The End. (And pictures to go with my last post.)

Wow! I'm home. I cannot believe how quickly it's gone! And how much I have to do now that I'm back in reality. I've spent the last 2 months worrying about which bus to catch and which hostel to sleep in. I don't have any idea what's been going on in the world or at home. Everyone else has gone on with their normal lives, and it's strange to just step back into mine after such a break. Not to say I haven't grown or learned or changed, because I certainly fell like I have. Now I have to start planning my next trip. And encouraging Tiina to go to New Zealand to buy me more Vegemite before I run out!

After my last post, I spent a couple of days in Auckland, running around getting last minute gifts. Then I headed off to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. The flight wasn't very good, but that's okay, because the beach was! The flight was from 10pm to about 4am. (Only 4 hours, with a 22 hour time change, across the dateline.) I wanted to sleep, but they served dinner and the lights were on the whole time! The ice cream they served was tasty, though. I spent the first day on the beach, reading. The next day, I rented a bike and rode around the island, a whole 32km, stopping in town and at a few beaches. The next day, I spent by the pool, reading. The next, I spent on the beach, reading. I had a really good time. I felt like I walked into one of those Corona commercials with the perfect beach, minus the beer. The sand was white, the coconuts were fresh and yummy, the ocean was warmer than the pool and the sun was shining (most of the time). The one thing was that the food was expensive, especially fresh food, since most of it is imported from New Zealand. I did eat a huge, local pawpaw (papaya) that cost less than $1 Canadian, and the coconuts were free. There was a really cute cat that lived at the hostel named Marmalade. She would chase the lizards and bugs on the wall. A bunch of people were there doing scuba certification courses or just diving. One guy had been in the Cook Islands for 31 days, which is how long you can stay as a tourist. I have definitely changed my opinion of sand in my toes for the better!

I left Rarotonga for LA and was again lucky with my flight. It wasn't as good as the flight to Auckland, but I had a row of 2 to myself. I got a bit of sleep. At one point, I slept for about 2 hours with my feet up on the handrest. When I woke up, one of my legs was totally asleep. I couldn't stand up and was anticipating excuriating pins and needles, which, luckily, never materialised.

In LA, everyone had to claim their bags and go through security again! The security guard I went through was quite rude to the people before and after me, who seemed to have limited understanding of English. She was pretty much yelling at them to take their shoes off and put them through the x-ray machine. I had no problems though, until I started looking for lunch. In New Zealand, it was really easy to find cheap, healthy food. But not in LA! I ended up settling for a veggie burger from Burger King, which, after a few complications, including a chicken burger, I received after about 10 minutes. I spent a couple of relaxing days of jet lag with Onu Aarne's family in Vancouver before heading home.


Pictures from the Tongariro Crossing:

View from the bus.

Me in front of "Mt. Doom" after climbing the Devil's staircase.

The Red Crater.

The Emerald Lakes.

The view when descending.

From Rotorua:

Maori meeting house at Te Puia.

Above, a hot pool. Below, geysers.

A fence around a new hot spring in a city park.