There and back again

Suzanne and I chose to fly Aerolineas Argentinas from Sydney to Auckland because it was the least costly option. Apparently others had the same idea we did because there were three other American students from the University of Waikato and my AustraLearn group on our flight. It was an unusual experience for me because in-flight directions were given in Spanish before English and everything else on the plane was labeled in this fashion. Suzanne had trouble boarding due to a mix-up with her boarding pass, and the language barrier between her and the flight attendants complicated things. Earlier that day, she had been stopped in security for accidentally carrying a butter knife in her bag, so things weren't exactly going well for her. Fortunately, we both arrived in Auckland safely and on time.

After going through the usual immigration- baggage claim- customs process in Auckland, we re-checked our bags and collected our boarding passes for our Air New Zealand flight to Rotorua. The plane for this flight was a 19-seater Beechcraft 1900D. It was an incredibly bumpy ride, and there were definitely a few points during the trip when I started to pray. If we weren't in New Zealand, I would have been more concerned about the level of security- or lack thereof- on this flight. We didn't go through security at all in Auckland, and there was no barrier between the pilots and the passengers on the flight. If we looked up the aisle, we were able to see the pilots flying the plane!

It was freezing when we got to Rotorua (or maybe it just felt that way after 5 days in Sydney?). Have I mentioned that Rotorua smells like sulfur due to geothermal activity? It takes some getting used to. After picking up our bags, we had to wait over an hour for our shuttle driver to take us to our hostel, Blarney's Backpackers. We were put in a four person room with two young guys. One of them was actually a classmate of Suzanne's from the University of Otago. The next morning, we woke up early to go off-roading. While we were preparing to leave our hostel, Suzanne's boyfriend from the United States texted her about the earthquake in Christchurch. We were on the North Island by this point in our journey, and thus nowhere near any of the damage. Off-roading was very fun, because Suzanne got to drive our vehicle (with me in the passenger's seat). At one point, we drove down a nearly vertical incline!

Later that day, we went Zorbing, which involves rolling down a hill in an inflated globe that is partially filled with warm water. The temperature was nice within the globe, but we were absolutely freezing before and after the ride, because it was no more than 50 degrees outside. Although you can Zorb in other countries, the activity was invented in Rotorua. Suzanne and I shared one globe, and we had a blast. That night, we ate at a Japanese restaurant. I had been craving Asian food for awhile, and this was one of the only Asian restaurants that was still open at 7:00 in Rotorua. Shops and restaurants tend to close early in the smaller New Zealand locales like Rotorua, especially during the off-season. The next morning, we left Rotorua on the same bus. I got off in Hamilton, while Suzanne continued to the Auckland Airport. I was back in my room here at the University of Waikato by 10:30 am. Suzanne was not so lucky. Her flight to Dunedin was canceled during her stopover in Christchurch- not due to the earthquake, but because the door of her plane wouldn't close. She eventually got a ride back with a group of businessmen.

And so, our epic journey came to an end. Although there were a few bumps along the way (no pun intended), it was a success. I enjoyed our time on the South Island, and it was nice to return to Rotorua one last time, considering it was my home for much of my first week here. I'm glad we went to Sydney- it's great city with tons of character- but I prefer the relative calm and beauty of New Zealand. When we were flying into Auckland, it felt like I was coming home. I have a few more trips planned around the North Island before I return to the United States next month, but the end of my time here is fast approaching. It's a sad thought.