We stayed in a very nice hotel in Nadi, very near the airport. We were a half hour drive from any beach, and all of the water around the main island is grey and filled with cruise ships and yachts. To get to nice beaches, one must go to another island, a FJ$200 trip per person.
Marshall and I went to Treasure Island, and that was very small, but nice. We arrived at 10 am, and our cruise back to Nadi was at 5, so we had a lot of time on the 15 acre plot of sand.
The water in the area away from the pollution is so blue. I have never seen water so blue! It was absolutely gorgeous.
Once on the island, we got our complimentary snorkel gear and went out into the waves! (There are not many waves, actually, since the reefs surrounding all the islands shield from waves.)
We saw some fish, although nothing too fantastic. I think I'm just spoiled because my first snorkel trip was on the Great Barrier Reef and I saw a shark. So not seeing a coral reef and only a few fish was just...meh.
But the sand was lovely, and I got to read in a hammock with a great view, so Treasure Island was totally worth it.
Our second (and last) day in Fiji, Marshall and I went to the Hindu Temple in Nadi. It was so colorful! We learned quite a bit about the Hindu traditions, both in India and in Fiji. It was interesting to say the least.
After the Temple, we went to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, which consists of several orchid gardens and then a jungle through which guests can explore along a variety of trails. The near-Equator heat was getting to us, so we spent extra time sitting on benches in the shade of the jungle trees and chugging water. But we did see a wild cow, which was awesome.
After our little jungle adventure, we were exhausted, so we went back to the hotel and sat in the lobby reading until our time to go to the airport (6:30 pm) came.
After that, we waited around at the airport, boarded the plane, had a long flight on a not-so-great airline (seriously, only fly Fiji if you need a super cheap ticket. It will be worth the little extra money to fly Qantas), and made it back to 'Murica, land of the free wi-fi!
Our flight left Nadi on Thursday the 18th at 9:40 pm, and arrived in LA on Thursday the 18th at 1 PM.
Time Travel! Oooooooh!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Friday, September 19, 2014
En route to Fiji!!
Wake up at 5 am, get in the car, it's pouring down rain, and let the GPS guide us back to Auckland.
Except the GPS is a piece of crap.
It took us a weird way to get to Rotorua the first time, and it tried to take us back the same way, but we didn't want to do that, so we stayed on the highway and then it recalculated. Soon after it had us turn off of the highway. We assumed it was telling us the fastest way to the airport. Instead we drove for 25km of farm road just to get back onto the SAME HIGHWAY. So after tinkering with the settings, we learned that it was set on "Easiest Route" instead of "Fastest" or "Shortest". What on earth would have made one-lane farm roads easy, you ask? Nothing. Except perhaps the lack of cars, which is what the GPS meant by "Easy". We have no idea.
Nevertheless, we arrived back at the Auckland airport with time to spare before our flight to Fiji. The man at the check-in counter for Fiji Airways was quite rude, but other than that we had no problems.
Typical flight, and we didn't wait long for our transport to the hotel, which was very near and quite nice. There was a little fake beach by the pool, with hammocks set up around for lounging.
All in all, basic travel day.
Except the GPS is a piece of crap.
It took us a weird way to get to Rotorua the first time, and it tried to take us back the same way, but we didn't want to do that, so we stayed on the highway and then it recalculated. Soon after it had us turn off of the highway. We assumed it was telling us the fastest way to the airport. Instead we drove for 25km of farm road just to get back onto the SAME HIGHWAY. So after tinkering with the settings, we learned that it was set on "Easiest Route" instead of "Fastest" or "Shortest". What on earth would have made one-lane farm roads easy, you ask? Nothing. Except perhaps the lack of cars, which is what the GPS meant by "Easy". We have no idea.
Nevertheless, we arrived back at the Auckland airport with time to spare before our flight to Fiji. The man at the check-in counter for Fiji Airways was quite rude, but other than that we had no problems.
