Flight Journey

All excited and hectic, on Thursday, July 25th, we tidied up our rooms at the preparatory seminar, packed everything, and had a quick breakfast. Around 9 AM, my parents and my brother drove me to Frankfurt Airport. After a short goodbye, I headed to check-in with the other German volunteers. Except for the 2-hour delay of the flight, everything went smoothly.

With complete disbelief that after MONTHS of preparation, I was actually going to New Zealand, I boarded the first flight from Frankfurt to Dubai (about 6 hours). The flight was, despite being relatively short, the most exhausting for me because I was feeling under the weather. In Dubai, I had a 10-hour layover (would not recommend). After getting some medicine there, a small smile returned to my lips, and we forced each other to stay awake. Next, I flew to Auckland, New Zealand (about 16 hours… Phew). However, I slept for 13 of those 16 hours, which made the time pass much faster than I had anticipated. We landed on July 27th around 10 AM (New Zealand time). I breezed through security and, with great relief, headed straight to check-in for the domestic flight to Tauranga (about 40 minutes). Completely drained, we were warmly greeted by the partner organization ACVE in Tauranga and taken to the camp by several buses.

The total two days of travel felt like an eternity, especially due to the time difference. Ultimately, however, everything was much more relaxed than I had thought! Besides, every worry seemed smaller because you always had your team around you :)

☆Tine☆