Who let the dogs out? WWOOF WWOOF WWOOF

Obvious dog jokes. Can’t help it.

Johnsonville

Rolling hills of Johnsonville with a full moon.

When I left my job at Hotel Bristol at the beginning of March Olivia began her two week trip by going to Hawke’s Bay with our friends Jo & Morgan. While she was doing that I had my first go with WWOOFing which means Willing Worker on Organic Farms. The premise is someone will work four-six hours at a farm or a lifestyle block in exchange for food and accommodation, not money. It’s also a bit of a cultural exchange as you live with locals and learn more about their lifestyle. It’s quite a cool concept and I was super keen to try something new.

So I found a WWOOFing placement in Johnsonville which is a suburb just outside of Wellington. Also for the easy Johnson & Johnsonville jokes. It was at a lifestyle block with a Kiwi man, Graeme, a Canadian woman, Lynn, and their little dog, Harry. They were very into living sustainably, everything from saving water to growing as much of their own food as possible. They needed someone to stain the fence in their front yard so off I went.

Damn, look at that fence.

I spent five days with them and it was lovely. Very relaxing and it felt good to be out of the city, working outside, sleeping in a real bed for the first time in five months, eating good fresh food, and most importantly, playing with their adorable pup. On my first day with them they took me on their bi-monthly mountain biking trip. That weekend they were joining the crew in Kapiti and kindly insisted I join them. It was so cool! It was the same Queen Elizabeth Park I had visited back in November. Mountain biking over sand dunes though is tricky. Graeme kept shouting out instructions every time I ascended and descended a hill which, surprisingly, was quite helpful. Everyone was over 50 and they were all kicking my ass. They were so fit! The part I excelled at the most was the post ride ice cream and beer stop, obvs.

I learnt a lot from the pair of them about gardening and sustainable living which I’d love to incorporate more into my grown up life plans. I really enjoyed my time there before venturing off to join Liv on our little road trip.

Waotu

Sunsets at the farm.

After things didn’t exactly go to plan in Raglan towards the end of March I put out a massive call for WWOOFing placements around the centre of the North Island. I was lucky and had a bunch of options to choose from which wasn’t my experience with my first search. I went with a farm in Waotu that seemed like a rather professional gig so the very next day I packed Gary up and we rolled out of town.

Dexter, the Dairy Farmer.

I was headed towards the central Waikoto region towards a large dairy farm. A couple owned half of it and their son and daughter in law owned the other. The semi-retired couple were focused on planting native trees around their property while their son took on the role of milking the cows. When I arrived I met Jonny and Anna and their young children Freddy and Pippa. Another WWOOFer was already there, Alex who was 19 and from Germany. Our accommodation was so sweet – we had our own WWOOF cabin and in the lounge we had a pool table, a bunch of books, and a decent selection of DVDs. It was going to be sweet.

Learning the essential skills of rocking a chicken to sleep.

The farm was beautiful. It was so isolated and quiet. I can’t say I’ve visited too many places like it before. Our daily routine involved breakfast at 8:00, working until morning tea at 10:30, then working until lunch at 1:00. Afterwards we had the whole day to do whatever we liked and just reconvened for dinner. I got to try so many things I had never done before, namely, milking cows! It’s a messy business but so fun to do something so very different to what I’m used to.

Alex and I often joked we were on the chain gang because we wore full overalls, gumboots, and were usually hacking away at vegetation trying to create a walkway through the native bush. We planted seedlings, weeded, landscaped, and babysat. Jonny & Anna were so great and so hilarious. Always keen to share a beer or three after we finished work for them. My favourite way to finish work. Jonny even showed us how to rock a chicken to sleep. They were so warm and welcoming, even inviting Alex and I to join them for Easter dinner. Too good.

The Chain Gang.

For the first half of my time there it was just Alex and I. We had a great time constantly playing pool. Unfortunately, he improved quite quickly and I no longer stood a chance. When we weren’t playing pool we were going for runs (mostly him leaving me in the dust) and breezing through the first six seasons of How I Met Your Mother. He taught me lots of hilarious German expressions (you’ve put your toe in the bowl of fat or not bad Mr. Woodpecker) and told me how ugly I made his language, which I find a bit harsh because… it’s German. Then a new couple came to join – an English guy and a Dutch/Greek girl and the Chain Gang grew.

Alex being a bad influence on the Kiwi youth.

While I was there I got some bad news about a family member’s health and also my cat that I’m absolutely obsessed with had died. I started looking into flights home. It was a horrible feeling realizing it would cost $3000 and take 40 hours just to be near my family again. That was one of the lowest points of my time here. I love being in NZ but it’s very difficult realizing how far away I really am. The internet is so great for keeping me in touch with everyone that I sometimes forget I’m on the complete opposite side of the world.

Then to top it all off two days before I was meant to leave the farm I carelessly walked off the half metre high deck and massively sprained my ankle. It instantly swelled up to the size of a melon. When it rains it pours. Alex had to drive me to the hospital the next day to get it all checked out. Thankfully, it was just a sprain, but I was rather immobile and that was not ideal.

My ankle is somewhere underneath that.

Fortunately, my parents were due to arrive soon which helped greatly. Although, I was very concerned I wouldn’t be able to do any of the things I had planned for us due to my ankle. But, at three in the morning one day I drove with a very questionable right ankle up to Auckland to pick them up. They could not have gotten here any sooner!

March Milestones: Mountains & Waves Edition

So at the beginning of March I left Wellington in a blaze of glory. Not really, I just left. But it was a very exciting exit all the same. Olivia took a two week reprieve from work so we could take Gary and hit the open road again. Her first stop was to Hawke’s Bay with a couple girls from J.J.’s. As I was planning on hitting up that region when my parents arrive (SPOILER: my parents are coming/came/still debating on which tense I’m pretending to write this post in) I made other arrangements in Wellington for a few days before I met up with her. She had fun…without me. Very happy for her though! Olivia was working an insane amount in the last few months between her two jobs. She needed a homie holiday – rullll bad.

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park

We back! As you may remember, Liv and I tried to do NZ’s most popular day hike back in October. But due to some poor weather it was too windy and they issued avalanche warnings. Not keen. But we were determined to complete it before leaving the North Island. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is something you hear about even before you arrive in the country. It’s all volcanic terrain and has the most stunning emerald and turquoise lakes. Oh, and it’s also the home to Mount Doom. So that’s cool.

I hopped on my first Kiwi bus from Wellington to meet Liv in National Park. Along the way I met some people from whom I learned critical information. Number one being that apparently NZ granted Germany 133,000 working holiday visas. I most definitely believe that. Number two being that the weather was meant to be horrible for the following few days and the crossing most likely wouldn’t be possible for a little while. Seriously, not again!

Check out this camping cutie.

Upon reuniting with Liv we found ourselves a nice little place to camp because there’s nothing like wanting to sleep outside during torrential thunderstorms. What can we say, we’re very financially driven. We decided we’d absolutely commit to doing this hike and we’d wait it out however long was necessary. So we filled our days with mini hikes around the park. Plus our campsite was only $6 a night. I could work with that.

Taranaki Falls

A few days later we were finally given the go ahead to do the crossing! We woke up bright and early to catch the shuttle so we could set out on this hike we’d been aiming to do for ages. We had a little map that showed all the various stages of the hike. The crossing spanned 19.4 km and takes about 6-8 hours but there were a couple of additional offshoots that could be taken if so desired. So up we went!  At the top of the Devil’s Staircase (not exaggerating, real name) we had the option to tackle the additional three hour Mount Doom (or real name: Mount Ngauruhoe but I still can’t say that so Mount Doom it is). Because it’s Olivia and she rarely says no to a challenge, there we were deciding on a whim to climb this beast! As she said, “we can’t not do it.” I can get behind logic like that. So summiting Mount Doom we would! And it. was. HARD. The two hour climb up had me on all fours pulling myself up over shaky, questionable terrain. I can’t express enough how difficult it was. My heart felt like it was planning on beating right on out of my chest. Even it was like, “nah man, this is way too much.” But “we can’t not do it.” So hold on little heart, we’re doing this. Every so often we’d hear shouts of “ROCK!” and have to duck to make sure we wouldn’t get rocked out.

