As you can see in the subject, I just arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand. This morning woke up TOO bloody early (6:30) to catch my plane to this kinda cool (liturally!) country. It must be below 10 degrees as I really do need my Driza-Bone here. Check in was fine, flight was without any trouble except from a little turbulence somewhere halfway. But unfortunately they didn't really like my face or my passport or my dive-knife because I got queried at least 3 times on where I was going and what I my plans where for New-Zealand. At the end it turned out that they really wanted to check my bags and hear some more from me. Honesty works best, I do have a dive-knife with a blade of around 12cm in my backpack and though it was not really a problem afterwards they where still a bit concerned about that and wanted to check it out. They also checked out my diary for traces of drugs but that might be partly because I was so stupid to leave it in the airplane, next to my Lonely Planet. I realized that seconds after they pulled me away to check my luggage and some officer was so kind to retrieve it from the airplane. Djeez, stupid action of me, a Lonely Planet might be just inconvenient to loose but is replacable, my diary definetely NOT. Anyway, I was glad that no one was waiting for me at the airport so I had plenty of time. But I did have to go again through the X-ray with my backpacks, now with the official next to it who could confirm that the big metal object in it was indeed a dive-knife and fully legal. But you have to answer an awfull lot of questions. To speak with Doroty (the fish from Finding Nemo): "Just keep swimm^wsmiling, just keep smiling."
Not that I had any trouble with that, after all it IS their job to prevent anything or anyone illegal or dangerous entering the country and I can perfectly imagine that they picked me out. Ah well, they where very friendly and cooperative at customs so no need to complain. They where just doing their job and actually them doing it so thouroughly makes me feel quite safe.
But here I am, in an internet cafe almost next-door to Base Backpackers where I checked in for 2 days straight. Their bar opens within half an hour at 5pm. Straight out of the airplane I jumped into a red bus taking me to Cathedral Square for $5, walked slowly to Base (while smiling that I really arrived in New Zealand), checked in, dumped my backpacks in a room where 2 blokes where asleep and ran off. First to a tobacco store (yeah I'll quit again, but not now), then to the Cathedral Square to smoke a cigarette and take some cheesy pictures of the cathedral and the silverish statue and now in the internet cafe. Unluckily there is again a time-difference which is even bigger than in Australia so while I'm writing this here at 4:35pm it's just 6:35am back home. I'll survive. Tonight I'll celebrate my first night in NZ and my first night in a hostel ever. Plans are taking the Kiwi Experience on tuesday morning. So first a day of checking out the town a bit.
And I'm getting hungry now, see if there is any mail and then probably looking for some place where I can find some cheap junkfood. I should cook but not now. I'm happy being here...
BTW traffic DOES stop here at pedestrian crossings and I already heard some dutchies in Base but decided to kinda ignore that fact and say nicely "Thnx M'te" while they stepped aside when I plummeted up the stairs to my room.
TTYL!
Murf
Murf | 29 May 2005 (Sun), 06:22 @ storyKlinkt spannend al die douane! Mafketels, jou niet vertrouwen :)
knuff
Abieg @ May 30, 2005 08:55 AMMurf...ga je wel voor mij bungeejumpen daar tussen de rotsen? :) Ik zou bijna een moord doen om daar een keer te mogen springen...
Kirsten @ May 30, 2005 07:34 PM@Abieg:
Sure... I was walking there in my Driza-Bone, yellow pants, unshaved look, had a 12cm knife in my backpack and most of all, had a Dutch passport. That makes you very suspicous in their eyes. Try to forget your diary in the airplane then, for sure they'll scan that at any drugs at all. (And I could honestly admit that the last time I smoked some weed was more than a year ago and in Holland where it's legal anyway. And yes I told them that when they asked for it, nothing to hide, nothing illegal so better be honest about it...)
@Kuess:
Dunno. At this moment I'm absolutely not sure if I will jump at all. I will go skydiving and walk the glacier, those things are quite sure. But bungee jumping seems so incredibly scary to me that I'm absolutely nog sure if I dare. I rather like rock climbing, for me less scary because I'm 100% in control. There is the big difference between a very long scare because you don't trust your body or a sharp short scare where you totally have to rely on the material. (And don't forget, I'm still afraid of heights, that's why I almost pissed my pants at 30 meters...)
But we'll see, it takes me round about 2-3 weeks before I'm in Queenstown, the bungee-capital of NZ so there I'll see if I dare or not.
Harmen @ May 31, 2005 06:43 AMName and Email adres are required. Not because I like to harvest email adresses, but because I like to know who you are. Comment to a response I do rarely unless I find a feedback2feedback for MovableType. Don't worry, your email adress is at a clever way protected against harvesters so that won't become a problem.