The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth

Okay. So some of you may have heard that we (Alex and I) have been struggling with NZ Immigration on trying to get Alex a visa in order to get into the country. It is time to tell the whole story as we know it - no holding back.

It all started back in June when we were first planning our journey. Our trek. Our adventure. It first began when we used to meet at the "office" (aka: the Love Rug) at the caravan park in Broome and dream up where we wanted our plans to take us. It first started when we figured we should both apply for working holiday visas in New Zealand in order to maximize the opportunities we would have once in the beautiful country. Within a couple of days I had my acceptance letter in my email mailbox, giving me the go-ahead to press on full force with plans for Te Araroa. I was stoked.

Alex wasn't as fortunate. She never received word of anything - nothing. Days went by, one by one and we both became increasingly more anxious as to what was going on with NZ Immigration. Occassionally Alex would confide that she even struggled to maintain motivation for planning the trek while we didn't even know if she could get into the country. I secretly struggled with the thought nagging the back of my head that there was a chance I would have to face the 3000 km on my own.

As time went on and we became more frustrated, there wasn't much we could do. We couldn't advertise our struggles even as we updated our blogs, websites and Facebook group as it might tip off current and potential sponsors that our team sat on rocky ground even just to get into the country. Instead we shoved our fears down deep inside and tried to focus on all the good happening with our trek preparations. One by one the sponsors rolled in and each one we celebrated. We obsessively checked our donation tracker online to see if anyone had helped us reach our goal of $10000 for Indigo Foundation and were thrilled to find out what someone had even given $5 to the cause. All the while the termites were eating away at our confidence on how all our hard work would pan out come to the time when we would have to meet in Auckland.

Then one day Alex received an email from NZ Immigration. They had picked up on the fact that Alex had travelled extensively through SE Asia a couple of years back, hitting up a few countries where the risk of TB is a concern. They requested that Alex get a chest scan done and forwarded to the NZ Immigration office in Sydney to confirm that Alex hadn't picked up the contagious disease. The catch being that Alex couldn't get it done in Broome. It had to be in a specific type of clinic - the closest one to Broome being in Darwin.

By the end of July, it was time to split ways. Alex set off towards Darwin for her X-Ray on a roadtrip with some friends. From there she'd continue her way back home to the UK. It was there she planned to catch up with family/friends and be a part of a wedding. We said our goodbyes hanging onto the hope that one day we'd receive word that Alex would get into the New Zealand so that we could see each other again. Neither one of us recognized the fact that that day could mean goodbye forever.

Alex made it back to the UK and the days drifted into weeks and we still hadn't heard anything from the immigration office to indicate that they had even received the X-Ray chest scan that had been sent from Darwin to Sydney. But then, one day nearing the end of August, something happened.

I was just chilling out at the caravan park when Sam came up to me and told me that Nora had spotted some mail for Alex at the reception and it looked as though it might be her X-Ray. Wasn't exactly the news I was looking for. Alex was all the way in the UK and not exactly even within the same timezone to contact conveniently. And so I ran to the reception - as there was only 10 minutes until they closed. Sure enough, the package Nora had seen was in fact for Alex and did, in fact, look like it might be the X-Ray taken in Darwin. The only saving grace for my sinking heart was that the Sydney office had stamped it so I knew at some point the package had reached NZ Immigration. I only hoped that they were sending it back for Alex to keep. I only hoped that there was nothing wrong with it. No other hoop to jump through.

So I called Alex. I didn't know what time it was where she was. I didn't much care and didn't think she would either. Fortunately it wasn't some ungodly hour of the night and she picked up. I told her what happened and Alex instructed me to open it to see what was inside. So I did.

There was the X-Ray.

There was a letter.

It stated that NZ Immigration could not accept the X-Ray as it did not have a stamp from Health Services Australia. Apparently signed letters of confirmation from doctors and technicians in Darwin on letterhead titled with Health Services Australia didn't count. The letter went on to state that it needed the official stamp before NZ Immigration could process the X-Ray as being authentic. After much discussion Alex and I came to a solution and it was all in my hands.