Typical flight, and we didn't wait long for our transport to the hotel, which was very near and quite nice. There was a little fake beach by the pool, with hammocks set up around for lounging.
All in all, basic travel day.
A day at the spa
Our day in Rotorua went like this:
We woke up, had breakfast at the hotel (complimentary), and then went to the Polynesian Spa. If you've never heard of it, it's one of the top 10 spas in the world, according to some spa association. Located on the shores of Lake Rotorua, the spa is fed and heated by natural hot springs.
Luckily for us, being there on a Monday, there were a few openings for spa therapies, and so Mashall and I each booked Aix Massages, which comes with free access to the Lake Spa Pools. There are 5 pools in the Lake Spa area, ranging from 36 to 42 degrees, Celsius. For are alkaline and one is acidic. That was all fun and relaxing, but the Aix Treatment was the best thing ever. It begins with a skin exfoliation using Rotorua mud (you could choose one of their sugar scrubs instead), and then a fll body massage under a shower. That's right. A massage in the shower. My two favorite things, all wrapped in exfoliating mud.
After our day at the spa we went to dinner and watched movies at the hotel. A nice, relaxing, last day in New Zealand.
We woke up, had breakfast at the hotel (complimentary), and then went to the Polynesian Spa. If you've never heard of it, it's one of the top 10 spas in the world, according to some spa association. Located on the shores of Lake Rotorua, the spa is fed and heated by natural hot springs.
Luckily for us, being there on a Monday, there were a few openings for spa therapies, and so Mashall and I each booked Aix Massages, which comes with free access to the Lake Spa Pools. There are 5 pools in the Lake Spa area, ranging from 36 to 42 degrees, Celsius. For are alkaline and one is acidic. That was all fun and relaxing, but the Aix Treatment was the best thing ever. It begins with a skin exfoliation using Rotorua mud (you could choose one of their sugar scrubs instead), and then a fll body massage under a shower. That's right. A massage in the shower. My two favorite things, all wrapped in exfoliating mud.
After our day at the spa we went to dinner and watched movies at the hotel. A nice, relaxing, last day in New Zealand.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
I'm going on an Adventure!
On our way to Rotorua, we stopped at Hobbiton, home of The Shire. Located in the middle of a family owned sheep farm, it was chosen as the filming location for The Shire in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies because when standing anywhere on the set, you can't see any 20th century structures in any direction. Which makes it the most beautiful place we went to in New Zealand. It was gorgeous.
Also, the party field fit the descriptions from the books of a round tree by a field with rolling green hills surrounding, so that also had something to do with the selection process.
If you ever go to New Zealand, go to Hobbiton. It cost $75 a person for the tour, but all in all that's the second cheapest tour we went on, and you get a free beer/cider at the end. At the Green Dragon pub, which doesn't actually appear in any of the movies but maybe would have in a panorama shot so it was built just in case Peter Jackson wanted to take a panorama shot. Because Peter Jackson is insane.
It's a walking tour, which I was not aware of but was pleasantly surprised to find out. They take you by bus from the nearest town, then on another bus into the heart of the farm and onto the set, and then you walk around the set. You can take thousands of pictures, go inside one of the hobbit-holes, and, like I said, drink a free local beer (I personally had a cider). It's especially great that it was a walking tour because then I got to run at the very fence where Martin Freeman ran and jumped over after the dwarves in The Hobbit. It took 8 takes to film that scene. I did it in one. =P
The coolest part was that the record number of photographs taken in one tour was 1800 pictures. That's crazy. The cool part about that is that if you break that record, you get to keep a sheep!!! You have to catch it yourself, but after a while the sheep gives up and lets you take it, so it's totally worth it.
That being said, I did not get a sheep. I only took 200 pictures at Hobbiton, which is still a lot.
But next time, I'm going to get a sheep.
