Is it me? Or do other people always have things turn out differently than planned?

It was the first official day of my soon-to-be-an-amazing-vacation.   

I was to fly from Taupo to Auckland, stay the night at friends, then board a great big aeroplane at 7 in the morning and fly over the Tasman Sea to the Gold Coast of ‘Stralia’.

The reason for heading to the Gold Coast? Why, to run, of course (that is a “Yeah, right” statement).  Whilst there is a run involved my personal real purpose was to enjoy the camaraderie of a number of my good friends.  Twelve of us, plus surplus family members.  Real potential for happy times, making memories and having many laughs.

So my next four months of experiences and adventures were planned to begin on that first flight from Taupo to Auckland.  

I woke early, popped my head out of the window to check the weather, it was minus 1 degree with frost covering the lawns.  I had asked my flatmate the day before if he would take me to the airport.  He had kindly agreed.  But the minus 1 degree temperature meant that his little and old car which sits outside over night was covered in a thick layer of ice.  We walked out, looked at the car and knew it would take some time to rid the car windscreen of this annoyance.  “Oh well, let’s use mine,” I said.  My car was garaged overnight and would be fine.  We did.  

He duly drove me to the airport and we commented on what a nice morning it was, despite not being able to see the mountains due to cloud. We said goodbye and I asked him to be careful parking the car back in the garage – he assured me he would. Plane was due to fly out at ten past nine; it is a daily flight I often enjoy watching flying over my house each morning.  At nine o’clock the announcement came over the loud speaker, “Due to fog the flight from Taupo to Auckland has now been cancelled.  For those passengers who still wish to get to Auckland today, Air New Zealand will be chartering a bus to take you there.  At this point in time we cannot make a definite time for the bus departure, we apologise for the inconvenience and will keep you informed once we have more information.”  

Oh great, a bus ride to Auckland.  Whenever a bus arrives.

Up in Auckland son Danny had arranged for me to use his car in the city for the day by parking it in the airport public carpark and leaving the keys in an envelope at an Air New Zealand desk for me to uplift once my flight arrived.  He had prewarned me that the car parking cost would be quite expensive as the car would be there for 2 hours before I arrived to utilise it.  “Never mind,” I said, “I’m just very grateful to have a car to utilise the day.”  I then made three appointments in the city – nothing like maximising every minute I can.

But now I was sitting in Taupo Airport with no notion of when a bus would be turning up.  

Being philosophical, methinks, ‘ah well, not much I can do about this, may as well maximise the unexpected free time I have, I’ll get out my brand new little laptop PC and do some work on it.’   This is an opportunity, not a negative. I’ll get things done.  Good.  

Haul laptop out of bag, open it up, turn it on.  It won’t turn on.  I push the turn on button.  It won’t turn on.  Grrr… I push the button again.  It won’t turn on.  I hold the button down … it won’t turn on.  Bother. I control/alt/delete – it won’t turn on.  Maybe it has run out of battery.  I pull out the power lead and plug it in, then push the start button.  It won’t turn on.  I try another electric point; it won’t turn on.  I am beginning to get grumpy.  Very grumpy.  Icy morning. No plane. No bus.  No computer working. This brand new PC, the one that has cost me many dollars to purchase and have IT nerds load it all correctly is not damn well turning on.  Grrr.

Grumpy equals = time for a coffee to help appease, to be purchased at the only coffee bar in the very small airport.  As it will be a long day and I have had no breakfast – due to planning on eating at the Koru Club in Auckland once I had arrived at the airport – I sought out foodstuffs at the coffee bar.   Yuk. The only food on option was those horrid biscuits in jars, or a Double Chocolate & Cream Cheese muffin.  As much as I cannot stand chocolate in muffins I succumbed to the common sense value that I may have to wait hours until we get to Auckland so a little bit of food for nutrition now will be good for me; besides I didn’t have to eat the whole muffin, just some and throw the rest away.

Coffee was shite.  Muffin was horrible, truly horrible.  And hard and stale.

I was becoming more than more than grumpy.  I was now irate.  Car iced up.  No plane. No bus. No working PC. Horrible coffee.  Inedible and very stale muffin.

I sat and sulked.  What a waste of energy that was.  

Bus eventually arrives.  People eventually climb on board.  Driver eventually begins to drive.  We drive to Auckland, stopping for 15 minutes at Matamata for toilets.  Heading back onto the highway we arrive at Auckland airport at 2.15 p.m.

Into Domestic Terminal to uplift Danny’s car keys.  Over to car park to uplift car.  Car located.  Car parking account, $50.00.  $50.00!!   Grrrr..    Grrrreat start to my winter of holidays.