The following morning I woke up early and trudged my way to the front of the caravan park to the pay phones. X-Ray, letter, pen and paper in hand I made the call to NZ Immigration's Sydney office. I asked to speak with someone regarding a chest X-Ray that had been sent back to me. I told them I needed to figure out how to handle it as it would affect my ability to get into New Zealand. So they asked for my name, date of birth and visa application number. I gave them Alex's. I became her and they gave me the information needed to figure out on how to proceed.

Now before anyone freaks out over me pulling an identity theft stunt - I did it after agreement with Alex. There wasn't much she could do at her end as she ws in the UK. I was the one holding the documents in question and there wasn't enough time to send it all the way to the UK for her to call immigration. So I became her stunt double if you will - and did such a good job they didn't even notice I don't have a hint of an English accent.

After I hung up the phone, I went back to my tent having some direction of what to do next. I had to write a letter adressed to the Health Services Australia office in Perth, informing them they needed to stamp the attached document and then forward the entire package to the Sydney NZ Immigration office. The reason the Darwin clinic never did it was that they were not authorized to give the stamp. Why no one informed us of that to begin with, I haven't a clue.

So after work I rushed to the post office in order to ship off the newly packaged X-Ray and attached documents to the Perth office. Express. I only hope it would get there quicker than my camping gear did coming from Canada. It was back to the waiting game - yet again.

And wait we did. It was back in Alex's hands and she hounded immigration until the day came when she was told that the X-Ray had reached the Perth's office. And then we waited to hear when it had reached the Sydney office. We were told this was the final hoop to jump through, but at this point (end of August) we were entirely skeptical of the truth behind these words. I was due to arrive in Auckland in only a few days and we didn't even know if Alex would be joining me - at any point.

And then today happened. 2 days from departure to Auckland and I received an email from Alex. She stated she was incommunicado for the present time and needed me to check on her visa application for her again as she hadn't heard for a while as to what was going on. So I immediately called Sydney's NZ Immigration office and was put on hold. All our lines are busy at the moment. You are caller 5. Thank you for waiting. Before long I was caller "1" and someone (a "real" person) answered the phone and asked how they could help me. I told them the situation - that I just wanted the check the status of my visa application. She asked me the same "security" questions as before and when I got to the birthday I screwed up the date and she caught on that it wasn't actually Alex calling. She informed me that she couldn't discuss details of the application with me as I wasn't the applicant. Even still, she let it slip that NZ Immigration had sent Alex an email just yesterday and didn't she have that?

I hung up and immediately went online to the world's largest social network and let loose the situation. On Facebook I wrote on Alex's wall, our Te Araroa Trek group's wall and sent messages to all our group members indicating that if anyone had any way of contacting Alex to let her know she had this email in her inbox that would be awesome. I relied on all the FB addicts out there that would immediately receive word of my messages via their blackberry's and other such devices - I had no way to contact Alex as she was not able to get to internet/phone.

And then I went about my day - completely, totally and utterly at my wits end that I am due to leave for Auckland Thursday and it is Tuesday. I am due to leave and didn't know what was going on with Alex.

But then I got back tonight and had about a million messages from people saying that they thought it was great fun as to how much effort I put forth in trying to get the message out there. Glad I could amuse someone. I was more concerned if Alex got the message and checked her email.

Sure enough - she had.

And the jury's no longer out. Alex's visa application has officially been accepted for New Zealand. That means she can finally book flights. That means I will see her again. That means there will most definitely be 2 of us doing the trek. That means I can finally tell this story without fear of how it ends. That means we can pursue our final leads of sponsorship and publicity with full force. That means so much. That means everything.

No longer are we the two strangers planning a crazy journey on a $10 Coles picnic rug. This is real. It's happening. And within 2 days I will be leaving this gorgeous country of Australia that I have known for a year in order to arrive at another that will take me and Alex on the greastest adventure of our lives to date.

3000 km.

5 months.

2 adventurers.

1 country.

Te Araroa Trek.