The Suitcase Backpacker

Auckland adventures, a Kiwi Christmas, and welcoming in the New Year

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Aotearoa New Zealand

5 min read

The sparkling Christmas season was beginning to show up around Auckland, giant baubles adorned Britomart, department stores glitzed with festive music, and the Sky Tower transformed red and green during the evenings. To be honest, it felt a little uncanny seeing Christmas deco in the middle of summer; the Southern Hemisphere was a peculiar paradox, and it didn’t really feel like Christmas at all.

The second week of December was an exciting whirlwind of moving into the new flat that Alison and I had secured a tenancy for, located on the second floor of a 13th floored apartment block. The place definitely didn’t have the best views, but it did, more importantly, have the most suitable contract and terms for us. I was so glad to finally unpack, and settle down just in time for Christmas the following week. 

The settling in phase, however, didn’t go quite as smoothly as expected. Within a few hours of just moving in, I’d walked into the kitchen to find water all over the floor. I tiptoed over the mess to discover the fridge was leaking – perfect! And that wasn’t all. To top things off, a pipe below the kitchen sink had begun leaking later in the evening, it was all happening! Once I’d managed to restore some semblance of order to the flat, I messaged my flatmate (who had gone to work a few hours before) explaining why all our food was on the floor, and wet towels plastered everywhere, and to not close the drawer under the sink with the bucket in. Yup…happy moving day! What a week. Did I also mention the fire alarm went off on day 3 at 5am?

Now that I was beginning to feel more settled in Auckland I could focus on finding a job and polishing my CV. With all this free time on my hands I managed to spend several blissful afternoons at Mission Bay beach soaking up the sun, reading my magazine, and enjoying fruity fig ice-cream. The release of the new Avatar film was also on my agenda; loved every minute and experienced IMAX 3D for the first time ever.

Perhaps the most fun I had this month was smashing crazy golf and singing karaoke with the BUNAC crew one summer evening. Let’s just say I was far better at golf than performing; I ended up winning the game, turns out I’m a natural golfer…even after a few drinks! Heading back to the flat with Alison I noticed Orion in the night sky looking as serene as ever; it’s probably my favourite constellation, I almost always find Orion wherever I am in the world.

It still felt surreal that I was on the other side of the world. I’d have these visceral moments walking through Auckland when the magnitude would hit me, like giant waves breaking on the shoreline, then slowly retreating back into the vastness of the ocean; the process repeating itself, over, and over again. The awe and the gratitude I felt was overwhelming, and I lapped it up. 

Christmas Day was the most unconventional one I’ve ever had, and my first experience of a Kiwi Christmas. Meri Kirihimete! (Merry Christmas in Maori). The weather was good, the food was good (cooked BBQ style) and I was surrounded by good company at the K Road flat. My friends and I hit the beach later in the afternoon enjoying the sunshine and making the most of the holiday. I paddled in the ocean, collected shells (except the ones I threw at Alison of course), there was music playing, dogs barking, people laughing, the emerald surge of Rangitoto Island in the distance, and the melodic sounds of the ocean drifting past. I honestly felt so content.

Boxing Day was a pjs kinda day at the K Road flat filled with snacks and Christmas BBQ lunch leftovers. Definitely an unconventional Christmas. On New Year’s Eve I was having a relaxing afternoon sitting on the sofa, gazing out the window, and feeling reflective like I always do when it’s the cusp of the New Year. I was absorbing everything that had happened, all the ups and downs, and feeling the apprehension, awe, and mystery of what was to come this new year. My thoughts, however, were interrupted when a loaf of bread flew past the window I was gazing out of. I didn’t bat an eyelid; just another day down Hobson Street really. Living in an apartment block in the Auckland CBD is eventful to say the least; you literally never know what is going to happen next. 

I spent the evening with friends at the pod hostel NYE party across the road, and later watched the Auckland fireworks display light up the Sky Tower in a vivid array of chromatic sparks. 

…let’s go 2023.