Nov. 19 - Angels in NZ and Long Bus Rides

Time to organize my adventure. I headed out early to two hostels, both full, one closed travel agency, two more that couldn't help me and just when I'm at the end of my rope in despair,  poof in walks my angel again and she escorted me to the train station. From there we were sent to an information place where the lady was wonderful and she got me on the very next cheap bus out to Rotorua geothermal hot spring area that I desperately wanted to see. My friend and I parted and I was eternally grateful to her. I'm not even sure if she was a figment of my imagination. I took a couple of pictures of Auckland but it's a big city and I don't want to be there.

Took the ever popular Naked/Mana bus to all the popular out cities and they only charge about $25. Five hours by bus and it was only eventful ‘cause two dudes jacked their heavy metal … let's call it "music" from the night before concert. I asked nicely to turn it down, and gave them earphones. One hour later, in a fury, I sat down in their seat and told them turn it off or use headphones as they were bothering all of us. They finally turned it off.  I had steamed for an hour and reminded myself I was almost 60 and wasn't putting up with this bullshit anymore. I lived to tell the story about these two punks but it could have gone either way.

Walked 1000 km to the Airbnb  house...maybe it was 6 blocks but the knapsacks were heavy. Met the only other person renting the house and he told me he was coming down with a bad cold. Me being the germaphobe,  I started to feel sympathetic pains, worried I was dying.

I met another 20 something at another hostel I was checking out and she was driving to the hot springs that you can't  get to by bus. I begged her to let me freeload with them and she said OK.   We made plans for the next morning and I was over the top happy.

Ending off the night, I was off to the Polynesian Spa in Rotorua and it's rated in the top 10 by Conde Naste. Supposed to be $20 but it's $30… what the hell.  I heard three young guys relaxing and talking about life saying this is the den of Serenity ‘cause in the background were 10,000 pigeons and seagulls screaming their head off in their protected Sanctuary at the spa. Ironic and hilarious.

just looked around at all the Asians, (I am a race minority AND solo, so a total freak of nature and mankind) and they all have their cell phones unprotected in the pool doing selfies.  Crazy!

Normally I can easily spend 5 hours at the spa but alone, for the very first time in my life, I could barely do 1 ½ hours.  All this romance was a buzz kill. It was nice but I prefer the one near Ottawa.

I know, my pictures suck so go here if you want to see the better one.

http://www.polynesianspa.co.nz/

I stayed up past midnight cleaning my bags.