Goodbye Tahiti, Hello New Zealand

I spent my last night in Tahiti couchsurfing with Sam, though he actually gave me a spare bedroom to myself.  With the open windows all the time, rather large roaches are not uncommon.  Sam managed to squash two, and I surely injured a third before going to sleep.  I didn't sleep much though being that it was hot, there were big bugs (at least in my mind) running free, and I had to get up at 4:45am for the flight to New Zealand.

We got to the airport at 5:45am, about 2 hours early, though Air Tahiti Nui recommends 3 hours.  I was the 6th to last person in line – a line I waited in for 1.5 hours.  I barely made my flight, so going forward, I'll always ensure I get to the airport as early as recommended, even if it means waking up at ungodly hours (while still being respectful of my host if I have a free ride).  I ran into Lucy again – her initial flight had been canceled and delayed 2 days.  The flight was rather uneventful.  If I haven't mentioned it, Air Tahiti Nui's service has been great, and I've enjoyed the food too.

I got myself to the Auckland Central Backpackers (hostel) quite easily via Airbus, and was immediately overwhelmed by the signs and ads.  It's a hostel on steroids – big Internet cafe, travel booking service, lounges, several stories of dorms and rooms, backpackers everywhere.  I didn't expect to feel overwhelmed entering an English-speaking country, and found myself in bed during the afternoon.  I remembered doing this in Tahiti – it took me about 48 hours to get past the jetlag.  I felt a bit off not going out on a Friday night in New Zealand's biggest city, however I quickly succumbed to sleep.

Saturday was marked by a short walk to the Sky Tower, and little walks broken up by naps.  I also decided on the backpacker bus trip I was going to take – STRAY from Auckland to Christchurch.  It's secondary to the bigger one – The Kiwi Experience – however the latter is supposedly more party-oriented, and I wasn't especially interested in that type of atmosphere.  STRAY seemed to get off the beaten track a bit more too.  I honestly didn't account for the cost of transport around this fine country.  The bus trip I booked is about the cheapest for both islands, between the two big companies, and ran me about $500 USD.

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.