Travel Notes: New Zealand Part 1 

17 May 2022

I felt the thrill of the plane speeding along the runway. Faster and faster it went. Then suddenly the wheels lifted off the ground and we were off. Higher and higher we climbed, gaining altitude and soaring through the clouds. Seated between Dad and Hannah, tray table stowed in front of me, I felt glad to finally be off on this my first time leaving the country since America in 2015. 

  We arrived at Melbourne airport mid-morning and were due to catch our plane to Christchurch at noon. But because of delays in our flight, we had instead to wait for hours in the airport before our plane even arrived. A few walks around the shops and looks at travel guides for sale, a game of speed with Hannah, breakfast at McDonalds, some reading, and lots of waiting later we were finally able to board. I was excited and antsy to be off but felt anxious about being on a plane and about my feet not being firmly on the ground. It is a crazy thing, flying, and being stuck inside a small space for hours with lots of other people and no way to escape till landing is for me claustrophobic and anxiety inducing. Just don’t think about how high you are! That’s not to say that I don’t normally enjoy travelling – I do! I love to travel. I like airports. I like the adventure and experience. But I definitely dislike being in a small enclosed space and being so high off the ground. 

  As it was, I had The Fellowship of the Ring movie to keep me company and some airplane food and snacks we’d brought along to distract me. Our seats had more legroom than normal but just the same my legs and back ached and cramped from so much sitting. 

  Finally, for the first time in 9 years (as long as Hannah our youngest has been alive), we again set foot on kiwi soil. Our youngest traveller was just a month old on my last (and her first) trip in 2013. After collecting our baggage from the carousel, we stood outside in the cold and dark to wait for the airport shuttle which drove us to the rental car place. There we picked up our car and drove to Dad’s friend’s place where we would stay the night.

  I don’t know whether I’d seen this friend before but meeting with him and his family I quickly felt at ease and they blessed us with some lovely lamb and veggie soup for dinner. The sleep-out they put us up in was a small quirky triangular thing with a double loft bed. That’s where Hannah and I slept. It was quite cool and pretty comfortable. I had a good night’s sleep and now after a cold and very brief shower I am taking a few moments to write this before breakfast. 

There’ll be more in Part 2 🙂