I want to go to there: MOUNT DOOM!

After what felt like the most physically exerting million hours of my life we reached the top. Now they say after you give birth you can’t remember the pain of labour and you just are so in awe of that new baby. I, of course, have no idea if that’s true but I think I felt something like that at the summit. I was above the clouds! And I had gotten up there with my own body! It was excruciating at points but I did it! Looking down I could see fellow climbers still scrambling up and looking out I could just see beautiful mountains and endless plains. I think I fell in love with hiking and climbing mountains in that moment. Such an incredible feeling to accomplish something that tested me to my very limits but unbelievably rewarding seeing those views that, right then, felt like mine alone, knowing that I had successfully gotten myself up there. It was unreal and I wanted more (just not right then… I was pretty sore). I feel so grateful for Olivia for literally pushing me to climb higher mountains. You need people like that in your life. Also the girl power feeling was palpable.

On top of it all with my girl!

Unfortunately, we had to climb back down to get back to the main crossing. Because of our additional route we still had a solid six hours ahead of us. The crossing itself wouldn’t have been too difficult without the Mount Doom summit. But because of our little extra adventure my body was quickly failing. Soon enough every fibre of my being was screaming in total agony. With each step I was feeling more and more keen to arrive at the car park. But again, those views made it all worthwhile! Funny how that works. At the top of Red Crater Summit there are turquoise lakes that almost look fake because the colours are so vibrant. A bit further on was a huge blue lake that was perfectly spherical. Just stunning. Olivia and I had taken to playing 20 questions which I realized I’m really not very good at. But at least I was better than the American guy we met on the track who joined in. It’s all relative, really.

I believe in colour palettes.

Towards the end we came across this huge warning claiming a “lahar hazard” and that we shouldn’t make any stops and keep pressing forward for the next 1700m. However, there was absolutely no context given as to what a lahar actually was and what we should be wary of. We assumed it was some sort of aggressive pokemon. I don’t care to know if we were wrong. But that brought us to the christening of a new name for Gary. Gary Lahar Bean. We’re only one ‘L” away from having a little Gary L. L. Bean. Stay tuned!

Aptly named, Blue Lake.

After we crawled to the car park we desperately split the one beer we had left in the car. Recovery fluid is very important after activities such as this. And since we hadn’t showered in, oh about five days, we rushed to find one since there wasn’t one at our campsite. I won’t cop to any illegal activities but we each had a lovely, luxurious shower that evening.

So that was it! Finally we managed to complete the Tongariro Alpine Crossing! Boom Doom!

Taranaki

New Plymouth Sunsets

Up next we wanted to check out Taranaki. It’s home to a beautiful mountain as well as being a fun little surf town in New Plymouth. We were hoping to climb Mount Taranaki but I was a bit nervous. It’s the most dangerous mountain in NZ with a lot of tourist deaths and it was getting closer to the end of the hiking season so conditions could be treacherous. All the same, we went to the iSite to get some more information and were abruptly told ‘NO’ we couldn’t climb it from the woman who was not the most helpful despite working at an information centre. I felt quite bad because I knew how much Liv wanted to tackle it. I was just worried with my comparative lack of experience I would hold her back plus my muscles still hadn’t recovered from Mount Doom despite my best beer drinking efforts. So it wasn’t in the cards that time to wait till conditions improved as we had already pushed our trip back so much waiting for Tongariro to become accessible. So we ambled around town and took in some sun for a few days.

Raglan

View from my accom.

But then, back to Raglan! This was my favourite stop on our initial road trip. It’s the fun little surf town with the sweet hostel where we met so many cool people the last time we were there. Liv spent a couple days here before returning back to Wellington for work. I decided to stay for a week or so. Sleeping in the car at the hostel I had beachside property getting to watch the beautiful sunrises and sunsets each day. I was constantly running, surfing, or kayaking. It was exactly what I wanted after leaving Welly, just to be outside and actually doing things. I read so many books while lounging in the hammocks or going to the beaches watching the surfers ride some very impressive waves. I made some new friends. Canada was very well represented again. It was an amazing week. But I really wasn’t sure what I would do after that. I still had three weeks before my parents arrived. Initially I was planning on WWOOFing (Willing Worker on Organic Farms) to save money but I was having such a good time that I was contemplating just staying and becoming a surfer babe qualified to at least be an extra in the next Blue Crush movie if that should ever happen. I could only stay at the hostel one week though so I was considering staying at a friend’s place. A few things fell through so all of a sudden I needed new plans for the very next day. Normally I would stress out quite a bit at this point but I’m actively trying to handle things better, so I made a plan. I decided to try and find a place to WWOOF near there for a few weeks. Luckily enough, things did work out! And I didn’t even need to stress! Self growth. Very important.

I really, really want to be in Blue Crush. With these girls.

So I said goodbye again to Raglan. My mini residual road trip with Liv was done and I was onto the next adventure. I’m realizing that plans are all well and good but by keeping myself open to new possibilities so many more exciting things can happen. Things don’t always work out the way you expect them to. I’m learning that that’s okay, and I’m okay when that happens.

Whoa There Welly

Lonely Planet named Wellington the “coolest little Capitol in the world” and it’s true. It is super cool. It’s got a really unique vibe to it. It’s young, artsy, and beautiful. I do feel lucky to have gotten to live here to experience it for myself.

This will be something of a photo essay with cheesy captions. But as I’ve had this post saved as a draft for four months now it’s time to just leap off the cyber ledge and commit. You’ve been warned.

The Garys are rolling into town.

So what have been my favourite moments in the five months I’ve spent here? Have yourself a seat, I’m about to tell you.

The Views

Seriously. Wellington is gorgeous. It’s a harbour city situated around all these little hills.

Oriental Parade

Oriental Parade is the main harbour where there are plenty of cafes, little beaches, and so many places to have a seat and take in the views.

Mount Victoria Lookout

Mount Vic is a Wellington treasure. Almost right in the middle of the city there’s this little mountain dedicated to small treks. In no time at all you’re far removed from city life and are taking all this in.

Mount Victoria Trails

Zealandia is a huge mass of land designated for conservation. The goal is to preserve what the original Kiwi bush was like before the settlers came and cleared it out. They are trying to keep it as true to the original as possible including all the birds that once were there as well. Olivia, her parents, and I checked this out one day. It was a mission to find the lake but I’m happy to report eventually we found it.

Zealandia

The Beaches

Breaker Bay at sunset.

A complaint I have about Wellington is that often the weather isn’t nice enough to fully enjoy how nice this city is. It’s often super windy or worse yet the weather can all change on a dime. Which is a shame because (two syllable) day-umn the beaches here are gorgeous.

Lyall Bay

Lyall Bay is a 10 minute drive from the city centre (ages, I know) – but worth it. Such a nice place to come and watch surfers and kite sailers.

Breaker Bay

BBQ at Breaker Bay

Breaker Bay is such a recent find. By night – all good. Olivia and I had such a fun night having a BBQ on the beach and staying to watch the sunset and then the stars (which were INCREDIBLE!) – we got to see the Milky Way. Ah, amazing.

Olivia and I enjoying the sunset at Breaker Bay

So Breaker Bay is all good at night – however, during the day it is a nude beach. One in which only 65 year old-and-over men seem to frequent. Not only to sunbathe, oh no – but to work out as well… in the nude. Jo and I were a tad bit traumatized. Luckily the nudity seemed to be contained to the other side of that rock formation. Also, she’s European, so I assume there’s a certain level of innate sense of acceptance in this matter for her… right Jo?!

