It's Getting So Close I Can't Figure Out How Close It Really Is

This must be unnatural, really. People keep asking me when I leave for New Zealand and all I can tell them is, "October 6!" I am unable to count the days and weeks in my head. Surely most people know to the day the gap in the calendar between the present and when they embark on a most special trip...and I do not. And it's three weeks to the day, to be official. There, I finally looked it up, which caused a slight spike in my heart rate.

I have much to do, and I better get to doing it. There are many decisions to make: the route I will take once I depart Auckland, and which localities I will stop in to study, making acquaintances with the local parks and recreation pros; how long to stay in each place; and how to generally get around. The absolute adventurer in me desires to take public transportation; the general adventurer agrees that it could be easier to rent a vehicle - that way I can also transport my bike and have it ready to ride at whim.
At least I know I'm flying into Auckland.

I lose a full day in the air, flying over the International Dateline. Arriving in Auckland on October 8, the country and adventure is mine until the 18th to be back in time to meet up with Team USA and get to the appointed hotel. So I'll need to figure the best way to get around the North Island in 10 days, which really should not be that difficult to do. There's a Billy Bragg concert to take in, as well, in a choice of up to three locations. After the competition, on October 24th, I plan to head to the South Island for the 10 days I will have before flying back to the States.

 

The maze of buses, and rail, and specialized and general and flexible travel passes is daunting. It feels as though I need to take one day each to figure out each element, to research thoroughly...or not, and simply "wing it" when I get there. That would certainly cause less stress now, only to delay until I'm standing on the curb in Auckland wondering what my options are! All this thought is rather stressful, so I am going off now to read my Triathlon magazine and prepare for the Appalachian Gap bike ride in the morning.