They say it's darkest before dawn. Which is I guess why I had to survive yesterday before I could start enjoying today.Yesterday was the worst day in NZ so far. I couldn't get out of my hostel and off of Waiheke Island fast enough. I got up early in the morning and walked the 30 minutes to the bus stop in the rain. I then waited another 30 minutes in the torrential rain. Then I took the ferry back in the rain. And then I walked another 30 minutes back to my hostel in Auckland in, you guessed it, torrential, blowing rain. Only to get back to my grubby hostel. A hundred little things went wrong along the way and, with each new one, I handled it worse
and worse. I spent the afternoon on the phone with the airlines trying everything in my power to change my flights to get home sooner. I failed. I talked to my family back home, which only made me feel even worse about the fact that I would be missing Christmas with them in favor of sitting in rainy New Zealand by myself. It wasn't pretty.
and worse. I spent the afternoon on the phone with the airlines trying everything in my power to change my flights to get home sooner. I failed. I talked to my family back home, which only made me feel even worse about the fact that I would be missing Christmas with them in favor of sitting in rainy New Zealand by myself. It wasn't pretty. Wanting to spend as little time at the hostel as possible, in the evening I went out to another movie. It's a real shame when your once-in-a-lifetime trip to one of the world's most beautiful countries becomes a time to catch up on the latest movies. The day was capped off by getting to come 
back to my hostel and having to go up to my room to sleep, a room that Sarah had aptly described as having "the stench of humanity" while she was there. I don't even understand how it's possible that people can smell like that!
back to my hostel and having to go up to my room to sleep, a room that Sarah had aptly described as having "the stench of humanity" while she was there. I don't even understand how it's possible that people can smell like that! But today the sun started to peek out of the clouds. Not literally, of course, no no. God forbid. But at least figuratively and, at this point, I'll take what I can get. Back in Melbourne I met a Kiwi (as people from NZ are called) who told me that I should take the Overlander train down to Wellington while I was here. It's a famously scenic ride which gives you a great overall picture of the North Island as it runs from pretty much the very top to the very bottom of the island. It's also famous for crossing the Raurimu Spiral, a "feat of engineering" in which through a serie
s of horseshoe curves and tunnels the train makes a complete loop over itself to get up a tricky section of mountain.
s of horseshoe curves and tunnels the train makes a complete loop over itself to get up a tricky section of mountain.Of course it was grey and rainy the whole ride but at least I was getting out of my circumstances and going somewhere new. I felt optimistic and energized for the first time in days. The train ride is 12 hours and I spent large amounts of time out on the little outdoor viewing platform where I could get a clear view of the, well, sheep. Seriously, how is it possible that so many sheep can populate one tiny little island? Either way, I have found that I like train travel. Twelve hours on a bus is hellish
. Twelve hours ona train isn't that bad. You can get up and walk around, go outside, get something to eat in the dining car... not bad at all.
. Twelve hours ona train isn't that bad. You can get up and walk around, go outside, get something to eat in the dining car... not bad at all. But the best part of the day, as odd as it may sound, was getting to my hotel room in Wellington. I simply could NOT deal with the idea of one more hostel so I had reserved a room in a real hotel. Like, a REAL one. One where I have my own room with my own bathroom. My own sparkling clean bathroom, no less. It has a big bed with crisp, clean sheets and mountains of non-lumpy, non-smelly pillows. There is a TV that not only works, but on which I can watch whatever I want, whenever I want. It is like a little slice
of heaven on earth and it was worth every single penny I paid for it. Every single one. At this point, it was a matter of maintaining my mental health (I'm only half joking) so money actually started to become irrelevant.
of heaven on earth and it was worth every single penny I paid for it. Every single one. At this point, it was a matter of maintaining my mental health (I'm only half joking) so money actually started to become irrelevant. When I walked in, I kid you not, I actually started to laugh with excitement. Very rarely have I felt such a tangible sense of relief coming off my shoulders, as in I could physically feel my shoulders getting lighter. I've known for some time now that I was over hostel life, that I needed some space of my own, but I didn't realize how much of a total difference in my outlook it could make to simply be somewhere nice and clean again. I went out, bought a bottle of wine, came back and hunkered down for the night to watch a great movie that just so happened to be starting exactly when I got there. Perfect. God bless the Trinity Hotel in Wellington. Aaaaaah.
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