Arrival In New Zealand - April 26th

People often wondered what kind of travel mates Kelsey and I would make. Would our lifestyles clash? Would we be at each others throats after the first day? I can't say that these were unreasonable fears. For example; Kelsey's flight from Edmonton to meet me in Vancouver was delayed by forty minutes. This only gave her about 45 minutes to make it off her plane, get through any bureaucracy in between, and find me at the international departures gate. My response was to frantically secure some wi-fi, keep the Air Canada website as well as the Vancouver airport website on constant refresh to check her flight status, hypothesize scenarios by which I could potentially delay the flight without getting myself thrown in a security holding cell (i.e. steal the pilot's hat and refuse to give it back), and befriend the heavy-set guy with the converted airport transportation golf cart so that I could covertly slip him a $20 and have him pick her up, pretending she was enfeebled. What was Kelsey's response? To stop for a Double Chocolate Chip Frappacino at Starbucks along the way. I'm assuming she didn't hear the Air New Zealand desk worker butchering her last name over the intercom every few seconds. Regardless, she made it, and I didn't die of a heart attack at the ripe age of 22. So when people ask me if it is I who pushes her to do crazy things like bungee jumps I can respond with a resounding no. Kelsey knows what she wants and is not afraid to get it whenever she pleases, whether it be stopping for an overpriced coffee while an entire airline crew bites their nails with anxiety or jumping off some massive structures just for the hell of it, Kelsey Fernuik is twice the daredevil I am. That being said, I think I was a little underestimated in that department, which is why I hope to show that it we make, and will continue to make, a good travel team. The flight was, dare I say it, enjoyable. Without the use of drugs I was able to sleep for 7 of the 14 hours, the remainder of which were spent getting my ass kicked by the British version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? that we could play with our presonal TVs and remote controls. We evaded the drug sniffing dogs and the customs officers found no trace of dirt, dog poo, or the like on our boots so we passed through the border in under an hour. As tourism makes up such a healthy portion of the New Zealand economy, everyone has been exceptionally nice to us. We were dropped off right at our hostel which is located in a posh neighbourhood just east of the Central Business District called Parnell. Our private, twin room has a view that is directly centered on the Sky Tower. I must say that I immediately liked Auckland. It's a delightful little hybrid of some of the cooler cities I've been to. You immediately feel the humidity and mugginess of Honolulu (as well as the palm trees), it has a downtown focus like Vancouver with an open street structure that is like a lesser-Berlin. It is similar to Seattle in that the port is right near the heart of the CBD and it has little flourishes of Europe here and there. Before I praise it too much I need to mention one very important detail; the public transport is shite. Transportation in general is shite as Auckland has developed quite the car culture with personal vehicle dependency clogging the hill covered city streets. They certainly are trying to accomodate everyone, but it appears as though some of their ideas were implemented a little too late. Case in point, we took the ''link'' bus which is supposed to expediate you in a loop through the city centre to all the main attractions. We got into such a backlog on Queen Street, the main thoroughfare, that we hopped off and walked in the rain to our bungee. Now would be a good time to mention one particular oddity. There is an astounding number of construction workers who have full construction outfits, toolbelts and all, but have cut their pants into booty shorts. It's nothing short of terrifying. Speaking of terrifying, bungee jumping! Do I have your attention now? It started out terrifying, the middle was terrifying, and it ended terrifying. Firstly because we thought we were late (damn public transit), luckily they weren't strict on timing. We got all harnessed up and they walked us out single file over the Harbour Bridge toting chains that kept us linked to the steel railing like well-trained dogs. It's a little cruel how they tease you as the bridge becomes higher and higher ever so slowly. Just when you're starting to get freaked out you come to a really steep set of stairs which you need to climb to enter the bungee pod. Once inside you can't really see where you're jumping to, perhaps to keep people from soiling themselves and deciding that it really isn't for them. The floor has a few glass panels if you cared to look down, most people didn't. It turns out that they make people jump according to weight, heaviest first. This means I was one of the first to go. I was all strapped up and ready when the guy told me to hold off for a few seconds because a boat was passing under the bridge and if I were to jump I would smash right through it (a reassuring thought, to say the least). You have no idea what you're getting yourself into until you put your toes over the ledge. Let me be perfectly clear, it is not for the faint of heart. I am fortunate that they count down really fast because I was definitely losing my cool for those last few seconds. You really don't have time to process everything you are experiencing on the way down. All the blood rushes to your head and you have literally no control over any aspect of your body. Before you know it you get snapped around like a slinky and you're coming right back up on a rebound. It at this moment you start to enjoy it, and wow do you ever enjoy it. It certainly is fleeting but the 3 bounces before you pull your safety tether which flips you right-side up are sublime, cathartic even. It finished with a calming ride as you are pulled to safety while enjoying the magnificent view of the Hauraki Gulf around you. Absolutely, positively the stupidest, most amazing, thing I've ever done. I have no idea how I'm going to psyche myself up for one that is over 3 times the height of this one but I have to somehow. If this explanation has been insufficient, here is the link to a video shot by Kelsey, as promised. Check back soon to find out whether we die in our first real test, driving scooters around Waiheke Island.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfqZbkgqlTU