Yes, I did it. I embarked on a completely solo adventure to a foreign country! After 4 buses, 4 planes, 2 shuttles, and 2 newly stamped pages in my passport, I successfully went to Sydney Australia! Woo hoo! *Pats self of shoulder. It was such a blast!
The first day of travel went perfect, long, but perfect. I nearly missed my first bus to the airport, but I caught it and all was well except my lung capacity and my lack of self confidence in my personal athletic skill. I only had problems in customs when I tried to sneak in a can of extremely flammable mousse. Whoops. I played the silly American who "forgot it was in her bag" and got away with a few smiles and booby flashes. Just kidding, about the second part at least. I was half expecting my Visa to not have gone through, so the fact that it did was a miracle.
After an extremely long day of traveling, I got to Sydney at about 9:30 pm, and to my hostel, Base Sydney, about about 10:30. I was fully prepared to go to bed. I was exhausted. I went to the computer lounge, told my mamma I was alive and well, and went upstairs to sleep. This didnt happen. The second I opened my 10-person hostel room I was overwhelmed with welcomes and invitations to go out to bars. "No, no, no" I said. I was tired. I value sleep. You're only in Sydney once right? I went out with a group of complete strangers. Two extremely cute guys from the UK, two kick-ass German chicks, and one very very very strange German dude who remains in a category of his own. I also learned an important cultural lesson in Australia, if you want to buy alcohol at a bar, you have to spend at least 25 dollars. AWESOME. I went from wanting one beer to having a fuck-plethora of Jack n' Coke, a pint of beer, a vodka red bull, another pint of beer, and an Smirnoff. I apparently didnt pay attention to my mother when she told me not to mix. Awesome, way to go Rachael. The night was full of great live music, dancing, and amazing conversations with total strangers. I finally made it to bed around 3 am, drunk out of my mind, in my spinning bed with the worst fit of giggles I have ever had in my life. A few drunk texts and a threat that I will "fucking kill the loud, weird German with my black belt karate skills!", and some major hysteria, I went to bed. Successful night, I'd say. I will forever remember my night in the infamous room 107.
I woke up at approximately 9 am the next morning and went to explore the city! Sydney is amazing. Its midly like New York, at least New York sized, but with beautiful brick and clayish architecture. So many stores, buildings, and things to do. You mind is utterly lost trying to figure out what to do first. So naturally, I walked a few blocks down to the Circular Quay! I saw the Opera House and about pissed myself. It was so much bigger than I expected, and it gave me such a confidence boost. I was here! I was in fucking Australia! On my own! My life had taken some major turns up to this point and I was nothing but elated about it. I took a ferry through the Harbour over to the Zoo. The zoo was pretty cool, besides the fact that it was raining 90% of the time and I picked the ONE day where every elementary school in the nation decided to bring ALL their classes to the zoo for a field-trip. I loved it deep down. Hearing 400 little kids, in their Jonas Brother and superhero ponchos screaming "LOOWK! TURWDLES!!!!" at the top of their little lungs... I couldnt help but melt a little.
I took a sky shuttle across and above the zoo. That was the one really unique and cool thing about the Sydney Zoo. I saw all of downtown from across the harbour. It was really cool.
After I got back into the city, I did a little wandering. Went grocery shopping for the usual's. Peanut butter, half a loaf of bread, cookies, and apples. My diet for the next 48 hours. So good. I called it an early night and went into my new room, 105, to sleep.
This did not happen. I was so strategically placed above a French couple in our bunk bed. And we all know the stereotypes about the French, and my-oh-my are they true! While they didnt have hairy armpits, well at least not the chick...I dont think. Boy, did they love to fuck! And boy did they do it, until 3 am, with me and 6 other people in the room. How classy! Not only did I have the worlds squeakiest bed, and not only were their attempts at keeping their gasps and moans an utter FAILURE, the guy was thrusting so hard into his lady friend that the entire bed was shaking, including my bed. My body was LITERALLY moving in tune to his thrusting. Now, I dont know if this is legitimate, but I am positive in some countries that is considered active participation in a threesome. I guess I can scratch another thing off my bucket list. I kid, I kid. This went on for a few hours, and they promptly started again at 8 am where I stormed out of my top-bunk and went out into the city. As much as it pissed me off, its hilarious now and will be even funnier when I warn my baby cousin Gavin about it when he decides to be awesome like his cousin and travel in a few years.
