The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Here is where I will document my gap year experience in New Zealand. When I began planning the move I knew I wanted to keep a blog, so I started telling everybody to give myself a moral incentive to follow through. As someone who could easily procrastinate on such a task, I’m grasping this opportunity to get started before my inspiration runs out. This blog will be my means for remembering and sharing my travels as well as for reflecting on my progress along the way. I’m writing this first post at a skate park near downtown Auckland while I wait to meet the sellers of a Nissan Vanette, my first viewing.

To offer a quick explanation of my plans: I came here to ride my bike. New Zealand has some world class mountain biking, pristine landscapes, friendly people, an 18 year old drinking age etc… I flew into Auckland on the North Island where I plan to buy a van to live in and get fully situated before making my journey to Nelson on the South Island. In Nelson, I intend to find a job and settle into a simple lifestyle of working and riding and van-living.

I’ll make new postings regularly, but haven’t yet decided whether to stick with a regular schedule or go with the flow.

The most logical way to start is with a recap of my trip thus far. There have been months of preparation leading up to now, but the journey started yesterday at 6am when I threw my bags in the car and got hauled off to SFO. After saying goodbye to my parents and home in the bay area, I took off for Honolulu. The flight there wasn’t particularly noteworthy, but I must admit I wish my layover had been long enough to make an excursion to the beach.

Luckily, I got an aisle row on the flight from Honolulu to Auckland so I was able to get up and stretch at my leisure on the nine hour flight. The people sharing my row were New Zealanders from a Maori bilingual school who were exploring the similarities between native Hawaiian culture and their own. Marisca (mother) and Finn (son) immediately took me under their wing, and before I had even set foot on NZ soil I felt at home. Finn and I bonded over our shared interest in cars and the multiplayer games on the seatback entertainment systems. Marisca saw me through customs (they took my turkey jerky, assholes), helped me set up my phone with a new sim card, and even invited me to stay with them after I’m ready to leave Auckland, an offer I intend to take up.

I withdrew some NZ cash from the ATM in the airport and called up my ride. Brett picked me up in a Toyota Previa (the car I came home from the hospital in at birth) and drove me to Verandah’s backpackers lodge, the hostel I booked for five nights. I was pleased to find out I happened to pick one of the best hostels in Auckland, but that didn’t coincide with my first impression of it. After getting dropped of by Brett, a ride that only cost me 25 NZD (great deal), I found that my room key had not been left in the lockbox as I had been told. It was midnight by now, and with no way inside, I started persistently knocking. Eventually the person in the house behind me came out on their balcony and informed me that the manager lived down the street, so I dragged my bags a few houses down and started knocking on the manager’s door. After five minutes with no response, I went back to the hostel and continued to knock. Finally, someone entered the lounge room adjacent to the entrance, and I was able to get their attention. Much relieved to be inside but stuck without a room key, I crashed out on the couch. I got everything sorted at 8am when the staff arrived who apologized profusely and agreed to refund that night of my stay. After getting set up in my room I had a quick breakfast of dried pluots and some rice cakes and peanut butter that I had found in the hostel’s “free food” bin. Then, I set out on foot for the bank to set up an account.

At the bank came my next hurdle. To make an account you need a photocopy of your passport and visa, and proof of address. I thought I was set, as we have friends in Nelson who’s address I had planned to use, but apparently I need a letter from them stating I’m staying with them along with physical proof of address in the form of a utility bill. I fired off an email straight away and had some photocopies made across the street. I then made my way to the park where I am now and decided to start writing with my free time. My viewing is in 20 minutes, then it’s off to the store for some groceries and back to the hostel. I have another viewing in about five hours.

That brings us to the present. Judging by how long this just took me to write, I can’t guarantee that each post will be so detailed. The first few weeks will be chaos that I will make an effort to document, but I expect as I settle into life in Nelson my posts will shift away from daily life and focus more on only what stands out from my routine.

It’s beautiful here, the people are friendly, and I have no doubt I’ll be able to be happy. Off to a great start!