August 2014

After all the excitement of the last few months you might think I’d welcome a quiet one but I soon found the humdrum life to be a bit much to be honest. Work was same old, my friends were away or busy and I started to question the wisdom of staying in one place. However as always my friends near and far were there to send me encouraging messages and keep me going, not to mention a rather special charm from my mum.

When all else failed I turned to planning my holiday with my brother and sister in law. I had a countdown app on my phone and we had a list of places to go and things to do. Life might have been quiet in August but at least I had the reassurance of knowing that it wouldn't last. One advantage of a quiet month was that my slightly neglected savings account got a much needed boost and of course planning on spending money is a great incentive to save it. In order to remind myself of this I did allow myself one indulgent purchase, I bought a globe charm for my bracelet to remind me why I was living life the way I was.

So in retrospect despite the fact that it was one of my harder months in Wellington it could have been a lot worse and in the end life went on. There was one other advantage to a quiet life, with less distractions I started writing my blog again. It seemed strange that it was so long ago yet here I am still playing catch up. Here’s hoping I am all caught up by the time I start the next adventure, I guess only time will tell.

Ah there was one thing of note that happened in August, remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? Yes that old thing. I got nominated and whilst out for dinner with a friend I mentioned this plus the fact I didn't want to do it as I thought it was a waste of water. Well before dinner was finished I had agreed to go with her to the famous bucket fountain on Cuba street to help her with her challenge and being me I thought I would just do mine there to. Thanks for the idea hun, it was fun and a great memory to add to my happy Wellington collection. More importantly it made me aware of a deserving cause which I promptly donated money to. That would be research in to a cure for ALS aka Motor Neuron Disease in case you've all forgotten.

July 2014 - Rotorua Roadtrip

My friend arrived at the end of June but we had to wait a whole 10 days before we could go anywhere. She was here to do a placement with the local SPCA as part of her university course so I kept on working and we spent the evenings together catching up and drinking wine. The days went past quickly though and before long we were on the road and on our way to Rotorua. Since we had hired a car we were able leave straight after work which meant we were able to make a very quick stop in Taupo. Sadly it was late so there wasn’t much to see and we couldn’t stop long as we were keen to arrive at and settle into out accommodation in Rotorua. We  a treated ourselves to a lovely meal at Dixie Browns though sadly we didn’t have room for one of their fabulous looking deserts it was still a lovely start to our holiday. Too soon we were back on the road again with the radio up full blast.

Everyone talks about the smell when you tell them you are going to Rotorua and sure enough as we drove in it was pungent. Throughout our stay would get used to it only to go on a day trip or fall asleep then it would be back as strong as ever. It was certainly distinctive!  On arrival at the hostel we were shown to our room. We had booked a twin but were given a family room with two single and two double beds. After ten days on an airbed it seemed only fair to let my friend have the double bed whilst I took the two singles, one for me and one for my luggage and Zack, of course. Our evening the previous weeks had been well spent planning trips and days out so the next day we were all set to start exploring.

We started with a walk through some parklands before heading to the Agrodome. It is worth mentioning at this point that as an animal science student my friend is interested in any and all things animal related but especially farm related. This would be why her grandmother insisted we had to visit the Agrodome. There we took a tour of the farm and then saw a show where we were introduced to the many varieties of sheep and the skill of milking a cow. Now this might not be my first choice of a way to spend the day but I actually enjoyed myself quite a lot. The tour was fun and we discovered a lovely kiwi wine, as in kiwi fruit, not Kiwi people in case you are confused. During the farm show I was most amused by the sheep and made sure to get a photo of Zack with one of them before we left.

For dinner that night we booked a spot Mitai Maori Village where we were experienced the delights of a traditional Hangi meal but only after seeing an entertaining cultural performance which managed to be both informative and quiet humorous. The host had excellent comic timing which made learning about the Maori history much more fun than one would expect. I also got to see my first Haka in real life and it was every bit as impressive as I expected. The Hangi meal was tasty and plentiful and if that wasn’t enough we finished the experience with a walk through the forest to see some glow worms. It was a great nigh and though not something I would want to do again it is something I would recommend to any other travellers as a one off experience.

