Plans, Mistakes, and Making Things Happen

Katie and Brian stopped into Whangerei on Friday afternoon to check on my sailing status and inquire if I wanted to ride with them to Russel, a town about two hours north of Whangerei were a weekend festival was being held.

“I'm meeting with Rex to see about sailing with him on his boat “Bequod” then I'm meeting Sam and Andy for a drink, and I will need to let John and Robyn know my plans if I'm going to be gone for the night...” I rattled the list and processed aloud. I had been in Whangerei one week and already I had made plans, created a community and organized activities.

Meeting people and making friends has always been a skill of mine, but also one that made it difficult to leave people and places behind and one that because of the networking opens my eyes to possibilities that I hadn't imagined.

As of January 11, I have nine more days in New Zealand, according to immigration. And today I booked my flight to Australia. Sickened by the sky-high prices, I was forced to pay $285 for a ticket that would have cost $100 a month ago, because I was devoted to my sailing dream and refused to cave until the very last moment. Katie and I tried to refund our Aussi tickets but nothing could be done, and if we don't leave now (when our visitor permits have run out) then we won't be allowed back for an unknown amount of time...not a favorable option.

But I bit the bullet, bought the ticket, and Katie and I will carry on as we had previously planned – for a bit at least. I still hope to sail part of this journey, and I'm thinking about catching a boat from Thailand or maybe return to New Zealand in April to sail the Pacific Island with Rex, a fellow Ohioan who has been sailing since the late 90s and has an interest in third-world countries. Thankfully after Malaysia all my tickets are refundable and Katie would continue traversing the world with Brian- I would be safe and sound at sea.

I had no idea the opportunities that would come about through meeting people and traveling. Katie and I regret buying so many tickets ahead of time and if I could go back and do it again I would buy each one as I went. Now I'm wasting money canceling tickets, spending hours on the phone with airlines and pulling at my new hair-do in frustration- if only I knew then what I know now!

In the meantime, between trips to the marina, flight research and immigration issues, I'm hanging out with my Whangerei friends.