Well...the first thing I gotta say is that Air New Zealand is awesome! As we board the plane at Vancouver, B.C., we’re greeted by smiley faces in funky uniforms. The guys don brightly-coloured ties, handkerchiefs and vests in hues of pink and light blue, while the ladies sport bright floral shirts and skirts. The cabin crew’s outfits were actually designed by Kiwi fashion maven Trelise Cooper and reflect the flora and fauna of the Land of the Long White Cloud. How cool is that?
Jay and I settle into our seats and prepare to watch yet another dry, dull safety demonstration - but Air NZ surprises us again, as their pre-flight safety video turns out to be anything but. Have a look for yourselves:
After a good chuckle (and after following Richard’s advice to the letter - safety first folks!) we try to make ourselves as comfy as we can, since our bums will be warming these seats for the next 14 hours. All the stories my bro has shared with me about jet lag and all the other fun things that go along with travelling great distances echo in the back of my mind, and I find myself becoming a bit worried as to how I’ll feel once we land in NZ. We leave Vancouver at around 6 p.m. on January 27, and are due to arrive in Auckland at about 6 a.m. January 29 (skipping a day completely). Will I be totally out of it? Will I know the date/year?! Will I want to pass out right away, and will I have to do this passing out on a park bench since we can’t check into our room ‘till later in the afternoon? I decide to quit the worry, relax, catch some tely and chow down on my yummy supper, which is topped off by a delicious piece of apple cheesecake, Mmmmm. I don’t know if the food is drugged or what (probably not), but I actually manage to have a pretty good sleep eventually - something which I usually can’t do very well on planes. At around 3:30 a.m., breakfast is served and shortly after, the first few bright lights of New Zealand come twinkling into view. The 14-hour flight actually felt more like eight hours or less. Any nervousness or worry I felt before is replaced by excitement and I feel wide awake as I gaze out my window into the dark and onto the place that will be my new home for the next while.
As we collect our bags at the airport, a sign catches my eye.
It looks like the Kiwis (like Newfoundlanders) are definitely a fun-loving bunch. I think I’ll feel at home here.
After going through customs and moseying around the airport a while, we open the doors, bathe in the warmth and inhale our first bit of fresh Kiwi air. Smiles spread across our faces. At about 6:30 a.m., it’s a balmy 17 degrees or so (well, balmy by Newfoundland standards at least). I think of my family at home, shovelling themselves out of several blizzards, and decide I made the right move to take off when I did! Jay and I board the Air Bus to go to our hostel in Auckland City. Our first experience driving on the left-hand side of the road doesn’t feel as weird as I expected. I take in all the houses, with rolling green hills in the background, as we roll along.
The bus pulls up at Base Auckland Central Backpackers on Queen Street in downtown Auckland and we hop off with our heavy backpacks strapped to us. The girl who checks us in at the front desk tells us she’s from Ottawa and that she’s been here about six months. Hooray! Our first Canuck encounter! After I talk to my parents on Skype, to let them know I'm still alive and all, Jay and I stash our bags in storage and hit the ground running, so to speak. We both feel rip roarin’ ready to go and not the least bit sleepy or jet lagged. Unfortunately, since most other people in the city are still asleep (or probably just waking up, as it’s still pretty early in the morning), nothing seems to be open yet, so we head on further downtown to explore. We walk around the waterfront and the Viaduct Harbour area and it soon becomes obvious why this place is known as the “City of Sails.” It seems there’s just as many boats here as people. Jay and I drool over the yachts and pristine condominiums that dot the landscape. Everything is so bright and shiny and the whole city seems to exude light. I walk by and let my hands sweep the leaves of passing palm trees.
At around 10 a.m., we head to the Westfield mall and load up on cheap Chinese food (I guess our brains think it's dinner time) and then purchase cell phones and cards and all that exciting stuff. Shortly after, we spot the shark bus (which is owned by a local aquarium) for the first time, which is pretty exciting. Anyone who knows me knows that sharks - while I’ve never actually met one in real life - frighten the bleep outta me, yet I find them fascinating at the same time. I was looking at some pictures of the shark bus online while we were staying with our friend in Vancouver, so to see it before me was quite awesome. And hey - what a cool bus, right?