So in my second full day, and last day, in Sydney I decided to get down to business. Headed out early, and went to the Aquarium! YAY! Manatee and sharks and sting rays and blue penguins! It was so much fun. Marine animals are so much cooler than terrestrial ones. Lots of squealing occurred- and I was alone so it made it that much weirder to do it in public. Next up, I went to some Australian Wild World thing, which I had literally no expectations of because-quite frankly-with a name like that corniness is pretty much guaranteed. It was actually really cool. I saw lots of bats and possums and snakes. Saw Aussies biggest Croc, it was so intense. One of the coolest animals I have ever seen. Saw koalas and kangaroos. Butterflies. It was good fun.
I continued to roam the city for a few hours after this. I found The Rocks, which is the best part of Sydney, or at least my favorite. Its a really New Orleans-ish place just to the west of the Circular Quay. Full of markets and delicious smelling foods, and drunk people. Live music, art, candy. Its amazing. I wandered around aimlessly for hours. Went into an art gallery of aboriginal art. By fat the most beautiful art I have ever seen. It is so colorful and eye catching. Its perfectly abstract but has such significant meaning to the people. I can't wait to actually be able to afford some one day. After convincing myself that it was out of my budget to spend $1,400 on a table or $600 on a painting, I roamed even futher. Went into an Irish pub and treated myself to lamb cutlets.
Continuing onward! I went to say goodbye to the Opera House, in the evening. It was even more magnificent at night. Sydney definitely has a vibe that is unforgettable. I walked around the streets some more in the evening, looking at all the people, the stores, taking in all the smells. I finally found the Sydney Tower-thought it would be easy to find one of the tallest buildings in the city-I am convinced I am the only person who got lost trying to find it. After wandering around aimlessly for a while I did indeed find the entrance and went up to look at Sydney from the sky. It was vast and beautiful. I loved every second of it.
I walked back to my hostel feeling successful and exhausted. Did I mention that I didnt shower once during this trip? Yeah- I am that awesome- and that cheap. I couldnt bring myself to buy all new shampoo, conditioner, and mousse just for a 4 day weekend. I smelled like....AWESOME. I crashed in at about 9:30-ahhhhhh rest at last. No wait-whats that? My...bed..is...FUCK!!!! Its squeaking! Luckily I had invested in ear plugs, so I didnt hear any moaning but the force of the french jerk below me shook me out of my slumber.
Up at 4:30 am. Home in my dorm room at 8:00 pm.
The end. By Rachael.
Tuesday, May 25
GIRLS WEEKEND TO AUCKLAND
Yes, this event happened nearly 2 weeks ago. I am totally lame and convinced myself that I was too busy doing other more "important" things besides updating my blog. These "important" things consisted of facebooking, sleeping, doing homework, eating asinine amounts of cookies, and hanging out with friends/the boyfriend. You can be the judge to whether or not that is an good excuse or not, but one thing is for sure. I have definitely settled in here and have adopted a routine very similar to one back home, just with more accents and prettier weather.
So! The Auckland weekend: great fun! Woke up at 7:30 am, after going to bed at nearly 3:30 am (dont ask why) and heading out to Auckland with my pal Alana and her kiwi friend Kate! Who is totally awesome by the way. Its probably pretty pathetic, but I almost consider the best part of this weekend away the fact that I actually heard THUNDER in New Zealand. It was so exciting. For those of you who dont know, NZ doesnt ever get thunder storms. Its freakish. And weird.
From the thunder scenario where we got completely soaked running through the city in a down pour of rain, we bought tickets to Avenue Q at the Civic Center! I had no idea what to expect for this show; all I knew was it involved really crude puppets, like Sesame Street for adults. Who doesnt love crude puppets? It was so much more than I expected! For one, it was a musical. It was absolutely hilarious, political, heart-warming, pornographic. It was just perfect. The second half of the show was even more perfect due to the fact that Alana and I bought alcoholic slushie beverages in glowy cups that had a larger alcohol percentage than any of the drinks served in the shit bars in town. I was literally drunk at 3 pm.
From the show we went to, gasp, WENDYS! IN NEW ZEALAND! SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH IN NEW ZEALAND! My life is now complete.
