Checking in from Wellington on Thursday night 8 p.m. (3 a.m. Houston). Today was gloriously sunny - it seems like I should have rearranged my plans a day behind to take advantage of the weather, but oh well. I spent over 6 hours on the bus today from Taupo to Wellington and finally got good glimpses of the 3 volcanoes in Tongariro National Park. Views were gorgeous from the bus, and I was kicking myself because I sat on the wrong side, but luckily the bus driver pulled over to allow "overseas visitors" to take pictures of the mountains. I got a good shot of Mt. Doom! And for one stretch of the trip - I believe it was the Desert Road - EVERYTHING was covered in snow. And it's technically still fall! I got to make a snowball and this other traveler excitedly said, "This is my first experience with New Zealand snow!"
This kiwi Neil sat next to me on the bus, and since the bus usually has a lot of kiwis on it, he was talking to some other people around him. I figured (from experience of being in NZ) that he was avoiding talking to me because he figured I was Chinese and couldn't speak English. And I was right. =/ They were talking about how they thought the Desert Road was closed, but I told them that we passed a sign that said the road was now open. Then Neil gave me a surprised look and said, "Oh so you speak English!" Then he could also tell that I was American, and then when I told him from Texas he wouldn't stop talking about his life and asking me questions about America/Texas for the rest of the 6-hour trip. He asked the usual questions: do I live on a ranch? do I ride a horse to work? do I drive a Cadillac? etc. Told him I drove a MINI and he said he didn't even think that we had them over there. Yes folks, my quest to change the stereotypes that foreigners have of Americans continues. When I was in Waitomo on the bus, there was a group of flight attendants from Cathay Pacific taking group pictures, and Casper from Denmark asked if I always did the peace sign in photos as well. I said Noooo and he said, "It's all right if you do; it's the Asian trend." Looks like I still have a lot of work to do!
I arrived in Wellington in the same train station as 5 years ago and managed to get a general sense of my heading. It's amazing how this stuff stuck with me even though I was only here for a few days before and my general sense of direction tends to suck for the most part. When I got closer to where I thought I needed to be I did my "let me get some kiwi help me" by standing next to my luggage and opening up my Lonely Planet. Works like a charm!
My dorm room at Nomads has a really spacious closet and... oh no wait, that's the bedroom. They squeezed 4 of us into a normal-sized bedroom. And because I arrived last I got stuck with the top bunk of course, with the ladder placed inconveniently at the end of the bed, and the whole frame shakes like crazy when I climb up or down. I don't know if it's because I've gotten older or maybe because I'm no longer a poor college student and can actually afford better accommodation, but the whole dorm room hostel experience isn't quite the fun times it used to be. It's a nice building though - really old fashioned but updated, and it's located next to a really nice bar. I really like Wellington; it has a nice blend of good places to eat and pretty buildings and gardens and museums and such, but I unfortunately couldn't squeeze it into my schedule. I feel like I'm already planning my NEXT trip to New Zealand!
I decided to walk around for a bit since there is no space at all to sit in my dorm room, and I actually found the exact same internet cafe iPlay that I went to 5 years ago when I was traveling with 2 of my friends, and I'm even sitting at the EXACT same computer that I used back then too. I almost got all teary-eyed when I saw it from the outside.
Tomorrow I am heading on the Interislander Ferry and finally crossing over to the South Island. I'm heading to sunny Nelson (staying Nelson Central YHA) and maybe doing some hiking/kayaking around Abel Tasman Park. I'm trying to figure out the last legs of my trip and painfully cutting out the stuff I can't fit in. This will begin my last week in New Zealand! =( I almost had this temptation to check my work e-mail the other day but fortunately didn't go through with it. New Zealand has a "lifeback guarantee," promising you'll get your life back if you visit, and I certainly didn't want to do anything to mess with that. ;)
