Difficult Days

My bus left Kaikoura at 12:35pm Tuesday afternoon. When it arrived in Christchurch near 3:30, the air was damp after a short rain. Coming into town on the bus, the damage of the earthquake was evident. Using the directions given to me by good ol’ google maps, I began walking to my place of residency for the night. While in Queenstown, I met Felix, and English chap, whose parents have been in living in Christchurch for the past 6 years. They were kind enough to host me for the night. After walking a good 45 minutes, I was warmly greeted by Nigel and Ronnie, Felix’s parents. We had a delightful evening of chatting and a home cooked meal. I was also given the wonderful news that Felix and Ben would be coming to Christchurch from Queenstown the following evening. It was the highlight of my day. After weeks of traveling, nothing can compare to seeing familiar faces. I went to bed with a smile on my face, looking forward to the day to come.

The next day arrived. The morning began slow and after having a quiet breakfast, I biked into the city center. I ditched the bike, relying on my own two feet to carry me around the CBD (central business district). On Feb. 22, 2011 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook the city causing much destruction. A year later, with aftershocks still being felt, much of the city remains fenced off. Vacant buildings, bulldozers, and piles of rubble litter the city center. It’s one thing to hear about the damage of the earthquake and another to physically see all the damage it caused. I took my time walking around the CBD before ending at the library where I had locked the bike. I spent some time in the library looking at travel books for my upcoming journey to Australia before cycling back to the house, making a couple stops along the way. I had dinner with Nigel and Ronnie along with another couple that was staying the evening. The guys weren’t expected until quite late so knowing I wouldn’t get much sleep in the airport, I tried to get some rest. The boys arrived sooner than expected. It was great seeing them and catching up with them a bit before they took me to the airport shortly after midnight.

My final hours in New Zealand were spent trying to sleep at the airport. When I first arrived, there was still some commotion so sleeping was difficult at first. Being the creep that I am, I just wanted to watch people. Finally in sitting position, leaning against a column, I was able to get some shut eye. I woke up occasionally before an employee came around 3am letting people know that the food court and check in area would be opening soon. I made my way to the check in counter where I was able to check my large pack so I didn’t have to carry it around. At 13.4kg, my pack has gained some weight. I then made my way to the food court which had much more comfortable seating for sleeping. At 4:15am I did what I could to finish what food I had left; pita, nutella, and chocolate. A well balanced breakfast, I know. I then made my way through security and to the departure gate. It wasn’t until I was on the plane that it hit me that I was leaving New Zealand and it made me quite sad. Seeing Ben and Felix, two familiar faces, before I left certainly didn’t make leaving New Zealand any easier. I hope to make it back someday.

Of all the days I’ve been traveling, my first few days here in Australia have been the hardest. I may be okay having one unrestful nights sleep but being sleep deprived for the past few days has taken it’s toll on me. With a few minutes sleep here and a few minutes sleep there, I was running on less than 5 hours of sleep when I arrived in Melbourne after a 4 hour flight. I collected my pack and made it through customs without any problems. After leaving the secured area, I found a seat in the corner and did my best to keep myself composed. Although during the course of my travels there have been times where I miss things about home, I would say that this was the first point that I have actually been homesick; a foreign feeling to me. The last place I wanted to be was in a new, unfamiliar city, all alone. I stayed in that corner for quite some time; eating the only comfort food I had left from home: fruit snacks. Although I didn’t want attention drawn to myself, I secretly hoped that someone would see my distress and offer to fly me back to Queenstown or home. Obviously, that didn’t happen. I didn’t have anywhere to be or any obligations, so I sat there in the airport for 4 hours. It wasn’t until noon when I grew hungry and needed to use the bathroom that I got up from that seat. There was an information board with a phone listing a few different hostels. The second one I called was located in St. Kilda. If I booked three nights at $21 a night in a 12 bed dorm (very cheap for Australia), there would be free transportation from the airport (a $19 value). You may recall reading in a previous post that I’m not one to book more than one night at a hostel until I’ve been there for at least one night so that I can get a feel of the place. For a great deal, I cast that aside. I went ahead and booked three nights. I waited for a bit before the airport shuttle left. During the 40 minute commute to the hostel, I did my best to stay awake but my eyelids were heavy and I drifted off a few times. Upon arrival, the hostel looked a bit dingy but because I had already booked in and didn’t have the energy to find another place, I went ahead and checked in. At many hostels, I enjoy sitting in the common area hanging out and talking with others. This was not the case. After placing my stuff in the room, I went out to get some food and then to the library for internet. Fighting exhaustion, I went back to the hostel around 7. In spite of the lights and noise around me, I fell asleep quickly. Although I shifted a few times during the night as people came and went, I managed to get a decent nights rest.

