Alas, ‘twas finally near time to say good-bye to NZ – I caught a bus up to Dunedin and we rolled in around 2. As a poor way of saying thanks for the hospitality (and tutorial in Settlers of Catan), I ended up cooking Dave and Drea dinner – a spicy tofu curry.
That sent me off to the local grocery store, which on the face of it, doesn’t sound all that exciting. But, it’s odd, but doing something so normal and non-touristy is always an interesting way to get a better sense for a place. For example, even a casual walk-through in the UK would reveal that this is a society that loves, loves, loves chocolate, crisps (chips), and beer, with aisle after aisle devoted to these ‘big 3’.
NZ was a little different. Prices were pretty steep, especially for the many things that had to be shipped down. Bell peppers for example, were about $3… EACH. Ouch. But, on the plus side, they had free microbrew tasting – shopping after all is thirsty work!
Dave and Drea rolled back around 6, and somehow survived my cooking, washed down with some ridiculously good Emerson’s London Porter beer, and the treat of having Ben & Jerry’s for dessert.
Some Settlers, then brainstorming with Drea about the upcoming wedding – they were really keen on coming up with ideas involving the kids attending, since really, what kid EVER thinks a wedding is fun?
The next day was more general faff about Dunedin – funny how you can come to feel so comfortable in a city so quickly. Another cappuccino and delicious muffin at my favorite café, then I ended up taking a bunch of photos of the Octagon and the local market.
I also gave into temptation and picked up a scarf and woolly hat made out of possum fur – incredibly soft and warm, as I had to keep reminding myself that travel would be coming to an end just as London finished began gearing up for another winter.
Dave came out for lunch, and we went (where else?) to Velvet burger – mango/chili/venison this time, and equally tasty. He also shared the news that Drea and he had a few job prospects back in the States, so it was possible that they might end up moving back sooner than they had planned. Exciting stuff!
Then it was ‘bye to Dunedin, and we all piled into the car for the longish road trip up to Christchurch. In a classic case of good timing, Drea ended up winning a bid for some sort of chicken on eBay (seriously), and had to pick it up.
That saved me a boring trip on the bus, and to make up for their car’s extreme lack of decent radio stations or music, Dave and I proceeded to promptly entertain Drea with bad renditions of “You Lost That Loving Feelin’” Good times.
Some more silly road games and driving past countless sheep, we pulled off for dinner at a random roadhouse. It was super friendly and had a pretty eclectic menu. Bless the Kiwis, they certainly are game for trying any cuisine, but our burritos and nachos were soooo not Mexican. Filling? Yup. Tasty? Sure. But without key ingredients like cilantro, salsa, and the like, it just wasn’t Mexican.
Hm – maybe we should call it Kiw-exican?
That night we all ended up staying at the Dorset Hostel – an immaculate place near the center. Clean private rooms for about 15 quid were a steal, and we ended up playing Settler with tea, with the Maori Kiwi classic “The Whale Rider” in the background.
Alas, the next morning, it was time to say goodbye to Dave and Drea, who were doing a day trip on the Tranzalpine Railway – a gorgeous train ride across the NZ Alps to Greychurch and back. Two weeks hanging out was pretty awesome – and it was only a short-term goodbye, as we’d all be back together for the wedding in October.
My last day in New Zealand was pretty cool. I got to explore Christchurch again, a city that’s pretty flat with regimented grid-based streets. While it doesn’t have the quirky charm of Dunedin, nestled up and between steep hills, it’s a good city to wander around.
Most of the morning was spent at their arts/craft center – a converted private school in the English style, with lots of grey stone and quiet green courtyards. Rather than raze it when the school ended, it’s now home to a great collection of craftsmakers and art galleries, plus some exceptional cafes. It surprised me, but before I knew it, I had spent over 3 hours just popping in and out of anyplace that looked good.
A stroll around the center brought back memories of the last time I was here in 2004; then it was time to head back to the hostel and grab my stuff for my flight.
The plan was to walk to the nearby bus stop and then to the airport. Simple, no?
But rather than just wait and get cold in the rain, I decided to just walk along the bus route figuring the next bus stop would be along shortly.
Nope. 30 minutes walk later, I was getting pretty gassed. And the classic Kiwi kindness kicked in again.
As I crossed a street, an airport shuttle taxi driver just waved me over. He took pity on me lugging my big backpack and day pack around, and ended up giving me a free ride to the airport. Sweet. Plus, turns out he had lived in the UK for awhile, so we ended up comparing notes.
Then at last, it was time to go… caught my flight up to Auckland and then off to SF – my four month journey was (sniff) nearly at an end!
