Wellington Hotels
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Getting ready to head back north..completely alone
Entry 6 of 23 | show all | print this entry |
Yep, it's my last night in Wellington and my last night of hotel luxury. :) And good-bye to Stacey. :(
I rent a car tomorrow and will be driving back north, in search of some sites and in search of deeper insights into my own soul/mind. I'm a bit anxious about the second part of that process, so if you're inclined to say a prayer for me, I'd appreciate it.
The plan is to visit Taupo, Rotorua and spend several days around the Coromandel Peninsula, living mostly out of the rental car with possibly 2 nights at a hostel for a shower and decent night of sleep. I got pretty lucky on the rental as they had a compact wagon that needs to go back to Auckland! Should have a bit more room and I got them down from $45/day to $35/day. :) (Psst, tour leads out there, check out those negotiating skills - they don't rest!) I'll be chasing after bodies of water and driving as close to some of the falls and high points that my original plans included. Lots of pb&j in my future, as well!
So, the past couple of days. I had such a fun time over the weekend hanging out and catching up with Stacey. We were just commenting last night how 'normal' it seems to be living together/sharing a hotel room. Right, it's everyday that an Australian and an American meet up in Wellington, NZ to live a part of their lives. :) Stace is working sound on a HUGE budget movie right now so we drank it up on the film's tab Sat night at The Matterhorn. I made some quick new friends and we now have great drunk pics to prove it! (Sorry, posting of new pics will have to come later.) Sun was a low-key recovery day. I made it over to Old St. Paul's while Stace was at a work lunch. Visiting old churches is definitely one of my all-time favorite activities in new cities. I love to think about the history of the buildings and about the faith of the people. Old St. Paul's, built in 1866, was not a very large church and had lots of woodwork, including the arches, and I fell in love with it instantly.
I've spent a good deal of time enjoying the luxury of Stace's apartment hotel room as I continue the ankle recuperation (still swollen and the bruising is still a brighter red along the edges of my foot and I have difficulty walking down stairs still but I do believe it's on the mend! peeling skin is the only additional ailment for the moment - well, and seasickness yesterday). The big bed is so cozy, free internet has been supreme, 2 tvs, room service - ah.
So, the seasickness. Thankfully, I just felt nauseous but that gets really old after a 3-hour ferry ride to the South Island and then a 3-hour ferry ride back to the North Island. Of course I bought Dramamine for this purpose. And promptly left it in my hotel room. :( I went over to Picton and the region of Marlborough for a 1/2 day wine tour, which was quite nice but the tastings were a bit marred by the sick stomach. It was a picturesque (sp?) drive and I met 2 young Irish couples - one of which was more than happy to share in my joy over Glen Hansard of The Frames and movie Once!
Yes, "it's a small world" is a completely over-used phrase but I had a startling incident a bit ago. I don't believe I've shared but I met a guy on the bus from Auckland to Rotorua that quickly decided we should be travel partners. Even that I should re-arrange my schedule to get to Wellington until he was ready. When he offered to pay my way to a $90 Maori dinner and preformance that night in Rotorua, I freaked out a bit and made sure he knew that I was definitely getting on a bus that night and was going to see my friend. Ok, bring us forward 5 days and I was just returning from the local grocer, getting ready to cross Aitken and Molesworth streets when who do I realize is just in front of me at my left?! YEP! My purposeful stride halted and I decided it'd be a good idea to let him cross and I'd wait for the next light. I should note here that he'd found a new female traveling companion at this point. ;) It was quite weird to be 'hiding' on the street corner from someone in a foreign country!! Welcome to the wonderful world of traveling, I guess. Heehee.
I'll likely be at the Auckland International airport on 2/27 (2/26 in the States) before my next update, unless I get internet lucky at one of my 2 hostel stopovers, and I'm sure I'll have more interesting stories. Again, your thoughts and prayers on the introspection are much desired.
Best to everyone - thanks for your posts and emails!!
xoxoxo,
a
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