Aussie to Auckland

Once again, many days have passed without much of an update.  

I'm writing to you from Auckland, New Zealand, where I arrived this afternoon.  An old neighbor from Boston,  a New Zealand native, picked me up from the airport upon my arrival.  Jayne and her three adorable children (Juliet, Harry, and Ollie) greeted me after customs, and we headed to the east side of the city where we met up with another young family and had a picnic dinner while listening to opera in the park.  It's quite a change from the serious  backpacker culture I just left behind in Byron Bay.  Molly will fly in early tomorrow morning and we'll get our bearings here in Auckland before heading south towards Wellington. 

But back to Byron Bay.  First of all, let me say that it was sad to leave Christa behind, but we'll either catch each other somewhere on the south island of New Zealand or in Boston within the next few weeks, so I can't be sad for too long.  But, yes, Byron Bay.  Beautiful Byron.  I may have said that Christa and I decided we weren't much for backpacking after our experience in Brisbane, but it's easy to see why people love it when in Byron.  It's also easy to see why people never want to leave the beach. 

Byron Bay, if you don't know, sits about 2 hours south of Brisbane.  Christa and I wrapped up our time together in Brissy with my friend, Laura Davidoff, and her boyfriend, Rob Boyd.  Laura and Rob showed us some good ol' fashioned Aussie fun on this Australia Day Eve by firing up the barbie and treating us to a great meal, complete with port and chocolates.  The next morning they gave us a nice tour of Brisbane, including a great view from Mt. Coot-tha.  Then they went to their Aussie Day barbie, and we hopped a bus to Byron.  

We found our way to the Arts Factory Lodge, a little communal hostel off the beaten track of the center of town.  We are so glad that we found this place, as it was clean and friendly, colorful and fun.  It's like the resort of backpacker's hostels--pool, cafe, juice bar, volleyball court, internet, laundry, bar and restaurant, didgeridoo lessons, shuttle bus, and a travel booking office.  We made quick friends with a group of Canadians and spent the next few days eating kebabs, sea kayaking, watching tennis, and attempting to hang glide.  I went so far as to book the hang gliding, got up to the launch, was ready to strap in when...the wind changed.  Our new friend Brian from Alberta was able to fly, which was fortunate because it was his idea in the first place.  I joked to a woman we met up there that here we were with this guy that we just met a few days before and now we were literally jumping off a cliff with him.  You learn to trust people quickly when you're traveling around the world.  Unfortunately, when I went to take a video of  Brian's launch, I hit the wrong button on my camera and thought I was recording, so that when I went to stop it, it started.  So much for that.  

Christa and I spent our last night together watching the Nadal v. Verdasco semi-finals of the Australian Open.  I love tennis and I like watching tennis, but this match was above and beyond.  If any of you caught the 5.5 hour, 5 set show down, you know what I mean.  Verdasco, ranked 14th going into this tournament, was literally giving Nadal a run for his money, with three sets ending in tie-breakers (two of them going to Verdasco) but only to end on the heart-breaking note of a double fault.  We were kicked out of the bar we were initially watching it at around 1 AM (because they were closing, not because we were misbehaving), so found ourselves in a migrating pack to the next bar, only to find that it was too crowded to get in.  So we perched ourselves right at the window sill to peer in while a number of others tried to get in a look behind us as well.  

Late to bed, early to rise, early to get to the airport for my 10 AM flight.  On the flight I watched Young At Heart, an amazing documentary about a choir whose average age is 81 and sings the likes of Coldplay, James Brown, and Prince.  Definitely check it out.  It was a bit slow going at first and I was skeptical. But I had heard rave reviews, so I gave it a chance.  I'm so glad I did, though I found myself crying a few times, which is always a bit embarrassing when you have headphones on and no one else around you is watching what you're watching.  If you're a Coldplay fan, or even if you're not, watch this movie for one of the most moving renditions of Fix You that you will find.  It's all within the context of the film, but these singers, while not the most vocally gifted, get to the core of the lyrics in a way that very few pop stars, if any, could pull off.  

I'm sure there is much more to say and many reflections to be had, but it is with a weary mind and jet-lagged body that I say goodnight.  And, as always, thank you for reading.