After our time in Middle Earth, we drove in to Rotorua and checked in to our hotel, Distinction Rotorua. It was a really nice hotel, and we stayed on the top floor, in a room with a balcony and a nice view. The lady who worked reception checked us in at 7 pm or so, but she was still there when we woke up at 7 am, and was STILL THERE at noon when we returned after lunch! I'm pretty sure she's a robot; why else would she work all the shifts back to back? Does she sleep behind the desk? So many questions.
Also, the party field fit the descriptions from the books of a round tree by a field with rolling green hills surrounding, so that also had something to do with the selection process.
If you ever go to New Zealand, go to Hobbiton. It cost $75 a person for the tour, but all in all that's the second cheapest tour we went on, and you get a free beer/cider at the end. At the Green Dragon pub, which doesn't actually appear in any of the movies but maybe would have in a panorama shot so it was built just in case Peter Jackson wanted to take a panorama shot. Because Peter Jackson is insane.
It's a walking tour, which I was not aware of but was pleasantly surprised to find out. They take you by bus from the nearest town, then on another bus into the heart of the farm and onto the set, and then you walk around the set. You can take thousands of pictures, go inside one of the hobbit-holes, and, like I said, drink a free local beer (I personally had a cider). It's especially great that it was a walking tour because then I got to run at the very fence where Martin Freeman ran and jumped over after the dwarves in The Hobbit. It took 8 takes to film that scene. I did it in one. =P
The coolest part was that the record number of photographs taken in one tour was 1800 pictures. That's crazy. The cool part about that is that if you break that record, you get to keep a sheep!!! You have to catch it yourself, but after a while the sheep gives up and lets you take it, so it's totally worth it.
That being said, I did not get a sheep. I only took 200 pictures at Hobbiton, which is still a lot.
But next time, I'm going to get a sheep.
After our time in Middle Earth, we drove in to Rotorua and checked in to our hotel, Distinction Rotorua. It was a really nice hotel, and we stayed on the top floor, in a room with a balcony and a nice view. The lady who worked reception checked us in at 7 pm or so, but she was still there when we woke up at 7 am, and was STILL THERE at noon when we returned after lunch! I'm pretty sure she's a robot; why else would she work all the shifts back to back? Does she sleep behind the desk? So many questions.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
We didn't get to swim with dolphins
and it gets worse.
The morning after our long and grueling journey to see the spirits leap forth from the earth, Marshall and I had a scheduled event with some dolphins. Specifically, we had scheduled a dolphin watching tour of the Bay of Islands. The weather was too harsh to go to the famous Hole in the Rock, but it cleared up nicely inside the Bay, and we did get to see some cute bottle nose dolphins.
Next comes the sad part. Children, avert your eyes.
In the event we find dolphins, we get the option to swim with them, but in this case the dolphins were not "playful enough" and so we weren't allowed to. I know, sad stuff.
But the rest of the boat ride was lots of fun, and afterwards we made our way back to Auckland. However, nothing went along as planned.
When I wanted to go on an adventure, this is not what I wanted. I am still in the process of shock, and so to me none of this is funny. To you, however, it could be. One day, I'll probably look back and laugh. But right now, I can't. I just. Can't.
Let me preface this by saying that nobody was hurt even a little bit. So it's all okay.
On the way back to Auckland, Marshall and I were in a car accident. We were turning into a gas station and got clipped by another car. Again let me say that nobody was hurt, although our car's bumper was completely ripped off the back end. This was by the design of the engineers, to protect the rest of the car and the passengers. It worked. However, it did mean that the car was no longer drivable, and we were still 2.5 hours north of Auckland.
The police wouldn't come because nobody was injured, and they only show up if people are hurt. Which I think is weird and lazy on the part of the police department. But whatever. Moving on, the other car bent out their bumper with a crowbar and went on their way, while Marshall and I dealt with the living nightmare that is Jucy rentals.
Despite paying the full coverage insurance, Jucy rentals left us stranded at this gas station, refusing to give us a new car or at least get us from the spot of the accident. At first, they wouldn't even answer the phone. After getting the go-around for hours, we were finally hung up on. A tow-man came to get our car, but wouldn't take us anywhere. So we sat at a gas station for 4 hours. We had to cancel our dinner reservations (which were with Kirsten stop the SkyTower in Auckland), and finally were able to book a couple spots on the NakedBus from Whangarei to Auckland. Whangarei was still a half hour drive from where we were stranded.
