A.S
opened her eyes. Yes, she was to go across to South Island
today. Next to her was her German roommate still sound asleep. Reaching for her
phone, looking into it, she could not believe her eyes. It was 15 minutes to 8.30 a.m. Normally it did not mean anything but, TODAY,
Jan 1st, 2012 , at
8.30 a.m , is her boarding time!!! OMG
OMG OMG..! She was not going to make it! She knew it. But, she had to, no
matter what!!
Scrambling
out of the bed, and as she gathered her things together, she blamed herself.
Why didn’t she pack them yesterday?! She was part of the in-house new year countdown
party last night, but she did not
remember counting any down. Why, and how did she doze off into bed just like
that? Not even her alarm was set! “How stupid when you knew you’ll have an
early morning the next day. You wanted to leave the house at 7am and now what, it’s 8.15 a.m you woke up to!!”
True
enough, getting a taxi on the first day of the year was totally out of the
question. She didn’t make it. There was a huge feeling of remorse. At least, she
could heave a sigh of relief when she found out later that she could board a
later ferry at no extra charge. So, it went well after all …. to just getting across
the straits to Picton Harbour South Island .
Arriving
at 5p.m, it was considered early to get a ride but again, the first day of 2012
did not treat her well. She had no luck with the 2 hours’ ride to Kaikoura that
same evening. It got dark and she thought to herself, ‘Well..well, is this what
the coming 2 months in South Island is going to be?” It seemed to her that South Island especially
here in Picton was so much less populated compared to the North Island which
she’d spent the last 4 months in, and getting a ride was just downright
pathetic. There was no time for self pity. So, she spent an unplanned night in
Picton. The hostel was pretty good, though.
She
had to get to Kaikoura by 5.30am the
next morning. There was no way it was going to be possible. It’s going to be a 2 hours’ drive from Picton and that meant
leaving Picton at 3am ?? She had no car
and had no one to rely on for transportation. No way!! Argghhh!!! Dang!
The
next morning, after 2 rides, first with a Korean driver with 2 other Israeli
and the next ride, with a pair of young Asian-Kiwi couple, she finally arrived
at the lovely coastal town of Kaikoura
at 1pm . She had missed her long
awaited booked activity…. SOB BIG
TIME!!!! Dashed was her dream to swim with the school of dolphins!! SOB BIG
TIME!!! WAHHH!!! No refunds too!!
Unwilling
to give up, she signed up for an alternative activity with Encounter Kaikoura.
Unfortunately,
no more dolphins dream, this time, but …. (up next, a post with an exciting
video clip…)
 |
| There was supposed to be something on for the countdown last night... |
 |
| Too late to save the earlier ferry departure. Killing time here as A.S spent her last few hours in Wellington, North Island.Coffee and many reminiscences till 1pm before walking to the harbour. What a quiet NZ capital on a morning of the new year. |
 |
| Tired of the inside.. It's time to join others for the sights, sounds, breeze, and fresh air. |
 |
| Finally arrived, err.. to a small harbour in Picton town. So many people and so many cars, and yet, they were either fully occupied or none were heading her way. |
 |
| Upon arrival in Kaikoura, came right here only to confirm bad news. |
*A.S's current location*
Day/ Date: Thu/ Nov 1st, 2012
-A.S has been back in KL, Malaysia since Aug 16th, 2012 from a total of 3 months in Spain and then, Austria. Burdened with lots of thoughts, plans and to-dos, she'll still try her very best to keep this blog alive. Thank you so much for keeping up with her delays.
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