(written on November 25th from notes taken previously)
Woke up early today and headed again down to Les Batkin Reserve on the Waikato River just several kilometers from the rugby place that I’ve stayed at the last few nights and on my way back to Auckland.
Spent a good little while cleaning and organizing the rental car and trying to psych myself up to tell the rental car people about the bottom of the driver’s door where I scratched the paint off with the curb that was higher than I expected it to be.
Certainly, they would never know about it… but I would, and I hate having a haunted conscience.
Went to Pak ‘N Save to buy some food and whatnot in preparation for the day that I would spend without access to a vehicle.
Once loaded up with the necessary sustenance for the coming day, I set off to buy some gas. Gratefully, there was a self-serve gas station right near the car-rental place, and I had 30 minutes to spare, so that was good… except…
The gas station wouldn’t take my credit card. 😶
Ugh. Darn American credit cards that don’t have digital pins. New Zealand requires digital pins.
A little anxious, I tried all my credit cards, but no dice. There was no way.
Gratefully, a woman who had just filled up next to me saw that I was having issues with being able to unlock the pump to fill my tank told me that the gas station near the airport had someone working the counter who could override the pumps.
She kindly drove back toward the airport so I could follow her, and gratefully, I was able to fill up, pay for the gas by going inside and using the card reader terminal (which only requires that I sign the receipt).
I made it back to the car-rental place with maybe a minute or two to spare? for my drop-off time, gave the young Chinese lady behind the counter, the same one who had been on the receiving end of my frustrations the other day, a large bag of Skittles that I had bought from Pak ‘N Save for her as a peace/apology offering, which she received with excitement, even jumping up and down. wa
I walked around the car with her, at one point getting on our hands and knees so I could show her the place on the bottom edge of the door where I’d accidentally scraped the paint off (couldn’t see it unless your eye was below the door).
She offered to give me a ride to the airport, but I declined, as I wasn’t leaving the country. I suppose I could have asked her to give me a ride to the local LDS church that was about a mile and a half away, but I didn’t. I thought about it, but… I didn’t want to ask for anything after what had happened before.
So I loaded up my big backpacker pack and put it on my back. I loaded up my regular backpack and put it on my stomach (straps over my shoulders, but wearing it on my stomach just like I would wear it on my back, something I’d seen other backpackers do in years past), had my computer case filled to the brim in one hand and the bucket that I purchased from Repco loaded with stuff in my other hand.
Lots to carry.
Probably should have asked someone to take a picture. I’m sure I was quite the sight. 🙃
Loaded down, I walked over to the LDS Church, taking several breaks along the way, my hands getting tired, my body drenched with sweat from the heat and exertion.
Gratefully, the gate was open (many of the church buildings in New Zealand are surrounded by fences with locked gates), and there was a picnic table at one corner of the parking lot under a tree amidst the decorative shrubs.
There were people inside the church I think playing pickleball? in the basketball court area. Clearly, I look like a homeless person, and periodically, someone would stick their head out of the building and look in my direction. 🙃
There was a whole bunch of trash in that area where I was sitting, so after eating a bit, I grabbed one of the trash bags that I had bought and started walking around picking up trash.
There was a lot of trash.
I pretty much filled the bag, asked one of the people playing pickle ball if they had a dumpster, dumped the trash, and then went back to my spot.
It was also nice to be able to use the church’s Wi-Fi. 🙏
After a while, though, I headed out, not exactly sure where I was going or what I was doing. After walking for a while and getting pretty tired, I sat down on the sidewalk to take a drink and eat a snack. I’m sure I looked like a homeless person, and I guess there are many many homeless people in New Zealand because of the cost of living. I didn’t realize that until this trip.
Anyway, while I was sitting there on the sidewalk, a couple of women from across the street started walking over to me and asked if I was hungry. 🙃
Super cool. 😊
I declined their offer and thanked them, not actually being a homeless person who was hungry. 😅
I walked up the street a little more thinking I might have a better place to hang out, but there really wasn’t much. So I headed back toward the Church, and from outside, even with no cars in the parking lot, I noticed that one of the doors to the building was propped open.
I also found that the gate for cars was closed, but the person gate was unlocked, so I went back on the church property, went into the church and found no one there.
😶
So I closed the door and made sure all the doors to the building were locked and actually hung out inside the church for a little while charging my stuff. I was going to call the local leaders and let them know that the door had been left open and that I’d closed it, as I didn’t expect anyone else to come to the building on a Friday night, but after an hour or so, somebody came to the building.
I felt a little awkward being inside of the building when no one was there, since I wasn’t a member of any of the congregations that met there, so I… let’s just say I didn’t announce my presence. 😅
After they left, I stayed inside, but then a bunch of people started coming.
Feeling really awkward but also not wanting to leave, I hung out in the building in sort of an out of the way corner while what sounded like a big music rehearsal went on.
By that point, I had decided I was going to sleep on the church grounds somewhere, just because I’m a member, and it seemed like a nice safe place to be?
And then… since I was already in the building, and everyone was leaving, I was like… huh… maybe I’ll just sleep in the building.
Not my finest hour… 😅
But that’s what I did. I scooted two couches together and slept diagonally across them.
😅
~ stephen
Lift the World 