Our taxi ride to the airport was with the same woman who took us on a tour of the island -- Lolo must be ill. She kept conversation to a minimum on the half-hour ride (how does it take that long? The island isn't that big) except for a few Imthi style "Eee-yah"s in acknowledgement of what I said. Or maybe it was Tongan for "shut up." After all, the schoolkids have a habit of saying "bye!" whenever they beat you to saying "hello."
The bustling metropolis of Fua'amotu International was buzzing in its one-plane-a-day way. We'd seen a plane land as we approached and despite the woman saying "there's your plane" it couldn't be ours, it was landing too early. Our computer printed tickets clearly state 03.15. The flight board says 02.15. Hmm. Acting casual (actually, sweating and tired) we appeared to be the last or thereabouts to check-in. The departure tax was now T$ 25 (from T$20) so our carefully budgetted last few days were wasted. That meant we had T$ 14.80 to splash around in duty-free. Our choice was lots (well, a little) of chocolate (you're not allowed to import food into New Zealand), the cheapest roughest vodka or gin or keep the money as souvenirs. My not-to-be-used-again bag of old notes and coins bulges further.
The aircrew were, um, positive in trying to ensure everyone got a (disgusting) hot breakfast at 3am, waking our elderly neighbour three times to do so.
5am, then, Auckland airport. What next? As it happens, immigration and declaring seashells and board games takes enough time that we arrive at the exit doors just as the first Airbus heads into town. Net Club, oh Net Club. What would we do without your 24 hour availability? Keeping up to date with emails at 6.30am and checking money etc. kept us busy until we could check-in.
We phoned around [car rental companies] and Auckland - Christchurch one-ways aren't popular in the trade as they don't get their cars back (mental note: there must be good rates in the other direction). We agree NZ$ 39 per day with two free days and that the guy would be around in half-an-hour. Not expecting the deal making aspect I suspect I should have hammered them on the daily rate and/or more free days. Still the £ 14 per day isn't too bad. He doesn't turn up in the car but merely to take me to the shop. The guy's pretty good giving me directions to the best walks in the Whampoa Forest. I emerge forty minutes later (it's the sort of busy shop where the staff are a bit hectic and the phone comes first) with a battered, slate grey Corolla that has air con and electric mirror adjust but no central locking. I impress myself in getting back to the YHA (it's only two roads).
We try and sneak in a quick showing of L.O.T.R T.F.O.T.R.. Sadly, it's no longer showing. Harry Potter has had its prices bumped up for the first two weeks too so we go and waste our budget on [camera] films, [new] journals etc..
A final burst in Net Club (well four hours) and we're up to date. There are two pages left in this physical journal so room to write about today then start the new journal with New Zealand proper. Apathy and tiredness reduce dinner to a banana and some Sprite and we collapse at 9.30 with a view to catching up on a night's sleep and get up early and hit New Zealand tomorrow (preferably before lunch).
City YHA, Auckland S36.85673 E174.76274 Elev. 104m.
Copyright 2002 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.