Leaving Auckland, Part One: 'This is it folks'

Hello everyone! How are you all doing?

I've managed to survive my first time flying alone (by which I mean I made it through security, boarding, thirteen hours in the air and customs, and no tears as of yet!). The flight was fine. I mean it didn't crash. It wasn't exactly the time of my life or anything. But more on that later.

I've decided the best way to recount the very eventful 24 hours I've just experienced is probably to do it in a couple of parts. This is for two reasons: 1, I'm tired and lazy as hell; and 2, I'm worried I'll leave important things out if I try to do it all at once. So this post will just recount my time in Auckland airport until my flight departed.

We arrived at the airport at around 5.30, two and a half hours before my plane was due to board. That seemed like a ton of extra time to me, but of course I have limited experience with international travel, and we actually didn't have long once I had my boarding pass. After sitting with my family for a while eating McDonalds and talking, we very quickly came to the point where they had to leave me and I had to go on alone. Auckland Airport has a sign saying 'This is it folks. Time for last goodbyes,' which almost made me tear up, but not quite. Megan was the one who cried. Not surprising.

Security now involves machines which read your passports and spit out little green tickets. I took one such ticket and handed it to a security person while my photo was taken from above and then I put all my things on little plastic trays to be x-rayed. Afterwards I was taken aside by a woman who swabbed me to make sure I wasn't dosed in explosives. I wasn't. I actually have a photo of myself with that woman, but unfortunately I can't upload any photos just at the moment (or potentially for a while yet. I'm not sure yet because I haven't fully unpacked, but I very strongly suspect that I might not have packed the right cord for my camera. BAD NEWS!).

After making it through security, I had about 45 minutes to do whatever I wanted. What I wanted to do was find a Terry's Chocolate Orange. Unfortunately these are not as easy to come by as they once were, and after trying a few stores with no success I decided to go down and see where my gate was. I found it easily. I then had to carry my seven kg hand luggage (plus uke and coat) back up a long, long flight of stairs when I decided I might as well go do something with my last half hour. They weren't quite S Block bad, but they did sort of seem that way when I was looking upwards.

I didn't get very far away from the gate. In the very first shop I went into, I ran into none other than the infamous John Davies, and had a good long talk with him about the varying angles our lives have taken on and how people have changed since high school. Again, a photo is forthcoming, but you may have to wait a while. You all know what he looks like! So I talked to John for a while, and then I decided to buy a Cadbury Bubbles bar instead of that damn elusive chocolate orange (not as good!) and head back down. It was just in time - just as I was getting off the escalator, I heard someone announcing that the flight was boarding, and to my horror all the people who had been lounging around there before were gone, already aboard. Cue panic.

But it was fine. I wasn't the last one on board. I ended up between two other girls about my age, one of whom I would later learn happened to have recently graduated from UBC. I didn't make conversation with them at this stage because the one on my left appeared to be falling asleep and the one on my right was reading on her kindle. I watched out the window as we took off, but I didn't see much. It was dark, you know.

It seemed to happen very quickly. After months of waiting and anticipating, all of a sudden I was rushing onto the plane, trying not to lose anything on the way and regretting the fact that I had forgotten to ask for an aisle seat. Being in the middle was really a pain. But again, there'll be more on that later, and hopefully I can find a way to upload these photos. Don't act surprised guys. We all knew I was going to mess something up.

It's 10.15 here now, and it feels later, because it's been so long since I actually slept properly. I'll update this tomorrow - hopefully in the morning but more likely at night time. Maybe both, if you really luck out!

Love you all!
CLAIRE