After "lunchinner" we went shopping in overpriced accessory stores. You know, the bright white stores with lots of huge pictures of microscopic models, cleverly placed next to mirrors so when you look in the mirror next to the image of the bedazzled bitch you think: "HOLY SHIT! I need to buy this really expensive makeup to look like this chick!". It was good fun though. I immediately went to the food part of the store, of course. I came back and Alana was literally still in the same place, having the longest orgasm known to man over MAC blush and eyeshadow.
The evening did not end here, actually, sadly, running low on energy, we were only half way through. We were picked up and escorted to a Roller Derby bout. Oh my GOD. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life. All I could think the entire time I was there was "I HAVE TO DO THIS! THIS PERFECTLY COMBINES ALL MY CHILDHOOD SKILLS!". Which were obviously playing inline street/league hockey with boys and winning all the skating races at the local roller rink. So, for some retarded reason, I fell in love with the burly, tattooed, beautiful women in sparkly booty shorts and fishnets, beating the crap out of each other and skating in circles. I have convinced my self I need to do this to such an extent that I am literally going to the Hamilton teams practice tomorrow to see if I can even remember how to skate. This should be interesting, and will be continued.
After derby, went back to Kate's friend David's house, drank a little (well in my case I drank nothing but redbull to try and fathom being awake for nearly 24 hours). And went out to Auckland bars. Great times. Lots of lesbians making out, gays dancing to Lady Gaga, and other fun events. Took a cab back to Alana's friend Sam's house at like 3 am. What a awesome chick, she had the coolest house I have ever seen and definitely, hands down, the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in in my life.
The End. By Rachael.
So! The Auckland weekend: great fun! Woke up at 7:30 am, after going to bed at nearly 3:30 am (dont ask why) and heading out to Auckland with my pal Alana and her kiwi friend Kate! Who is totally awesome by the way. Its probably pretty pathetic, but I almost consider the best part of this weekend away the fact that I actually heard THUNDER in New Zealand. It was so exciting. For those of you who dont know, NZ doesnt ever get thunder storms. Its freakish. And weird.
From the thunder scenario where we got completely soaked running through the city in a down pour of rain, we bought tickets to Avenue Q at the Civic Center! I had no idea what to expect for this show; all I knew was it involved really crude puppets, like Sesame Street for adults. Who doesnt love crude puppets? It was so much more than I expected! For one, it was a musical. It was absolutely hilarious, political, heart-warming, pornographic. It was just perfect. The second half of the show was even more perfect due to the fact that Alana and I bought alcoholic slushie beverages in glowy cups that had a larger alcohol percentage than any of the drinks served in the shit bars in town. I was literally drunk at 3 pm.
From the show we went to, gasp, WENDYS! IN NEW ZEALAND! SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH IN NEW ZEALAND! My life is now complete.
After "lunchinner" we went shopping in overpriced accessory stores. You know, the bright white stores with lots of huge pictures of microscopic models, cleverly placed next to mirrors so when you look in the mirror next to the image of the bedazzled bitch you think: "HOLY SHIT! I need to buy this really expensive makeup to look like this chick!". It was good fun though. I immediately went to the food part of the store, of course. I came back and Alana was literally still in the same place, having the longest orgasm known to man over MAC blush and eyeshadow.
The evening did not end here, actually, sadly, running low on energy, we were only half way through. We were picked up and escorted to a Roller Derby bout. Oh my GOD. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life. All I could think the entire time I was there was "I HAVE TO DO THIS! THIS PERFECTLY COMBINES ALL MY CHILDHOOD SKILLS!". Which were obviously playing inline street/league hockey with boys and winning all the skating races at the local roller rink. So, for some retarded reason, I fell in love with the burly, tattooed, beautiful women in sparkly booty shorts and fishnets, beating the crap out of each other and skating in circles. I have convinced my self I need to do this to such an extent that I am literally going to the Hamilton teams practice tomorrow to see if I can even remember how to skate. This should be interesting, and will be continued.
After derby, went back to Kate's friend David's house, drank a little (well in my case I drank nothing but redbull to try and fathom being awake for nearly 24 hours). And went out to Auckland bars. Great times. Lots of lesbians making out, gays dancing to Lady Gaga, and other fun events. Took a cab back to Alana's friend Sam's house at like 3 am. What a awesome chick, she had the coolest house I have ever seen and definitely, hands down, the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in in my life.
The End. By Rachael.
