6.3.15: The Chapter Ends on Roy’s
Finals season is upon us at Otago and I can now often be found snuggling up in one of the many hip cafes in town trying to buckle down for exams. It’s a bit hard trying to balance my academic obligations with my desire to spend as much possible time with the family I have formed down here, but I’m making do. Two of my closest NZ friends have already made the trek back to the States which has forced me to realize that three weeks from tomorrow I, too, will be boarding a plane in Auckland and waking up from my five-month-long dream. Quite frankly, I’m not sure how to handle it. But before that storm hits I’ll be experiencing a collision of worlds. My parents will be arriving in Dunedin in two short days. Most of me is excited beyond words to show them the country I am so proud to call home, but part of me anxiously anticipates their arrival because with them comes the reintroduction of reality. They’re going to bring me home to America, and for someone who falls for places as easy as I do, that is an earth-rattling prospect. Don’t get me wrong, I love my home, my dogs and my life at 6 Grsitmill Lane, but I’m head over heels for this country and I can’t say I’m quite ready for the long-distance relationship and inevitable heartbreak that goes with it.
Stuck in this ambiguous, multifaceted mentality, I had to fit in one last spontaneous trip before finals had my on lockdown. It has definitely hit me that I won’t see everything I want to in New Zealand and after hours of reflection I’m at peace with that, knowing that I have filled my experience to the brim with adventure. But there’s one place I still craved: Roy’s Peak. It is quintessential New Zealand… it’s a peak that overlooks Lake Wanaka, several fiords and the Southern Alps, constantly popping up on my instagram feed as @lebackpacker captures its beauty (follow him for a nice taste of NZ). A few days back I came to terms with the reality that I wouldn’t have the chance to see this iconic trail considering recent weather and my responsibilities piling up. Then an opportunity introduced itself and I knew in my heart I’d regret it if I didn’t go.
I gathered a few eager friends, who, like me, weren’t willing to let exams tame our yearning for adventure just yet. We left Dunedin at 6:30 AM and drove through lowland clouds at sunrise to one of my favorite little NZ towns, Wanaka. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day. Sandwiched between several days of pouring rain and gloomy weather, we struck gold with sunny skies and crisp air. This six hour hike was everything anyone could ask for as a farewell trip to close a beautiful chapter. The four of us were beaming ear to ear the entire day. We tramped through snow and mud, we fell, we slipped, we frolicked and we screamed at the top of our lungs to the mountains surrounding us. We were happy and carefree. This place was everything I expected New Zealand to be. Yes, throughout the semester I’ve seen it all, but Roy’s Peak was a conglomerate of all my favorite things in one. The clouds flawlessly framed the snow-capped mountains, the lakes were crystal blue and the people were lovely. We dilly-dallied our way up and danced our way down to the rhythm of the setting sun. It was a perfect little recharge before the stress of exam time settled in.
Once my parents arrive a new chapter will open. Slowly Dunedin will transition from being my home to being the first destination of many in an unforgettable vacation. Yes, I’ll take my family to see all of my favorite places: Mount Cook, and back to Wanaka, but it will be different. It will no longer be mine. I dread the day I say goodbye to my quaint little flat at 846 Cumberland Street and I don’t even want to think about my last round of hugs with the Kiwis and fellow international students who made this place home. But at 21 years most things are temporary, so now it’s time to compartmentalize and look ahead to the amazing campervan roadtrip that awaits me and my parents. It will be one for the books. My mind is spinning, my heart is confused but I know I will make the absolute most of the three weeks to come. I’m not done with you quite yet, New Zealand.
Until then, it’s back to studying.
Here goes…
Cailene