Leetle Joanna & I at Breaker Bay

The Walks

My loaner dog, Molly, & I exploring Prince of Wales Park

Wellington has so many walks to take advantage of during the day! It’s great because I often work nights so I like to try to be outdoors as much as possible and make the best use of my time. I also like when I can acquire dogs and make them accompany me on these aforementioned walks.

Khandallah Track

Khandallah has to be my favourite walk in Wellington. It’s a four hour loop and is it ever incredible. The pictures really speak for themselves on this one. I spent New Year’s Day here and I really felt like 2015 got off to a strong start here.

Khandallah Track

Queen Elizabeth Park

Kapiti Coast is about 45 minutes away from Welly. I took a couple days to drive out there to scope out the terrain and do some nice walks. Queen Elizabeth Park is 300 hectacres of land bordering the ocean, dunes, and farm land. It was stunning. I had such a nice weekend by myself exploring new scenery. This was also a turning point in my travels when I discovered Whittaker’s Peanut Butter blocks… and there’s just been no going back, unfortunately.

Kapiti Coast

Kapiti Coast had such gorgeous beaches and beautiful sunsets. Of course I had some fish & chips here.

Kapiti Coast

Nikau Reserve in Kapiti

The Nightlife

At its heart, Wellington is a young person’s city, whether for students or yo pros (young professionals, not to be confused in any way with frozen treats). There are plenty of places to go grab a drink or have a cheeky dance.

*I will not be showing any pictures of Wellington night life. This is a conscious decision.

The Hipster Scene: Arts & Coffee Culture

Wellington Harbour

Wellington has so many cool sculptures, graffiti, artwork, and amazing coffee to enjoy while taking it all it.

The Boiler Maker

NZ in general makes phenomenal hamburgers. My friend from work, Caleb and I, are having a “Boiler Maker” bourbon + beer before a serious burger.

Botanical Gardens

All of January there was free music in the botanical gardens. There’s always so much going on that it’s hard to be bored here!

Fish & Chips

Finally, finally, finally, we found some serious fish & chips in the Mt. Vic Chippery. Eat, recline, resume.

The Sunday Markets

Produce for days.

This was a Sunday staple for ages for me. Every Sunday there are two markets that have such cheap produce and amazing food trucks. Unfortunately, I started working Sunday days all of January and most of February so I got out of the game. But oh baby, am I ever back in it now.

The Sports

Black Caps vs Sri Lanka (Cricket)

Olivia and I got on the cricket bandwagon. I have never seen the appeal to this sport. It’s always struck me as an even more boring version of an already boring baseball. But going to the game, sitting out in the sun, and drinking beer made me see the fun in it. That being said, I’m still never stoked when a customer at the pub asks for the sound on… for eight hours. Any sport that requires a lunch break, tea break, second breakfast break, first dinner break… I just can’t take all that seriously.

I also checked out the Wellington Phoenix soccer team at a match. (Actually it was the same day as cricket – it was a big day). That was a lot of fun. There’s a small but strong Phoenix following. My favourite chant of the day was “Same old Aussies. Always cheating.” Bit of animosity there.

Then of course the rugby. Rugby is, of course, huge here. Working at a sports pub has been a great introduction into rugby. So much upper thigh. It’s great.

Wellington Sevens

Sevens costume for work (I’m a homie!)

Speaking of rugby, in February there was a big tournament called the Wellington Sevens. There are seven players, seven minute halves, seven, seven, seven! The entire city inexplicably dresses up in costumes and parties all weekend. I had been prepared for months at work about how crazy it was going to be. All hands on deck sort of scenario. Turns out it was one of the lowest turnouts this year – but it was still quite fun getting to run around work looking like a homie.

JJs + Bristol homie collab.

Bristol Thug Lyfe

New Zanada Thanksgiving

A Hostel Thanksgiving

We had been in Wellington about a week before Thanksgiving rolled around. Liv and I put on quite a spread for our new buddies. So Thanksgiving went international getting the Germans & Brits on board. We had a lot to be thankful at that moment. It wasn’t until the very next day that our car got broken into!

An Orphan’s Christmas

Opening presents around the fireplace.

My first Christmas away from home! It had the potential to be a bit sad. But the great thing about travelling and meeting other global nomads is they’re all down for making it as special of a day as possible too. Olivia’ parents had visited in November and thoughtfully got us gifts so we’d have something to open on Christmas. They got us green stone necklaces which are really special here and you’re not allowed to buy for yourself.

Backyard Christmas

We had all the other homeless travellers come over to ours for a trashy potluck BBQ Christmas. I had to cut the grass with scissors and we dragged couches, sleeping backs, pillows, whatever we could find into the backyard. We threw blankets on the drying rack to create a little sun cabana. This was a classy affair.

Christmas Goofballs.

Enjoying a beautiful spread.

A couple of Christmas weirdos

Expat Wins

We found clamato. We got clamongst it. That’s all I have to say about that.

Happy as clam…atos.

The People

Santa’s little helper

I love these weird people I’ve met and shared my life with here. They’re all what really made my experience here and who I’ll always be grateful for that I met.

Cider, pedal bikes, & Kelly.

Work homies.

Some crazy kids at our favourite haunt… El Hornos.

So that’s a wrap on Wellington; I left at the beginning of March. It really is a cool little city and I had a lot of great experiences there, but I didn’t come to NZ to just live in a city. I came for the adventures, beautiful landscapes, and the opportunities to push myself out of my comfort zone. That’s something I realized while I was there that was really important to me and what I’m after in my time here. Leaving early when I did was absolutely the right decision for me because it catapulted me into some of my favourite times I’ve had since I’ve been in NZ. So thanks to everyone that I met while Wellington was my home. You’re all golden, but of course, you know that.

The Good, the Bad, & the Welly

Fancy seeing you here! It’s been awhile. I’ve been in Wellington four months now and I have a lot to say. Brace yourself – this is gonna be a long one!

Not a Great Start

Olivia and I arrived in Wellington the first week of October bright eyed and bushy tailed. After nearly five weeks of wandering we were excited to settle in and form something of a stable life in the Capitol of NZ. Things didn’t exactly get off to a great start. Finding a place to live and landing a job ended up being a bit more difficult than we expected. Adding insult to injury our sweet little Gary Bean car got broken into and the majority of our possessions were stolen. Homeless, unemployed, and now possessionless things really weren’t looking great.

Why Am I Still Homeless?

We set up camp at Worldwide Backpackers while we got our beans sorted trying to find a job and a flat and get over the major disappointment of all of our stuff being stolen. Our plan of attack was to nail down a home first before the job hunt. This turned out to be more difficult than anticipated! We were looking for two rooms on a sublet – we didn’t want to get locked down on a year long lease. As Wellington is a huge student city we inadvertently found ourself tied to the university schedule. Summer didn’t begin until mid-November so most accommodations weren’t available until then. After many a long search we found a place that would be available in “a week or two.” Keen to get out of the hostel we accepted. Unfortunately it was closer to two weeks so we ended up spending three long weeks cooped up in bunk beds. But we at least had a place to live for two and a half months! We moved into “the dollhouse” with two other girls in Mount Victoria until the middle of January. The house had a sweet backyard but unfortunately no common living room which you wouldn’t think is a big deal but actually is. It made the house quite lonely as everyone was always in their rooms so you never knew if anyone was actually home! From there we moved into this beautiful townhouse in the CBD (Central Business District) until the end of February which is so bright and so close to work. Onto the job hunt.

Why am I Still Unemployed?

