Poor first impressions of New Zealand

Auckland

I've known for a long time now that travel is never what it seems. Sometimes, places that I thought I might like turn out to be disappointing. And vice versa, sometimes I stumble upon places that I just don't want to leave although they weren't on my list of priorities.

I had such high hopes for New Zealand and I was naturally excited to finally get here. I booked a window seat on my flight to Auckland, hoping to catch a glimpse of the beautiful emerald lakes and lush forests and volcanoes that I imagined I would see. It turned out that it was cloudy and when the airplane descended below the clouds, all I could see were endless Auckland suburbs, houses upon houses around neat cul-de-sacs, all brownish in color. The only green I could make out from above were a few tennis courts. I was disappointed, the view was blah.

However, the disappointment didn't stop there. Hostels in New Zealand don't provide internet. I'm stuck with the hassle of going to internet cafes and paying by the hour. It's so frustrating after having internet everywhere I've traveled so far, even in the least developed countries such as Laos or in the jungles of Borneo, I'm now in a developed country and I can't go online in the morning or in the evening like I'm used to. I have to get dressed first and pack up my computer and go out. Yes, I'm disappointed.

I thought I would at least compensate for my poor first impression of Auckland by making myself a salad in my hostel's kitchen. I was going to buy vegetables in a supermarket but I was out of luck. Auckland is not a megacity bursting with life like Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur or Melbourne. It's a small, sleepy place where the shops close at 6:00 PM and the city goes dead after that. I could have gone to the supermarket earlier if I had known or bothered to check closing times. I couldn't get vegetables in the evening and therefore I couldn't have my salad, another disappointment.

The restaurants and bars remain open late so I bought a kebab with lots of vegetables and decided to try a local beer. It was not bad at all and I sure hope it's a sign that things are about to get better.