And that's all the bad part, because now we get to talk about how great Ramon (RAY-mon) is. Ramon owns the gas station (or at least works at it) and he is seriously the nicest guy ever. He made me tea and Marshall coffee, let us stay in the garage of the gas station, let us use the business phone and internet, and then after he closed up shop at 6, he gave us a ride to Whangarei. You don't meet people like that everyday, but when you do you know you're blessed.
We exchanged emails, and hope to talk to him soon.
Today, we rented a car from Budget, because we know at the end of the day, they are American owned and therefore will provide a better service. We got a sports car and are now in Rotorua, at the first hotel to give us unlimited free wi-fi, and bathrobes! This is one of the nicest hotels I've ever staying in.
Anyways, that's all I've got for now. Today we went to Hobbiton on the way to Rotorua, but that's for a different post.
Have a great night everyone! Don't crash your cars!
Side note: People just lounge in their rugby shorts all day. Just something I noticed when the tow-man and a dairy farmer both came into the gas station wearing their rugby shorts. And neither had been playing rugby.
The morning after our long and grueling journey to see the spirits leap forth from the earth, Marshall and I had a scheduled event with some dolphins. Specifically, we had scheduled a dolphin watching tour of the Bay of Islands. The weather was too harsh to go to the famous Hole in the Rock, but it cleared up nicely inside the Bay, and we did get to see some cute bottle nose dolphins.
Next comes the sad part. Children, avert your eyes.
In the event we find dolphins, we get the option to swim with them, but in this case the dolphins were not "playful enough" and so we weren't allowed to. I know, sad stuff.
But the rest of the boat ride was lots of fun, and afterwards we made our way back to Auckland. However, nothing went along as planned.
When I wanted to go on an adventure, this is not what I wanted. I am still in the process of shock, and so to me none of this is funny. To you, however, it could be. One day, I'll probably look back and laugh. But right now, I can't. I just. Can't.
Let me preface this by saying that nobody was hurt even a little bit. So it's all okay.
On the way back to Auckland, Marshall and I were in a car accident. We were turning into a gas station and got clipped by another car. Again let me say that nobody was hurt, although our car's bumper was completely ripped off the back end. This was by the design of the engineers, to protect the rest of the car and the passengers. It worked. However, it did mean that the car was no longer drivable, and we were still 2.5 hours north of Auckland.
The police wouldn't come because nobody was injured, and they only show up if people are hurt. Which I think is weird and lazy on the part of the police department. But whatever. Moving on, the other car bent out their bumper with a crowbar and went on their way, while Marshall and I dealt with the living nightmare that is Jucy rentals.
Despite paying the full coverage insurance, Jucy rentals left us stranded at this gas station, refusing to give us a new car or at least get us from the spot of the accident. At first, they wouldn't even answer the phone. After getting the go-around for hours, we were finally hung up on. A tow-man came to get our car, but wouldn't take us anywhere. So we sat at a gas station for 4 hours. We had to cancel our dinner reservations (which were with Kirsten stop the SkyTower in Auckland), and finally were able to book a couple spots on the NakedBus from Whangarei to Auckland. Whangarei was still a half hour drive from where we were stranded.
And that's all the bad part, because now we get to talk about how great Ramon (RAY-mon) is. Ramon owns the gas station (or at least works at it) and he is seriously the nicest guy ever. He made me tea and Marshall coffee, let us stay in the garage of the gas station, let us use the business phone and internet, and then after he closed up shop at 6, he gave us a ride to Whangarei. You don't meet people like that everyday, but when you do you know you're blessed.
We exchanged emails, and hope to talk to him soon.
