Travel Day

Today was a very very long day. After my 14 hour flight from Vancouver to Auckland I was finally back in New Zealand but the journey was far from over.   My flight from Auckland to Wellington was short, but very bumpy. By far the craziest flight I have ever been on. People were screaming in terror it was so bumpy. Good thing I had headphones.

When I stepped off the plane into the terminal, one of the first faces I saw was my very good friend Phil Nixey. He drove here to pick me up, take me around and hang out for the day. As we waited for my baggage I realize my box with my trekking poles (tent poles), stove, knife, spoon, and other food didn't make it. I talk to the lost baggage ladies and they told me I was supposed to grab it in Auckland... I asked them if it was possible to get the box flown down to Wellington and they assured me it should be no problem! Only problem is the rest of the flights got cancelled because of this cyclone and I have a ferry to catch in 4 hours. So instead of wasting time and energy, Nixey and I headed over to Park Kitchen and catch up over a few flat whites.

After Coffee, Nixey took me downtown to grab my hut pass and Queen Charlotte Track pass, and a cell phone plan. We drove back over to the airport to see if my box had come in and no luck. So with 30 minutes left to board my ferry we started driving to the Interislander. This is when the cyclone really picked up! The streets started flooding as rain and wind blew across the city with 130km winds! It was so bad I ended up missing my 5pm ferry and got moved onto the 830pm instead. By this time my box arrived at the airport, so we drove all the way back to the airport and then all the way back to the ferry terminal in rush hour traffic. So, by 6:30pm I arrived back at the terminal and awaited my final passage to the South Island. A long day, but one I will remember. Not many people I know would sacrifice their entire day to go on a wild goose chase with me. Phil did it with laughter and stories. A beautiful human who saved me today. I'm looking forward to finishing the trail and taking him out when I'm back in Welly! THANK YOU PHIL NIXEY!

I suppose the day is yet finished. I'm writing this blog post on my ferry across the Cook straight and the waves are so heavy a glass bottle just shattered a few tables over from me. But hey, what did I expect? No matter how much you think you have it planned and figured out a big cyclone can brew above you and mess everything up. I didn't fight the current, I let it take me, and in the end, with a bit of help, I made it.