I should have added that I was in Auckland and had to be at the airport at about 10pm that evening. So any far-flung adventures weren't particularly feasible. And considering my pessimism and current run of bad events, I didn't want to end up stuck somewhere that I couldn't easily get to the airport from.
After some leaflet reading I deferred to my tried and tested mantra: Life is better by the sea. Fortunately Auckland being a coastal city, I didn't have far to go to the sea. I strolled down to the ferry port and caught the next sailing to Waiheke Island.
About 11 miles out to sea from Auckland, Waiheke Island is a beautifully undulating island that has caught the eye of many holidaying visitors and natives alike. Even the voyage across the Hauraki Gulf to reach the island was a treat in itself. Mother Nature bestowed the gift of sunshine upon me for my final day in New Zealand. The sea sparkled in the sunshine. The frothy foam that churned up as we coursed across the Gulf shone like discovered gems ploughed from those azure waters.
On arrival, I watched the throngs of holidaying groups meander off in their general directions. I had no exact plans. I had a backpack with supplies on my back, a map I'd picked up at the ferry port in my hand and my walking boots on my feet. Watching the crowds, I headed off in the less-trodden direction. Turning left, I followed a narrow cliff edge path through some increasingly dense, dry grass around the headland point.
About 11 miles out to sea from Auckland, Waiheke Island is a beautifully undulating island that has caught the eye of many holidaying visitors and natives alike. Even the voyage across the Hauraki Gulf to reach the island was a treat in itself. Mother Nature bestowed the gift of sunshine upon me for my final day in New Zealand. The sea sparkled in the sunshine. The frothy foam that churned up as we coursed across the Gulf shone like discovered gems ploughed from those azure waters.
On arrival, I watched the throngs of holidaying groups meander off in their general directions. I had no exact plans. I had a backpack with supplies on my back, a map I'd picked up at the ferry port in my hand and my walking boots on my feet. Watching the crowds, I headed off in the less-trodden direction. Turning left, I followed a narrow cliff edge path through some increasingly dense, dry grass around the headland point.
The views were incredible. And I had them all to myself. I passed one man keeping his dog happy by throwing things into the sea for him to chase, and that was all the human life I saw for a few hours.
Those next few hours passed swiftly as I followed the path that hugged the contours of the coast. Up and down hills. Through thick grass. Across uneven rocky patches. Dipping under overhanging rogue branches. All the while with one eye on the achingly serene seascape accompanying me on my tramp.
'Tramping' is what they call hiking or rambling in New Zealand. Although it normally refers to a long distance hike, usually longer than a day, I'm going to count this as my tramping experience, seeing as I was short on time. In this case I like to think it was quality over quantity.
My time walking in such surroundings and stopping (probably every minute or so such was the picture-perfect beauty of it) to simply admire nature at its finest helped me a lot. I had time to think, and conversely, to try to clear my mind of thinking. As I reached the brow of a hill or rounded another corner I kept thinking my eyes couldn't possibly take any more beauty. But every time I was hit in the face by a deserted, silvery pebble beach being lapped at by deep, blue waters. At some turns I audibly gasped at the incredible sights, such as exotic plants in such rich greens that they must've come from a fairy tale dancing in the cooling sea breeze like mythical creatures. At some points the scenery was so beautiful that I truly struggled to accept how amazing this world is. And the fact that I could walk through it with absolutely no interruptions made me feel extremely fortunate (despite the other events going on in my life), if not a little confused as to where the rest of the world was. Had I slipped into another dimension? Had I fallen down a rabbit hole on the hillside?
Fortunately, or not depending on my preferred outcome, I eventually stumbled across fellow humans. As I neared the next village I found a mother, son and jack russell collecting pebbles on a deserted cove beach (the dog was more of a hindrance to the collection). At this point I must remind you that I had no idea where I was, I was just walking the coast as far as my little legs would take me. Part of me was hoping that the fresh sea air and exercise would help me fight the jet lag that would descend on me in a few hours. A conversation with the pebble-collectors assured me that I was on the right path to reach a seaside resort where I could reward myself with an ice cream and find a bus back to the ferry. I left them, very jealous of the fact that this was their life. Ignoring the busyness of the world and cocooning themselves in the warmth and tranquility of this pebbled cove.
A while later I reached the white sands of Oneroa Beach. I stumbled out of the undergrowth at the far end where there were no people. Further up the sand I could see people sunbathing, kids playing around and even a seaplane parked on the shoreline. I sat beneath the shade of a overhanging tree and watched the scene play out. I soaked up every moment of calm that I could before heading up the beach to begrudgingly join the world again.
The sun and the sea of Waiheke Island had lifted my spirits and shown me that the world is beautiful again. I just wasn't sure what the world would have in store for me next.
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