They say all good things must come to an end. I often ask myself why that has to be. It was an amazing six weeks in a country I deeply love. Despite all the setbacks I’ve had to endure (pneumonia, busted knees, tendon inflammation in my wrist), I stayed positive and enjoyed every moment. Okay, not the moments where I spent the nights coughing my lungs out, because that sucked. It’s not a new country to me anymore, I know my way around, recognise roads and places, brands and shops. It feels familiar which makes me love it even more. Normally, I’m not the kind of person that keeps going back to a specific area for a holiday, but New Zealand is the exception. I’ll keep coming back ’till I’ve truly had enough (ha, funny). I have my favourites, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a whole lot more to explore.
As the end of my travels crept closer, I said my goodbyes. It’s hard to explain, but a part of me belongs there, feels at home there. Completely filled with memories, adventures and good times, I made my way to the airport in Invercargill. It was a cute little airport and everything ran smoothly. Before I knew it, we were up in the air, on our way to Christchurch. My flight home departed from Christchurch, so I took the fastest way there. I was going to fly at a ridiculous hour (like 7 am) so for me, it didn’t make sense to stay at a hostel in town, with all the travelling back and forth.
I decided to stay at an airport hotel. This was the first time a porter brought my luggage all the way to my room! His first girlfriend had been Dutch and she had about the same last name as I do. I had ordered wi-fi, but they didn’t tell me that the wi-fi didn’t work in my room. I found out myself, brilliant. They were doing a lot of (re)building and the wing I was staying at was apparently too far from the router. I really didn’t feel like sitting in the lobby in order to get wi-fi so I cancelled it. Rubbish. I wandered around the airport, ate my dinner there and did some last minute shopping. Not that I needed any more stuff, but you know…while I’m in the area. 😉
The next day came around way too soon and after being processed the airport way, it was time to…leave. I figured that since I’d said my goodbyes before, I’d manage to not cry this time. Ha, what a joker. The way back was really long. I watched many movies, slept for a few hours in a hotelroom at Singapore Airport, and came back in a freezing Netherlands.
Dear New Zealand, thank you again. I’ll be back! 🙂
Alive and Trekking 