910 Km / 565 Miles
Today was my last day on the bike! I was so tired at this point and had almost 100km to bike to Gisborne. I was happy to finally be heading back to a town but the cycle down the coast was hard, the wind was strong, it was overcast, the rain was on and off, but I was focused because at this point I had to be. I had a bus booked at 8am in the morning from Gisborne to Napier, which would get me further away – but closer to where I needed to be. Auckland Airport!
I was so glad to be ending the cycle before the real bad weather was going to hit tonight and tomorrow. The ride was a little hilly but manageable over the 100km. I didn’t stop much on the road, as at this point I just wanted to reach Gisborne – unfortunately what had started as a great ride and one that didn’t need a plan, or needed a schedule – It was now a trip I was ready to end. I knew this wasn’t going to be the end to my cycle NZ adventure, but for now it was over.
Side Note: As I write this blog almost a year later, I unfortunately can’t make it as personal as I would have been able to then. Although the last few blogs have been written recently too, and I have relied on memory and notes, this one is very difficult to write. As a big part of me coming back to Perth, Australia was to continue with a relationship that I am no longer in, and I can’t get into those emotions. So this blog post on the last few days and the leaving NZ for Australia will be short (not really) and sweet. But closure to the trip all the same.
The ride to Gisborne was not very exciting, other than a very low flying aeroplane circling around me and into the hills, dropping what looked like water (or after some googling – hydroseeding.) Seeing as I was surrounded by hills and farms I imagine the latter. It was kinda cool to watch anyway.
I arrived in Gisborne before it was dark – but only just. I was almost tempted to get a hostel, but the prices were silly, so I decided to do one more night in the tent here, and save hostel-ing till Napier (where I would stay for 2 nights). I stayed at the Waikanae Beach Camping Resort – which was actually awesome! There was an indoor pool open late, so after getting the tent up, I went and got dinner – fish n chips by the beach, which tasted fantastic. It was probably the biggest meal I had eaten on the trip, I couldn’t believe the size of the portion they gave me – so not surprisingly I only managed about half of the food, and felt terrible about throwing the rest away.
Food was good, Swimming was great, and an early night was much needed. I had an 8am bus so I was up super early. I hadn’t slept great as the wind was strong and kept me awake, but I had a bus ride I could nap on. I had to go to the grocery store super early to get some glad wrap/cling film… I had to take my bike apart, and make it not look like a bike… as I didn’t want anything going wrong with getting on the buses (see previous post about potential bike issues on the buses!) My bike was wrapped and ready to go and I was on the bus to Napier! 1 more step further away.. but closer. The ride to Napier was windy and so so hilly, and it rained a ton! I was so happy I decided to get the bus!
In Napier I checked in at the Criterion Art Deco Hostel. It was a huge, and really quite a cool Hostel! I was staying in a 6 bed female dorm which was nice and big and spacious, and only a few people in there which was wonderful. I spent the rest of the day relaxing and sorting my bags properly (I do love to pack, un pack, re pack, sort shit). Wednesday I hung around the town, buying some fun little souvenirs, walking down the beach, eating food, and catching up/facetiming with friends from home and Australia.
8am on the Thursday I was on the first bus (one of two of the day) from Napier to Wellington and from Wellington it was a straight shot to Auckland. I had to go back to the hostel I stayed at when I first got here (luckily very close to the airport) as I had left my backpack and bike bag there. It was crazy to think I had brought that all over, and not used anything in my backpack – but the thought of leaving my – life in a bag – in another country whilst I went travelling terrified me (a previous fuck up in America is the reason for that) I needed to have all my stuff, and really I was planning on being in NZ a bit longer and travelling some without my bike after the ride. The hostel was dead, I guess they were getting ready to close up/limit people because of Covid! The price of a room had gone up 3X! so I had debated staying the night and leaving early in the morning to get my flight which was tomorrow evening, but my gut told me to head to the Airport. I’d stay there the night and be ready to fly tomorrow. Giving myself some extra time incase the borders were going to close. I took over the lobby in the airport to take my bike apart, re pack it and get all my shit sorted and packed ready to fly!
