Survival of a naive travel nurse.

New Zealand bound

We've booked a ten-day trip to the north island of New Zealand and I am so excited. We are starting in Rotorua, which is a great place to relax and get world-famous spa treatments, but I have to say that it is the worst smelling place I have been to in a long time. The sulfur from the hot springs smells like rotten eggs and kind of interferes with my ability to relax, but sitting in the mud baths and taking in the amazing views makes up for the funky smells.
Our cabin overlooks a large lake that has a glass appearance. We have the option of using the canoes and paddleboats if we want, but I'm thinking it will be nice to just sit and relax with a nice drink.
As I'm just starting to relax I come to a horrible realization. Oh no, I can't find my wallet. I had it yesterday when we went to the spa and now it's gone.
It's only our second day in New Zealand and I've already lost my wallet. What am I supposed to do for the rest of the trip?
We went back to the spa to see if they found it, but no one has seen the wallet or anything resembling it. I've looked everywhere and now my only option is to cancel all my credit cards so no one can steal all my money. I also have to make a report at the police station to cover myself in case I'm too late and whoever has my wallet already went on a shopping spree.
Spending the day at the police station is not exactly what I had in mind for my vacation, but I don't have much choice. The good news is that my cards are all canceled now and I just got off the phone with my bank in the US and they told me there haven't been any major withdraws beyond what I took out myself.
My bank in Australia also confirms that no activity beyond my own has been noted on my cards.
The American bank has offered to airmail me a new card and they say it will be here within a few days. They are really great and are trying to help in any way they can. I'm glad I still have accounts in America because the Australian bank is useless. They said sucks to be you and there is nothing we can do. I don't want to be rude and name the bank, but I'll just say that the same bank is here in New Zealand and is just as useless. They had the same attitude and told me there is nothing we can do for you because we have nothing to do with the bank in Australia. How is it that they have the same name, but are not considered the same bank or at least connected? Yes, yes I know there are franchises. Just let me complain for a minute will ya!
I have no idea what I'm going to do for money for the rest of our trip. Luckily for me, Claire has graciously offered to lend me money until I get a replacement card. It is a generous offer and I have to take it since my other options are so limited, but I feel a bit weird spending money on random stuff that I would usually buy during vacations. I think I need to save my spending for the important things like gas, and admittance to whatever adventures we plan on partaking in. I'm cutting out my soda and other junk food. The only problem is that soda is my number one source of caffeine and I'm pretty sure I can't survive without at least a gallon of caffeine per day.
This little predicament is how I discovered the joy of coffee with milk and sugar. It started like this, I woke up feeling tired and decided that I might as well try the free coffee at our cabin since I was flat broke and in need of caffeine. Turns out that coffee in New Zealand tastes nothing like coffee in America. I've tried coffee before and always thought it taste like tar. I don't know if it was my intense need for caffeine or not, but the coffee in New Zealand was amazing. Adding milk and raw sugar makes the coffee taste sweet. I think I just found my new addiction. Now that my caffeine problem is over I can concentrate on having a great time in this beautiful country.
Also, it turns out that I didn't lose my wallet, I just misplaced it. Yes, I flipped out and canceled everything only find my wallet a few days later under the couch. Ugh, I'm a complete idiot, but there's nothing I can do about it now. I'm just going to move on and enjoy New Zealand.
The Bay of Isles is amazing, the water is clear and the scenery is breathtaking. We went on a sailing adventure where we just chilled out on the front of the boat and watched all the beautiful scenery go by.
Minus my little wallet drama, I couldn't have asked for a better trip to New Zealand. I'll be back to explore more of this marvelous place.
In the meantime, it's back to Sydney for now.