Upon arriving we were constantly assured we would have no problem finding a job. But in my opinion anything more than two days of searching is a problem. Liv and I had different experiences on this front. Initially she had immediately landed a job trial at this cool bar/ music venue. She nailed the trial and all of a sudden we had someone to bring home the bacon! It was only going to be a Friday-Sunday job but at least it was something! So believing she had a job – even if only part-time at first- Liv stopped looking for employment. As for me, I wasn’t so lucky. I kept pounding the pavement with no luck. Upon the advice from my parents I was encouraged to exaggerate my hospitality experience. Hey, no ones going to check if I catered events for family friends, especially if the contact number is long distance to Canada. After a week and a half of searching I stumbled upon a pub that was hiring – Hotel Bristol. I had a good yarn (read: chat) with one of the managers who encouraged me to come back to talk to the owner the next day. Waking up the next morning like it was Christmas I went back down to follow up on my application where I was then told I couldn’t speak to the owner. But I’m persistent and was desperate and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. So I went back later that night “for a drink” really just to keep showing up until they started paying me. The other manager told me to come back in a couple days to have that meeting with the owner. After that I stayed for another celebratory drink, as one does. So finally after a couple weeks in Wellington I had a job bartending/serving at a pub for which I was desperately unqualified for but promised it would be “cruzy as.”

Back to Liv, well she got majorly screwed over. The following weekend when she was supposed to start she got told it wasn’t busy enough so don’t bother coming in on the Friday… Then the Saturday.. And was just completely ignored on Sunday. So there went that. All of a sudden she was back to square one. She was able to procure some casual catering at a golf course but nothing full time or consistent. But funnily enough, the girl I was replacing at Bristol was a Scottish girl who was also travelling with her friend who worked at the pub next door, J.J. Murphys. As they were both leaving there was also a vacancy at JJ’s. I got a call from my friend at Bristol who told me that if Olivia went down that same morning the job was hers. Nailed it. So we had a classic Canadian swoop and now we both had jobs and neighbouring pubs! But when it rains it pours – but for once in a really good way! She also had an opportunity at this mountain equipment store which is Olivia’s one true love. Unfortunately at that time she couldn’t make both jobs work so she had to turn Gordon’s down. Side note: she also could’ve had a job at Lululemon. This girl was rolling in options. So Olivia and I both settled into work and adjusting to Wellington. When December rolled around she got a call from Gordon’s – another spot had opened up and they wanted to know if she wanted it. Of course she did. So this began Olivia’s crazy work schedule. Five days a week at Gordon’s. Four nights a week at JJ’s. I get tired just thinking about it.

Wellington

So here we were making things work in Wellington. A bit about this city, it’s called Windy Welly, definitely with good cause; its one of the windiest cities in the world. It’s at the south of the north island and is the Capitol of NZ. There are two universities here and has a population of about 400,000. It’s a harbour city surrounded by hills. Not that I’ve been to San Francisco but I imagine they’re quite similar. Cuba Street, where Liv and I both work, is this trendy street with heaps of shops, bars, restaurants, and trendy street art. Courtenay Place is the night life central of the city which is so much like Montreal’s Saint Laurent. It really is a super cool city. Such great coffee and no unenjoyable hamburgers to be found.

Life Here

Making friends has been a bit tough. At my bar I’m the only traveller, everyone is Kiwi and has their own lives. At JJ’s everyone is a traveller and they mostly all live together in a huge house so everyone’s always keen to hang out. Working weird hours doesn’t exactly facilitate meeting people either. Plus Olivia works all the time so it can be ages without seeing each other. So I mostly try to make the most of my days by going for walks and exploring the city which is such a nice way to spend time.

Now for the real talk. Olivia and I planned to spend about six months here. I’m not going to make that quota. Wellington’s good and I certainly don’t regret my time in this cool little city. But I’m ready to move on. I’ve never worked in a bar before and I had no idea what it would be like. It’s hard! The hours are rough and it’s exhausting work! The people I work with are really great though and we do have a lot of fun having behind-the-bar dance parties and laughing at everyone and everything. But truthfully, working minimum wage at a job you don’t fully love feels the same no matter what city or country you’re in. I came to New Zealand for the adventure and the outdoors. Wellington is beautiful and I’ve done some pretty great walks, met some wonderful people, and had a lot of fun, but I need a change of scene. I was planning on sticking it out because I felt that’s what I should do because I arbitrarily put that time frame on myself plus travelling with a friend I didn’t want to be selfish. But having really done some soul searching and because Olivia is the best and most understanding and accommodating travel buddy I’ve decided staying in Wellington isn’t worth being unhappy and not fully enjoying my time in New Zealand. So Olivia’s going to take a two week holiday come March so we can do the things we didn’t get a chance to do on our first road trip (hopefully the Tongariro Crossing, another trip back to our favourite spot – Raglan, and Taranaki). Then when she returns to Wellington I’ll WWOOF around the North Island which means working for 4-6 hours a day for free In exchange for food and accommodation. I’m so excited to do that!

I was initially quite stressed out about money but my parents reminded me that I’m not going to leave this year in a surplus. I worked all last year in Montreal to save for my travels. If I need to spend that money I spend it. Something I’ve realized about myself is that I really, really need to lighten up. One of my favourite things about Olivia is how easy-going she is. Most things really do not bother her. Whereas, I stress and ruminate about most things. I’m trying to get into a frame of mind where I can relax and realize that if I’m not loving something it’s in my power to change it. There’s no need to be miserable. I can control my own happiness. So there ya have it – classic travel to grow as a person/find yourself business.

My next post will be infinitely more upbeat where I’ll tell you everything I’ve loved about Wellington and all the cool stuff I’ve done since I’ve been here. I just felt a really honest post was necessary. So often it seems like when you’re travelling you/everyone else expects every moment to just be the best time of your life when I really don’t feel like that’s true. Travelling is incredible but just like your regular life back home it has it’s fair share of highs and lows.

Adventure Time in the North Island

Rotorua

When we were outlining our trip we wrote down all the things to do in each city and Rotorua was packed. We were excited to get there and do all these different things and also to meet up with one of our good buddies from Auckland. Rotorua is situated on some major volcanic geothermal action so the whole place smells like sulfur rotten eggs. We were assured you acclimate to it. It was pungent though.

Our first night I went for a walk down to the lake front and wanted to feel like a classy adult so had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and read my book. But that was enough class for one night so then we went out to the Pig & Whistle where they had this great band playing all the crowd pleasers. Lots of fun.

We’d been wanting to get more into the rugby scene so on Sunday morning when the All Blacks played we watched the game with the owner of our hostel. Since it’s impossible to watch hockey here I think it’ll be a good enough filler. It’s really exciting to watch especially since the All Blacks are just so good. They start every game with a Maori haka which is so cool. It’s meant to psych yourself up and intimidate your opponents. I think I could watch two hours of just that and be happy. After the game we played with the owners’ kids all afternoon of the trampoline and played some backyard soccer. Day well spent.

That night we went to a Maori village. Rotorua’s population is 50% Maori and this is apparently where you can find the most authentic cultural experience. For $90 we’d see how they prepare dinner in a hangi which steams food underground. We’d also see a sacred cold water spring, the Warriors come down the river, watch a performance, eat dinner, and go for a bush walk. I don’t know how to say this delicately but I just found the whole thing to be so uncomfortable. It just seemed like such a sell out. We had learned that in their culture getting face tattoos is a very serious and sacred act. We later found out the people in the performance just painted theirs on each night. Everyone attending the evening were also all families. To us, we felt like we were at the most uncomfortable cultural Disney world. After all this seemingly important acts they’d continuously ask us to rate them on trip advisor only if we liked them, but if we didn’t don’t do anything. Or how we could’ve seen more had we just paid a “tiny bit more”. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you enjoy that brand of unease.

I have this app that’s generally been really good at giving ideas of things to do in each city. For Rotorua it gave a list of 4-5 things to see like the geothermal pools, the geysers, and the redwood forest. But it said we could just to a 27k walk and see all of the aforementioned sites. So Olivia and I decided we’d go for a walk and see everything Rotorua has to offer in one day. It’s turns out though the walk, which was designed by the city council, just took us on a loop around the outside of the city. We spent 27k walking through residential neighbourhoods, backyards, and field hockey games. We hardly saw any of the notable Rotorua sites and it still smelled like rotten eggs the whole time! (Still no adjusting yet). It was rather lame and disappointing. I felt burnt by that app. So it definitely felt like a waste of a day, unfortunately.