Wednesday, April 21
WHERE TO BEGIN: THE 18 DAY JOURNEY AROUND THE SOUTH ISLAND
I literally have no idea where to start this post. I realize its been a good month and a half since my last post. The time is simply flying by as fast as it possibly can. I find myself counting how many days I have left in this country almost every single day; and at the same time trying to pretend like I don't really only have 70 something days left. Without going into break at all, I can easily say that going home is going to be a huge challenge. I simply love this country; the varying landscapes, the smells, and especially the people.
Where to begin? Fall break. April 1-18th, 2010. Brittany Ryan, a chick from Pennsylvania, and I rented a Wicked campervan and drove clear across the entire South Island, half a country, in 16 days. I had been wanting to do this my entire life. That trip was the stuff that the movies are made of, or at least my expectations were. My whole life I wanted to live out of a spray-painted van, drive endlessly into a changing horizon every single day. To camp. To see the stars every night. To wake with the sun, sleep with the moon, and throw away my watch. That is what I did for those incredible 18 days. I watched the sunrise while driving through the rolling valleys of Milford Sound, almost tipped my chair backwords from leaning back so far- mouth ajar with amazement-while looking up at the stars in the Cameron Flat. I had everything I needed in the world: music, a sleeping bag, a pillow, my food, and Cody the Adventure Bison in my car. Everything I would ever need to be happy was within an arms reach- always. There is something so unbelievably refreshing about living off nothing but what you need. I use this terminology loosely- merely because I stopped at a bakery or a cookie factory about every 20 minutes on the trip to gorge on delicious- and totally unnecessary food. This consequently lead me to gaining 10 pounds on vacation: but what can you do? I love not caring about what I look like. I love avoiding mirrors. I love washing my hair, body, and doing my laundry with only shampoo. I like eating the same ol' crap (peanut butter sandwiches and pasta) every single day, multiple times a day, and finding it completely delicious and satisfying. I love feeling the wind in my hair. I love being surrounded by seemingly never ending oceans, by mountains that are so big it shakes you to your core, by waterfalls that take your breath away.
I discovered how truly lucky I am on this journey. I learned how rare and wonderful it is to be only 20 years old and to know what you love. I cant explain how I know, or how I am convinced that I know. I just know. Nothing seems more natural to me, nothing makes me happier, than doing exactly what I have been doing for the last two years. I cant be thankful enough to my family for raising me to be confident enough to take on my dreams and to challenge myself to do things I didn't think I could. I cant be thankful enough to Nikki Elkins for creating GeoJourney, the program that started this entire life-changing process. I cant be thankful enough, to life itself, and mostly luck, for the sheer chance that I was born in a place where I am allowed to dream the way I do. I cant be thankful enough to every good and bad person I have met on my path who have truly shaped and molded my existence into the person I am at this moment in time. I like to think that my entire being, mindset, and lifestyle choices are a giant compilation of all the wonderful people I have met in my life who have inspired me to change, improve, love, grow, learn, and teach.
So now that I have completed my formal Oscar acceptance speech, what the hell- that was a tangent- I will get to the juicy stuff! What I did, where I went, who I met, and what I learned during those crazy weeks in South New Zealand. I will most likely spare you the boring details of every moment of the trip, but give a general outline of where I went.
