Parting Ways And A New Adventure Begins

The first parting of ways was between my friend and I . She was due to fly out on Sunday afternoon so after breakfast she got packed up and I relaxed in the very comfortable lounge. Our accommodation at the City Garden Backpackers might have been a bit more basic than our Rotorua accommodation but their lounge was welcoming and the other backpackers were friendly enough. Once she was packed up my friend and I spent our final hours playing a silly scrabble type game to pass the time, which is impressive when you think that English isn’t her first language. Too soon it was time for her to catch the bus to the airport and we said goodbye. I was sad to see her go as I knew I would miss her in the coming months but also I felt for her having to go to work the next day. Where as I would be having a much more interesting day, which is why I went back to my room to re-arrange my backpack.

I made sure all my NZ suitable (i.e. winter) clothes were at the bottom of my pack and my summery clothes were at the top. It took hardly anytime and I felt ready to leave however I still had 24 hours before it was time for me to leave so I decided to return to the lounge and write, after all I didn’t want to get behind on my blog again! Whilst I was living in Wellington I didn’t mind not writing but I knew once I was traveling again I’d regret it if I fell behind too much.

On Monday it was my turn to pack up and check out though I had a few hours to kill before I had to head to the airport. I decided to walk in to the city centre and get some travel money and have a last quick look at Auckland. I was touched that some of my friends messaged and called me to say goodbye throughout the day. As excited as I was about travelling I was happy that I would be returning in a few months to see them all again. The fact that it would be a fleeting visit was something I decided not to contemplate.

Back at the hostel I had a last lunch of steak and cheese pie and Phoenix Raspberry Fizz which seemed appropriately Kiwi for my last NZ meal. Then it was time for me to get the bus to the airport. Once there I met up with one of my now ex-flatmates who happened to be flying in as I was due to check in for my flight out. It was lovely to see her on her way to her own holiday as, like most teachers, she works far too hard. I had my last NZ coffee and enjoyed seeing her one more time but soon it was time for my last goodbye. I took my extremely heavy bags to the check-in counter where thankfully they bacame someone else problem for the next 19 hours. Seriously I have no idea how but my backpack and hand luggage they gained 6kg between them in two years, despite me sending a massive box home and giving away a large amount of stuff the previous week. At least I’d get a good work out whilst I was travelling and return with improved strength! For now though I was glad they were someone else’s responsibility.

A quick scan of my passport and a walk through security and I was officially no longer in NZ. All the days where I battled with the long and the bad shifts, the cold, wet and windy weather and ignoring of the itchy feet were worth it. I was on my way to my next big adventure!