The next day we met our friend who works at the adventure agency and gave him all of our money to book all of our upcoming adventures. So I started right away and went white water rafting! It was my first time ever doing it and it was so sweet! The journey was about an hour and we went over three waterfalls, one at 7 meters! My guide was so goofy and had me sit at the front and then had everyone row into a rapid so I was surfing. The whole thing was a ton of fun!

We left Rotorua a bit disappointed mostly because I think we did all the wrong things. And it still smelled like rotten eggs.

Matamata

When you know you’re going to New Zealand there are some things you just know you’re absolutely going to do. Enter Hobbiton. Matamata is the location of the shire used for all the Lord of the Ring and the Hobbit movies. They unexpectedly kept the movie set up and they’ve been doing tours for years. It is as cool as you think it would be!

When Peter Jackson was scouting locations for the shire he wanted farm country with a pond and a tree. When flying over Matamata he found the Alexander Farm which was perfect and hidden enough away. During filming everyone involved was under strict confidentiality. It was only when the neighbours saw the movie did they recognize that the movie had been filmed in their home town. So those friends asked for a tour of the set and that was the first tour of Hobbiton. Now everyone and their mother goes to check it out. The set wasn’t supposed to remain up but here it still is.

The set is quite large. Every hobbit hole is a different size for scale purposes while shooting. Everything is so colourful and cute. We were there on such a beautiful day too. At the end of the tour we got to have a beer at the Green Dragon. You know what they say – the only brew for the brave and true comes from the Green Dragon. That’s us.

Olivia and I have found a new direction for our future. We’re pioneers really. We present: Shire House Mafia. Where electric meets hobbit tavern. It’s gonna be huge.

Raglan

Originally we weren’t going to go to Raglan but we had heard so many great things about how it’s such a fun surf town so it was quickly added to our list. We were planning on a chill recovery three days in this little beach town. It wasn’t quite like that. It was oddly this North American hub which was such a change of pace as every one we’ve met have been Germans who just finished high school. We ran into a Canadian girl we met back in Whitianga. The hostel was so cool too. Not only was it pizza night but they had hammocks everywhere and a hot tub. It was right on the ocean too. By far the best hostel we’d stayed in yet.

The people were so cool. We basically spent three nights drinking and having the best time. We gave surfing a shot which was so fun. I was able to kind of stand up a couple times. I totally see the appeal of the surfing lifestyle. Way too fun. Good thing I’m ready for the Blur Crush 2 auditions.

Unfortunately, and of course, the weather wasn’t exactly prime.

I think Olivia and I both feel that if wellington doesn’t work out living in raglan for the summer working, surfing, and being a beach bum would be an entirely acceptable route.

Waitomo

Sadly we left Raglan because we had already booked our adventure caving in Waitomo. We had an eventful last morning trying to get from Raglan to Waitomo but thankfully we made it in time for our caving excursion!

Olivia and I along with a French couple and our two guides were all geared up. You wear the most constricting wet suit I could ever imagine being constructed. It was brutal. Even walking up or down stairs was a huge challenge. Before descending deep into the earth we had a brief “abseiling 101” course. I was not feeling confident in my abilities so thankfully the guides were.

Caving was super intense. We went down 80 meters underground! We abseiled twice down steep walls and waterfalls. I even attempted a rock climb up but my height and extremely tight clothes were just not letting it happen. It was such an experience. There were moments we were told “crawl through that small opening” and if you’re of the claustrophobic variety I do not see that happening. We’d be crawling and completely surrounded in a rock tunnel and crawling through ice cold water. Needless to say the badass level was high!

At one point in the glow worm caves there’s this formation where you put your head to the back and hum and it makes this really great low bass sound. So one guy did that and the other was pounding on the hollow rock. They were so good we offered them a guest feature on Shire House Mafia’s upcoming album.

Taupo

To continue our weekend of serious highs and lows we next went to Taupo to go skydiving!

Again, we got quite a bit lost on our way from Waitomo to Taupo. I think Murphys Law holds true – we never had any problems with directions before but as soon as you have to be in a certain place at a specific time you get lost as.

It wasn’t a problem that we were 15 minutes late because the other party was about an hour late. We were jumping out at 15,000 feet. We were above the clouds. The other people jumped out at 12,000 feet so Olivia and I practically had the plane to ourselves! The ride up was beautiful Taupo is home to Lake Taupo the largest lake in New Zealand. It’s actually a crater of an active volcano too!

Surprisingly, I was not at all nervous. I absolutely expected to have butterflies because you’re jumping out of a plane for Pete’s sake but it all happens so fast, and you feel so secure, and really you don’t have to do anything! So Olivia jumped out first and then I was next! It was wild. It is all happening so quickly. Your face becomes this wind turbine mess, your eyes water because you pick up some serious speed. We were free falling for 60 seconds. Once our parachute was pulled we had another couple minutes of loop-d-loops. I was manically giggling the entire time. Such a rush. If I could, I’d do it every single day of my life. It’s just so incredibly fun.

All in one weekend we went from 80 meters below ground to 15,000 feet above it.

Tongariro National Park

Our final stop before Wellington was Tongariro National Park. This is one of the nicest day hikes in New Zealand. Also famous for being the walk to Mount Doom! It’s a 20k hike and you see different colour lakes and beautiful scenery. However, we did not. When we arrived the weather was, can you guess? Not good. There were Avalanche warnings and such strong wind that it was advised no one do the crossing. It was pretty disappointing but we know we’ll get up there at some point in the next five months to give it another go.

End of the road trip

So after 4000 kilometres road tripping around the North Island, countless rainy days, Taylor Swift sing-alongs, Spice Girl glow worm cave dance parties, waterfall and rainbow spottings, sand dune jumping, kauri strong treks, hot water beaches, freezing cold beaches, polar bear dips, kebabs, instant coffee, Tui trivia, rugby, scavenging for Internet, white water rafting, forming Shire House Mafia, drinking with hobbits, abseiling into caves 80 meters below, jumping out of airplanes 15,000 feet above, attempting to be surfer babes, sleeping in the back of the station wagon, meeting heaps of cool people, and doing it all with my Gary in crime – our North Island road trip has come to a close. Wellington, you’re up!

The Bay of Plenty

After our quaint road trip up north we had to make a pit stop back in Auckland because there is never enough business to get done there. We were hoping all of our paperwork (social insurance, bank accounts, and car insurance) would have been delivered while we were galavanting around the North for the past week. Of course, not a single thing had arrived. Oh Auckland, you keep outdoing yourself! So back on the open road to the Bay of Plenty.

Whitianga
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We zoomed on over to our first stop in the old Bay of Plenty. We were staying at this cute backpackers on the beach where everything was painted in absurdly bright colours which I think was to make up for the owner’s dreary disposition. Oh well, easy enough to find, I suppose. We were really excited because they promised us kayaks and lots of great beach town stuff to do. Unfortunately, what has become a reoccurring theme, we brought some really bad weather. Going from beach town to beach town is quite the risk when it’s the beginning of spring!

Luckily, we made some friends to ride out the bad weather with. The next day we went to the Hot Water Beach which is just as it sounds. It’s a beach above a geothermal region. Around low tide people bring spades and dig holes and you can make your own hot tub! Unfortunately, we were a little slow to the game and all the good spots were taken so we mooched off other people’s hard work. It was dramatically raining and the ocean was bringing its freezing water into our hot tub. Rude.

