Despite having everything planned out, I still had a nagging feeling that something was about to go wrong. Sometimes, worrying is a self-fulfilling prophecy. We think about our worries too much that we bring them to life.
That's what happened to me during my trip to New Zealand. The moment I had a slight chance of going on this trip, I was filled with both excitement and anxiety. On one end, I was filled with immense joy at the thought of being in New Zealand, a dream country for a lot of people my age, but as equally strong and gripping, was the fear that I would fail at ensuring the trip would happen.
The worry would follow me even during the day of my flight. Planning the entire trip was stressful because I was swamped with many things at work. But I thought I had done everything I needed to do for the trip. I had my documents proving that I was indeed invited to talk at an international conference. I had my visa, my return flights, accommodations, and even my bus tickets.
I arrived at the airport almost 4 hours before my flight. In the Philippines, being that early is normal and recommended, especially for international flights.
I was clutching my passport while I lined up at the check-in counters. My worries weren't dumbfounded because the check-in staff told me there was a problem with my ticket. My first and last names had been mixed up. I didn't book the tickets. All of my worries started flooding in. I might as well just go home.
Fortunately, there was a workaround. I just needed to take a rapid antigen test in case I needed to go through Hong Kong immigration during my stopover. I took the antigen test worrying slightly that I would be COVID-positive. But I was fine and off to Hong Kong I went.
A burden had been lifted. I was flying. I was out of the Philippines. I was COVID-negative. I was closer to New Zealand. I just needed to be level-headed when I arrived at Hong Kong airport.
I landed in Hong Kong and I tried to remember the last time I was there. I didn't have anxiety about the travel back then. It was all excitement. A big part was that I didn't plan for it. And I wasn't traveling alone.
We disembarked from the plane and I tried my best to think fast and clear about my situation. My layover in Hong Kong was only short. My luggage was going all the way to Auckland.
My tickets had been booked separately, so I had to check in again for my flight from Hong Kong to Auckland. When I reached the immigration gates, I tried to imagine the future. I plan to have my Ph.D. in Hong Kong. The next time I would be passing through the immigration gates would be to live and study in this country, not just to stop over.
But I didn't have to pass through the gates! An idea came up. On the other side of the immigration gates were the transfer gates. I immediately connected my phone to the airport WiFi and checked in to my flights from Hong Kong to Auckland. My name on this ticket was correct, so I would have no issue. I got a copy of the electronic boarding pass and I was able to pass through the transfer gates, directly to the boarding gates. It would seem that I wouldn't be passing through Hong Kong immigration until the time I return for my Ph.D.
Devoid of stress and worry, I let loose a bit. I knew I would reach New Zealand in the next 13 hours. No amount of worrying could stop that.
I was able to take in my surroundings and enjoy the beauty of the airport. I reminisced again about my first time here. I still remember the triangles on the roof, and the walkalators in the middle. But I don't remember plots of live flowers. They caught my attention because they were so out of place. The airport was so sterile and neutral, but the flowers were there, in full bloom.
I knew my worries were over (temporarily) because how else would I be able to look at those flowers with such awe if my mind was elsewhere? I would have marveled at them longer if other people weren't plainly ignoring them.
Just as easily as I noticed the flowers, I also noticed a Starbucks nearby. More powerful than the sight of colorful flowers is my need for coffee. I ordered a cup of hot oat milk latte and that made everything so much better. While waiting for my flight, I sipped my coffee and looked outside. Hong Kong was gloomy, but my spirits were already clear and high.
Our plane arrived and we boarded after a few minutes. This was it. I was going to New Zealand. Probably being the last one to check in to the flight, my seat was in the last row of the plane. I was seated next to the minor on board. He was traveling alone, so flight attendants needed to have a close eye on him.
Being on the last row has its perks, especially if you're sitting next to a minor being monitored by the staff. He was given food early and that meant I also get to be asked what I want. I could also recline my seat without worrying about the person behind me. And the best is that the lavatory is a few steps away. I've heard people saying don't sit near the lavatory because it smells, but I didn't smell anything during my whole flight except the hot food on my tray every mealtime.
The flight was more than 10 hours and I grudgingly watched the flight map as we passed above the Philippines. So ironic that only a few hours ago, I was filled with worry about being left in the Philippines, and now I'm flying above it. As if to reinforce that yes, my worries while in the Philippines were so strong, flying above it made us experience the worst turbulence during the entire flight.
Mā te wā.
Those words were on the in-flight entertainment when we landed. We had arrived in Auckland. If my flight was a few days early, I wouldn't have been able to land in Auckland because of severe flooding. If it was also days later, it would have been canceled because of the big storm that would hit the city. My timing was perfect, sandwiched between calamities. My time in New Zealand was a sandwich filling, a very thin filling because I was only there for 8 days.
I passed through immigration and biosecurity with no problem. I stepped out of the airport and New Zealand's summer weather welcomed me. The sun was shining brightly but the wind was cold and crisp. I had escaped the tropics. For the longest time, stepping out of airports has always been a hot and humid experience for me.
I transferred to their domestic (or regional, as they call it) airport to wait for my flight to Rotorua. Booking a flight from Auckland to Rotorua was a mistake. Their domestic flights in New Zealand are extremely expensive. I could have taken the bus for half the price or even less.
While waiting for my flight, my body told me that it was time to eat. I was still wrapping my head around the time difference, but I know that it was 'eat' o'clock due to my rumbling stomach. The first familiar thing I saw was a Subway. Well, Subway is actually not familiar because I think we still didn't have a Subway in our city during this time, but the sandwiches were familiar food. The only problem was that I didn't know how to order a Subway. I didn't want to look like a fool, so I Googled how to order a Subway. That only made me feel more foolish, so I just looked at the first thing on their menu and ordered it. The Subway guy asked me Yes or No questions for the options, and I just answered Yes to all his questions. And that's how I ordered my first Subway.
After a very short flight, less than 45 minutes, I arrived in Rotorua, New Zealand. The airport was barely an airport. If you didn't have any checked-in luggage, you'd be out of the airport in a minute or two after your plane landed. It was that small.
My friend fetched me at the airport. She opened the windows of her car as we made our way toward the roads of New Zealand. This was it. I had finally arrived at my destination. I was safe. No more worries. Only chilly winds, green grass, and grazing sheep beside the road.
My friend asked me if I still wanted to go around the city or if I wanted to rest. Despite being almost 7 PM, the sun was still up. I was probably confused, but seeing the sun still so bright, I told her we should still go out.
That's it! My friend brought me to the Redwoods Forest. I'll share it in the next part of the blog. For now, here are some photos of the entrance to the forest.
