The eagle has landed.

***I just got Wifi for the first time in a while so some of these posts won't be coming in real time. I wrote them as they happened but couldnt always send them.  Hope its not too confusing.

After 22 hours in the air and 31 hours of travel in total, I have finally landed in Auckland. This won't be a long post cause I'm tired to say the least.  I'm standing in the customs line, trying to be productive and make use of the free WiFi.

After I pass this checkpoint and get my bag I have to take a cab to my lodge and then I will officially be done with travel...for today anyway. Hope its a short ride!

Update:
So this is a two parter cause I don't know if I have WiFi anymore and just want to make one post.

I made it to my lodge at 11pm local time (2hrs after landing). It was a 1hr ride from the airport unfortunately. I've showered and climbed 6 flights of stairs twice (one with bags) cause the elevator is broken. Storey of my life...Anyway, I'm rooming with a nice German girl and a couple of Norwegians. Not sure about them yet. Anyway, I need water desperately so hopefully one comes out of the washroom soon!

That's it for me. Till next time...
T
zzzzzzzzzzxxxx

G-adventures tour start.

Part 1:
So it is now morning on Dec 1. Its the first official day of my NZ tour. I'm hanging in. I got to bed around midnight I think and the alarm was set for 630am so it wasn't exactly a great sleep but better than nothing for sure. I woke up several times...I think due to the jet lag but seemed to fall back quickly. I stayed at Nomads Auckland. The street outside was very lively but also noisy as a result. We had the windows open in the room because there was no AC (this is the budget part of the tour). It must be like the main street in Auckland. I could hear people and music throughout the night.  There are a lot of student travelers here. Luckily  I was so exhausted I didn't even care.

There was a free b-fast of toast and cereal which was cool.  I met my entire tour group. There are about 15 of us. My roomates are Carrie and Lynn from Norway and Sunny from Germany. The Norwegians are really nice after all.

I'm now sitting on a bus waiting to head out. We apparently have a 3 hour drive to our next destination. Apparently today will involve swimming and/or kayaking. Sounds fun...but so does sleep! Maybe ill catch some zzz's on the bus.

I haven't had internet since I left the airports so I'm not sure when ill be able to publish these posts. No time to get a Sim card yet.

Part 2:
After the bus ride we arrived in Raglan. We stopped at a local farm. They gave us a presentation on the animals they farm, which include fish, alpaca, sheep and donkeys.  They gave us some fresh honey to try as well as locally grown macadamian nuts. Yum!  We then headed down to the river (alpacas and donkeys in toe) where we started our sea kayaking trek. We kayaked for over an hour in VERY choppy waters. We transitioned from a large fresh water river (one of the longest in NZ i think)  to the salt water harbour.  it ws tough and WET and we were all pooped. Just what i needed eh?  I got to kayak with one of the locals because there was an odd number which was nice tho cause I got a bit of a guided tour.

We arrived at our destination and then boarded a small motorized yacht. We then had a yummy bbq (burgers and salad) and tried to dry off.  It was chilly. The sun was behind the clouds and the wind was strong. I would guess about 15 degrees maybe and windy. This does not bode well for the cold that I am trying to kick.

Ps. I'm still going strong despite the lack of sleep and kayaking marathon.

Part 3:
After the bbq we took the yacht back to raglan and stopped in town to by snacks/lunch for the next day.  The town was quaint...we were on a main street lined with shops. Sorry not many pics lately since I wasnt able to access my blog for a while and I only took pics on my slr camera which I had no way to transfer to my cell phone.  I've almost given up on the idea of getting a new sim card in NZ as I hear they don't work so well in small places and I havent exactly had time to shop anyway. Also, its nice to be unplugged every now and then.

Now I sit on the outside deck of a lovely lodge where we are spending the night. Here is my view:

the lodge here is called Karioi Lodge and adventure centre and it is really nice. Its not super fancy but it has lots of character. It kind of has a log cabin feel...all the rooms are open anf there is a hot tub outside. They even have a washer/dryer! 

Me and three other girls kind of got  bum rap in that we r staying in a caravan outside...we volunteered cause there wasn't enough room for everyone in the main lodge.  

We are about to head out for a fish and chips dinner in town.  Sounds right up my alley doesn't it????

Update:  Just got back to the lodge. Went out for yummy fish and chips at Raglan Fish and then went to the Yot club to taste a bit of Raglan nightlife. This is very much a town filled with hippies/granola. Lots of dreads, pearcings and likely pot.  Came back to the lodge for a small b-day gathering for one of the girls on the tour.  its now almost 10pm and im ready to call it a night.  Gotta re-energize for surf school tomorrow!

Night all...T

Long-ass flight.

So I survived the longest leg of my journey...Vancouver to Sydney.

All in all it was ok. I had a window seat which I like although I really didn't sleep a whole lot. I fell asleep for several catnaps and each time I woke up I'd be disappointed thay only 20-30 min had gone by. I had my footstool system down to a fine art so I was as comfortable as possible.  Ill never forget the first time I woke up thinking I  had a great sleep and seeing that there were still 10 hrs to go!