We tried to take out the kayaks into the ocean but were sassily told the gale force winds just wouldn’t allow it. So, instead we got a Kiwi cultural immersion by watching the New Zealand movie, Boy, which was really good. Of course, as it’s New Zealand anytime you walk into a hostel TV room the chances are good someone’s watching Lord of the Rings so we did a bit of that too.
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Pretty close to the Hot Water Beach is a place called Cathedral Cove. You may recognize it from the Chronicles of Narnia, as I have not seen it I did not recognize it but I was reassured by many signs and people it was the same. We had a nice hike out there. It’s this stretch of beach where volcanic activity had created this stunning archway. It really was incredible.
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We didn’t quite get to do everything we had wanted to in Whitianga but we made some friends who would come out to our next stop with us and we did have lots of fun.

Tauranga

Tauranga is yet another beautiful beach town we had heard lots of good things about. We had some friends from our first Auckland hostel living there so we met up with them at the beach. I had decided in Whitianga that I wanted to learn how to knit. I really don’t know what everyone is talking about. I do not find it relaxing. Actually I find it quite stressful. A nice german girl on the beach tried to help me. Really she just knit four lines and I told her I totally got what she was doing. I did not. I just wanted it to end.

Our hostel was so bizarre. When we first walked into the kitchen it seemed like everyone was in a very strange trance. The rooms were so small and smelly. It was nominated for some award although I’m really not sure how. Anyways, we met up with our friends from Whitianga. It was one of their birthdays so we went out to this pub to celebrate.

The next day we grabbed a coffee to have on the beach. Having been told there is no bad coffee in New Zealand we grabbed a flat white from a food truck disproving the above statement. You can, in fact, find bad coffee in New Zealand. Caffeine-less we treked up Mount Manganui, a 232m mount right off the beach which has incredible views of the ocean.

That night we gave it our first go at sleeping in the car at a camp site right on the beach. We were so ill-prepared.
The kitchen was not stocked at all so our pasta was very difficult to make that night. We also only have a slight duvet but no mattress and no pillows. Naturally, we thought we’d be fine. We weren’t, of course. The sun couldn’t rise fast enough. On that sleepless note, we took our leave.

Whakatane

We tried our best to get our giggles out over saying the name Whakatane but we make no promises. We stayed at this amazing hostel called Karibu Backpackers that had free, unlimited internet and that right there is enough in my books.

After we were able to drag ourselves away from the wifi we checked out Ohope Beach which claims to be New Zealand’s most loved beach. It was nice for sure, but I don’t know how these things are decided, so who am I to say?

There’s a great 18k walk called the Nga Tapuwae o Toi trek which takes you along the coast out to Ohope Beach and then back through a forest scenic reserve. As we were transversing the rocks all of a sudden we heard this barking which we thought was an odd place for a dog but it was actually a seal pup! The poor thing was terrified and I’m sure calling for back up from mom. So we got out of there pretty quickly. The walk was incredible although unfortunately a little rough on my feet so that’ll be a treat for weeks to come.

Our last morning in Whakatane our Kiwi friend told us that orcas had been spotted in the harbour so we raced on down there only to find out that we are slower than killer whales.

So our time in the Bay of Plenty of rain was over and so were all the bay of plenty jokes.

King of the North(land)

With little Gary Bean the world is our oyster. We were all too happy to get out of Auckland and really begin seeing New Zealand… All while driving on the left side of the road!

Whangerei

After accidentally putting on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal more times than I care to admit we made it to our first stop in Northland: Whangerei. (Helpful tip: ‘wh’ is pronounced ‘f’ this will become even more fun in cities like Whakatane). We stayed at the Little Earth Lodge which despite being down a death defying driveway was the cutest, eco friendly little lodge. Especially coming straight from our gross, cramped hostel in Auckland this was a very welcome accommodation. They even had free free-range eggs from their very own hens each morning! Such service!

We were rather tired our first evening there so we hit the floor running the next morning. After enjoying our ethical breakfast, Olivia, the German guy we were sharing a room with, and I went out to see some kauri trees and the Whangerei Falls. It was so cool! The kauris were rather young, coming in at 500 years which certainly seems old but not when there are some here that are 2000 years old. One very bizarre thing about New Zealand is that there’s a sizeable hole in the ozone here. So the temperature changes are quite drastic. When the sun’s out it’s baking, but when a cloud covers it it’s freezing. Layers are the name of the game here. Also, it’s the beginning of their spring so it’s super rainy. We hiked through the kauri forest and made our way to the waterfall. It was beautiful and exactly what we were so excited to see once we were out of Auckland.

That afternoon we met a couple of Canadian girls who were also ready to go explore the three glow worm caves our lodge was near. We got our crocs, helmet, and head torch game going and went on our way. There are three caves there and they all have these flourescent glow worms all over the ceiling so when you turn off your light it looks like the night sky. We were warned that the water was waist deep so we would get wet. However, it was slightly misleading because there were parts where my feet weren’t even touching and here I am swimming in this ice cold underground water in the dark. Add that to my list of things I would not do in Australia. It was incredible though. It was no easy stroll. We were climbing all over, up, down, and sideways on these rocks. The four of us were feeling so badass and such intense girl power that naturally we had an underground cave Spice Girls dance party! We exited our final cave after sundown and had the most triumphant walk back. However, somehow we got this huge field of cows all upset and it was the most unnerving feeling having hundreds of cows aggressively staring and mooing. Still not sure what got them all ground up.

We told the owner of the hostel our plans to drive north and she informed us that we couldn’t miss the beautiful beaches in Matapouri and that they had the absolute best fish and chips around. Great! I like both those things! So we’re driving up and we see the town and the sign for the beach as well as the sign for the fish and chips. Perfect. Made it there with no problems. As we’re trying to find the actual fish and chips shop, though, we’re unable to and as the town is only four blocks we thought it was a bit strange. That is until we realized the fish and chips shop also doubled as the gas station convenience store. We walk in, slightly skeptically, and ask the woman behind the cash if this was the fish and chips shop. She replied, “alright yeah, we can do that.” Olivia told her we had heard about this place and she said, “oh, really?” We’re starting to feel a bit doubtful but maybe we’ve found a hidden gem! Who are we to judge? We asked her what her favourite type of fish was and she told us, “yeah, I like the snapper…or the hot dog.” Unsure of what a hot dog fish is we went with the snapper. Unfortunately, she informed us, that she hadn’t had any orders in awhile and she would have to turn the machine on and she asked us if it was okay if we came back in 45 minutes. So inexplicably, we did just that. Upon our return we grabbed our entire newspaper parcel of fish and enough chips to feed a small village, and we were off to do something I never thought I would: eat fish from a gas station. So was it a hidden gem I know you’re all asking yourself? Well the beaches were, but the fish was not. So there you have it.

Paihia

Our next stop in Northland was Paihia which is this beach town in the Bay of Islands. We got to our hostel and were told of the Mexican Independence Day party they were having that night. You know, when in Rome. We strolled around the town which is not exactly hopping at the beginning of spring and went back to the hostel. We saw four people blowing up balloons and were quick to assume the party would be as quiet as the town. But we ended up having the greatest night which usually happens when free tequila is provided. We met a Paihia native by the name of T who is something of a local celebrity. He works at the hostel and bar and meets travellers from all over the world and loves sharing stories about his Ngapuhi people and their land. Everyone, us included, signs the flag of the country they’re from and he has dozens of flags everywhere. It’s very cool. The next day he gave us the genuine tour showing us the local waterfalls (I think every town has one).

On our last day we all went kayaking and T showed us the sacred island for his tribe and where boys learn the tricks of the trade. We learned all about the seafood game and even ate an oyster straight from the rocks. We were able to choose a shell and he made it a necklace for us and it’s meant to be good luck on your voyage.

Cape Reinga

Leaving Paihia we were off to the most northern point of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. It was a bit of a drive but we eventually made it and was it ever worth it. It’s a very spiritually important place for the Maori people. It’s where the soul leaves earth and enters the after life. You really get that feeling there too. It’s so secluded and quiet. We originally thought we’d stay in a hostel up there but there are none – there’s nothing up there! It’s also where the Tasman Sea and the South Pacific meet and there are the most intense sand dunes you feel like you could be in the Sahara.