Today, we rented a car from Budget, because we know at the end of the day, they are American owned and therefore will provide a better service. We got a sports car and are now in Rotorua, at the first hotel to give us unlimited free wi-fi, and bathrobes! This is one of the nicest hotels I've ever staying in.
Anyways, that's all I've got for now. Today we went to Hobbiton on the way to Rotorua, but that's for a different post.
Have a great night everyone! Don't crash your cars!
Side note: People just lounge in their rugby shorts all day. Just something I noticed when the tow-man and a dairy farmer both came into the gas station wearing their rugby shorts. And neither had been playing rugby.
We are now officially Cape Crusaders!
Our tour guide, Arial (like TV not the Little Mermaid! he says), has informed us. We survived our bus tour to Cape Reinga (Ree-unga), the northernmost point of New Zealand and, according to Maori legend, the place where the souls of the departed leap from the earth.
How did we survive, you ask? It was not easy, for we faced many challenges along the way. First, we traveled from Auckland to Paihia, visiting some great little glow worm caves on the way. Once in Paihia, we checked into our hotel, had dessert for lunch at the only place that offered free wi-fi, returned later for dinner, and attempted to book a tour for Cape Reinga. However, as we had arrived in off-season, the tour companies closed early. Our receptionist, Colleen, assisted us greatly by booking all of our events while we had dinner.
Seriously, Colleen at the Tanoa Paihia Hotel is the best ever and everyone should go to Paihia and stay at the Tanoa Paihia Hotel.
Anyways, she booked our tour, and at seven am the following morning, we boarded the bus and met our tour guide, Arial. We stopped at a subtropical rainforest, where naturally we were rained on. However, the weather was exceedingly stormy the entire day.
After our very wet bushwalk through the forest, we continued on to lunch, then to the Cape, where the wind was upwards of 45 mph. We were nearly blown off the Cape. Our souls would not have needed to travel very far to leap off to the spirit world. Thank goodness we didn't actually get blown away.
After the Cape, we went sandboarding, as we were promised in the tour brochure. Sandboarding is like snowboarding, only on giant sand dunes. My poor little heart could barely take it as I made it to the top, and it probably didn't help that this was during a sandstorm.
I'm still getting sand out of places.
But it was still lots of fun, and on our way back we stopped to get the best fish and chips in the world. The catch of the day was Blue Nose, a deep sea fish. That was the best fish and chips I've ever had.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we survived, and Arial has proclaimed us official Cape Crusaders, and we can run around in our little Batman Onezies if we so choose.
How did we survive, you ask? It was not easy, for we faced many challenges along the way. First, we traveled from Auckland to Paihia, visiting some great little glow worm caves on the way. Once in Paihia, we checked into our hotel, had dessert for lunch at the only place that offered free wi-fi, returned later for dinner, and attempted to book a tour for Cape Reinga. However, as we had arrived in off-season, the tour companies closed early. Our receptionist, Colleen, assisted us greatly by booking all of our events while we had dinner.
Seriously, Colleen at the Tanoa Paihia Hotel is the best ever and everyone should go to Paihia and stay at the Tanoa Paihia Hotel.
Anyways, she booked our tour, and at seven am the following morning, we boarded the bus and met our tour guide, Arial. We stopped at a subtropical rainforest, where naturally we were rained on. However, the weather was exceedingly stormy the entire day.
After our very wet bushwalk through the forest, we continued on to lunch, then to the Cape, where the wind was upwards of 45 mph. We were nearly blown off the Cape. Our souls would not have needed to travel very far to leap off to the spirit world. Thank goodness we didn't actually get blown away.
After the Cape, we went sandboarding, as we were promised in the tour brochure. Sandboarding is like snowboarding, only on giant sand dunes. My poor little heart could barely take it as I made it to the top, and it probably didn't help that this was during a sandstorm.
I'm still getting sand out of places.
But it was still lots of fun, and on our way back we stopped to get the best fish and chips in the world. The catch of the day was Blue Nose, a deep sea fish. That was the best fish and chips I've ever had.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we survived, and Arial has proclaimed us official Cape Crusaders, and we can run around in our little Batman Onezies if we so choose.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
I feel like I've traveled ten years to the past.