Later on, we head back to the hostel and meet our new roommates - the German (an older man) and a young English guy named Riley. Shortly after, we head back out to purchase some locks for our bags (not because we’re suspicious of the German or Riley, but because we like our stuff to be secure - and also because there were signs around the hostel warning us about a thief). We meander around some more, and drool at all of the delicious ethnic food around, which lives at these food courts that seem to be as abundant here in Auckland as mosquitoes in Newfoundland in the summer. Here in the city at least, there seems to be 20 of everything. Whether it’s Indian food you’re in the market for, Thai, Turkish, Lebanese, fish ‘n’ chips, etc. etc., there’s something to tickle every taste bud a dozen times over. We turn one corner and stumble upon a performance that’s part of the Auckland International Buskers Festival. The Amazing Wally (a busker from Perth, Australia who now lives in Iceland) juggles a rubber chicken, dry humps a German dude (not our roommate) and straddles a tall ladder, almost falling into a group of children. At the end of the show, he tells the audience he thinks his roughly 45 minute performance was at least worth a beer, and if we enjoyed ourselves, he’d appreciate a few dollars, if we can afford it. If not, he says, he wishes us luck and hopes things get better, and to consider his performance as a gift. A handshake and a thank-you, he adds, is also plenty payment. I stroll up and drop 10 bucks into his hat.
Jay and I continue our journey and later on near a bank, encounter a man, with a forlorn-looking lady at his side, yelling at the crowd of pedestrians about how we’re all children of Satan and that we’ll never get clean, etc. etc. etc. Jay and I quicken the pace a bit. Further up the street, I am thrilled to find Vanilla Coke at a corner store (called dairies around here) - one of the most exciting moments of my day!
As I sit and happily sip my Coke outside the hostel, a kindly-looking elderly man wearing a satchel comes up and talks to us about Jesus and why it’s important to accept him into your heart, etc. etc. etc. He seems rather emotional about it all and eventually hands us a pamphlet. He says his church is showing a free movie tonight (as they do every Sunday) about an Indian guy from the 1880s who finds Jesus (or something to that effect), and that if we’d like to go, a van will come and fetch us. We politely decline the invitation. He then asks us where we’re from, and he tells us about a trip he took to California. He then bids us adieu and Jay and I make our way to a nearby mall to finish off our day in a sweet way with a couple scoops of New Zealand Natural ice cream. When we get back to the hostel, we find the Jesus enthusiast is yakking the ear off some other poor soul. We sneak by and make our way inside to our room and meet another one of our roommates, a nice English girl, and have a chat. Later on, we meet our fourth and last roommate - yet another nice English girl named Chris. She leaves and as Jay and I lay on our bunks, English girl #1 returns. It’s around 8 p.m. and I’m reading a book, but soon realize I’m not getting very far when I wake up with the book upon my face. Looks like all that travelling is finally starting to take its toll. When English girl #1 finds me with my book on my head, she asks if I want the light turned off. I play it cool, snatch the book from my face, tell her it’s alright and continue reading - when the pages slap me in the face once again. You win, Mr. Sandman, you win.
To see more pictures and video, click here.
Jay and I settle into our seats and prepare to watch yet another dry, dull safety demonstration - but Air NZ surprises us again, as their pre-flight safety video turns out to be anything but. Have a look for yourselves:
After a good chuckle (and after following Richard’s advice to the letter - safety first folks!) we try to make ourselves as comfy as we can, since our bums will be warming these seats for the next 14 hours. All the stories my bro has shared with me about jet lag and all the other fun things that go along with travelling great distances echo in the back of my mind, and I find myself becoming a bit worried as to how I’ll feel once we land in NZ. We leave Vancouver at around 6 p.m. on January 27, and are due to arrive in Auckland at about 6 a.m. January 29 (skipping a day completely). Will I be totally out of it? Will I know the date/year?! Will I want to pass out right away, and will I have to do this passing out on a park bench since we can’t check into our room ‘till later in the afternoon? I decide to quit the worry, relax, catch some tely and chow down on my yummy supper, which is topped off by a delicious piece of apple cheesecake, Mmmmm. I don’t know if the food is drugged or what (probably not), but I actually manage to have a pretty good sleep eventually - something which I usually can’t do very well on planes. At around 3:30 a.m., breakfast is served and shortly after, the first few bright lights of New Zealand come twinkling into view. The 14-hour flight actually felt more like eight hours or less. Any nervousness or worry I felt before is replaced by excitement and I feel wide awake as I gaze out my window into the dark and onto the place that will be my new home for the next while.
As we collect our bags at the airport, a sign catches my eye.
 |
| From Shared New Zealand Album 1 |
It looks like the Kiwis (like Newfoundlanders) are definitely a fun-loving bunch. I think I’ll feel at home here.
After going through customs and moseying around the airport a while, we open the doors, bathe in the warmth and inhale our first bit of fresh Kiwi air. Smiles spread across our faces. At about 6:30 a.m., it’s a balmy 17 degrees or so (well, balmy by Newfoundland standards at least). I think of my family at home, shovelling themselves out of several blizzards, and decide I made the right move to take off when I did! Jay and I board the Air Bus to go to our hostel in Auckland City. Our first experience driving on the left-hand side of the road doesn’t feel as weird as I expected. I take in all the houses, with rolling green hills in the background, as we roll along.
