Today was my last day in this paradise island! I was reflecting on what an
amazing trip this has been and I am already thinking about the next time I can
come back here, maybe for a kite surfing trip! Before I leave this place, I
wanted to get one more Ika Mata, so before returning my scooter I rode down to
Bite Time, which is fairly famous around the island for having really good
seafood. While I was there, I bumped into Brynn, one of the KiteSUP founders and
ended up having lunch and trading stories with her.
I love how small this place is, it feels like everyone knows everyone else and
even just after my short stay I felt a little bit like a local myself.
From here I did another last lap of Avarua and started making my way to return my scooter. Along the way I stopped at a little bakery and bought some coconut bread for later on (considering I wouldn’t have transport).
I returned my scooter and people at the hire place gave me a lift back to the hotel. After cleaning up the last of the my things, I saw Jack and Kim from The Dive Center waiting by the pool for scuba lessons and I went out to have a little chat with them while they waited.
I wanted to enjoy this peaceful, quiet bliss for a little longer before going back to the stresses of reality soon enough, so I lounged around the pool for a bit and had a little nap. I went into the office and had a chat with Jane and thanked her for all the help during my stay. Both Jane and Rungi helped me with tourist information, bookings and as with the other staff have been really friendly.
I got talking with the new guests arriving at the hotel and they had multiple families all staying here - they basically booked the whole hotel! I ended up cooking up the remaining food (steak, potatos, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, beers, etc.) and had a BBQ with them. We finished up around 8:30 and by this time it was too late to go to the shipwreck hut for a farewell drink as they close at 9:00, so I just washed my dishes, cleaned up my last minute things, had a shower and packed my suitcase - I even managed about half an hour sleep before there was a knock at the door. The transfer guy arrived 20 minutes early, but either way I loaded up the car, picked up another family along the way and arrived at the airport pretty early!
The screen at the airport said the flight was delayed by an hour, but I only had an hour to transfer at Auckland, so I thought I was going to have a hard time but when I got to the counter, the screen had updated and it was running on time.
After my bags were checked in, I got a toasty and a muffin from a small stall nearby and went through security. It was a very simple process here, security is basically one gate with basically no queue and then your in the departure lounge!
I got to the gate and still had more than 2 hours to kill. The recommendation is normally to get to the airport 3 hours early for international flights, but that doesn’t seem necessary here!
I sat there listening to music when I saw a familiar face, it was Sarah that I had met in Muri beach the day of Captain Tama’s Lagoon Cruise. We ended up chatting the whole time and before we knew it the plane was boarding. This long delay ended up disappearing so fast with the help of such great company. We said our farewells and boarded the plane. The holiday was over but this trip has been absolutely incredible and I can’t wait to do it all again someday.
When I arrived home, it felt like I was slowly waking up to the much more fast paced life here, it was like I was gone for a lot longer than I was, maybe because this trip was specifically to relax instead of trying to get in lots of tourist stuff. Even on the way back home, there was a construction sign that said “Don’t drive and Pokemon”, I couldn’t help but think how different the beach lifestyle was. Having a holiday with a very small and loose agenda, completely cut off from the internet, phones, TV, etc. and being forced to run out of things to do has been so rewarding that I definitely plan on doing this again sometime soon.