Wi-fi in New Zealand is ridiculous. Not even Starbucks offers free wi-fi, which has never happened to me, in any of my foreign travels. I know I sound like a spoiled American, but that's partly because I am, and also because Starbucks normally has a global standard, and apparently that doesn't apply here.
It might not entirely make up for the not-free internet, but not only are public toilets free, but they are kinda cool. Each stall gets its own sink and soap, and some have neat systems to inform patrons if the stall is occupied.
Anyways, we find ways of getting Internet, so it's not that bad. Just a hassle when we need to pull up a map, say, to meet up with a friend.
Speaking of, we saw Kirsten today! Yay! We played at the park (we were accompanied by a 4 year old girl), had lunch, and really enjoyed ourselves.
Before that, we explored the north eastern segment of Auckland. You already know about Albert park, which was nice. The University of Auckland had plenty of older-but-not-old buildings, reminiscent of the 70s. Although Marshall and I stopped and read a bunch of posters from the schools of science, math, and engineering graduate students. The school is currently on mid-term break, so it was quiet.
We then walked around the perimeter of the city to the park where we met with Kirsten.
Fast-forward: after our friends left (Kirsten had to pick up the other children), Marshall and I walked the 4 blocks back to our hotel, took a 20-minute recharge, and headed out for Waiheke Island, a 40 minute ferry ride from Auckland. We arrived a little before sunset, and walked to the nearest village, Onerua, where we had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Fenice. Marshall had the pork ravioli and I had Pork Belly with carrots, beets, apples, yams, and fried pork rind. It was fantastic.
Marshall tried San Pellegrino mandarin flavor at dinner. It tasted a bit like red Gatorade.
After dinner, the sun had long set, and we were both exhausted, so we walked back to the ferry (about 20 minutes) and made our way back into the city. We have just arrived in our hotel and are about to slumber.
So goodnight Seattle.
It might not entirely make up for the not-free internet, but not only are public toilets free, but they are kinda cool. Each stall gets its own sink and soap, and some have neat systems to inform patrons if the stall is occupied.
Anyways, we find ways of getting Internet, so it's not that bad. Just a hassle when we need to pull up a map, say, to meet up with a friend.
Speaking of, we saw Kirsten today! Yay! We played at the park (we were accompanied by a 4 year old girl), had lunch, and really enjoyed ourselves.
Before that, we explored the north eastern segment of Auckland. You already know about Albert park, which was nice. The University of Auckland had plenty of older-but-not-old buildings, reminiscent of the 70s. Although Marshall and I stopped and read a bunch of posters from the schools of science, math, and engineering graduate students. The school is currently on mid-term break, so it was quiet.
We then walked around the perimeter of the city to the park where we met with Kirsten.
Fast-forward: after our friends left (Kirsten had to pick up the other children), Marshall and I walked the 4 blocks back to our hotel, took a 20-minute recharge, and headed out for Waiheke Island, a 40 minute ferry ride from Auckland. We arrived a little before sunset, and walked to the nearest village, Onerua, where we had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Fenice. Marshall had the pork ravioli and I had Pork Belly with carrots, beets, apples, yams, and fried pork rind. It was fantastic.
Marshall tried San Pellegrino mandarin flavor at dinner. It tasted a bit like red Gatorade.
After dinner, the sun had long set, and we were both exhausted, so we walked back to the ferry (about 20 minutes) and made our way back into the city. We have just arrived in our hotel and are about to slumber.
So goodnight Seattle.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Full day in Auckland
Hey all,
Just a quick blurb to say hi! We are sitting in Albert park enjoying coffee and getting ready to explore the University of Auckland. The weather is in the upper 50s with some clouds. Overall, perfect weather for exploring.
Later we will be visiting my friend Kirsten, and catching the sunset from the sky tower!
I'm sorry my titles have not been as exciting as usual. I'll do my best to come up with better ones.
