A few days ago, the three of us went out for Mod Pizza and began discussing our return to New Zealand in earnest. We've been saying pretty much since the first voyage that we'd like to return for the tenth anniversary, or at least i have, but over the past decade it's just been idle talk. Now that 2017 is drawing to a close and that deadline is looming, it's time to get serious.
I was pretty set on going back in March again, roughly on the same time frame as the original trip, and take a similar route. It worked out really well for us before, as that schedule was by design. Going to New Zealand in March offers a few advantages: it's the end of their summer (seasons being reversed in the southern hemisphere and all), and thus the end of their tourist season. This means good deals for tourists, as well as smaller crowds at popular destinations. But perhaps the biggest one is the car rental, which makes use of another abnormality in our travel plans. We started in Christchurch and ended in Auckland; most tourists go the other way. By starting in Christchurch at the end of tourist season, when you rent a car, you're more likely to get an upgrade, due to them needing to get the vehicles back up north before next season. We paid for a small car last time, and were given an eight-passenger van (our girl Lucy! <3). We're hoping to have the same luck this time around.
Other ideas were bandied about, such as going in the fall, due to Amanda's roller derby schedule, and taking the more typical route of Auckland to Christchurch, just to make the experience a little different. However the takeaway from our meeting seems to be that we're best off doing things the way we did before, and we've set tentative dates for March 4 - 25. This does have us leaving on a Sunday, since Amanda's got a bout on March 3rd, but i think it'll be worth it. These dates aren't set in stone yet, we may yet choose fall, but i have gotten those dates approved off from work already. My primary concern about pushing off until fall is that i'm concerned we'll end up not doing it at all, as we are hoping to be in the midst of moving west around that time.
Taking the same route, Christchurch to Auckland, will offer us the advantages i discussed above, and i think we all finally agreed that those are more important than varying up the direction of travel. We definitely already have a list of things to do that are very different from the last time around, and i think that a little more preplanning will allow us to increase the efficiency of the trip.
So yeah, seeing different things is a priority, but also seeing some of the same things. We want to see how the country has changed in the last ten years. The Christchurch Cathedral is number one on the list for that exact reason. Abel Tasman park is on the list, because the last time, we'd planned a whole day there and only got about an hour due to the Farewell Spit debacle. Speaking of which: i'd really like to skip Farewell Spit altogether, but Alyssa wants to drive out there just to take a picture of the three of us standing at the cafe, looking out at the spit, and flipping it the bird. I may be okay with that.
Plus, my video production value is going to be off the chart compared to last time. Holy shit. This'll be Travel Channel worthy, i swear to the old gods and the new.
Alright, now i have a few solemn vows to take.
During this preparation time, i've reread excerpts from the log i kept last time, and i was...less than impressed with myself. I mean, my writing's gotten a lot better in the last ten years, but beyond that, the bitching. Jesus. I used the log to complain about so much more than i should have. I was a whiny post-teen who was too concerned about money and not focused enough on the life-changing story unfolding around me.
So, i hereby solemnly swear:
-Not to complain about how much things cost; i'm paying $2000 for a plane ticket, a nine-dollar cup of soup isn't going to break the bank.
-Not to whine about how touristy things are; i am a tourist, this is what i wanted, i'll enjoy it, dammit.
-Not to complain about naked men in showers. They're showers. People take their clothes off.
-Not to talk about bathrooms unless they are truly noteworthy.
-To make sure my camera batteries are always charged.
-To make the absolute most of this experience.
-To always have a sunny disposition and look on the bright side of life.
Our last trip to New Zealand was, as Amanda put it years later, our coming of age story.
This trip will be the end cap to our lives in Wisconsin.
Fuck yeah.
Oh, i'm still going to swear a lot in the log, it's probably fine.
I was pretty set on going back in March again, roughly on the same time frame as the original trip, and take a similar route. It worked out really well for us before, as that schedule was by design. Going to New Zealand in March offers a few advantages: it's the end of their summer (seasons being reversed in the southern hemisphere and all), and thus the end of their tourist season. This means good deals for tourists, as well as smaller crowds at popular destinations. But perhaps the biggest one is the car rental, which makes use of another abnormality in our travel plans. We started in Christchurch and ended in Auckland; most tourists go the other way. By starting in Christchurch at the end of tourist season, when you rent a car, you're more likely to get an upgrade, due to them needing to get the vehicles back up north before next season. We paid for a small car last time, and were given an eight-passenger van (our girl Lucy! <3). We're hoping to have the same luck this time around.
Other ideas were bandied about, such as going in the fall, due to Amanda's roller derby schedule, and taking the more typical route of Auckland to Christchurch, just to make the experience a little different. However the takeaway from our meeting seems to be that we're best off doing things the way we did before, and we've set tentative dates for March 4 - 25. This does have us leaving on a Sunday, since Amanda's got a bout on March 3rd, but i think it'll be worth it. These dates aren't set in stone yet, we may yet choose fall, but i have gotten those dates approved off from work already. My primary concern about pushing off until fall is that i'm concerned we'll end up not doing it at all, as we are hoping to be in the midst of moving west around that time.
Taking the same route, Christchurch to Auckland, will offer us the advantages i discussed above, and i think we all finally agreed that those are more important than varying up the direction of travel. We definitely already have a list of things to do that are very different from the last time around, and i think that a little more preplanning will allow us to increase the efficiency of the trip.
So yeah, seeing different things is a priority, but also seeing some of the same things. We want to see how the country has changed in the last ten years. The Christchurch Cathedral is number one on the list for that exact reason. Abel Tasman park is on the list, because the last time, we'd planned a whole day there and only got about an hour due to the Farewell Spit debacle. Speaking of which: i'd really like to skip Farewell Spit altogether, but Alyssa wants to drive out there just to take a picture of the three of us standing at the cafe, looking out at the spit, and flipping it the bird. I may be okay with that.
Plus, my video production value is going to be off the chart compared to last time. Holy shit. This'll be Travel Channel worthy, i swear to the old gods and the new.
Alright, now i have a few solemn vows to take.
During this preparation time, i've reread excerpts from the log i kept last time, and i was...less than impressed with myself. I mean, my writing's gotten a lot better in the last ten years, but beyond that, the bitching. Jesus. I used the log to complain about so much more than i should have. I was a whiny post-teen who was too concerned about money and not focused enough on the life-changing story unfolding around me.
So, i hereby solemnly swear:
-Not to complain about how much things cost; i'm paying $2000 for a plane ticket, a nine-dollar cup of soup isn't going to break the bank.
-Not to whine about how touristy things are; i am a tourist, this is what i wanted, i'll enjoy it, dammit.
-Not to complain about naked men in showers. They're showers. People take their clothes off.
-Not to talk about bathrooms unless they are truly noteworthy.
-To make sure my camera batteries are always charged.
-To make the absolute most of this experience.
-To always have a sunny disposition and look on the bright side of life.
Our last trip to New Zealand was, as Amanda put it years later, our coming of age story.
This trip will be the end cap to our lives in Wisconsin.
Fuck yeah.
Oh, i'm still going to swear a lot in the log, it's probably fine.
