Dunedin – One Week Off and The Journey Begins (Part 1)

This morning may not be considered as a lucky beginning for me to start a new day. I came to the bus exchange around 7:45 and had a naive thought that I could have a taxi driving to the station on time at 8:15. Everything turned out unexpectedly because I have called two taxis and they did not see me. Finally, I walked to an unknown corner and luckily got on the third one and came to the station at 8:30.

My Story of Today

Guess what? I was late but it was not that bad because there was a girl who missed the trip like me talking with her friend. We knew each other fast through short conversations and waited for the shuttle around half an hour. It could be a price for having a cheap bus fare because we are not texted or called when the bus came. You may think I’m an idiot because I was late and I have no right to blame for the bus to wait for me. Oh yes I was late and I did not blame anything or anyone. I am talking about the basic etiquette of transportation. Normally, a shuttle will wait around 5-10 minutes and make an urgent call to passengers before departure. They did not do that however and we only found out the number is in Auckland, which is quite complicated to explain what happened in Christchurch between Nakedbus and two late passengers hahaha. Instead of getting mad about that, I think it is memorable.

Regarding my new friends, the girl is from Germany while the guy is an original Kiwi here. We have been talking a lot about different situations. I think there is one reason that sticks us together: a great love for traveling. Katinka (German girl’s name) has been traveling to different countries, even Israel, and been taught how to hide if there is a conflict nearby. Tommy is a typical Kiwi who has traveled to Australia, America, and loves exploring new things. We shared different interests and perspectives in various fields of life, even current affairs. There is one thing I do believe. The more people you meet, the broader your mind is. If you do not believe me, just imagine the way of speaking between a German, a New Zealander, and a Vietnamese, weird, unique, and amazing.

I finally made my own decision to book another fare (well, no more cheap fares because it was sold out) to Dunedin while Katinka would love to wait for her friends to come to Christchurch and they could have a trip to Queenstown for this lovely winter. Tommy, however, back to his work after dropping me and Katinka to our places but still waiting to have a day off for another travel trip.

If anyone wants to know about how I get into Dunedin or any other places from Christchurch, there are two ways I can suggest.

Ways of Going from Christchurch to Dunedin

The First Way

The first and fastest way is to get on an airplane. Air New Zealand most of the time offers cheap fares to buy online. For both local and international visitors, be sure to follow the rule at the airport and get there on time. Furthermore, you can bring some light snacks in your backpack as you can be hungry during short flights. I have experienced once when I went to Auckland from Christchurch. There was absolutely nothing to eat except peanuts, candies, and water during the flight. It can be the minus mark for the foodservice of Air NZ.

The Second Way

The second way is getting on a bus or a shuttle. Normally, there are many shuttle and bus service provide trips to various places. However, Nakedbus and Intercity are two bus services I recommend as its popularity and high reputation. Nakedbus targets students and backpackers with cheap fares every day, whereas Intercity can have different fare types for everyone. In terms of quality, there is one thing I can say for both of them: If you agree to play this game, you agree to obey the rule. In Nakedbus, cheap fares without insurance protection, luggage fees, and there are unlikely to have wifi signal in all buses. If you would like to buy insurance protection, luggage fees, you can buy at the same time booking. (Prepare 3G for your devices as well! ). Intercity however provides free wifi, tea, and coffee during the trip, no fees for 2 luggage. It will be more convenient to book directly face-to-face. Otherwise, you will be charged around $3.99-$4.99 for a web booking service if you make a reservation online. If you need more information, they all have a website with details and a booking service. Yay!

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