Love and kisses!
Just a quick blurb to say hi! We are sitting in Albert park enjoying coffee and getting ready to explore the University of Auckland. The weather is in the upper 50s with some clouds. Overall, perfect weather for exploring.
Later we will be visiting my friend Kirsten, and catching the sunset from the sky tower!
I'm sorry my titles have not been as exciting as usual. I'll do my best to come up with better ones.
Love and kisses!
Monday, September 8, 2014
We made it!
After 17 hours of flying, we have finally landed in Auckland! Customs was the usual; no food, animals or animal products, plants, hiking boots, fishing poles, or any sports equipment that is used outdoors. Finally, customs more strict than ours.
But we made it through (Marshall was stopped for bringing his jellies in his backpack on accident), picked up our rental car, and successfully drove to downtown Auckland, where we found our hotel. Hooray!
Now I have to figure out how to use these darn payphones….
But we made it through (Marshall was stopped for bringing his jellies in his backpack on accident), picked up our rental car, and successfully drove to downtown Auckland, where we found our hotel. Hooray!
Now I have to figure out how to use these darn payphones….
Sunday, September 7, 2014
We've had a rocky start...
...and we're still in Sea-Tac.
Hi everybody! It's been awhile, but I'm back! In the last year, I've finished college, had a couple more mishaps with my car (which I will write about later, probably), and am now on my way to New Zealand!
Woo New Zealand!
This is my "I graduated!" trip for myself, and my boyfriend and I found an excellent deal on Groupon, which is how we decided to go to New Zealand. Plus, it's New Zealand. Land of the Hobbits, luge, and springtime in September. Why wouldn't I want to go?
Anyways, all has been going well, the trip was booked, we were getting excited, and then two weeks ago, Marshall (said boyfriend) took a trip to the ER. As it turns out, he has mono. He's feeling better now, and the doctor says he is clear for takeoff, so we narrowly escaped a disaster. However, he still wasn't feeling well all this week, so I have been going to his house every day and taking care of him, which means I didn't start packing until yesterday. And I tend to stress when I pack last-minute.
Worried that I would forget everything, I spent all day packing and did not sleep last night because I dreamed I forgot my toothpaste and you can't buy toothpaste in New Zealand without special permission. Nobody said my dreams were interesting.
This morning, stressed, tired Catherine prepares to pack her laptop only to find that the cord has been frayed. So we had to run to the Apple store to buy a new cord ($83).
But we have everything now, and we wait to board our flight to LAX. A few bumps, but hopefully it will be smooth flying all the way to Auckland.
See ya soon!
Hi everybody! It's been awhile, but I'm back! In the last year, I've finished college, had a couple more mishaps with my car (which I will write about later, probably), and am now on my way to New Zealand!
Woo New Zealand!
This is my "I graduated!" trip for myself, and my boyfriend and I found an excellent deal on Groupon, which is how we decided to go to New Zealand. Plus, it's New Zealand. Land of the Hobbits, luge, and springtime in September. Why wouldn't I want to go?
Anyways, all has been going well, the trip was booked, we were getting excited, and then two weeks ago, Marshall (said boyfriend) took a trip to the ER. As it turns out, he has mono. He's feeling better now, and the doctor says he is clear for takeoff, so we narrowly escaped a disaster. However, he still wasn't feeling well all this week, so I have been going to his house every day and taking care of him, which means I didn't start packing until yesterday. And I tend to stress when I pack last-minute.
Worried that I would forget everything, I spent all day packing and did not sleep last night because I dreamed I forgot my toothpaste and you can't buy toothpaste in New Zealand without special permission. Nobody said my dreams were interesting.
This morning, stressed, tired Catherine prepares to pack her laptop only to find that the cord has been frayed. So we had to run to the Apple store to buy a new cord ($83).
But we have everything now, and we wait to board our flight to LAX. A few bumps, but hopefully it will be smooth flying all the way to Auckland.
See ya soon!
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