Wellington

July 14, 2009

Can I just hit the reset button and start my day over? Please?! I woke up early in the morning and it took a while to fall back asleep. I know it was early because G had set her alarm for 5:30 am and it hadn’t gone off yet. Hmm. At 5:30 she got up to go work out at the gym and I drifted in and out of sleep, finally getting up around 8. I had a leisurely morning in G’s room, feeling a bit intrusive to G’s roommates despite G’s assurances that it’s fine and got ready to leave by 10.

I walked out the door eager to head out to the Te Papa Museum (New Zealand’s national museum and treasure) and got 1/2 way down the street noticing the light rain and wondering if (Daveeed, you won’t believe this) I should go back to get my umbrella. I decided against it, being a hardy Seattleite, and thought to double check that my camera was in my purse. A little digging revealed that it wasn’t in there. WTF? OK, fine. I turned around to get my camera and my umbrella because while I can do without the umbrella, I most certainly cannot do without my camera. I looked through my computer bag, sure that I’d set it there at the train station the previous night. Um, no. Until this moment I wasn’t worried, certain that I knew where it was. I dumped out my purse on G’s bed. Nope, no camera. I dumped out the contents of my computer bag. Nope, no camera. I unpacked my suitcases and checked every pocket. Nope, no camera. OMFG, what did I do to my camera?! It was then brainwracking time where I was trying to mentally retrace my steps. The last time I remembered having my camera was while sitting on a bench outside of the train station. I took a couple of pictures of the train station at night and I remembered thinking that the station looks a lot like the one in Back to the Future. Anyway, no camera. Here’s where I started hoping that New Zealand’s reputation as an honest place with honest people would come into play and that some foreign criminal wouldn’t have picked up my camera. I called the train station and was transferred to the “Lost Property” department, what I like to call the “Lost and Found”. No camera was turned in but they said to call the police. Huh?! Surely the police have something better to do than look for some dumb tourist’s lost camera. I looked in my guidebook and found the number for the police anyway, remembering a Kiwi joke from my last trip here saying that the purpose of the NZ police was to serve as a lost and found. OK, worth a shot. I called and was again transferred to the “Lost Property” department. No cameras were handed in (NOOOOOOO!!!) but the police took down a detailed description of my camera and the cell number I had. They said that if it turned up after I’d left Wellington, they’d try to get a hold of me via that number. Wow, I could never imagine the Seattle police taking so much time for a lost camera. Still, I was without a camera and feeling incredibly down. I searched through my bags and pulled out my old camera because being a photo junky I had thought to bring a back up. I put it in my purse and decided to take a bus to the train station so that I could look for myself. Before I left, I did peek my head through G’s car window, hoping that the camera might have fallen out last night. Nope, no camera.

I figured out which bus headed to the train station and amazingly enough it was the one right outside of G’s apartment. While waiting, I called Arleigh on the little cell phone I’ve been borrowing and told her about my camera. We discussed the possibility of going out to buy a new camera and she suggested I hold off a few days in case it turned up. My head agreed with her, my heart didn’t as I really missed my camera. My head won out though and I resisted. I bought an all day pass because who knew where this little adventure might take me and the bus driver snarled at me when I had the nerve to ask him the price. I sat on the bus until I noticed everyone getting off so I again had the nerve to ask the bus driver a question “Is this the Wellington Station.” SNARL. I felt I should ask because the building I was seeing in front of me was not the same as the one that looked like Back to the Future. This one looked sleek and modern, which couldn’t be right. Well, it was right so I got off and went into the station. It turns out that there is a newer area and the old, classic area. I found the area I was around yesterday and backtracked out to the benches by the Gandhi statue, hoping against hope that my camera would be under the seat. Nope, no camera. I then went to the side of the building where I’d also been waiting, hoping that it would be sitting there. Nope, no camera. I tried to make the best of it by taking out my old camera and taking another picture of the train station and where I had sat waiting for G. I figured I could at least document the situation in pictures. I clicked the shutter and went back into the station, deciding to ask the “Lost Property” department once more. It was a reflection of the day that I was having that I could choose from two lines in order to ask the ticket guy where the Lost Property department was and I chose the line that had a major delay. In the meantime, literally 6 people were helped by the guy in the other line. I was feeling very down and unhappy.

