Day 19: Traveling to NZ

In order to catch my 6:30am international flight, I had to catch the 3:55am shuttle to the airport. So with only about 3 hours of sleep, I packed my stuff and went outside the wait in the 10-degree C cold. In fact, most of eastern Australia was experiencing cold like they hadn't seen in a long time. It snowed in Sydney for the first time since 18**-something. They claimed it was mushy hail, but it was confirmed to be snow.

I got checked in at the airport, through immigration, and was awaiting departure when it was announced that there would be a 2-hour delay in boarding due to a mechanical problem. That would cause me to miss my connection in Brisbane into Auckland, New Zealand. Before I could finish that thought and fall back asleep on the bench, my name was called. Qantas had already rerouted me through Sydney on a flight that was leaving in 15 minutes. Good times!

I slept through "breaky" on the first flight into Sydney, but lunch on the way to Auckland was great! Turbulence was rough descending into Auckland, and I soon realized why. A major storm cell, said to be the worst in 10 years, was hovering over the North Island. I was soaked by the time I got my bags into my rented Ford Fiesta.

A little dead-reckoning to get out of the airport car park, and I was on my way to the east coast and Whitianga. About 120km later, I was stopped just outside Thames on the side of a mountain with a class V river below in the pouring rain because a tree had uprooted in the loose soil and was lying across the road. The police and fire crews were on the scene with chainsaws. Jenny in the vehicle in front of me came back to talk. Very friendly these people are. She was also heading to Whitianga, but she had concerns about me being able to get that far in my little rental. The rain slowed, and we all went to look at the tree. As travelers on both sides started comparing notes, I discovered that the roads in Whitianga and some roads on the way were flooded knee-deep. After careful consideration, I decided to turn around and go back to Thames to stay at a backpackers there.

Entering Thames it looked like a ghost town with very few people in sight. The backpackers were all closed, so I stopped at a bar to ask about other accommodations that might still be open at 8:45pm. I was directed to a string of motels coming into town, and she mentioned the Avalon. So I drove there. The office was dark, but there was a night bell. I rang. A man stepped out onto the balcony above me and asked what he could do. I told him my story, which he had heard several times that night already. He told me that they were full, but that he and his wife had a spare room in their house. By this time, the winds had reached 90 knots, so I accepted. The wind sounded like the roof was going to come off. Later, they told me that they keep a room open for just my type of situation, thinking that if their own kids were traveling and needed help, someone else would be just as willing to take them in. Bruce and Raven were so nice to allow me to stay, and their house was better than any backpackers I could have stayed at. Full room rate was $100NZ, but he accepted $40NZ, which is less than $30US.

Early this morning, the storm was beginning to pass, and by the time I got up and going (10am), it was a beautiful sunny day! I am now finishing up my laundry, which by the smell of it, went way too long between washings. I'm told the roads to Whitianga are open now, as the water recedes quickly after a storm.

While I was caught out last night, I heard on the radio that the Bledisloe Cup rematch between the NZ All-Blacks and the Australia Wallabies rugby teams is being played in Auckland on Saturday. And I'll be there, section 110 which is like the 20-yard line in American football, 2nd deck, 1st row! I'm so excited!