There were some very annoying kids directly behind me...you know, the ones that are still young,  but old enough that they should know better.  Luckily they slept a lot and the screaming and kicking the back of my chair was reserved for the last couple of hours ( the flight time was 14hrs 27 min btw!).  There were actually a lot obf babies on the flight which shocked me...brave parents. They were all incredibly good.

The meals were decent but the movies sucked.  Cartoons amd aliens were in abundance. I ended up watching two or three that I had seen before cause most of the new releases were not my style.

I landed in Sydney at about 10 am local time. Its Saturday here and about 2pm now (we are 16 hrs ahead of TO).  Sydney is pretty strict about what they let you bring in. They sprayed the plane before letting us off and I had to declare I was taking in shoes that might have soil on them! You had to declare a lot (e.g. medicines,  food). Lots of long line ups around here.

I'm currently waiting for my final flight. Yes, I am still traveling.  I leave for Auckland in about 1 and 1/2 hours. I had a bite to eat here for lunch at a Thai restaurant.  The airport is huge and quite fancy I must say. I've only ever seen one other airport with so much stuff. They even had shower stalls in the bathroom. I tried to check out the direction of water flow when I flushed the toilets but they are those supersonic ones and the pretty much only suck down.

So right now I am lying on some comfie couches I found.  It is the first time I have been horizontal since Wed night and man does it feel good. I look pretty haggard and I feel just the same but I'm doing alright considering the sleep deprivation. I can't believe my tour starts first thing tomorrow AM. Yikes!

Ill try and post again but I'm not sure ill have WiFi at my first lodge.

TO time. Its now 26 hrs since I left.

Its time to  rest

D-day update

So I've completed the first and shortest part of my journey. I made it to Vancouver at 10:30 local time (1:30 Toronto time). Flight was relatively uneventful. Had to de-ice before leaving which held us up a bit. I had a window seat and was seated beside a very friendly AC employee who I found out was a pilot when we went to deboard! 

I didn't sleep much on the plane due to my cold and the uncomfortable seats. I've realized I'm too short to touch the floor when seated properly (laugh if u will!) But as a result its very hard on my back. I managed to fashion a footstool of sorts by taking off my hikers and resting my feet in the tops. Better than nothing.  I didn't watch many movies cause I was just too tired.  Another snag was that there ws a bad connection in my earbud port which meant that I either heard static, unilateral sound or random music unless I kept my hand on the connection. Nice eh? Fortunately or unfortunately for me there were very few movies that even peaked my interest.  I watched grownups 2 which was dumb and started another but haven't finished.  Guess there will be lots of time for that! 

Anyway, time to get back in the saddle...in the same seat, on the same plane.  Talk to you all again in several hours.  Wish me many sweet dreams...

T

D-Day

So, departure day has finally arrived. It was a long day at work and thankfully one of my clients canceled so I finished most of my work.

Now i sit at the airport ready for leg one of my marathon. 

What does one do to prepare for the longest journey ever?? 
1. Remove contacts and put glasses on
2. Buy the most fattening chocolate bar in existance
3. Wait

Wish me luck...

Day 6

Today's post will be short and to the point cause I got some sleeping to do!

Today was all about the 2 W's: work and waxing. It was a busy day at work trying to catch up since I was sick yesterday and since I have to wrap things up before I leave. In the midst of it all I managed to sneak out at lunch for some waxing.  Gotta get vacation ready!

             My newly shaped eyebrows:

I'll keep the other pics to myself!

One more sleep...zzzzz

Day 5

Today, I stayed home from work.  It's not often that I take sick days, but this bug has zapped my energy and figured I wasn't doing myself or my clients any favours by going to work.  Nevermind the fact that I sound like a she-man and I probably wouldn't have been able to speak by the end of the day.

Instead, it was a jammies, Tylenol Cold and Chicken soup kind of day.  I'm feeling much better and I felt well enough to go out for a pedicure this evening.  Gotta get my toes nice and fancy for the beach!

Tender Tootsies :)

Day 4

I woke up today feeling a cold coming on, and mid-way through the day I could say with certainty that I was sick...headache and chills. Thanks to the wonders of medication I was able to ride out the work day feeling semi-normal.

I almost almost always get sick while on vacation, so I'm not sure what to think of this early arrival. Hopefully some chicken soup and a good sleep are just what the doctor ordered.

Day 3

Today was the dreaded packing day. For an indecisive person like myself, this could be called "torture day". Will I wear this? What if I need dress-up clothes? What if it's colder than expected? Will it fit in the bag???

I'm happy to say that by the end of the day I'm almost at the summit.

Bag 1: The Meat

Bag 2: The Potatoes

Day 2

So Day 2 tests my technical skills...blogging from my cell phone app, with pics included. Hold onto your hats folks!

Today's adventure:  A new hair cut and colour

Day 1

So today marks Day 1 of my blogging adventure.  I guess you could say that I've lost my "blog virginity".
I'm soon to embark on my next journey around the globe, so what better time to start?

Let's face it, I should have started this years ago.  Between Trina's Great Dating Adventures and Trina's Great Travel Adventures, I could have a best-selling novel by now.   It would be a comedy...at my expense of course.

Let the packing begin...

Trina