First Solo Trip to Wellington

The fact that I'm writing this post means that I managed to survive on my own in Wellington. I went down for uni, a compulsory contact course which to be honest is what put me off from doing the degree sooner. My good old friend anxiety convinced me that I wouldn't be able to manage on my own in a city far away from home and I always felt I was one step away from having a panic attack. Happy to say there were no panic attacks and thanks so copious amounts of pre-planning I managed to get myself around the city.

The first obstacle occurred before I even reached Wellington. Getting on a big metal craft and being propelled high off the ground. I've always fantasised about travelling to amazing locations but I always block out the fact that I'm kind of nervous when it comes to flying. I know it's the safest way of transport but your still trapped high off the ground with no control. The plane to Wellington had a TV which was great, I distracted myself by watching a movie. I've noticed my nerves follow a pattern, I get really anxious and nervous in the days leading up to it but when I'm actually on the plane I had this weird calmness come over me. That, however, disappears when there's turbulence and you feel the plane go up and down.

When I safely made it onto the ground I successfully found the bus and got into the city. I checked into my motel, dumped my suitcase and wandered around the city. An observation I made is that Wellington is very confusing to navigate. With Auckland, you've got Queen Street which cuts right down the middle but Wellington is like a grid. I'd often lose my bearings but after some walking I'd find my way out. Another thing which I'd stupidly forgotten is that Wellington is very windy. I packed a cardigan at the last minute which was a lifesaver cause it was a bit chilly. 

The majority of Saturday & Sunday was dedicated to the contact course. First off I had to find my way to Massey which got a bit confusing but I figured it out. The highlight of the whole weekend would of have to have been going behind the scenes at Te Papa and looking through the collections in storage. Collection Care is the area I'm most interested in so it was fascinating to see everything.

Monday was my last day; I checked out, saw a movie, caught the bus back to the airport and flew back to Auckland. Of course, I got there a few hours early but I would rather wait than be in a panic rushing. Was once again nervous for the flight, the plane I was on unfortunately didn't have a TV + my phone was playing it up so it wasn't playing music properly. There was a bit of turbulence, most of the flight I couldn't see a thing but I made it back to a wet Auckland in once piece. 

It was probably one of the longest weekends ever but I enjoyed most of it and reminded me why I'm doing the degree in the first place.

Ashley xx