I woke up early to get out before the other hitchers. Standing at a fork in the road where you either had to turn right, or left. Now, Queenstown is about a 7 hour drive from Franz Josef, and on the way is a popular town named Wanaka. I had wanted to see Wanaka, but did not have plans to stay there. I thought it very unlikely that I would get all the way to Queenstown that night, but my hostel was booked, and I was determined. No matter how many hitches it took me.
It was somewhere around 7:30 AM, and I was already dripping in sweat from the humidity. The sandflies (HATE HATE HATEEE them... anyway...) the sandflies were out and doing their finest work to bug and harass me to the point I thought I would go mad. They bugger off when you are continually moving, but I wasn't about to start dancing on the side of the road like a crazy person - I needed a ride! So, I stood calm and composed, trying to look as friendly as I could.
Not 10 minutes after I had been waiting, the most beautiful couple I have ever seen pulled up.
Elizabeth and Jimmy.
They were from Australia, were going to Queenstown, stopping for coffee in Wanaka, had an entire backseat for me, a trunk for my pack, and asked if I wanted a ride.
They were literally a Godsend. I jumped in and off we went. None of us knowing the strong bond and lifelong friendship we would form in those 7 hours.
We stopped for coffee in Wanaka, and I was able to explore the town a bit (finding a KILLER deal $2 shirt and $2 dress at Salvation Army - I needed some non-hiking non-smelly clothes...) We continued on to Queenstown and they dropped me right at my hostel. We laughed and talked the entire drive. Well... Elizabeth and I did. Jimmy is quiet - but has this way of saying so much with just his eyes. It is beautiful.
We exchanged stories and tales, I learned all about their family and their adorable Granddaughter, Lola. Elizabeth has hundreds of photos of her on her iPad, it reminded me of how my Mamma will be when my little sisters bring Grandbabies in the family. We talked about me possibly visiting them in Australia, and I promised I would take them to dinner the next time they were in San Francisco (when I had a job and wasn't living off of literally nothing haha.)
We said our goodbyes, hugged long and hard, exchanged information - and I thought that was that and that I wouldn't see them for quite some time.
Later that night, what do you know but I hear "Yoo hoo! Rachel!" being called from somewhere above me. "Is that God??!" I thought to myself... But no, it was my beautiful Elizabeth, waving frantically, beckoning me to come up. She and Jimmy were sharing some drinks and a mexican appetizer in a gorgeous little restaurant, overlooking the lake. I sat and talked with them, laughing hysterically for at least an hour. We went out together after that and explored Queenstown a bit, talking politics, religion, the payscales and time allotted off from work of Australia vs the U.S. (and of course, Australia takes MUCH better care of their citizens in that regard...)
The next day we met up and rode the gondola together to the top of a hill in Queenstown that overlooks the beautiful lake, mountains and town. While up there I rode this thing called the "luge" basically like go-carts down a concrete slide - my new friends cheered and waved at me as I zoomed by. I tried to convince them to come! But they declined ;)
The following day was my bungy jump!! And they wanted to come and watch! They were already there when I arrived on my bus, pumping me up and bringing me so much joy. They videoed it for me and cheered from below. It was so wonderful to have them there! I felt so loved and grateful for my new friends. Afterward, we drove to a beautiful little town called Arrowtown, just outside Queenstown, where we shared a celebratory meal in the most pristine cafe garden you've ever seen.
We explored the old Chinese mining quarters and learned about the history of the town. The huts those miners used to live in were so tiny! I couldn't believe it. Elizabeth and I found some apricot trees and ate baby apricots off the ground while Jimmy shook his head at us and teased us they were poison ;)
We had a lovely afternoon together and became even closer friends.
I am learning that you meet people in the strangest ways when you just let life lead you where it wants to. My closest friends out here are all just by happenstance. We all come from such different backgrounds... Different countries, skin colors, sexual orientation, religious affiliations, we speak different native tongues and grew up in different economic statuses... We have different educational backgrounds and fields of work or study... Different hobbies and opinions on food and weather... But we all have one thing in common - we are all here to experience the beauty of New Zealand.
The land here brings people together. And I am loving every minute of it <3