Will Around the World

The flight from Sydney to Auckland was terrific. It was operated by Air New Zealand, which has a reputation for impeccable service, and this time they did not disappoint. This flight featured leather seats, ample legroom and delicious meals. This flight's service crew were much older than the flight attendants on Virgin Blue and Jetstar, the discount Australian domestic carriers. Some of them looked barely out of high school.

I am going to stay in New Zealand for eleven days. Almost all of this time I will be on the South Island, which is blessed with temperate rainforests, snow-capped mountains, glaciers and fjords. (I thought the South Island's mild climate would be a relief from the hot weather of the last two weeks.) To make this schedule, I will pass through Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, for just one night and one day. Then I am off to Christchurch, the hub of the South Island, for one night. The following morning I will start a seven-day bus tour of the South Island. Then back to Christchurch for a day, from where I will return to Auckland and finally, San Francisco.

While I was in Australia I arranged to stay with someone in Auckland. This was through the fabulous travel website Couchsurfing.com, which I had used several times before to find a place to hang my hat and meet friendly locals. I actually tried to CouchSurf while I was in Australia, but strangely, not one person was able to host me. This time I found a friendly-sounding girl named Silke who lives near the center of Auckland. After staying in crowded hostels for the past two weeks, I was looking forward to a quiet night in a comfortable home.

I arrived in Auckland at 9 PM and took the AirBus to the city. I needed to get cash so I walked around the center in an area known as Sky City. Auckland is even more dominated by immigrants than Sydney. The main artery, Queen Street, is full of Korean, Chinese and Japanese restaurants and stores. Young Chinese walk down the street speaking Cantonese. In an alley I passed a group of Pacific Islanders. They chanted mockingly: "Ying yong yaw!" I guess it is only natural that this great influx from Asia has taken some people longer than others to accept. The kids here dress more like Americans than Aussies: sweatshirts, baggy pants and tennis shoes. I was more intimidated by them than by Aussies, but they still don't hold a light to San Jose Sureños or Richmond Crips.

I reached Silke's house at 10 PM. She greeted me with a broad smile. She was watching Woody Allen's Miranda/Miranda. She is 5'9", has light eyes and a fit build. As I talked to her, I learned that she is originally from Berlin. She moved to Auckland in February 2006 to study communications at a university here, and she will be here through next October. Her roommate Barbara came in. It turns out that she recently traveled to the South Island. She gave me some valuable advice, and completely made me rethink my itinerary. I was planning to breeze through each stop, but she told me to have a flexible schedule. I might like some place enough to spend an extra day or two, and of course rain, which is common this time of year, could hold me up. She suggested two very intriguing activities: skydiving at Fox Glacier and hiking on one of New Zealand's world-renowned tracks (or trails).

At midnight I called it a night. Silke let me sleep in a vacant room—it was the first time I had a room to myself this entire trip. It was great. I had a restful sleep. Next morning Silke shared some savory German bread with pate spread. Beat the white toast I was eating in the hostels. It was too bad I couldn't enjoy Silke's hospitality another night!

Auckland

Today Silke didn't have any classes and she graciously agreed to spend the day with me to show me the city. Setting out from her home in Ponsonby, we walked on K Road and Queen St. toward the Ferry Terminal. From there we took the ferry to Devonport. This town has a hill with a nice view of Auckland Harbour and the city's skyline. Devonport is cute; it reminds me of Tiburon. After some time we took the ferry back to the city. Auckland reminds me of Sydney, but on a smaller scale. The streets are about as busy as Boston's are. We had lunch at one of the city's numerous Asian eateries, this one a Korean place. There was a big table of Chinese schoolboys in coats and ties, and another table with two Chinese girls watching a Korean variety show showing on the restaurant's flatscreen TV. I ordered oxtail soap. It wasn't as flavorful as the Chinese version.

Silke made for a good guide and companion. She is articulate and I liked talking to her about a variety of topics, including travel, of which she has done much. She did catch me off-guard one time when she asked me which country I visited had the most beautiful girls. Fortunately I had a ready answer (which you can tell when you read the archives of this travelogue).

Silke and Galileo

At 2 PM we returned to her flat. I got my bag and wished her farewell. Silke has a brother who lives in the Bay Area, and she tries to visit him every now and then. I hope we'll meet again the next time she comes. I needed to catch the bus back to the airport. I ended up spending much more time than I expected waiting for the bus, and then waiting in traffic. I was sure I was going to miss my flight. I got to the airport 15 minutes before the flight was scheduled to depart and ran to the gate. When I got there I saw a throng of people waiting around a closed door; boarding had not yet started. I breathed a sigh of relief. Only in New Zealand could I have made the flight.

Waiting for the bus

# posted by billklee @ 22:40