaches and the small towns lining the water. I also experienced a cool dark red flowering tree, which I later learned is known as the New Zealand Christmas tree, because it flowers around Christmas time.
The buses were on strike, so I took an Uber about 15 minutes to the downtown area to continue walking around. There’s a lot of construction all over the city as they build a new underground subway system. The CBD was hilly and crowded, with lots of tall buildings. It felt like a proper big city. Auckland’s population is about 2 million, which is half of New Zealand. I explored some stores, got some cheap lunch outside, and saw a nice park (Albert Park, and there’s also an Albert Street, like my friend!). I made it to Aoeta Square, a big central public space with government buildings and whatnot around. Then I walked to a wharf and a nice but developing seaside district called Wynyard, and saw a big fish market and got some good skyline views.
After naptime I met Albert and Michelle in the city. Our first stop was a café, and then a nice walk through more parks to the museum. We successfully pretended I was an Auckland resident to get in for free. Here I finally got a good introduction to New Zealand’s history and culture, and saw lots of cool carvings and old things. I was introduced to the Moa, a dinosaur-sized bird that was hunted to extinction not too long ago. We then walked up Mount Eden for a great 360 degree view. I wouldn’t describe Auckland’s “mountains” as mountains – they’re more big grassy hills. From where we parked midway up it was just a 10 minute walk on a paved path to the top. Still, it offered great mountain-esque views, plus a big grassy crater. Next I finally got to meet Claire at the train station. We headed to the beach and ate outside on the grass – apparently there’s no real New Zealand local food. Much like Australia there are lots of influences from all over the world. So we got some good burgers and enjoyed the local experience of eating outside. After dinner we swung by the supermarket, which is always a fun travel experience.
It was really nice to get to have an extra day to explore Auckland and feel rejuvenated before my last couple of days traveling, which will all be spent outside of the city. These days have reminded me that as much as I love being in nature and often crave it when I’m home for too long, I really need big cities to feel at home and centered. It’s about finding my balance, and travel helps me get there!
travels.of.tara 