The next day we drove out to a buried village which used to be a major tourist destination back in the 19th century before the eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886 buried not only it but also the famous pink terraces which made the village so popular. Funnily enough being buried there wasn’t much to see but there was a lovely walk and I did get to practice my water photography some more. We finished our visit with some morning tea which included some delicious scones before it was time to head to the main event for the day.

We drove to Waimangu Volcanic Valley, the youngest geothermal region not just in the country but in the world.  It was like nothing I had ever seen before. There was steam everywhere and it felt like we were in prehistoric times. We walked all the way along the valley using the map provided by the information desk. I photographed everything in sight and my friend narrated the information provided by the map at various points of interest. It was a relaxing and enjoyable walk which ended at a jetty where a boat was waiting to take us on a tour of the lake. The lake used to be two smaller lakes but became the large lake we sailed during the same earthquake that buried the village we visited earlier that day. It was a little cold on the water but our guide was great and kept us entertained and of course there were many opportunities for me to practice with my camera.

By Tuesday we were feeling a little overwhelmed with walks and learning so we contented ourselves with a trip to Rainbow Springs. Here we decided that despite it being the wrong time of year for hatchlings we would take part in the kiwi experience. We did see some adult kiwis in the nocturnal enclosure but whilst it was interesting to see their nursery and learn how they are attempting to revive the native kiwi species (there are 4 of them!) there were indeed no baby kiwis to be seen. Despite the lack of young it was a worthwhile experience and we were happy to contribute to their conservation efforts by paying the extra for it. After a restful afternoon we decided to make use of our car and take a drive north of Rotorua. Being winter the weather was less than great but we enjoyed the drive and once we reached Mount Maunganui I did brave the cold and wind to attempt a few photots. Of course well wrapped up I felt less brave once I spotted the crazy people surfing in the sea. With such a strong wind I was unable to get any decent photos but as always it was fun trying. My friend sensibly stayed in the car so we didn’t hang about for long but it was s fun way to kill an hour or two. We had plans you see, after dark we returned to Rainbow Springs and to the outside kiwi enclosure where we saw more kiwis! Even though they were in an enclosure it was still exciting as I knew the chances of seeing them in the wild were extremely low. Also it was somehow more exciting to see them outside as opposed to in the nocturnal enclosure we had visited earlier in the day. All in all it was a good end to our stay in Rotorua.

The next day we were due to leave but we weren’t heading home. We were going north again but this time to Matamata, also known as Hobbiton. My poor friend was by this point feeling quite unwell but she persevered and despite a few wrong turns and a disturbing lack of signposts we finally got there. Apparently lost tourists are something they are used to and they happily moved us to a later tour. I had a great time geeking out and placing Zack all over the recreated hobbit holes including a cheeky photo at Bilbos gate. Part of the tour was a stop at the Green Dragon for a complimentary drink, ginger beer in our case since one was ill and the other driving. For a change I took many photos including some of the resident cat, of course.

After a most enjoyable tour it was time to head south and home. My friend agreed to going home the long way as I had a desire to see the famous Mt Taranaki. It was impressive but by the time we got there my most pressing concern was finding the nearest burgerfuel so for once the camera was ignored in favour of finding food. Despite only getting a quick glimpse or the mountain as were drove through the town it was still a worthwhile detour. My friend was excellent company even though by now her cold was obviously taking its toll on her and I felt the drive was a fitting end to our trip. We arrived home late and tired but satisfied that we had gotten the most out of our short trip.

Thursday morning and the day to say goodbye had arrived. It had been a completely different trip to my last one but every bit as enjoyable. Whilst I love travelling on my own I am also happy to spend time with other people and travel with them for a while. When I travel with others they introduce me to new experiences that I would not have considered on my own. My friend expressed concern that we were doing what she wanted but as (probably noted by now) there were a lot of photography opportunities and I genuinely enjoyed our walks and tours. I can honestly say I was sad to see her go and not just because that meant that once more it was time to head back to work again.

