Once again 6:30am came way too soon and the trio woke up in grumpy moods. Struggling to get up and then reluctant to repack all of their bags in preparation for their flight home, no one was happy. VNTRbirds love Wellington, but the South Island definitely stole their hearts. Once everything looked remotely decent and packed, Jaime snapped a couple of photos and they were in the car. Kelley got into the backseat, she was out for another hour and Jaime joined her. Oliver unfortunately, being the driver had to power through it. With nine hours of driving ahead of them and no radio, O made sure to buy a CD or two in Qtown before the trio left (Supertramp, hell yeah). Naturally, the CD player was broken, so it went back to silence.
It’s very hard to describe the views that lay ahead of TUB &O. And all that have been to the South Island of New Zealand will most likely agree. It is beautiful and it seems that there is something crisp about the plants and trees. The sky has depth and the clouds are so detailed that they look solid. This is the view that VNTRbirds and Oliver got to enjoy for eight whole days.
The car got dropped off at the airport’s depot and the trio took one last deep breath of the South Island air before getting into the airport. The trio weighed out their bags before checking them in to make sure they were all less than 20kg, which they were but too bad the limit was 15kg. TUB had to carry on a little more than they expected, but it all worked out, no extra charges or fees. THUMBS UP!
Waiting for the flight in the airport wasn’t too bad; the trio got pastries and a coffee from the café and relaxed. Oliver decided he was going to pay $2 for the automatic massage chairs for five minutes. That 5 minutes went on for the entire time they waited, it just wouldn’t shut off! Now there is some luck. Alternating between the two, Kelley and Oliver worked out all the kinks while Jaime just laughed at the situation. O made sure he unplugged the chair to save energy before they boarded the plane.
The flight was only about 30minutes long (at least it felt that way) and TUB &O were back in Wellington! Collecting the luggage and jumping onto the bus TUB &O had to stand and hold on tight for the first 10 minutes until a seat opened up. Tuckered out and agitated, the trio got off at Courtney Place and called up a Taxi. Once again maneuvering in the girls’ snowboards and the rest of the baggage in to the cab, the driver told them how he was amazed that they were able to fit everything in. Smooshed in the back seat, TUB was quiet until 61 Fairlie Terrace was in sight.
No one wanted the trip to end, but it will stay in VNTRbirds memories as their first and best road trip of their lives. Enjoy the recap of pictures, TUB knows they will.
-VNTRbirds 