The Exasperating Journey Into Central Auckland (draft)

I think taking public transport in a strange city helps educate you about the city faster than if you rely on taxis or friends to help you through. It's like throwing you into the deep end of the swimming pool. That's all fine and good, if you don't drown, or the traveling equivalent, completely lose your sanity....

At the Auckland airport terminal, someone took my bags off the baggage carousel, in order to make room for bags from another flight from Dubai. They weren't trying to cause problems - quite the opposite - but I didn't know this had happened, and I thought my bags were lost, and so it was 1.5 harried hours at the airport trying to figure out where all my posessions went. So, even though there was a four hour buffer between arrival and concert, much time had been burned already, and I was getting anxious.

The City Bus finally arrived, and off we gaily went - right into the snarled mess of big city rush hour.

Late, late, we arrived at the central Auckland Britomart terminal. 1.5 hours before show time! Would I have enough time? Hurriedly I dragged my stuff over to catch the Link Bus to the Parnell neighborhood, where the City Garden Lodge was located. I was reassured that the Link Bus came every ten minutes.

Now I was wondering if the Parnell neighborhood idea had been such a good one. I'd already be there if I had chosen downtown instead. One thing I liked about Parnell, researching it in the Lonely Planet guidebook, was that it seemed like a quaint place somewhat removed from who-knows-how-nefarious a downtown by an intervening rail line. In contrast, downtown is described in the guidebook as "grim and generic". But somewhat removed also means somewhat harder to get to, and time was a-wasting!

An ominous 40 minutes later, the Link Bus finally arrived, packed to the gills with annoyed commuters. Traffic all over town was snarled. I overheard the bus driver's radio as the dispatcher asked another driver "Have you or anyone travelled down the XXX road in the last forty minutes?" The driver responded, "Sorry mate, I'm out-of-service." The dispatcher replied "Well, bugger that then," then followed up with a broader announcement to all drivers to "do their best." And what more can anyone be asked to do, but that?

I located the City Garden Lodge and hurriedly checked in. The place is a backpackers type of place (hikers, bungee jumpers, adventurers of all sorts from all continents), but picturesque, since the house was originally built as a residence for the Queen of Tonga. But there was no time to change, or shave, or wash, or anything (sad for a Kylie concert, where fashion is highly-prized - stubble will have to do). Off to the concert!

Walking hurriedly down Parnell Road to Vector Arena, I realized I needed food. But where can I get fast food amongst all these Asian eateries? Aha! "Burger Fuel"! An American-style place where I can get food fast! And where they understand speed!

Except Burger Fuel was facing a backlog of orders. I would have to wait for a simple burger. Aaaarrrggghhh! So much for American efficiency! Eventually the burger arrived, and I sloppily wolfed it down, beet slice and all (like the Aussies, the Kiwis use beet as a garnish) as I trotted down Parnell Road.

I got to Vector Arena, pushed my grubby way through the glamorous crowd, got my ticket, and got into my seat, exactly on time, at 8 p.m. Amazing! I pulled off "The Impossible Dream" by finishing off MOLM in Davis, circling the Earth on a complicated journey, and arriving in the nick of time!

Bless her tardy little heart, Kylie started her show twenty minutes late!