End of Contiki

This morning, we got up really early to head back down to Auckland. When we got into Auckland, we waited by the bus for nearly an hour while everyone chatted and some people checked into the hotel that Contiki had organized for those who were willing to pay for it. We decided to all get lunch, but that didn’t end up happening exactly. Instead, I went with a group down the street to check into our hostels and then we went for ice cream.

It seemed like it was going to be difficult to walk around in such a big group and actually do anything, so after saying goodbye to a couple of people heading to the airport, Jacob and I split off from the rest of the group and walked around town.

We tried to find the Victoria Markets but ended up walking way past them to a city on the top of College Hill. It turned out the markets were closed for construction anyways, so we didn’t miss much. We headed back to the city and found a cute little café where I could get some chips for a snack and sat and talked, then we stopped back at my hostel for a little bit so I could show him where I’m staying because he had never been inside a hostel. Finally, we ended up in a mall across the street from the Mercure, where everyone else is staying, and sat and talked for an hour or so. We ended up getting locked in the mall because there was no announcement or anything saying it was closing, the lights just shut off. Luckily, we were able to get out through a restaurant that was still open.

We met up with the rest of the Contiki group still in New Zealand for dinner at O’Hagan’s Irish pub. I had the most amazing steak with mushrooms, barbecue sauce, chips, and a glass of wine. There was no way I could finish it, so I took a doggy bag home for breakfast. While we were waiting for dinner to be ready, we all stood up and said our parting to the group. It was actually a really sweet evening, one that probably maybe the trip for me.

Jacob and I at the Sky Tower -- the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere

Most amazing steak, ever

Parasailing

We were in the Bay of Islands all day today, so I decided to go for a run because of the late rise. Surprisingly, I was able to run right after breakfast and not feel sick. It was a nice run too. Since we were staying pretty close to the beach, it wasn’t as hilly as it would have been elsewhere. I had to keep my run shortish though because I signed up to go kayaking along the coast with a few other people that morning. I ended up sharing a kayak with Ben from Tasmania and we shared life stories. The going wasn’t very rough except for when we had to maneuver through the mangroves.

After kayaking, I took a shower and met up with Jacob before we headed back into town to look at souvenir stores and pick up some ice cream at Movenpick. It had gotten really cold out, so I was freezing by the time we went down to the boat for parasailing.

Parasailing isn’t something that I would really pay to do again. It was okay and the view was nice, but if it had been much windier, I think I would have gotten motion sickness like I do on swings. I was frozen after being on the boat all afternoon, so I put on multiple sweatshirts before we went out with the old group for dinner at an Italian place in honor of our last night on the tour. It was an okay meal, but it took them forever to cook and it was kind of expensive, to me at least. I really don’t like spending more than $10 on a meal and since I always cook in Sydney, I’m still not used to the prices of eating out down here.

Sebastian and I going up

Bay of Islands

This morning came really fast. I was up before 6 and on the bus by 7. Breakfast wasn’t fantastic, so I was happy when I woke up from my bus nap and we were in Auckland. I wandered the streets with Scottie, Sebastion, and Jacob for a little bit. I feel like I have a possie or something. We went and got Burger King, even though it was only 10 in the morning. There wasn’t much else to do. We randomly found the hostel that I’m staying in when we come back to Auckland and I picked up a magnet from the souvenir store.

When we got back on the bus, we were joined by 25 more people on the same tour everyone else has been doing but going in the opposite direction. They got a whole little orientation to Contiki, which kind of made me feel weird about joining in Wellington and not really getting anything special. Then we were en route to the Bay of Islands.

The Bay of Islands is pretty nice. It reminds me of just about any other beachy island town. The group went to dinner at Shippey’s. It was this cute little boat set in the sand next to the ocean. The chicken burger I got with my wine was pretty good, but I ate way too much. 

Auckland as we passed through

Bay of Islands