The Longest Day Ever

Today was the longest day of my life and it did not go wasted. It was the perfect way to wrap up this trip and to get ready for my birthday tomorrow.

This crazy day began a bit after 7:30am in Rotorua. I stuffed my ready to be checked in bags into my rental vehicle. I had a delicious flat white with a shortbread cookie for breakfast and went to the jade store next to the café in search of some pounamu (greensone/NZ jade) as a gift for my sister.

I then drove myself to Whakarewarewa for a tour of the local Maori village, a view of the geysers and of course to eat! As I mentioned yesterday the visitor hangi at the village is for lunchtime instead of dinner. I walked into the village and was immediately surrounded by small yet deep pools of boiling water, gurgling mud, and immersed in the history of that village. I very much enjoyed the tour and again went through the emotions of feeling that part of my culture and history were lost. Saddened because I do not know what Taíno storytelling was truly like and because I wonder what the Taíno traditions would’ve taught us if in Puerto Rico that culture had not homogenously mixed with the new cultures that arrived on the island. But if there is one thing I learned from the Maori is that knowing your ancestry is priceless; knowing where you come from allows you to understand who you truly are, including the natural tendencies of your personality. That thought was also echoed by the Polynesjan man I met in Tahiti.

The hangi meal was cooked in what I consider an unusual oven outdoor. The unseasoned food was placed in a box and steamed with the geothermal heat from the ground. According to my tour guide, the steam already carries the salt that would season my meal. I walked around the village waited for the geysers to gush into the sky, wandered around the small thermal lakes and then went to eat. I was in for a treat! It was homemade goodness that truly warmed my heart. The meal included an entrée of chicken, beef, corn, potato, sweet potato, and gravy as well as a rice pudding dessert served with papaya that was the perfect meal for the longest day ever!

I even had some green tea after lunch before deciding to drive to the biggest touristy destination I could find: The Shire! Yes, Hobbiton! I arrived in the Hobbiton area, bought my tickets and was surprised to see how many people actually visit that place! They open around 9am, have tours every 30 minutes until 4pm, and each tour has 20-30 people. Wow…talk about being a tourist. It was cool to walk around the old set for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, hear about Sir Peter Jackson’s obsession with perfection, and the story of the farm owners –a perfect real estate investment. The highlight of The Shire was having a nice cold beer at the end of the tour at The Green Dragon Inn!

From Hobbiton I then drove to Auckland. I would not have time to visit the biggest city in New Zealand properly, so I drove to Saint Heliers Bay and had a quick ceviche dinner with a lovely ocean view. The two ladies sitting next to me were very friendly, they heard when I told the waitress that I was sin a bit of a hurry because I had a plane to catch, and asked about my trip. I told them about my 17 day adventure in New Zealand including Tahiti and they were very surprised –somewhat amazed even that I had done so much in such a short period of time. I said goodbye, they wished me a happy birthday and were very happy that I was not spending my birthday by myself because I would be in Los Angeles by February 4.

I made it to the airport. I drank a delicious beet and carrot juice – did I mention that juicing is really big in New Zeland – and I’m not talking about the cold press crap they sell us here – I’m talking about waiting while they cut the fruit and veggies and juice those yummy things! My plane left around 10:30pm on February 3.

Now I am here in Los Angeles…I arrived around 2:30pm on February 3. Yes, the International Date Line messed me up again! But I am practically unpacked, relaxed, and ready to sleep for another 8 hours on the same day. I was lucky to sleep 8 hours on the plane…but how could I not? Air New Zealand is so far the best airline I’ve even flown with – not only do they have a fun to watch safety video (that should’ve let me know that Lord of the Rings truly is a big deal in NZ) but they also provide decent LEG ROOM in regular economy.

The trip is now officially over. Those memories won’t go away – unless I ever experience brain damage… hopefully that will never happen.

Looking back, the best part about this trip was that I did it by myself. I enjoyed quality time with myself. I only did the things I truly wanted to do without having to compromise or disagree with anyone. I moved at my own pace, discovered things I never thought I’d like –such Riesling and white wines in general – and discovered things I thought I liked but that I don’t like – it really pointed out all the times I’ve done things that my friends wanted to do just because I wanted to please them instead of myself. Another thing that made this trip priceless is being single because really, who wants to be traveling and thinking about calling a jelous boyfriend....alone does not equal lonely!