New Zealand - Holiday at Last

My trip to New Zealand was incredible. New Zealand is beautiful. It's calm and real and fun. Parts of it are like Costa Rica and Thailand and Australia but also... not. But more than just the natural beauty,  it was the people I met on this trip that made the experience so amazing.

My Wild Kiwi Family on Day 2 @ Ship Creek Beach

My trip started on Friday the 24th as I said goodbye to my Sydney work family and caught the train to the airport. Travel tip - when flying in/out of Sydney, take the train! Another travelers tip... for those with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, allow enough time at the airport so you can take full advantage of your priority pass reward, $36 worth of food & drinks from select airport restaurants. Even though it was a bit of a walk from my departure gate, I stopped by Peroni Bar, intending to use my credit for a glass of wine (or two) and a snack. As I ordered, two very excited/maybe a little drunk girls loudly walked over to the group of us singletons sitting at the bar asking if anybody else was going to Bali. The girl to my left confirmed she was going too, on their flight, and equally excited. After chatting with the rest of us, the two girls threw out what's always a great idea in this situation, shots, shots shots! And at exactly this moment the bartender told me I had to use my entire $36 credit in one transaction, or I would forfeit the remaining balance. "How much are shots?" I asked. He confirmed I could definitely get two and might even have enough left for a bottle of water. The guy to my right was keen to join in on the shenanigans too. Thus, we got a round of Johnny Walker Black shots and toasted our imminent vacations. The guy I was sitting with was also headed to NZ, but Auckland rather than Christchurch, for the next round of the Rugby World Cup. He was also one of those super humans who'd done multiple ironmans, and was indeed super fit. We had a great time talking, hugged farewell, and headed off to catch our flights. Meeting people at airports... it's the best.

I flew Emirates from Sydney to Christchurch and had an entire row to myself. In front of me was a family of Kiwis, a mom who looked about my age, her tattooed husband, and four bleach-blonde haired kiddos. The youngest kept hobbling through the aisle back to my row to play with my water bottle. I smiled and asked the mom, "How old is she?" "He's a boy," she said staring at me. "And he's one." Way to go Jane.

We landed in Christchurch a little after midnight and I was off to find my way to my hostel for the night, Jucy Snooze. This was the coolest hostel I've ever stayed in and I definitely recommend it for those passing through Christchurch. It's a 5-10 min walk to the airport, but if you'd prefer (as I did when I arrived), they have a complimentary shuttle from 7-1am.

the pod setup at Jucy

On the shuttle, I was fortunate to meet another girl doing the same trip, Demi. We exchanged facebook details and she became my first Wild Kiwi friend. This photo is from one of our last days together. Such an awesome shot.

photocred