Here we go: Bus from Hamilton to Auckland. Plane from Auckland to Christchurch. Christchurch to Darfield; where we stayed with Brittany's boyfriend's Mom's house- she hooked us up with some amazing camping gear and I cannot be thankful enough for her hospitality and amazing cooking. Darfield through Arthur's Pass- straight to the West coast- to Greymouth. From Greymouth to Frans Josef; where we stayed with Brittany's boyfriend's Mom's Sister's house. Complete strangers in every sense of the word, recommended through Mike's Mom, and they gave us the keys to their house, brought us home chocolate Easter bunnies, cooked us dinner, talked about the essence of life, drank wine, and played Pictionary. Let me remind you, complete stranger. I will remember Cush and Chris for as long as I live- they were truly wonderful people with beautiful outlooks on life. From Frans Josef we went to the Frans Josef glacier-duh-and south towards Fox Glacier. From Fox we continued south through valleys and lakes where we camped for the first night in the Cameron Flat- one of the most beautiful campsites I have ever slept in. The stars, oh my, the stars. Cameron Flat to Wanaka - where we cooked sausages in the sun on the blue lake, read, and enjoyed the day. We also happened to go skydiving over Wanaka, which is also consequently one of the greatest moments of my life to date. Wanaka to Arrowtown- a quaint and overpriced little town. Arrowtown to Queenstown-where I realized I had a UTI and had to pay 200 bucks for a hospital visit. Good times. Queenstown- where we ate delicious Fergburgers and gourmet ice cream. Queenstown to Te Anau- where we camped on another beautiful lake. Te Anau to Milford Sound-where we took a 9 am cruise around the sound on a massive boat-free breakfast, mountains, green water, fur seals, and waterfalls. Milford Sound to Lawrence, where we drove extremely out of our way to get the "BEST ICE CREAM EVER" - which turned out to be ice cream from a gas station that you can get anywhere along the way. Lawrence to Dunedin which is a surprisingly awesome and kind of Americanized city. Dunedin to Oamaru where we got stampeded by an angry fur seal and met some extremely interesting farm boys. Oamaru to Mt Cook National Park- where we camped near the Mountain and did a short 3 hour hike to the base- totally awe-inspiring. Mt. Cook to Akaroa- the peninsula to the East of Christchurch- real fruit ice cream and laundry services! From Akaroa all the way up the east coast to Kaikora-where we camped on the ocean, saw many dolphins and fur seals, had fish n' chips, and did a breath-taking hike on the clifftops. No whales, but hey, I gave it a shot. From Kaikora continuing north into the Picton, Nelson area where we went wine tasting and to a gourmet chocolate factory. From Picton to Abel Tasman National Park-where we went sea kayaking in the crystal clear green water for half a day. From Abel Tasman to Murchison- in the dark- sketchiest and scariest road of the trip. Murchison to Hanmer Springs where we went to another natural spa to relax after sea-kayaking and the trip in general. Finally, from Hanmer back to Darfield to drop off the gear to Trish and Sid- and back to Christchurch to spend the day exploring the city before our departure back to Hamilton. CHEESE AND RICE! That was a lot of adventure time!
Obviously, a lot of awesome things happened between all these stops. Many moments of personal growth and amazement. I was in pure shock for 90% of the trip, because of how beautiful it was-all the time. I met people from all over the world- The Yukon, Israel, Holland, Belgium, Berlin, Spain, Germany, Australia, England, the Canary Islands, and America. They all spoke of their travels around the world- successfully making me realize that I am totally lame in every sense possible and really haven't seen a significant portion of the world. All these people were fascinating and wonderful- they all fed my desire to travel, to converse, to explore, and to grow. They spoke of the emotions felt while traveling and how it changes a part of you so deeply that you can never return to the person you were prior. I feel like I am part of a club of people who just...get it. Those people understand exactly how I feel, and you can express it without saying more than a sentence or two. In all fairness, those two sentences really don't explain anything; but the lack of being able to put the passion into words says enough. They get it. Its unexplainable and drives us to a new sunrise and horizon every single morning.
So here I am, back in Hamilton. After living out of a van. After being surrounded by my mountains and oceans and prairies. I miss it, but I am glad to be back. My vacation from vacation has come to an end and I have successfully closed another chapter of my life.
GREAT SUCCESS.
Where to begin? Fall break. April 1-18th, 2010. Brittany Ryan, a chick from Pennsylvania, and I rented a Wicked campervan and drove clear across the entire South Island, half a country, in 16 days. I had been wanting to do this my entire life. That trip was the stuff that the movies are made of, or at least my expectations were. My whole life I wanted to live out of a spray-painted van, drive endlessly into a changing horizon every single day. To camp. To see the stars every night. To wake with the sun, sleep with the moon, and throw away my watch. That is what I did for those incredible 18 days. I watched the sunrise while driving through the rolling valleys of Milford Sound, almost tipped my chair backwords from leaning back so far- mouth ajar with amazement-while looking up at the stars in the Cameron Flat. I had everything I needed in the world: music, a sleeping bag, a pillow, my food, and Cody the Adventure Bison in my car. Everything I would ever need to be happy was within an arms reach- always. There is something so unbelievably refreshing about living off nothing but what you need. I use this terminology loosely- merely because I stopped at a bakery or a cookie factory about every 20 minutes on the trip to gorge on delicious- and totally unnecessary food. This consequently lead me to gaining 10 pounds on vacation: but what can you do? I love not caring about what I look like. I love avoiding mirrors. I love washing my hair, body, and doing my laundry with only shampoo. I like eating the same ol' crap (peanut butter sandwiches and pasta) every single day, multiple times a day, and finding it completely delicious and satisfying. I love feeling the wind in my hair. I love being surrounded by seemingly never ending oceans, by mountains that are so big it shakes you to your core, by waterfalls that take your breath away.
