Day 48: Accidental Self-Reflection

I think if I've learned anything on this trip, it's that I enjoy spending time outside cities in nature and wilderness more than I enjoy the city itself. I probably could have guessed this but on this trip I really learned it through first hand experience. I think also that I'm being so self-reflective by writing this every day is helping me come to this conclusion.

Also not trying to say I don't like Auckland, I just don't enjoy walking down one of these crowded city streets as much as I enjoyed walking alone through the huge glacial valley in Franz Josef.

That does make me realize something else that this trip has taught me. Being alone isn't scary. I was afraid going into this trip that I would need some kind of human contact eventually. That I would be fine for a week or two before starting to go crazy. But I think if anything I've gotten less crazy. Which sounds weird because I wasn't a very crazy person to start with, at least outwardly.

Before I left for this trip my mind was a hamster stuck on a wheel, and if that wheel stopped moving it would explode in a small hamster tragedy. It kept me up at night, my mind constantly jumping from topic to topic, not wanting to rest until I was sure I had thought about everything I needed to think about. That's just it too, it was more of a need than a want. There were things I needed to do before I could let myself rest.

For the past forty eight days I've let myself separate from that. It's not a perfect science but it has had an effect. I find myself much more able to enjoy what's in front of me, be it the Sistine Chapel or the Franz Josef Glacier. I'm not letting my mind get in the way as much anymore.

We'll see how getting home and finding a job and an apartment effects that though.

I think I'll be ok though. This trip has definitely changed me for the better. I can feel that I'm more confident, relaxed, and ready to take charge than ever before. This has all been a long time coming, but I think taking two months to travel solo finally pushed me through the home stretch.

Phew, sorry to unload all that. They do say that writing is therapeutic. I didn't even plan to write all that, it just kinda happened.

I'll get more into my day in Auckland.

I woke up not sure what to do, so I looked up free things to do in Auckland. There was a big park that seemed like a great destination, so I made loose planes to head in that direction. First I wanted to get some lunch.

Before I got far I noticed a big group of trees at the end of the road. I decided to head for it and see what it was. It turned out to be a pretty small park, but it had a lot of awesome trees, that I'll put a few images of here:

The branchs actually stretch over the walkway so you have to duck under them to get by.

I sat in the park and read for a little while, enjoying the sunshine (the forecast said rain, but all I saw was blue skies, this would come into play later).

I saw on a map that the Auckland harbor was a short walk away, so I decided to walk that way. Within a few minutes I found the water, and simultaneously the street that my bus leaves from tomorrow, so two birds, meet stone.

I walked to the end of Princes Wharf to get a clear view of the water. Obligatory image dump:

Prince's Wharf on the left. The big buildings that kinda look like cruise ships.

There was a big informational sign at the end of the wharf telling about the history of the harbor as well as this specific wharf. It's interesting to read about a place that was only founded in the mid 1800s, and I thought America was young.

Of course, it was at the end of this wharf that the rain caught me. It came quickly and with large drops, all blown sideways by the wind. I had to abandon the informational sign mid-paragraph and take cover. The rain didn't last long though so I was able to finish reading.

The rain came and went for the rest of the day, making good use of my rain jacket, which I wasn't foolish enough to leave behind, even though I didn't think it would rain.

I stopped back at my hostel for an hour to lie down and read a little more before going back out again. The rain had picked up so I decided I would just do something I've wanted to do for a while. I went to the Auckland public library and wrote. Not this stuff though, I worked on my novel. I've been feeling inspired since I came to New Zealand. A lot of the landscape here is very similar to the types of landscapes I envisioned for my book, so that's part of why I've been compelled to work on it.

It was a great way for me to escape the city too. I was able to dive right into my own world for a few hours.

I eventually had to leave the library to get some dinner, so I got some takeaway pizza and brought it back to the rooftop deck at my hostel.

I read more of my book, which again is Aziz Ansari's book Modern Romance. I just made it through the chapter that compares the social dynamics of romance and dating in Paris, Tokyo, and Buenos Aires. Very interesting stuff.

I am very excited to head to Coromandel and Hot Water Beach tomorrow. It will be a nice breath of fresh air after the city. Or should I say a nice pool of hot water after the city?

Thanks for reading and here's to tomorrow.