For one last time in NZ, I awoke around 7 am, this time to catch the bus to the airport for my morning flight (luckily there was a stop just outside the hostel). Me and Alex had flights at similar times, so we caught the same bus. Since my flight was earlier, after checking in, we said our goodbyes and went our own ways. Yet another surprise, I ran into Louise and Kristina just as I was about to enter the security clearance point(!), so we said our goodbyes again haha.
Inside the international departures terminal of Auckland International Airport.
I had exactly enough left to buy one last bottle of L&P (lemon and paeroa - a unique NZ lemon-flavour soft drink that is really good!) and a postcard of the Fiordland National Park (where Milford Sound is located - I figured since I didn't get to see it in person, at least a postcard would do haha). Me and Alex had been craving some L&P the night before, but we never got any, so I had to get it. I thought the famous NZ soft drink would be quite suitable as my last drink in NZ!
Waiting for my flight to start boarding.
My plane to HK. My flight went pleasantly, as expected with Cathay Pacific (I had some 12 year old scotch with dinner, for free!); it was only marred by the old Chinese man sitting next to me - why do Chinese people think it's okay not to brush their teeth? Hahaha.
Some final words on NZ: I really enjoyed NZ. It came with a heavy price tag (that completely threw out my budget), but I had a lot of fun, met a lot of really nice people and made some new friends! Sure, as I'm sure it's apparent by now, there were things I didn't like about NZ, mainly how touristy it was, but I'm glad I came to visit this lightly populated country (which is good if you're not a big city fan, but I am haha) and get back in touch with nature (even if it was mostly at a commercial level). In my honest opinion, I enjoyed the South Island a lot more than the North Island (that also seemed to be the general consensus among backpackers I talked to who visited both islands) - it's just more fun, as you can tell by the partying and activities I did in the South. It's a shame how touristy (and thus expensive) NZ is, because it has a lot to offer and the Maori culture is actually very interesting, especially with how NZ has fully embraced it (and unfortunately as a tourist, it's shrouded by commercialism for the most part). I forgot to mention this before, but the Maori have a very interesting way of formal greeting called "hongi," where 2 people touch their foreheads and noses together while looking each other in the eyes. If you can afford it, I'd highly recommend seeing NZ with a rented vehicle - you'll see so much more of the real NZ that way and do everything on your own (instead of it being planned by someone else). On a side note, I definitely met the most Canadians during my travels in NZ!
I didn't mention this much in any of my posts, but I really liked some of the Kiwi slang, particularly "sweet as" as I've mentioned before hahaha. I caught myself several times in the last few days almost adding "sweet as" to my sentences (I'd usually just stop it at "sweet" haha). There were some other terms like choice, bro, and eh (there was a shirt at one of the shops in Auckland that had all the terms that I was thinking of buying haha) - a reflection of the generally easy going attitude of most Kiwis. Besides the NZ-specific treats I got to try, I found there were some unique things too (for example, their eggs are smaller than they are here which is probably due to the chickens used, and you'll never find ketchup in NZ(!) - they call it "tomato sauce," it has a slightly sweeter taste, and a slightly thinner consistency). And for those wondering, I couldn't really tell if the water went the other direction whenever I flushed the toilet, mostly because of how the water seems to deflect off the front of the toilet in a strong stream that distorts most of the view.
Will I ever go back? Well, I might (I did miss out on Milford Sound), but it definitely won't be any time soon. As Alex and I both agreed on the final night, we enjoyed our time in NZ, but we felt NZ was done and we were ready to leave. That's not necessarily a bad thing - it's not often you can leave perfectly satisfied (for instance, I still want to go back to Japan because I feel like I still missed out on a lot). Sure, I could have used an extra day or 2, but I got to do all the activities I had planned to do in NZ and more. As I said before, NZ is more of a place to "do" than to "see" (due to its very young history). And NZ will always be a place where I got to do many "firsts" (including my first time to the southern hemisphere!). Like Shanghai and Japan, I'll never forget my time in NZ. So, for one last time (and I don't care if I'm using it wrong hahaha), kia ora!
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