I discovered how truly lucky I am on this journey. I learned how rare and wonderful it is to be only 20 years old and to know what you love. I cant explain how I know, or how I am convinced that I know. I just know. Nothing seems more natural to me, nothing makes me happier, than doing exactly what I have been doing for the last two years. I cant be thankful enough to my family for raising me to be confident enough to take on my dreams and to challenge myself to do things I didn't think I could. I cant be thankful enough to Nikki Elkins for creating GeoJourney, the program that started this entire life-changing process. I cant be thankful enough, to life itself, and mostly luck, for the sheer chance that I was born in a place where I am allowed to dream the way I do. I cant be thankful enough to every good and bad person I have met on my path who have truly shaped and molded my existence into the person I am at this moment in time. I like to think that my entire being, mindset, and lifestyle choices are a giant compilation of all the wonderful people I have met in my life who have inspired me to change, improve, love, grow, learn, and teach.
So now that I have completed my formal Oscar acceptance speech, what the hell- that was a tangent- I will get to the juicy stuff! What I did, where I went, who I met, and what I learned during those crazy weeks in South New Zealand. I will most likely spare you the boring details of every moment of the trip, but give a general outline of where I went.
Here we go: Bus from Hamilton to Auckland. Plane from Auckland to Christchurch. Christchurch to Darfield; where we stayed with Brittany's boyfriend's Mom's house- she hooked us up with some amazing camping gear and I cannot be thankful enough for her hospitality and amazing cooking. Darfield through Arthur's Pass- straight to the West coast- to Greymouth. From Greymouth to Frans Josef; where we stayed with Brittany's boyfriend's Mom's Sister's house. Complete strangers in every sense of the word, recommended through Mike's Mom, and they gave us the keys to their house, brought us home chocolate Easter bunnies, cooked us dinner, talked about the essence of life, drank wine, and played Pictionary. Let me remind you, complete stranger. I will remember Cush and Chris for as long as I live- they were truly wonderful people with beautiful outlooks on life. From Frans Josef we went to the Frans Josef glacier-duh-and south towards Fox Glacier. From Fox we continued south through valleys and lakes where we camped for the first night in the Cameron Flat- one of the most beautiful campsites I have ever slept in. The stars, oh my, the stars. Cameron Flat to Wanaka - where we cooked sausages in the sun on the blue lake, read, and enjoyed the day. We also happened to go skydiving over Wanaka, which is also consequently one of the greatest moments of my life to date. Wanaka to Arrowtown- a quaint and overpriced little town. Arrowtown to Queenstown-where I realized I had a UTI and had to pay 200 bucks for a hospital visit. Good times. Queenstown- where we ate delicious Fergburgers and gourmet ice cream. Queenstown to Te Anau- where we camped on another beautiful lake. Te Anau to Milford Sound-where we took a 9 am cruise around the sound on a massive boat-free breakfast, mountains, green water, fur seals, and waterfalls. Milford Sound to Lawrence, where we drove extremely out of our way to get the "BEST ICE CREAM EVER" - which turned out to be ice cream from a gas station that you can get anywhere along the way. Lawrence to Dunedin which is a surprisingly awesome and kind of Americanized city. Dunedin to Oamaru where we got stampeded by an angry fur seal and met some extremely interesting farm boys. Oamaru to Mt Cook National Park- where we camped near the Mountain and did a short 3 hour hike to the base- totally awe-inspiring. Mt. Cook to Akaroa- the peninsula to the East of Christchurch- real fruit ice cream and laundry services! From Akaroa all the way up the east coast to Kaikora-where we camped on the ocean, saw many dolphins and fur seals, had fish n' chips, and did a breath-taking hike on the clifftops. No whales, but hey, I gave it a shot. From Kaikora continuing north into the Picton, Nelson area where we went wine tasting and to a gourmet chocolate factory. From Picton to Abel Tasman National Park-where we went sea kayaking in the crystal clear green water for half a day. From Abel Tasman to Murchison- in the dark- sketchiest and scariest road of the trip. Murchison to Hanmer Springs where we went to another natural spa to relax after sea-kayaking and the trip in general. Finally, from Hanmer back to Darfield to drop off the gear to Trish and Sid- and back to Christchurch to spend the day exploring the city before our departure back to Hamilton. CHEESE AND RICE! That was a lot of adventure time!
