The One Daycare Reunion

“So are you excited to see your mate?” Nicky asks me.

With an ear-to-ear grin I excitedly respond with an affirmative, “Yes!” After pausing for a moment the smile fades and I ask, “Why do the addresses run from 446 then jump to 450? Where the heck is Spencer’s house?”

We had been driving for 25 minutes up and down and around every major road in Albany (a small suburb of the nations biggest city Auckland) in search of Spencer’s apartment complex. I had never met the kid officially, but he was seriously dating my longtime friend Brianna and she had flown over for a visit during his semester abroad. It took us another drive-by before Nicky asked incredulously, “That can’t possibly be it there? That tiny tiny sign and hidden driveway that you can only see coming from this direction? There’s not even a turning lane for it!” No wonder we had passed the place two or three times…

Hopping barefoot out of the van, I walked toward apartment #26. My knock was promptly followed by footsteps and Brianna opening the door. It was an incredibly surreal moment seeing someone I’ve known since the diaper days standing in front of me in a country on the other side of the world

“HI!!!” We both exclaimed between hugs. I introduced Brianna to my travel buddy Nicky and then got down to business. “I’m sure you can smell us, can I be really cheecky and ask for a shower before we head out?” Brianna obliged.

A glorious shower and three surprise packets of Good N Plenty candy later, (Brianna you absolutely ROCK for bringing those for me!) we were on our way. Leaving the city behind us after a brief lunch and shopping spree, we drove toward the beautiful Coromandal Peninsula whilst Brianna filled me in on rapid-fire questions about home. Farm country began blending with mountainsides and peaks of ocean bays the further we drove.

By early evening we pulled into a beachside campsite (that was shockingly not a total rip-off). After setting up camp, we headed to the beach for some chill time and to watch the sunset. I hounded Nicky about not spending the whole time collecting shells (if there were an actual occupation for beach-shell collecting, Nicky would be a highly sought after professional) and instead we had an impromptu photo shoot. Amidst a beautiful sunset we waded out a hundred yards into the shallow receding waters to take it all in. A delicious veggie dinner preceded a night of drinking games with a rather hilarious couple from Auckland.

Brianna, ever the responsible one, sat and watched most of the night while the rest of us proceeded to drink ourselves into a guarantee hangover. Sleep came quick and morning came even faster. By dawn we were up busying ourselves with apple-cinnamon pancakes and tea. After breakfast we packed up and headed out for the rest of our short adventure.

Winding roads did not help our hangover cause, as Nicky and I complained relentlessly and Brianna probably had a good inner laugh at our expense. We arrived mid-afternoon at the trailhead to Cathedral Cove just as everyone began to perk up. A half-hour hike, including Brianna and I relentlessly gabbing about Chico (poor Nicky), brought us to a beach of fine white sand and crystal blue aqua waters. Amongst it all jutted dramatic rock formations and cliffs with haphazard groups of sunbathing tourists.

Nicky and I swam, Brianna waded, and we all marinated in the warm sun. An excursion through the hollowed archway brought us through to another beach where, while casually walking, a black blob in the water caught our attention. Upon closer inspection we realized it was a huge stingray! The graceful creature glided toward us, as if to say hello and show off for our rapidly clicking cameras, before heading back out to sea. We all stood smiling and practically dumbfounded by our luck! What a special moment to see such a beautiful animal in its natural environment.

Tanned and tired we headed back to the car for our trek back to the city. As if we hadn’t beaten the subject to death already, Brianna and I passed three more hours talking about home, daycare, and high school dramas. I soaked up every word. After a Herculean effort to get gas and find our way back to the freeway (whatever madman thought up Auckland’s street system should move to Chico and have to share a jail cell with the creators of Walmart’s parking lot) we made it back to Spencer’s pad. All three of us were exhausted and could barely keep our eyes open.

An early night to bed followed by another early morning brought my daycare reunion to an end. Hugging Brianna and thanking Spencer for his wonderful hospitality, we grudgingly bid farewell. The childhood reunion had been brief, but had me dealing with a fresh wave of homesickness. Brianna’s lovable nature and jovial stories reminded me of how incredible so many of my friends and family back at home are. She was a near perfect ambassador for everything I missed and craved from home and her visit, along with meeting Spencer, will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of my travels in this faraway place.

Thanks Bree.

-Ashley

Fun Fact: A little lesson in Kiwi pronunciation (or Maori technically). The combination wh makes the "fa" sound whilst r's are rolled (whenever you pronounce an "r" make a "d" sound instead). So try pronouncing city names like Whangerei, Wharekauri, and Whakatane. Freaking hard right? No wonder they all think the tourists sound like idiots.