My Auckland Arrival
I arrived in Auckland, New Zealand at around 10.15pm on February 1st 2018.
My 3.5hr hour flight from Fiji was a short one (in comparison to my 11.5hr flight from LA to Fiji) and I was glad I finally made it to my destination. I felt like if for some reason I had to turn right back around and go home – I’d already accomplished my 2 year goal (in a way) of traveling to New Zealand.
As I got off the plane I guess the adrenaline was still with me cause I felt fine. Walking through the halls of the airport I was scouring the place for something that had “New Zealand” written on it so I could take a picture to post 😀. The airport itself looked like a medium sized developed country airport – lookin mostly new, uniformed officers where ever you turned and signs pointing you where you needed to go. Everything done in an official and orderly manner.
There were one or two signs and branding that was in a different language. Some said “Kia Ora. Others “Welcome to Aotearoa”. Not quite sure what language it was but I assumed it might be their indigenous one. However I did note that everything else was in English.
I waited for my bag, used the free wifi (yay) to message my friend who was picking me up and also to let my immediate family & friends know that I’d made it safely. I got myself to New Zealand! I also didn’t hesitate to tell them I missed a day on the calendar. Completely skipped it. Because of the different time zones, I left Fiji on January 30th and arrived in Auckland on February 1st. I never saw or experienced January 31st of 2018. I thought that was so cool #timetraveller.
After I collected my one check in bag, I promptly lined up in the long but semi swift moving declare line and waited to pass through. In New Zealand (luckily I was told before hand) they don’t PLAY when it comes to things coming into their country. They won’t hesitate to slap a $400NZ fine ($250 USD or $800EC) on you for a likkle fruit or anythin in ya bag. Ya girl had hot sauce (among other things). You know, the precious goods from back home. So I told them everythin. They scanned my bags through and luckily there were no issues.
I met a girl on the plane who apparently was returning to NZ from Tonga (a pacific island) where she went to visit her family. She was friendly and in asking her how NZ was she didn’t quite have a lot to say – she said she didn’t do much apart from work and home. I saw her after I collected my bags and got her number. I hoped I made a new friend.
I strutted outside and went looking for Mo (Full name Matesha – a crucial person to ease me into my New Zealand life). [Side note: Mo and I met two years ago in St Kitts on a boat cruise. A random conversation left me discovering this Dominican lived in New Zealand and was happy to keep in touch for when I finally arrived] I found her with a big smile and a big hug and was also introduced to her daughter.
Stepping outside was surreal because 1. I knew I was in New Zealand and I’d made it after all this time, but 2. It actually looked…normal. There were designated parking lots for people to wait, stops for buses and ubers to pull up, a big building or two in the surrounding area. As we drove off, we pulled onto 2 and 1 lane roads that were well painted and maintained with roundabouts here and there. Shops, complexes and buildings on either side but none huge and obscure. Traffic lights that functioned and were obeyed (at all hours of the day or night) and so on and so forth. In the mean time I got the breakdown of the house dynamic, New Zealand and the small Caribbean crew that seemed to be thriving over here.
We pulled up at the house and I was shown my lovely new space for the time that I’d be staying by Mo 🙂 I had eaten on the plane so I wasn’t hungry. Mo made sure I had everything I needed and as it was late, we all called it a night.
I found my pajamas, then laid down on my bed with my suitcases next to me while messaging a few people back home. I was in the dark, in a new country, a new home, a new everything.
I didn’t for one second think that I made the wrong decision. But I did wonder If I knew what I was doing (which I didn’t). I didn’t have a ‘plan’. I didn’t know what direction my life was going to take. And this had me feeling a little uneasy, especially after it took so much planning to get here!
The only plans I had was to be in Auckland city for two weeks before I was due to begin a 3 week bus tour going all over the country. What lay ahead? No clue. What was I going to get up to? I drew a blank. But I knew I was there, and I was leaving the rest to fate.
I’d figure something out…wouldn’t I?
[P.S I didn’t end up messaging the girl I met on the flight in the end. I forgot her name! But it was a good first step reaching out like that I think!)
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