(written on the New Zealand 17th 😅 from notes taken previously)
Was grateful that Rugby club parking lot that I stayed at last night had free Wi-Fi. Always nice to have places with free Wi-Fi so as to not use up my data.
Rained pretty good over night, pounding the car.
I do love the rain. 😊
I was cold, though, no blankets, no pillows, sleeping in the back seat, uncomfortable.
Headed back up toward auckland, stopping off at the Auckland Temple parking lot and hanging out there a bit, looking online for vehicles to buy before heading into the distribution Center there to buy some garments. I only came to New Zealand with the pair I was wearing, expecting to buy some when I got here (trying to save packing space and knowing I needed new garments anyway).
That was a bit of a disappointment. Certainly, they had garments, and typically, I’m the size that’s one of the most common to sell out in regular clothes at regular stores, but for whatever reason, the regular length garments are like 4 inches too long at the waist, and that particular distribution Center didn’t sell the short version of the nylon mesh fabric which is the best fabric I think for hot places.
😅
So I bought two pair. Guess we’ll see how they do, but they’re *long* on top!
While in the temple parking lot, I found a gentleman selling a Honda Odyssey nearby, so I headed over to take a look at it. Odyssey’s in New Zealand aren’t the same as they are in the United states. They’re more like a crossover than a minivan. Probably a good 6 in or 8 in shorter.
Didn’t really matter, though, because the van was absolute garbage. The guy had had it for a year never even checked the oil, let alone changed it, and it was black as black could be. Checked the radiator, and there was nothing in it except bubbles. Looks like he’s most likely blown his head gasket.
From there, I headed over to the Toyota estima that I had been excited about, the one that I had gotten all that cash in preparation for, but when I showed up… It wasn’t what it was represented to be. 😒
One tire clearly had the internal steel belts broken, because it was bulging out in an entire section of the tire. Brakes needed to be replaced. The radiator itself, the part of the radiator that the cap twists onto was misshapen. It was an oval shape instead of round.
😶
Yeah… no thx.
Ugh I’m 0 for 3 so far, and there’s only one other van left I was excited about looking at, but again, he wasn’t available to show it today, so I’m… starting to get concerned.
Headed over to a nearby Bunnings Warehouse (like Lowe’s/Home Depot), and with the rain having abated, started noticing damage to my rental car that I hadn’t noticed during the rain storm, exactly what I was concerned about.
Having not bought the insurance, I was getting more and more anxious. And having the van search going so poorly, I was discouraged–big time.
Aaaaaaaand I melted down.
Why am I even in New Zealand?!?!?! I’m in a really bad place emotionally/mentally/spiritually, and being here is compounding things.
I’m just not resilient anymore. I’m a husk of what I once was, even before my recent crash, I was so much better but still a shell of my former self.
I don’t want to be here. Why am I here, God?!?!
😞
Talked to my mom for a little while, middle of the night for her (thanks, and… sorry. 😕).
In the middle of our conversation, a van popped up new on Marketplace, and I messaged them. They’re going to be in Hamilton tomorrow, down south a couple hours.
There’s some hope. Maybe this one will work? I’ve got a good chance of being the first person to see it since they are far from Auckland, and most people will be looking *in* Auckland.
Looks like it could be really good. 🤞
There’s still that other one that I *really* like, at least in photos and description, but he’s so hard to pin down to actually be able to see it, and he wants to meet somewhere to see it, which means I won’t see it cold.
So… there’s some hope now. 🤞
Finished chatting with my mom and then drove all the way back to my Onewhero rugby club spot.
Here’s to a better tomorrow.
~ stephen
Lift the World 