The bus pulls up at Base Auckland Central Backpackers on Queen Street in downtown Auckland and we hop off with our heavy backpacks strapped to us. The girl who checks us in at the front desk tells us she’s from Ottawa and that she’s been here about six months. Hooray! Our first Canuck encounter! After I talk to my parents on Skype, to let them know I'm still alive and all, Jay and I stash our bags in storage and hit the ground running, so to speak. We both feel rip roarin’ ready to go and not the least bit sleepy or jet lagged. Unfortunately, since most other people in the city are still asleep (or probably just waking up, as it’s still pretty early in the morning), nothing seems to be open yet, so we head on further downtown to explore. We walk around the waterfront and the Viaduct Harbour area and it soon becomes obvious why this place is known as the “City of Sails.” It seems there’s just as many boats here as people. Jay and I drool over the yachts and pristine condominiums that dot the landscape. Everything is so bright and shiny and the whole city seems to exude light. I walk by and let my hands sweep the leaves of passing palm trees.
 |
| From Shared New Zealand Album 1 |
At around 10 a.m., we head to the Westfield mall and load up on cheap Chinese food (I guess our brains think it's dinner time) and then purchase cell phones and cards and all that exciting stuff. Shortly after, we spot the shark bus (which is owned by a local aquarium) for the first time, which is pretty exciting. Anyone who knows me knows that sharks - while I’ve never actually met one in real life - frighten the bleep outta me, yet I find them fascinating at the same time. I was looking at some pictures of the shark bus online while we were staying with our friend in Vancouver, so to see it before me was quite awesome. And hey - what a cool bus, right?
 |
| From Shared New Zealand Album 1 |
Later on, we head back to the hostel and meet our new roommates - the German (an older man) and a young English guy named Riley. Shortly after, we head back out to purchase some locks for our bags (not because we’re suspicious of the German or Riley, but because we like our stuff to be secure - and also because there were signs around the hostel warning us about a thief). We meander around some more, and drool at all of the delicious ethnic food around, which lives at these food courts that seem to be as abundant here in Auckland as mosquitoes in Newfoundland in the summer. Here in the city at least, there seems to be 20 of everything. Whether it’s Indian food you’re in the market for, Thai, Turkish, Lebanese, fish ‘n’ chips, etc. etc., there’s something to tickle every taste bud a dozen times over. We turn one corner and stumble upon a performance that’s part of the Auckland International Buskers Festival. The Amazing Wally (a busker from Perth, Australia who now lives in Iceland) juggles a rubber chicken, dry humps a German dude (not our roommate) and straddles a tall ladder, almost falling into a group of children. At the end of the show, he tells the audience he thinks his roughly 45 minute performance was at least worth a beer, and if we enjoyed ourselves, he’d appreciate a few dollars, if we can afford it. If not, he says, he wishes us luck and hopes things get better, and to consider his performance as a gift. A handshake and a thank-you, he adds, is also plenty payment. I stroll up and drop 10 bucks into his hat.
 |
| From Shared New Zealand Album 1 |
Jay and I continue our journey and later on near a bank, encounter a man, with a forlorn-looking lady at his side, yelling at the crowd of pedestrians about how we’re all children of Satan and that we’ll never get clean, etc. etc. etc. Jay and I quicken the pace a bit. Further up the street, I am thrilled to find Vanilla Coke at a corner store (called dairies around here) - one of the most exciting moments of my day!
 |
| From Shared New Zealand Album 1 |
As I sit and happily sip my Coke outside the hostel, a kindly-looking elderly man wearing a satchel comes up and talks to us about Jesus and why it’s important to accept him into your heart, etc. etc. etc. He seems rather emotional about it all and eventually hands us a pamphlet. He says his church is showing a free movie tonight (as they do every Sunday) about an Indian guy from the 1880s who finds Jesus (or something to that effect), and that if we’d like to go, a van will come and fetch us. We politely decline the invitation. He then asks us where we’re from, and he tells us about a trip he took to California. He then bids us adieu and Jay and I make our way to a nearby mall to finish off our day in a sweet way with a couple scoops of New Zealand Natural ice cream. When we get back to the hostel, we find the Jesus enthusiast is yakking the ear off some other poor soul. We sneak by and make our way inside to our room and meet another one of our roommates, a nice English girl, and have a chat. Later on, we meet our fourth and last roommate - yet another nice English girl named Chris. She leaves and as Jay and I lay on our bunks, English girl #1 returns. It’s around 8 p.m. and I’m reading a book, but soon realize I’m not getting very far when I wake up with the book upon my face. Looks like all that travelling is finally starting to take its toll. When English girl #1 finds me with my book on my head, she asks if I want the light turned off. I play it cool, snatch the book from my face, tell her it’s alright and continue reading - when the pages slap me in the face once again. You win, Mr. Sandman, you win.
To see more pictures and video, click here.
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