Obviously, a lot of awesome things happened between all these stops. Many moments of personal growth and amazement. I was in pure shock for 90% of the trip, because of how beautiful it was-all the time. I met people from all over the world- The Yukon, Israel, Holland, Belgium, Berlin, Spain, Germany, Australia, England, the Canary Islands, and America. They all spoke of their travels around the world- successfully making me realize that I am totally lame in every sense possible and really haven't seen a significant portion of the world. All these people were fascinating and wonderful- they all fed my desire to travel, to converse, to explore, and to grow. They spoke of the emotions felt while traveling and how it changes a part of you so deeply that you can never return to the person you were prior. I feel like I am part of a club of people who just...get it. Those people understand exactly how I feel, and you can express it without saying more than a sentence or two. In all fairness, those two sentences really don't explain anything; but the lack of being able to put the passion into words says enough. They get it. Its unexplainable and drives us to a new sunrise and horizon every single morning.
So here I am, back in Hamilton. After living out of a van. After being surrounded by my mountains and oceans and prairies. I miss it, but I am glad to be back. My vacation from vacation has come to an end and I have successfully closed another chapter of my life.
GREAT SUCCESS.
Wednesday, March 24
MAORI HOSPITALITY
Last weekend, Bobby and I went to Tauranga (on the East Coast). There were no real plans, just hit the road and go; winging it again. You would think I would learn not to do that after Raglan, but who cares. It turned out perfectly. Took the NakedBus for the 2 hour drive to the coast; totally got off at the wrong stop and everyone stared at us. This is totally acceptable for me, an American tourist. Bobby really has no excuse. Not embarrassing at all.
I have been in NZ for a little over a month now, and I never fail to be impressed by the people of this country. Everyone really is as friendly as you imagine; strangers saying hi to one another with genuine smiles. But I have never experienced hospitality like I did that weekend. A friend of B's met us up and drove us around all day; giving a personal tour of his town; the beaches, mountains, towns, shops, etc. It was marvelous. The weather was absolutely perfect. The fish n' chips (which is, by the way, my new favorite meal) were orgasmic. I was just loving life.
B's friend took us to his sisters house to introduce us. After being there for a mere 30 seconds she personally offered up her own bedroom for B and I to stay in. After 10 minutes of lounging on their couch, she offered me her own dessert. She figured that since I am an American and had probably never tried steam pudding, that I would enjoy hers. She offered us movies, drinks, her car! And after we returned from our day of adventures we found an entire chicken waiting for us for dinner. AN ENTIRE CHICKEN.
This might not sound like a big deal to any Americans, a lot of people in the States would do things like this. But there is one monumental difference between the Kiwis/Maori and Americans: The Kiwis/Maori do it because they want to. It is literally "no big deal" to them, to offer up their own house, their kitchen, their car and food to complete strangers. I couldn't fathom how little she cared. In the States, if someone were to do that, they would hound you every 4 minutes to make sure you were comfortable. They would do and feel some kind of self-pride for their work; not that this a bad thing, it is just on two completely different levels. The hospitality in NZ is what I have been dreaming what the world would be like my entire life.
I was just sitting in this womans house, on the couch, all the doors and windows open and the warm breeze and sunshine filling up the room, thinking: I cannot believe this is happening. It is exactly everything I have ever wanted to experience in my lifetime.
I know without a doubt that I will remember that day for the rest of my life. I respect these people so much, so honestly and genuinely. I strive to be as carefree and loving as they are. They have forever set an example in my heart; for how the world should be, how I should try to be, and hopefully will one day become.
I have been in NZ for a little over a month now, and I never fail to be impressed by the people of this country. Everyone really is as friendly as you imagine; strangers saying hi to one another with genuine smiles. But I have never experienced hospitality like I did that weekend. A friend of B's met us up and drove us around all day; giving a personal tour of his town; the beaches, mountains, towns, shops, etc. It was marvelous. The weather was absolutely perfect. The fish n' chips (which is, by the way, my new favorite meal) were orgasmic. I was just loving life.