The original plan was for me to fly into Auckland, uplift Danny’s car (for about 10 or 12 bucks), go to my doctor’s and other appointments, go purchase some gifts for my holiday hosts, go purchase some clothing items needed to take on holiday with me, call on a dear friend unexpectedly, have a short run and a quick workout at the gym, then be back at Auckland Airport by 5 p.m. to meet Danny finishing his day’s work. 

Most of those plans were clearly not going to happen.  Appointments cancelled, joy and the anticipation of a run and workout, cancelled.  Did realise I could make the very important doctor’s appointment though.  So paid my $50 and headed into the city.

Traffic leaving the airport was abominable …. Stop start all the way … and it began raining … that horrible, depressing Auckland rain …..   

My holiday so far = iced up car, cancelled plane, broken brand new PC, rotten muffin, horrible coffee, extortionate car park fee, horrible traffic, rain.  Oh happy days!

Madness drive to get to my doctor’s appointment.  Despite the many traffic hold ups and weather challenges arrived two minutes before appointed time. Came out of her office with a prescription for necessary medications for the next four month period.  I asked her if she could recommend a pharmacy that would have the four month supply on hand.  She informed me the local one would definitely have all stock.  I went there.  Few minutes later he came out with a half filled script, seems he did not have all the medication in stock.  But I need it, says I, I am travelling abroad and need to take the medications with me.  “Oh,” says he, “I’ll ring around other pharmacists and find out if they have it in stock”.   Meanwhile he then begins to serve other customers.  Many other customers.  I intercede, “Excuse me, but I have to be at the airport in less than an hour, could you please make those phone calls for me.”    

“Oh yes, I’ll do that now,” he says, which suggested to me he had already forgotten about it.  Grrrr…

Fifteen minutes later he emerges, “I am terribly sorry but none of the other pharmacies have it in stock either.”   Grrrr.

This I had gathered would be the result, so had already put Plan B into mental action.  I will ask Big Son to come pick up said products prior to his flying out to Honolulu – all a bit of a bother, but the only option.  I leave the pharmacy, grumpy. 

Is anything going to go smoothly today?  Or on my holiday?  Am I actually going to get to the Gold Coast?  Will the plane be cancelled?

A quick look at my watch tells me to head straight back to the airport to pick up Danny – but I am most concerned about my brand new PC not turning on. It was purchased specifically for me to take on my 3 to 4 month sojourn overseas – I was flying out at 7 in the morning – with an unusable PC.  So on way to airport I quickly diverted off motorway and drive to a Noel Leaming shop – the franchise I purchased the PC from.

Took it in, showed the assistant what was not happening with it. She tried it.  She tried it again.  Then shrugged a shoulder of indifference and stated that as it was under warranty they would have to send it to a PC repair person, should take 7 to 10 working days.  But - I was flying out in 16 hours.
Gggrrrrrr, again.  Annoyed frustration had me pick the machine up, storm out to the car and drive, grumpily, and probably slightly manically straight to the airport.

Picked up a waiting Danny, explained to him the PC problem, asked he would drop me at my friends where I was staying the night, and to come in and see if he could have any answers to why it would not work.  

Once at Doug and Gaye’s, preliminary greetings over, we plugged said PC in, he pushed the on button.  It started!  

I couldn’t get it to go, Noel Leaming staff couldn’t get it to go – but one finger touch from him and it went  … how damned annoying … makes mother look like a complete twit.

I am a complete twit.

Staying at my friends was the perfect situation, they too were coming to Gold Coast, we were all on the same early morning flight, so we would share taxi to airport and enjoy the start of our Gold Coast holiday.  Early morning flight = 4 a.m. rising in the morning. 

A beautiful dinner served, one bottle of wine, another bottle of wine, a really cheap bottle of Doug’s wine, another opened – 11.30 at night we go to bed.  4 a.m. we rise.  Now, after all the frustration of the day before, the iced car, the flight cancelled, the bus ride, the horrid coffee, the more horrid muffin, the parking fee, the Auckland traffic, the Auckland rain, the badly stocked pharmacist, the unhelpful Noel Leaming assistance – and many other minor irritations later … finally the holiday was looking good!

Postscript:  It was.  One very happy lady.

Now, exactly 8 days later:  I have been back in Taupo for an entire 2 day period.  Getting chores and repacking for the next stage of my four months of adventure.  

I am booked on the early morning flight from Taupo to Auckland.  

I taxi to the airport this time, got no flatmate to drop me off.

Wave goodbye to taxi driver, tell him I’ll see him in October.  

Thirty minutes later, say hello to same taxi driver.  He’s the one chosen to drive the bus from Taupo airport to Auckland airport.  Due to fog!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

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