My adventures in New Zealand began and ended in Auckland, simply because that’s where the cheapest international airport was. For me, Auckland began with trees and ended with tries.
Auckland’s Trees
Within 24 hours of landing, my feet were sore. A veil of jetlagged idiocy fell upon me too, but more on that another time.
That should surprise none of you. It is surprising to me what the cartoon view of Google Maps doesn’t let you see. Important things. Like how many very steep hills are all over the place (I have since learned how to toggle that view).
While I’m still a little disappointed I wasn’t able to hike around Tongariro National Park (ie Mordor) due to the winter season (June) and the need for their website to advise potential hikers to “bring and be versed in the use of avalanche gear,” I think I more than made up for my mountain climbing by hiking the Eden Gardens, which I stumbled upon in my I-don’t-wander-around-consulting-a-map way.
I’m more than happy that I was able to substitute Mt. Eden for Mt. Doom. It also makes me giggle (it’s funny, I promise).
In Myers Park, I found my New Zealand reading tree. Later I even found out that the building across, which featured some excellent bird graffiti, was actually the same place my current bed was housed. So now I’ll definitely be able to find my tree again!
While I revisited my tree briefly on my last day in Auckland, I found another in my final wanderings where I spent some decent time reading time. Plenty have called me treehugger, but here, my nearly six-foot-self was thrilled to be the little spoon.
“It is not the not-man (e.g. weather) nor man, (even at a bad level), but the man-made that is ultimately daunting and insupportable. If a ragnarök would burn all the slums and gas-works, and shabby garages, and long arc-lit suburbs, it could for me burn all the works of art – and I’d go back to trees.”
J.R.R Tolkien
Auckland’s Tries
Trees I expected to see. They are over much of the world after all. But on my final day, New Zealand said goodbye in such a way to be etched in my memory forever.
What a send off! Never would I have expected to finish this trip the way I did. In a pub of all places, with strangers, cheering on the live broadcast of a sports game.
The original date of this adventure was June 24, 2017. For those of you who don’t know, there was a game in Auckland on this night. Not just a game, but The Game. A rugby game for the record books: the British and Irish Lions vs the New Zealand All Blacks. I may have no idea about rugby, but I know what it means when nearly every hotel and hostel in the whole city is fully booked. There are an estimated extra 60,000 people in the city tonight. A few minutes before the start of the game, the streets were empty. It paled in comparison to the literal flood of red and black pouring in one direction.
Auckland directs sports fans like a composer arranging a symphony.
There was a walking “Fan Trail” set leading from the harbor/train station/bus terminal area to the stadium. Which ran about three miles. When I stumbled across said fan trail, I thought “oh why not” and joined them. There were people to keep fans entertained while on the trail. DJs, costumed actors, live bands, dance teams, free pies, bagpipers, face painters. Not to mention all the people in orange with megaphones and flashlights directing traffic (or the crowd rather, and trying to keep them and the actual traffic separate).
As one local responded when I said I wasn’t in town for the game “You are now.” So I did something I never have before; sat in a bar, ordered some chips, and watched the game. If I ever need to date my trip to a Kiwi in the future, I’ll only need to say “when the All Blacks beat the Lions in Eden Park.”
Adorable ‘Ignorant Kaitlin’ story time. I am not, nor have ever been a fan of sports. As a child, I would be brought to a game, generally one containing someone I’m related to, and ended up looking down at whatever book I brought more than whatever constituted the playing field. So when I saw lots of homemade signs saying “Try!” held aloft by fans in Auckland, my first thought was, “they’re so much nicer here than the States! They don’t care who wins, only that they’re trying!”
Yeah… no.
Kaitlin’s Adventures in New Zealand took place June 8-25, 2017