I got to Auckland airport around 6pm. I walked in to see queues of people at Qantas and at Jetstar desks. Everything else was closed. So many people. More than I had seen in weeks. I knew this wasn’t good. I found a departure board… and was greeted with every international flight being CANCELLED. My heart sunk. I cried. I froze. I was stuck in NZ.
A little while later and after a few phone calls I reset myself, and refocused on sorting out my way back to Australia. It looked like domestic flights were still happening – and after some quick googling, flights were still leaving from Wellington to Australia. I queued for over an hour, to finally get to the desk. To their credit those working for Jetstar that day were very calm and collected and helpful – I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be in their shoes today. My flight tomorrow was cancelled. There were flights from Wellington going to Sydney, Melbourne and Gold Coast, but nothing to Perth. Whilst in the line, It was also announced online that ScoMo was closing the border tomorrow night from midnight for ALL international travel. How lucky I was to be at the airport right now and not in the morning. Anyway at the counter they tried to get me on a flight to Sydney or Melbourne via Wellington, but with so many flights getting changed, what was available one second wasn’t the next. And with both destinations the planes were full. My only choice was Gold Coast – not where I wanted to be, in fact, one of the furthest airports from Perth, but I would be in Australia none the less. So I took the change of flight – losing a few hundred dollars… but at this point I didn’t care. I just wanted to be back in Australia. My flight was leaving the next morning at 6am, so I clearly wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.
The domestic airport wasn’t open till 5am, so we were all cramped into the international arrivals area – which is tiny! Everyone on changed flights, or just waiting, and hoping. Flights were either delayed or cancelled (delayed ones turning to cancelled throughout the night). People were laid out all over the floor, it was s shit show. Auckland Airport was shutting down – New Zealand closed their borders last night at 6pm. (24 hours before Australia.) So we were the last ones flying out of here. I was on the last Jetstar flight out of NZ at 6am Friday morning. I was headed back to Wellington – depressingly just where I had come from by bus with the bike!!
In wellington it was a quick, easy but obviously anxious transfer onto a flight to the Gold Coast!! I was landing at 3pm (3 hours before borders closing) I was SO nervous about arriving – was my visa good? were they going to say I had no ‘legit’ reason to be returning to Australia? Was I going to just be put on a flight back to the UK? At the Gold Coast, we were greeted by police and security on the plane, asked to sign a self isolation Covid form – and were then allowed to leave the plane. Australians and foreigners were separated and in my line there was only a handful of us. The Australians/NZ’ers got to go straight through. We were however questions several times by police, and airport security of our intentions for arriving and where we were self isolating. After an hour I was through the security and now having to deal with how to get to Perth!! I hadn’t booked a flight in NZ as I was too nervous about getting into the Gold Coast – and I couldn’t afford to waste $500 on a flight I might not be able to take and that I might need to use on a flight back to the UK.
Gold Coast Airport was a little less crazy – and the line for Jetstar wasn’t too bad. At this point the international borders were closing but domestic travel was still going ahead (although only for another few days) I managed to get a flight to Perth leaving at 6.30pm I had a couple of hours to get checked in, find food (I only realised now I hadn’t really eaten since Napier!) I was feeling terrible. But I was on a flight to Perth, and ready for the adventure that was waiting for me there.
I landed in Perth at 10pm, and got into the city finally by 11pm. I was where I wanted to be, and with whom I believed I was suppose to be with at that time. I was exhausted beyond words. But ready to ride the Covid 19 storm out in Perth. I didn’t realise then how lucky to be this side of the world!
New Zealand… I’m not finished with you, so it’s not good bye, it’s SEE YOU SOON.
“You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
Like I’m made of glass
Like I’m made of paper
Go on and try to tear me downI will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper
Like a skyscraper.”