June 2014 – A Month of Birthdays

June was quiet a big month for me right from the start. My mum turned 60 (sorry mum!) and I may have gone a little overboard in sending her presents because I was sad that I couldn’t be with her. Right at the start of this blog before I’d even booked my first flight I realised I would be missing many birthdays and other occasions (A Ramble Ending in Thoughts on Occasions if you’re interested) but realising this and experiencing it are two very different things. As much as I love and miss all my family and friends I am unashamedly a mummies girl and I really wanted to be there but only if I could teleport, which I couldn’t. So I stayed put and sent presents and wrote a bad poem and let her know in every other way I could how much I loved and missed her and how happy I was that she had made it to 60 and could she pretty please keep on going.

Just over a week later and it was Josh’s birthday. Now him I can’t send presents to. Though I did send his family flowers it’s nothing like the same. Him I’ve already written bad poetry about, much more than I care to remember. So I did what I always do. I changed my profile photo and thought “God, we were so young”. I went to work and thought “God, I feel so old”. I spent time with my friends and though “Thank God I met these people” and as always when his birthday arrived I missed him and I grieved for all he never had and never got to do, then I was thankful for all I have and all I have yet to experience. And as always, life went on.

Josh and me when we were 18!

Life did indeed go on and the next big thing was my work visa being approved. Immigration decided that I could stay another year as long as I stayed put and ran the cafe for all of it. Despite my continual anxiety and crisis of confidence in my ability as a manager this was a deal I was willing to take, after all how bad could it be? Decision made that was it. I now officially lived and worked in Wellington, New Zealand. And work I did, a lot. Thankfully every hour spent at work meant more money on the bank which I put to excellent use at the end of the month when my Australian friend arrived. That’s right, less than 2 months since I returned from my mini break and soon I would be off again! Of course life is full of ups and downs and whilst I was celebrating the arrival of one friend I was sad to see another leave. One of my closest friends was leaving as her visa was up, the good news was that she was in the process of applying for a work visa similar to the one I had just been granted and so I was hopeful that she would be returning sooner rather than later.

To end the month the was one more important occasion, my dad also had a birthday but he was only 65 so all he got was a plant for his garden and some bubble wrap. Oh ok I may have sent a voucher as well but for anything more exciting he’ll just have to wait until he’s 70. Sorry dad, you’ll just have to keep going to get better presents.

May 2014 - Back to Reality

I arrived back at work to find everything much the same as when I had left. I managed to get all my visa forms filled out and submitted to New Zealand immigration. They checked it all over and told me to post it through then all I had to do was wait. I have to admit in a way it was scarier that jumping out of a plane. If my new visa was granted I had committed myself to another year in the same city doing the same job living in the same flat. For me this was a big thing but then I remembered the oft repeated saying “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”. For most people that would be jumping out of a plane or similar, for me it was attempting to live an ordinary and ‘normal’ life for the first time in years. To make life scarier I also had to go almost a whole month without my laptop as it had been having issues. I decided to send it away before I went on holiday but thankfully before the month ended it was returned to me as good as new. Of course there was another good thing about May ending, my friend from Australia was arriving the very next month so though life was back to normal I knew that wasn’t going to last for long! Oh and right at the end of the month wonder if wonders my laptop was returned to me in full working order.

May 2014 - Mini Break NZ Style

The day of my holiday arrived bright and clear. I had packed my bag the night before and trundled down to work with it. By 3:00pm I had prepared my team as much as I could and I was off to the bus station. I arrived a whole hour early but I didn’t care, I was on holiday! I arrived in Napier at 9:30pm, tired but happy and was glad to check in to my hostel and head straight to bed. The next morning I was delighted to discover that Napier is a friendly town with many photo opportunities. I went for a walk up to a recommended look out and found a cool forest which gave me ample time to reacquaint myself with my neglected Canon. Too soon it was time for me to leave and head to Taupo.

I was able to walk to the bungy site from the hostel but they were about to close so I decided to wait and go back the next day. The walk wasn’t wasted though as I was able to get some great shots of the site and on the way back I found the cheapest most generous fish and chip shop. I had to convince some other backpackers to help me finish the chips as they had given me enough to feed a small army!

