Dateline: Auckland, New Zealand

The new year finds me beginning a new chapter of my journey in two new hemispheres (Southern and Eastern) with – I cannot resist the pun  – new zeal. 

Now halfway through my RTW trip, both geographically and temporally, I am relieved to report that I’m not the least bit weary of either the travel or the company.  Yes, I agree that everything around airports is a hassle, but I still get a thrill from takeoffs and landings and find the experience of flying especially exhilarating.  Even better is the opportunity to delve deep into new places and discover them at my pace without the standard strictures of guidebooks.  And I am having a ball with my party of one.

In fact, I’m so digging this gig that I wonder if I could somehow create a career as a professional nomad….

City of Sails

 

 

After almost 6 months in rainforests and jungles, on ranches and islands, I am really ready for a city fix – but not too overwhelming a one.  (Do need to gradually get my urban groove on as there are several serious metropolises to experience ahead: Sydney, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Singapore, Istanbul, Paris).  With its 1.4 million laidback Kiwis, Auckland is very manageable, and ranks number 3 on the most recent Mercer Quality of Living survey (right behind Zurich). 

Auckland skyline

 

I made a very fortunate Airbnb selection, and am delighted with my funky Ponsonby neighborhood – chockablock with hip cafés, ethnic eateries, eclectic boutiques, vintage clothing stores, and Bikram yoga studios. 

Home for this month

Just my style!

 

However, I must admit I’m feeling a bit discombobulated here on the underside of the planet; could this be because I crossed both the International Date Line and the Equator in one go?

January 6^th didn’t happen for me this year.  Departed Los Angeles at 9pm Monday (5^th) when it was already tomorrow in NZ; somewhere over the Pacific, Tuesday disappeared, and I landed here on Wednesday morning (7^th).  Good thing is that with a time difference of 21 hours, I feel virtually no jet lag – just lost a day. 

Its proximity to the IDL means that Auckland is the first major city in the world to experience a new day and a new year – how cool is that?  And here’s another fun fact:  New Zealand is antipodal to Western Europe.  In geography, the antipode of any location is the point on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to it; a straight line drawn from one to the other passes smack through the core.  

This means I’m on the exact other side of the world from my kiddos, and sensing the distance pretty acutely. Part of me very much wanted to crawl into my son’s suitcase in Tortola and return to Switzerland with them, and the departure board at LAX seemed to be provoking me with temptation:

Should I stay (on course) or should I go (home)? 

 

I hope I’ll adjust quickly to being on my own again after two emotional, fun-filled weeks with family and friends.  My commitment was made long ago and so I will embrace the continuation of my circumnavigation as the itinerant zealot / zealous itinerant I have become.