I decided that I had likely lost my camera and I decided to suck it up and get on with my day. By this time it was lunch time and I wanted to go somewhere for lunch. I took the bus back to Cuba Street, which is near a restaurant that I loved last time I was here. I retraced my footsteps from five years ago, not really sure how I remembered these details, but I couldn’t find the restaurant. I know I was on the right street though because I had a particular skyscraper as a landmark as well as a store called Pukeko that I remembered. Anyway, I wasn’t entirely surprised considering the day I was having and decided to find somewhere else to eat. I walked along for entirely too long trying to take a chance on a restaurant. I finally pulled out the guidebook and went for Indian food. I was walking down Cuba Street trying to find the restaurant recommended when I came across another one that looked really good. I decided to take a chance and I think that for the first time today things were going well. I enjoyed lunch and then headed back out on the street so that I could go to the Te Papa Museum as planned.

I meandered over to Te Papa and walked into the building, ready to make the best of my day. I did have that extra camera so I could take pictures. I walked in and headed up the stairs to the exhibits. I took some pictures of something in the exhibit and when I tried to focus the camera again, the screen went black and purple. My spare camera STOPPED WORKING. OMFG! I was so angry that I couldn’t stand being in the museum. I walked right back out and tried to think of what to do next. It occurred to me that I had purchased travelers insurance and that it covered loss and theft of personal items. Wouldn’t this qualify?! I decided to go to a café so that I could go through my papers and figure out what to do. I tried to pull my wallet out of my purse and something fell out of it. I wasn’t sure what it was and I looked up to see it was a receipt from the grocery store G and I had gone to the night before. It occurred to me… “What if my camera were left at the store?” I looked around me and realized that I was a block away from that same grocery store. I had a thought as I tried to decide what to do that maybe the Universe was giving me a sign. I mean, why that receipt? Why did my camera stop working? Why did this happen a block from the grocery store?

I walked over to the grocery store and after having to be redirected a couple of times, I went up to the info booth and asked the woman if anyone had turned in a camera the night before. She kind of confused me because she smiled at me and started talking on the phone. She then had another employee come talk to me. He mentioned that a camera had been turned in and asked me what kind of camera it was. I told him and he went upstairs to check. This was looking very promising but I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high. A few minutes later the lady picked up the phone and handed it to me. The guy asked me to describe the camera. I did so, down to the detail where when you turn it on a picture of Chloe appears. IT WAS MY CAMERA!!!!!!! I couldn’t wipe the silly grin off my face I was so happy. THEY FOUND IT!!! SOMEONE TURNED IT IN!!! *does happy dance* I was so grateful and the day felt so different. I went back outside (after making a courtesy purchase at the store) and walked to Te Papa. This time, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and took my time walking through the exhibits.

After the museum I tried to figure out how to get back to G’s apartment. I couldn’t find the main street and came across a bus sign. The bus I needed was right there and I realized that I HAD been walking along the street I was looking for. Ha ha. I got on the bus and headed back to her apartment where I am sitting right now waiting for her to get off work so we can go back to Cuba Street for some Mexican food. Yeah, I know, Mexican food in NZ. And I don’t think I’ll be finding authentic fare either but hey, I have my camera and life is good!

UPDATE: We ended up bypassing Mexican food and went to the restaurant where 2 of G's roommates work instead. I wasn't terribly hungry so it was perfect. It was really nice having some time to catch up with G as I don't think I've spoken to her since we were in NZ together in 2004. We had spent a crazy amount of time looking for a parking space to no avail. We finally gave up and parked at the mall (you have to pay, like in LA) and while we were getting into the elevator, this family walked in. The girl, who was maybe 12-13, was right in front of me and she kept backing up, forcing me to keep walking backwards as well, until my back was against the wall. She was still backing up so this woman next to me, who was watching the whole thing, urged me to stand next to her. It was really strange.