Although my Oklahoma friends know that my internal clock is quite good in that I can manage to guess close to the time quite often, this is not my preferred method of calculating time when traveling; yet that is what I have been doing the past few days. On my final day in Kiakoura, the heart of my watch stopped beating. First no alarm clock, now no watch. It was a sad day indeed. That being said, I’m not sure what time I woke up Friday morning. It was probably around 7:30am. Seeing as though the others in the room were still sleeping, I quietly got myself ready for the day before sneaking out to get breakfast at the supermarket. While eating my toast and jam, I decided to go into the city for the free walking tour and whatever else suited my fancy. After 30 minutes on the tram, I arrived at the city center where I gathered information before going on the 2.5 hour tour of the city. The tour was nice, it helped me learn a little history and get my bearings on the city. When the tour was finished, I made my way to Chinatown where I indulged in some Chinese grub; a nice change from the other food I’ve been eating. From there I made my way to the State Library where I spent the remainder of the afternoon in the grand reading room. I know, you might be thinking Ella, you’re in Australia, shouldn’t you be out seeing things rather than sitting in the library? I’ve thought the same thing but to be honest, I don’t really care. I’m tired and weary. The library closed at 6 and I then made my way to Queensbridge Square where a swing dancing event was being held outside. I gave it a go but this style of swing dancing was quite different from what I have been taught which made it a bit difficult but I stayed for a bit. Because I didn’t want to go back to the hostel, I find a few places in the city to sit and watch people. Being a Friday night, the city was bustling with activity. At 8:30 I took the tram back to the hostel. I tried to occupy myself in the room the rest of the night because I knew that if I attempted to go to sleep early, it would only be interrupted by people coming in and out of the room. It was a night of anguish. As I was sitting in my bed, a guy came in to take a shower. Being drunk, he left the shower door open which meant the bathroom floor was flooded as well as an 8’x3’ patch of carpet in the hallway. What a great start to the night. The noise from the common area outside could be heard clearly but I finally went to bed shortly after 11. I pretended to be asleep as people came and went during the early hours of the night. Then, around 1 am, a group of about 6 people came in; all of them drunk. With no respect for the fact that I was trying to sleep, they came in, turning on the lights, talking loudly, playing guitar, and leaving the door open. After 20 minutes they left, only to return again an hour or so later repeating what had happened shortly before. Some of them stayed and went to bed, one of which I don’t think was technically staying at the hostel, while the remaining 3 went out to a bar. They returned in the same fashion as before around what I would guess to be 5:30am. This round also included the smoking of weed right outside the door. I should probably mention that when I first called the hostel at the airport, I asked if it was a party hostel and the guy said no, they were moving away from that direction. Needless to say, my night was miserable.

Flinder Street Station

Royal Exhibition Grounds

The reading room in the library
where I spent the afternoon.

Swing dancing outside

I woke up at 7:30 this morning and after having breakfast, I went to reception and asked to change rooms. I would have checked out but I had already paid for the third night. The manager was understanding and changed my room to a 6 bed dorm. When I took my stuff to the new room, there were no beds empty as there were supposed to be. I ran this by the manager who went to the room to find that there was yet another guy who stayed the night who wasn’t supposed to be there. What a hostel! Let’s just say, after tonight, I will find another place to sleep. Well I guess that’s enough ranting for now.

The shower at the hostel.
Please note the black scum in the corner.