Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Day #26. Kaikoura/Christchurch.

Whiting fritters.  I waited until the very last minute to try them.  Mostly because they looked so unappealing.  Like a sardine pancake.  It was ok, but the texture was really weird for me.  I was glad I only tasted it instead of ordering a whole one.  Don't understand why, but people in NZ love their whiting fritters!

My bus didn't leave from Kaikoura until 3'ish, so I took a nice, long, lazy walk around the point to where the seals like to lay out and sun.  Along the way I caught up with this guy named Sam.  He's a 22 y.o. primary teacher from UK, taking a whole bunch of time off to travel.  Why isn't extended traveling encouraged in the US???  I've met heaps of people who told me their companies/jobs were totally ok with them taking a few months to a year off.  In America, this would be frowned upon as shirking one's responsibilities.  Education 1st!  Career 1st!  I'm not saying these things aren't important.  But I do think it would be a wonderful thing to encourage a little traveling, especially between high school and college.  We all rush into college, and half the time, we don't even know what the heck we want to do!  And once we begin school and careers, it's nearly impossible to ever take that time off again in our lives.  Exploring the world, seeing new places, meeting unique people… these experiences will only encourage growth and provide clarity to our young minds.  Ok, that's my speech for the week  :)

Back to Sam.  So we started talking about our families, homes, the places we've been.  Turns out he'd just gotten back from Fiji and had stayed at the very same Bamboo Hostel I booked for my 1st night!  He had rave reviews for the place.  Said the owner is a big Kiwi man who always has a smile on his face, and who goes out of his way to make sure you get to do everything you want on the island.  Sam said he'll even arrange for you to stay with family members and friends, plus he's got all the local hook-ups.  WOW.  Random, huh?  I told Sam I was headed to the Christchurch Airport that afternoon, and he was like, me too.  Want a lift?  I couldn't believe it!  Ride in a nice roomy van with music and the windows down vs. a stuffy stinky bus.  Hmmmm…. 

I had a quick lunch at a little seafood stand along the road.  The fresh grilled fish was succulent with lemon and garlic.  Really cheap too - only $8 - with salad and rice.  Tried a bite of the whiting fritter.  You know how that went.  Totally chickened out on trying the crayfish.  Got my things together at the hostel, said goodbye to the awesome owner, Katie, and hopped into Sam's camper van.  He was heading to Christchurch to visit his rich auntie.  Sweet little van.  Paid $2,600 for it.  After he's done traveling NZ he's gonna try and sell it for nearly the same, so he'll basically get all his money back.  This is awesome.  Think about it.  You have a bed and kitchen in the back, so essentially little to no lodging expenses.  He'll get most of his money back when he sells it.  To rent a van for even a month would be about 1,500 anyways.  All he's paying for is Petrol, food, and an occasional holiday park for showers and electricity.  Really killer thing to do.  It's what I would have done if I weren't by myself.  But to do it alone would have been a disaster for me.  I can barely drive as it is, let alone read a map and drive simultaneously ;)  J/k.  I'm an excellent driver!!!

Got to the AP around 4 pm.  Thanked Sam for the ride, handed him the list of things to do in SoCal that I'd written up on the way, and headed into the airport to spend a long 12 hours waiting.

Passing through Christchurch, I caught a brief glimpse of the devastated city.  Buildings were completely destroyed.  It's the closest I've ever been to a disaster-stricken place like that.  It was sickening to look at.  I started talking to a middle-aged mum of 2 on an airport bench.  She told me one of her friends died in the quake.  It's a really sad time for her right now.  Even amidst all that pain and stress, she told me she would have taken me home with her for the night if they didn't live so far away.  Such kindness and generosity.  It's really beautiful to see in people.  I told her I've been thinking about her city this entire week, and wish them the very best as they rebuild.

I am so thankful for the amazing life that I have!

And tonight, I am incredibly grateful to New Zealand for giving me the trip of a lifetime.  

Cheers!!! :)

Plan: catch an early flight to Sydney and spend the night there before heading to Fiji for 12 days!
Budget: $18.60 food/snacks, $14 bus fair that I didn't use, $28 book (The Lovely Bones) so I have something to read in Fiji if it rains… keep your fingers crossed

No comments:

Post a Comment