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Question: When does a 3 hour flight delay not bother you in the slightest?
Answer: When you know that when you finally board you will be turning left and joining the elite in first class.
That’s right, it had taken 4 months but a charming smile and inquisitive nature had finally paid off at check-in. So after checking my bag in and exchanging my flip flops for my converse, apparently things are for the peasants, I collected my first class ticket to Auckland and walked to the departure lounge feeling rather pleased with myself.
After mulling round for a few hours I walked past the long line of economy passengers and boarded the plane. Awaiting me was a seat twice the size of any I had ever sat on in a plane. I had conjured up a story while waiting that I was a junior talent scout for a record company who had been sent to Australia and New Zealand to do some reconnaissance work during the festival season because one of the senior scouts had been taken ill with flu and the men in charge had decided to see what I was made of. Alas the seat next to me was empty and the matter of my being at the front end of the plane was never brought up. Instead I relaxed, read the paper and waited for the rabble to board. As we took to the air I started to feel slightly uncomfortable. I was conscious that my Converse were scuffed and that the tacky Australia socks I bought at the airport because all mine were packed away were on show for everyone to disapprove of. My awkwardness was further increased when I couldn’t put the leg rest down while I was having the in-flight meal which made me look like some sort of deformed giant in a high chair. Another foe par occurred when instead of taking the glass of wine from the air hostess I tried to take the tray it was being served on and finally I snapped my knife in two when trying to butter my bread and sent one half flying down the aisle for all to see. By that time I was seriously stressing out, and I thought being a first class passenger would be a relaxing treat. Thankfully after that things calmed down and I was able to enjoy the rest of the trip. Disappointingly though it was only a 3 hour flight so I couldn’t take full advantage of the situation but hey, ‘Beggars Can’t Be Choosers’.
The good times kept on rolling in the shuttle bus on the way to the city when a gorgeous girl from Brasilia was flirting outrageously with me. I knew she was flirting with me because she said I had a very posh accent which we all know is simply not the case. Unfortunately when I got off for my hostel the girl I had fell in love with carried on to another, some things are not meant to be. I checked into my room, brushed my teeth and fell asleep in New Zealand for the first time ever.
After the initial excitement of the previous day I had time to calm down and take stock of things. I was really looking forward to my time in New Zealand, along with Vietnam it was top priority when deciding on an itinerary. I had also had glowing reports from absolutely everyone I had met who had been. There was so much I wanted to do in the country that I knew it was going to be a great couple of months. Bungee jumping, skydiving, rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, numerous walks, the list was endless.
So my adventures started in Auckland. I had two days before my Kiwi Experience bus trip started so I decided to explore, two days ended up being plenty of time. The first day I occupied myself with a trip to the city and general house-keeping. The second day I decided to start preparing for the hikes I would do latter on in the trip. I donned on the hiking boots and set out on Auckland’s Coast to Coast walk. The 16km walk takes you from the northern Waitemata Harbour to the southern Manukau Harbour through the cities nicest parks. On my travels I encountered Albert Park, The Domain, Mt Eden (or Maungawhau), Auckland’s highest cone which is very tapu (sacred) to the Maori people. I also walked through Cornwell Park and the One Tree hill Domain. The walk was really enjoyable and gave me a real feel for Auckland’s terrain with its many cones and ridges from a volcanic age past. It was hard work though and resulted in feet full of blisters. More training was needed.
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