#WhatchaDune?

Kaitaia

We drove to Kaitaia from Cape Reigna to stay the night. We were staying in a sketchy hostel and there was nothing to do there so it was a check in and check out sort of deal.

Opononi

Our last stop in Northland was Opononi which is this beautiful farmland near the Waipoua Forest. We stayed at this lodge secluded up in a mountain. It was beautiful and it was just Olivia and I. It was a mix between a honeymoon and a couples retreat. Quite lovely, really.

I went for a 10k solo walk to the Koutu Harbour which was beautiful. It was this amazing combination of sand dunes on one side, beach, and pastoral mountains. It had been raining a bit so there was a gorgeous rainbow.

The next day Olivia and I went back to the beach and then onto the Waipoua Forest to see the oldest and biggest kauris in New Zealand.

Tane Mahuta, the Lord of the Forest, is the oldest kauri in New Zealand aged at 2000 years. It’s quite awe inspiring thinking about just how long 2000 years is and how one living thing has experienced it all. Kauris are super interesting because they look so vastly different in each life stage. When they’re mature they have a garden in their branches.

We walked in and saw lots more kauris. They make sure everywhere you go you’re aware of how delicate they are. Maybe not so #KauriStrong after all.

So this concludes our trip to the north. At no point was I appointed queen of the North. I gave it my best effort though.

Auckland: the business side of moving to a new country

We made it to New Zealand! And only after a slight 45 hours of total travel time! Somehow, our double decker plane defied the laws of physics and got us from San Francisco to Auckland relatively easily. (Clearly physics isn’t my strong suit because I have no idea how something like that can stay airborne for 14 hours). Somewhat disconcertingly, it was that particular aircraft’s second to last voyage before retirement. Didn’t feel too good about that one but the sleeping pill temporarily cast that worry aside.

So here we were in Auckland! Bubbling with jetlag and excitement. A bus brought us into the city centre where eavesdropping allowed us to make some new friends who were also staying at the same hostel as us. Since The Attic wasn’t open we grabbed a coffee first. I made my first and last coffee faux pas there. I asked for a coffee with milk which evidently is not a thing here. It was very confusing for all parties involved. New Zealand is known for their coffee culture so I can’t embarrass myself like that again. From that moment on I strictly drink flat whites. Not 100% sure what they are but I’m into it.
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In our delirium we decided to power through on the business side of things on that first day. We set up the bank account we had already wired our Canadian money into. It was a huge relief that the money hadn’t disappeared into thin Internet air. We then applied for our IRD which is like a SIN and got our phones up and running. And after all that work we rewarded ourself with an afternoon visit to the pub for some food and a beer which of course is rarely just one. We discovered that beer clinking is not a socially acceptable activity in New Zealand. Good to know.
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One of the more popular sights to see in Auckland is One Tree Hill (the one without Chad Michael Murray). There’s a 16k coast to coast walk where you can see all the highlights of the city. Auckland is situated on a harbour on 55 volcanoes. (Whoever initially thought that was a good idea was a brave fellow). So we were determined to do the whole 16k but at the insistent disuasion of a hostile hostel worker we started somewhere in the middle. Another thing to note: while by and far Kiwis are an incredibly nice sort Auckland bus drivers are not. So after getting on the wrong bus we found ourselves somewhere in the middle of the walk. Fortunately, we were able to find One Tree Hill due to the fact it was a protruding hill with an obelisk on top. It was very cool and was the location of the first grand sheep spotting we had. Next up was Mount Eden, which also should have been obvious but proved not to be. Every so often on this coast to coast walk there would be hidden signs informing you of the next path. They were very difficult to find and did not say which way they were sending you. We ended up going the completely wrong way and ended up in the industrial section of town. Defeated, we caught a train back to the city centre. So our coast to coast walk was more of a bus, walk, train situation.

We met a lot of cool people in our first hostel. It seems like the majority of people are also just starting their one year Working Holiday visa which is awesome.

Something Olivia and I had been planning for awhile was buying a car. For both of us this was our first time purchasing a car. But since we’re adults now we were up to the task, after asking our male family members for advice, of course. There are lots of different ways to go about buying a car here. There are backpackers car lots, used car dealerships, then private sales on TradeMe which is the Kiwi version of Kijiji or Craig’s List. Our new friend had sold backpackers cars in Australia so we recruited his help. Again, after getting very lost (the three of us didn’t handle Auckland directions very well) we found it. After seeing the lot I promptly no longer wished to buy a car. They were horrible. The only redeeming factor was the two dogs they had there. I was feeling pretty discouraged especially since there was an incredible sale for bus traveling which was $170 for 15 trips. I was unsure if it was worth spending all that money when public transit seemed like a viable option but the freedom to go wherever we wanted whenever we wanted was what Olivia had to remind me of and I’m so glad she did. So we went back to TradeMe and fully got behind the car search. The next day we had lined up an appointment to go all the way out to this used car dealership to see a Subaru Forester. It would take us a couple of hours and multiple buses to get there so of course there were problems. Some buses only came once every hour so we’d spend lots of time waiting. Inexplicably, not all roads in Auckland have the same street numbers on both sides of the road. So you can be in the 500s on the left side and the 900s on the right. Because of that we got off our $8 bus entirely too early. And of course the next one wouldn’t come for another hour. So we started walking the remaining 15k to get there. We were out in the middle of nowhere surrounded exclusively by gun stores, car dealerships, and one trampoline factory (believe you me: the temptation was there). After visiting the most questionable bathroom of my life (in the back of a deli climbing over the mops, past the barred windows, and at the end of an unlit hall) we decided to just sit by the side of the road at a bus stop and hope for the best. I now understand Lorde on a whole new level because I, too, was feeling no post code envy. Finally, and I mean finally a bus came and we were back on track. We got out to the lot and so desperately wanted that car to work, primarily so we wouldn’t have to take the bus back. It looked a little shotty but we were so hopeful. We took it to get a pre-purchase inspection at a nearby garage. Olivia and I were exhausted. We went next door to the gas station Cafe to have a coffee and watch 12 Years a Slave because nothing else seemed more appropriate. About an hour and $110 later we found out the car was a piece. The mechanic began by asking us how much we were buying the car for. I pointed to the giant neon orange numbers on the windshield and said $3700. He countered by saying, “yea, but how much are you actually paying?” Apparently the car when it’s working is worth $2300 and this car would need at least $1000 to make it functional. We were pretty disappointed. The car dealer was trying to convince us his mechanic would fix those problems but we were just not having any of it at that point. We decided on our two hour bus back no more used car dealerships.

We pressed on and had a few more appointments to see privately sold cars. On one CRV we took it to the mechanic and after noticing the driver’s side lock didn’t work he said he would take it for a quick spin around the block and let us know if it’s worth doing the inspection. It wasn’t. The next day we saw the cutest little RAV4 (which I think is the national car of New Zealand because everyone has one). Unfortunately, since it only had two doors a ski rack would cost an ungodly amount. Just as we were about to call it a night we got a text from a man selling his Subaru Legacy. We were exhausted but decided to take another hour bus that night to go check it out. The man was a mechanic and the car looked pretty good (but to be fair we had thought that about all the other lemons too). We wanted an inspection done immediately since it was already Wednesday and our original cute hostel had filled up and we had to move to the grimey one down the street. But since he worked full time we couldn’t have one done till Saturday. It was such a gamble. We were both so tired of Auckland and wanted to get going immediately. If this car didn’t work out on Saturday we would be back to square one. Also most garages were closed on Saturdays and didn’t do inspections which would, you know, throw a wrench into our plans. After the most intense back alley discussion I have had to date we decided to put a deposit down and hope for the best. We spent the next two days bumming around, casually touring the city we were ready to leave and trying to keep my car anxiety at bay. We spent a lot of time sitting in trees in a local park. She became our very own Grandmother Willow and we were open to advice. We also checked out the Auckland Art Gallery. They had the coolest interactive Lego display so Olivia and I left a small Canadian monument.
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Saturday morning was like New Years Eve: lots of hype but usually disappointing. We met the guy at the garage and prayed to the car gods things would work out. And they answered. Our car was golden! So here we are, proud owners of Gary Bean, our little station wagon. No more gas station depressing Oscar movies for us. Only open (winding) highway!

