I arrived on the bus at 3:45, about 40 minutes late due to a change in bus drivers that ran long because the road where they used to switch is under construction and pull-offs are hard to come by so they had to move it out of the way, yada yada.. the bus driver said it’s out of their control. What is in their control is managing passengers’ expectations and either advising us beforehand that there would be a delay or posting a later arrival time. I had arranged with my host to be picked up at the depot based on the posted time and ultimately informed him while on the way not to wait around for me.

Unlike previous stops, this bus drop-off is separate from the i-Site information centers for tourists that are all over New Zealand. It’s nice when they’re located together for restroom usage, bag storage, and any info needed, such as local cab numbers. I have international data usage on my phone (a godsend), so I could have looked up a cab, but I decided to do the 15-minute walk with my bags, even knowing the last part was uphill, because I wanted to stretch out after the longer-than-expected bus ride.

There are two ways up the hill. I now know that one is a steep but flat walking path that leads directly to the Airbnb listing. I took the other, which was… stairs. So. Many. Stairs. I would get to the top and find… more stairs. My roller bag is about 35 pounds, the same weight the larger bag I usually travel with is when packed, so my small bag is DENSE.. haha. Oh, well… I made it.

And it was so worth it. The house is full of large picture windows for ultimate viewing of Hawke’s Bay, which sounds like ocean tide as it ebbs and flows. The bedroom includes a day room facing both east to the sun and south to the bay. Delightful.

I got settled and it was dark by the time I wandered down the hill to Marine Parade, the promenade lining the bay. There were Christmas-type lights strung on the tall trees, and like when I was in Barcelona, I managed to find a fountain with changing colorful lights. It was a geocache that brought me to it, but alas, I hadn’t noticed that the last several cachers to seek it came up empty, as did I.

I took a brief peek inside the Emporium Hotel for a taste of the art deco architecture this town is known for. The worst natural disaster in New Zealand history, in terms of lives lost, was the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 1931 that killed 256 people here. Essentially, the entire town slid out into the bay. When they rebuilt, art deco was the architectural style of the time and about 80% of the buildings here retain it. They have an annual art deco festival in February to celebrate it, including vintage cars on display, and there also happens to be an annual Hot Rod and Classic Car Festival here this weekend, so it’s been fun seeing them on the road here and there.

One of my host’s restaurant recommendations was Bistronomy, where you can either do a 6-course meal for $75 NZD or a la carte small plates. I wasn’t hungry enough for the full meal, and some of the a la carte plates sounded delicious. I was very surprised at how very small the small plates were, like a maximum of 5 bites each. But they were delectable, the presentation was beautiful, they were unexpectedly filling, and the whole experience was a treat. I enjoyed a glass of pinot noir, a parsley soup, a tarahiki sashimi, a butternut canneloni, and salty chocolate ganache balls. The total bill came to the equivalent of $34 USD!

Back up the hill for a shower, laptop time, and early to bed at 10:30pm.

With just one night in Taupo, today was another travel day.

Bee and Graeme offer bread and spreads for guests to have a light breakfast, and I took advantage of the opportunity to try Marmite for the first time. It’s a salty brown paste that is kind of like soy sauce in spreadable form? With cheese on top, it’s a pretty tasty savory version of toast.

Bee and Graeme have only been hosting for four months and have been nearly booked solid since, so they shared some guest stories. Bee brought up the Jehovah’s Witness pamphlets in my room as a means of sharing a story about an hour-long discussion/debate she had with a guest who is a missionary. Different interpretations of the Bible and such. I was prepared to fend off any questions about my beliefs and was relieved when they didn’t come.

I packed up, and Bee said she would take me to a breakfast place with a view of the lake where I would have two hours before boarding my bus. So nice to have rides from hosts with my bags!

Graeme was working on the deck, and I went out to say goodbye and thank you. He asked me, I guess because I work for Airbnb, what they should do if they receive an inquiry from a gay male couple. He would want to put them in the room with the twin beds, and I replied that they’re going to want to stay in the queen bed together. He then said he’d prefer to take them out back and shoot them.

I dismissed the racist comment he made yesterday when we were up at the Dam — he characterized Asians and Indians as rip-off artists — as the backward mentality of a 75-year-old man. I understand it is the responsibility of the privileged to speak up for the oppressed, and I’m learning how to do that back home. I’m an American in New Zealand. Racism is racism, but it didn’t feel like my place to challenge this man on his beliefs. Which feels like a cop-out as I write this.

The racist comment was a hurtful generalization. The anti-gay comment this morning was hateful, and I said, “Come on now. Love is love. People love who they love, whomever they may be.” He grunted and changed the subject. That was all I had in me on my way out the door.

In the hours since I left, I have really been struggling to reconcile Bee and Graeme’s generous hospitality with Graeme’s bigotry and how to confront it. I have been really heartened by the friendly spirit of the people of New Zealand, and I thought I was getting the same here, until I wasn’t.

I decided that my public Airbnb review would reflect both the unapproved change in rooms and how much I appreciated the car rides I received. Privately, I emphasized to Bee and Graeme the importance of welcoming *everyone* from the global community to which they’d opened their home. I hope they give my feedback some consideration.