Day 11 – Auckland, New Zealand – 9a

There were moments last Friday when I had to pinch myself.  I needed the reminder that I’m finally in a foreign country and the 9 months of planning are beginning to play out.  On Friday, November 13, I landed in Auckland, New Zealand with no solo, international traveling experience.  Even without this prior knowledge, I was able to catch a bus to the city center and walk the remaining 10 minutes to Attic Backpackers on Wellesley Street.  The self-induced pinching described earlier happened on this bus ride from the airport:

Paul, this is happening; your round-the-world adventure is occurring; you’re no longer in the United States.

Upon arriving at Attic Backpackers I was informed that check in was not until 1pm.  I had 4 hours to fill; I stored my 2 bags and hit the streets of Auckland.  My first stop was Starbucks minutes from my hostel.  Since I don’t drink coffee, I purchased a juice solely to access their wireless internet and email my immediate family letting them know I landed and made it to my accommodations.  I quickly reached my allotted data limit and was forced to relocate.  Armed with a simple street map I walked to the waterfront-area of the city, a simple 10-15 minute walk.  It felt liberating walking around without my bags over my shoulders.

The Auckland waterfront is teeming with activity.  Ferries are departing one after the next en-route to local islands.  For every ferry that departs another arrives.  The harbor is also active with private boats, motor yachts, and the occasional seaplane.  With this backdrop I sat back, put my feet up and realized that my round-the-world adventure was in motion.

Luckily, Auckland allots 1 gb of free wifi to anyone within the confines of the city center.  I realized it does not expand to the entire city the following day but that is a separate story.  I successfully let friends and family know I was safe and sound.  As 1pm approached, I slowly walked back to my hostel eager to check in and make sure my belongings were still secure.

I was filled with nervous anticipation as I made my way down the hallway and into my assigned room.  I turned the key, stepped through the door and the room was unoccupied.  I saw backpacks lying on the floor but the owners were obviously out for the day.  I set down my bags and began to better organize my belongings.  The 10 hours of flying and lack of sleep overpowered me and I laid down for a short period of time.

I didn’t want to get too comfortable as there were errands to run and food to purchase.  I re-laced my shoes and made a list of items to acquire.  With that, I returned to the bustling city streets.  Since it was only early afternoon I decided to walk around a bit more before buying groceries and returning to my hostel.  I explored the streets inland from the waterfront and quickly realized Auckland is a haven for backpackers as with every turn of my head I saw someone else lugging around a mountain of gear on their back.  I ran into 2 Germans who were biking the entire length of New Zealand.  They estimated their journey would take 7 months but may go long as the trailers they towed were heavier than expected.  It was refreshing to hear various accents and languages as I perused the city.

With groceries in hand I returned to my hostel and waited for my roommates to return.  They eventually did and I introduced myself and we started to get to know each other and discuss our backgrounds and our travel aspirations.  It turned out they were all from Europe: a Scot who arrived the previous day, a Brit who was departing the next morning and a Frenchman who was planning on working in New Zealand for 10 months.  The Scot and Brit had a bit more traveling experience than myself and I enjoyed picking their brains on favorite locations they had visited.  Although we were all from different parts of the world, traveling had brought us together and we were eager to continue on our journeys and experience what New Zealand and the world has to offer.