With that we took our much anticipated leave from Auckland and were heading up North!

My Great Canadian Tour: New Zealand Bound

To begin my trek halfway across the world I started off by seeing more of Canada than I previously had. Embarrassingly enough, I had never been to Western Canada. Enter my #GreatCanadianTour to right that wrong.

Toronto(ish)

My dad’s family lives in the Greater Toronto Area. My parents and I luxuriously flew direct from the Caymans to Toronto. I got to say goodbye to my Grandy which was nice. Saying goodbye to my dad at the bus station was very sad. But he sent me off by telling me to have the best time and this will be an adventure of a lifetime. Of course he’s right.

My mama and I took the megabus from Toronto to Montreal, which fortunately I won’t have to do again for quite some time. She got to see how I’ve been travelling for the last 5 years. Hint: not glamorously.

Montreal

My mama’s family lives in Montreal so it was so amazing to go back for a few days and stock up on some of my favourite things before I left (poutine and St. Ambroise beer).

One of my best friends came back to Montreal early just to see me because she’s a peach. Her lovely boyfriend arranged a surprise brunch with a beautiful spread because he, too, is a peach. We spent our last day together for a while drinking sangria which is absolutely how you spend a last best friend day.

This is where I said goodbye to the rest of my family and my mama which was super hard. So much love being sent out to them. An aside: I’ve learnt that going away for extended travels is really where the gift money is at. Much better than birthdays or Christmas. So thanks for that! When it was time for my next airplane (because who can ever get enough) my mama took me to the airport and we had a tearful Love Actually goodbye.

Calgary

Onwards and upwards, I next flew West Jet and happily watched HGTV the whole way to visit Calgary for the first time to acquire my travel buddy, Olivia. If you’ve never been, Calgary has the cutest little airport that makes you feel like you’re at a cabin in the woods that just happens to sell ridiculously overpriced beer. She picked me up, inexplicably sans cowboy hat, and we were on our way to hers. Speaking of HGTV, the fact that her home hasn’t been featured is an outrageous crime.

To counteract the fatigue she took me to Peters, a Calgary institution where the food is so ridiculously good. Might just be the thickest milk shakes out there. With newfound energy we ran some errands, most importantly acquiring some NZ cash, which confusingly enough looks like a smaller version of Canadian money.

I had no idea what to expect from Calgary. Olivia loves it more than I could ever adequately put into words. I knew it was the Texas of Canada because cowboys and oil are their provincial currency but I didn’t know I would love it so much. It’s so green and it’s like being in the suburbs in a big city. And because Olivia only let us listen to country music I feel like I got the genuine experience. Highly recommended.

Invermere

For the five years I’ve known Olivia she’s always talked so passionately about her cabin in BC. I was so lucky to get to go there and spend time with her family in the most beautiful place in the Rocky Mountains. We drove the three hours with her brother to the cabin in Invermere (and not Vanmere like I told the confused gas station attendant). Along the way we passed Banf and the drive was absolutely gorgeous.

The cabin is stunning. The mountains are stunning. Everything was stunning. The first day there we went hiking which was the start of a super active weekend.

Day two: I discovered the trampoline. Growing up I was never allowed to jump on one because my parents knew as well as I that I was too clumsy for such a business. But I will never go back to my previous way of life. I must have spent two hours giddily bouncing. I don’t want to say that was the highlight but I’d be lying both to you and myself, which I don’t enjoy doing.

Because it’s the coolest place on earth they have three horses on their property. Now despite joining the equestrian club in high school because the first day corresponded with my birthday and I wanted that sort of party, I don’t have too much experience with horses. But I got back in the saddle and pretended like I was the boss of Conan, although we both knew that wasn’t true. My horse kept eating the new barrels but other than that we got on great. We took a little tour of the property and when he wasn’t eating (which was never) we were really moving.

On our last full day we woke up at 6:00 am to go waterskiing because the water is purportedly glassy at that time. It was not. But it was cold. But Canada. We move on. Oddly enough it was warmer in the water. The boat was not as pleasant. It was fun though. It had been two years since I last went and my idea of a good run was staying above water whereas Olivia’s cousins were slightly more adept at it. We had different evaluation criteria.

Now right behind trampolining was lassoing! Olivia’s dad is a real cowboy and he patiently taught me how to rope which was super cool and very addicting! On beginners luck I managed to wrangle the barrel of hay a couple times, because if I didn’t get it we wouldn’t eat. (I may have added a bit of melodrama for extra flare there). So lassoing and sitting around the campfire became our downtime activities. It was an incredible weekend and I’m so grateful for the Johnsons for inviting me.

Vancouver

The final leg of our journey was Vancouver as Olivia’s sister goes to UBC and a lot of our Montreal friends have made the pilgrimage out west. We only barely made our flight and since I have a Nexus card which just means I always get the short lines I was almost going solo. Luckily, we both made it though, and we were on a comically large plane to fly an hour and a half to BC.

Olivia’s sister kindly picked us up and let us crash at her place. We had a great night out seeing lots of old friends.

Vancouver is beautiful. Just like everyone goes on and on about. Although the over abundance of rain and the constant need for two IDs are just keeping it from a perfect 10.

So then on we were on the smallest airplane imaginable to San Francisco ready to travel halfway around the world to get to Auckland, New Zealand.

If You’re Brave Enough to Say Goodbye, Life Will Reward You With a New Hello

“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”

My coworkers left me with that kind note upon my departure. I can’t imagine they know what a continuous source of comfort those words have been to me over the months. I’ll say it: I’m scared. Of course I am. I’m incredibly excited but I’m also scared.

I wonder if the reason we’re not all in a constant state of perpetual motion is just how truly difficult goodbyes can be. I’ll be moving to the other side of the world. It’s hard knowing I won’t be a hop, skip, and a jump away from my support system.

I have amazing friends I’m saying “see ya later” to. I’ve been so lucky to spend five years being absolutely ridiculous with these people. They are exceptional. When you find people that during the midst of winter finals you can slow jam to City High spoken word with them you know you’ve got keepers. Furthermore, anyone who sticks with you during the horrible self-discovering time that is living together in the first year of university can’t be precariously released into the world knowing what they know about you.

Not being close to my family will be quite tough. Not being able to call my parents whenever I want because I’ll have no idea what time they’ll be awake or near the internet will be very difficult. I’ll miss them very much. And my cats. Oh god, I’ll miss them too. I’ll have to remember what it is to sleep without having a very large cat sleeping on my face. It was a simpler time, sure, but I’ve grown accustomed.

Perhaps most difficult is the fact that this trip is coming on the heels of the most important person in my life and I going our separate ways. After the most wonderful three and a half years my boyfriend and I are letting each other go, out of the immense love and respect we have for one another. We both want the best for each other and want us to both achieve our own goals as individuals for awhile. Being mature is really quite horrible. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

I know everything and everyone I’m saying goodbye to. The reason why it’s so hard is because I’ve been so lucky. I’ve got good people in my life. But I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t believe the payoff for this experience wouldn’t be absolutely worth it. I’ll be gaining so much that I can’t view it as anything other than my next great adventure. So here’s to my future friends and family that I don’t know yet. I can’t wait to meet you.

I’ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite authors, José Saramago in The Elephant’s Journey:

“…whom we may not see again, although perhaps we will, because life laughs at predictions and introduces words where we imagined silences, and sudden returns when we thought we would never see each other again.”