The next day I met up with an old friend who had staying in the same place as me when I first arrived in Wellington. It was a complete coincidence that were were not only in Taupo but staying in the same hostel at the same time. We both wanted to do the Tongiriro Crossing but the weather wasn;t looking favourable so she suggested going for a sail on the lake instead. This was something I had seen advertised and was absolutely interested in. After a trip round the beautifully scenice Lake Taupo in a very cool retro boat we headed up to the hot springs we’d been told about by the hostel receptionist but I had  a stop to make on my way there. Though not interested in jumping herself my friend was happy to come and support me as I finally got to do my very first bungy jump! It was amazing but over all to quick, I discovered later when watching the video that the girl had actually pushed me hence the extremely short time from "Oh that’s a nice view" to "Aaaaaaaarrrggghhhh!!!!" Now I had been babbling with nerves and I am sure I was annoying but even so I was very disappointed to discover I had been pushed and it did take the shine off of an otherwise great experience. I took the unusual (for me) step of reviewing the place saying how disappointed I was with the service and they did look into it and assure me I had not been pushed but I can't see it myself so we shall have to agree to disagree. I can understand that they thought my nerves might stop me from jumping but to be told the staff are encouraged to ‘assist’ people in case they change their minds did not make me feel any warmer towards them as I feel that if someone changed their minds they should not be forced to jump. Anyway, the point is I got to jump and the fall itself was fabulous. I left determined that one day I would do it again, preferable at Queenstown. There they have New Zealand’s highest bungy and I know from a friends video they give you all the time you need to make the decision to jump yourself.

After the jump it was on to the hot springs for a relaxing afternoon lying in the warm fresh, bubbling water. I also took the opportunity on the walk there to get some long exposure water shot. This was something I’d been wanting to try for a while and was delighted when I managed to capture the silky water effect I’d seen so often. Perhaps mine were just of mini water falls in not too stunning surroundings but the for a fist attempt I was very pleased with myself.

The following day the weather was such that it was still unsafe to do the crossing and also I felt not suitable for skydiving so I contented myself with a lazy stroll round town and a look through the local museum. Here I bumped into my friend and we decided to get some lunch at one of Taupo’s many cafes. It was also another great day for photography. The lake was still beautiful and the cloud provided a great atmosphere for me to practice some low light photography. I was able to indulge in my love of underexposing my photos to get some dramatic effects and whilst the trip wasn’t turning out as planned as usual I was easily finding other ways to make it worthwhile. As well as giving my camera a good workout I joined the a group of backpackers in the lounge every evening, There we wrapped ourselves up in duvets and watched films with tea and wine depending on our mood. As well as introducing some people to the classic film “The Princess Bride ” I was introduced to the New Zealand classic “Once Were Warriors” which was a quiet harrowing but excellent film. It was a lovely break from what had become my normal life back in Wellington.

Sadly the days passed too quickly. Sods law dictated that the day of my departure dawned bright and clear. My friend was off to the Tongiriro Crossing but I was checking out and heading home. Fortunately I mentioned how disappointed I was not to have managed to skydive to the receptionist. Well one phone call later and I was booked on the first jump of the day. I was assured I’d be back in plenty of time for my bus but to be sure I changed my booking to the next one just in case. That done all I had to do was wait and soon enough a friendly bus driver was picking me up to take me to the drop zone! There were four of us jumping and we all decided to go for the higher 15,000ft jump. I decided that as this was my first jump and a long time dream I’d splash out and get the full photo and video package and boy was it worth it. I didn’t stop smiling the whole time. Not even during freefall when my ears were hurting, the view and overall feeling was just too amazing. Having said that the first words post free fall were to comment on the fact that I seemed to  have broken my ears. Thankfully though they were a little sore they were working just fine so I was able to follow instructions and attempt to turn the parachute myself. I say attempt as those thing require some strength! In the end I had some help but it was still a very awesome experience and I didn’t stop grinning for days. It was an amazing end to a fabulous trip and though I was soon heading back to reality I felt refreshed and rejuvenated after my time away.