B's friend took us to his sisters house to introduce us. After being there for a mere 30 seconds she personally offered up her own bedroom for B and I to stay in. After 10 minutes of lounging on their couch, she offered me her own dessert. She figured that since I am an American and had probably never tried steam pudding, that I would enjoy hers. She offered us movies, drinks, her car! And after we returned from our day of adventures we found an entire chicken waiting for us for dinner. AN ENTIRE CHICKEN.
This might not sound like a big deal to any Americans, a lot of people in the States would do things like this. But there is one monumental difference between the Kiwis/Maori and Americans: The Kiwis/Maori do it because they want to. It is literally "no big deal" to them, to offer up their own house, their kitchen, their car and food to complete strangers. I couldn't fathom how little she cared. In the States, if someone were to do that, they would hound you every 4 minutes to make sure you were comfortable. They would do and feel some kind of self-pride for their work; not that this a bad thing, it is just on two completely different levels. The hospitality in NZ is what I have been dreaming what the world would be like my entire life.
I was just sitting in this womans house, on the couch, all the doors and windows open and the warm breeze and sunshine filling up the room, thinking: I cannot believe this is happening. It is exactly everything I have ever wanted to experience in my lifetime.
I know without a doubt that I will remember that day for the rest of my life. I respect these people so much, so honestly and genuinely. I strive to be as carefree and loving as they are. They have forever set an example in my heart; for how the world should be, how I should try to be, and hopefully will one day become.
Tuesday, March 16
VOLUNTEERING IN HUNUA
Another exciting, and strenuous, weekend in New Zealand. Callie, my American friend from Minnesota and another awesome American chick I met, Theresa, headed out to Hunua Ranges Regional Park to do some volunteer work for the weekend. Hunua is a little east of Auckland, located on the North Island, and pretty close to the East Coast. It is a beautiful, lush park. A gorgeous waterfall, plenty of tropical trees, amazing tracks, and of course, completely spotless.
We volunteered with Conservation Volunteers with a pretty awesome project that will eventually help boost the numbers of an endangered bird in the park, the Kokako. To sum up why we did what we did: The Kokako is an endangered land bird, not so excellent with flight. Its eggs and species is being killed by the native possums, stoats, and rats. Sort of a problem. The ecologists at the park created a system of poisoning the pests with a sort of pellet that prevents their blood from clotting. Through out the park, every 100 m, there is a bait station used to administer the poison. Our job was to make the paths to the bait stations so the workers on the project can easily maneuver through the land and get their job done quickly and efficiently. Extreme gardening if you will. The three of us girls and our project leader, Dan (who was awesome by the way) trekked through the park, off the trails with lopers and sheers and created minerature paths. It was pretty hard work actually. We spent 4 hours the first day working on a rather long track, and almost 7 hours the next day working on a series of two tracks. There were points where we were down in the deepest part of the bush, tramping through a river, and cutting down overgrown native plants. It was really intense and totally awesome. There were also points where the climb up the ridges were so steep that it was basically climbing straight up, only holding on to roots and whatever stayed still long enough to pull yourself up.
It was great fun. My feet were one giant blister when we got back to our volunteer house. Dan insisted that I show him and told me it was awesome. I am convinced he is the only male ont he planet who looks at brusied and blistered feet and says "AWESOME! YOU DONT GET THAT FROM SITTING ON THE COUCH".
Other fun events included going to the local sheep-shearing contest. Total redneck fest. Totally awesome. We also went to a place that gives you three scoops of the most delicious ice cream for $2.80 NZD. Which means it is basically free in USD. Fantastic!
This weekend, after working on a pretty intense paper and doing really hard things (like laying out in the sun and reading), I'm going to the East Coast! For real this time, finally! To Tauranga with my new pal, Bobby. It should be a good time. The East Coasts of NZ are known for their white sand beaches and clear blue water. We shall see. There is also a mountain there with a 360 view of the town, I know how to say it, but not spell it. And because I am too lazy to open a new window and look it up, or go to the map located 4 feet away from me, I will take a "stab in the dark" (as Kirill would say). Mount Monginui? It's pronounced MONG-A-NEWY.
Ah, I am such an illiterate and stupid American. I'll attempt to keep the updates coming.
We volunteered with Conservation Volunteers with a pretty awesome project that will eventually help boost the numbers of an endangered bird in the park, the Kokako. To sum up why we did what we did: The Kokako is an endangered land bird, not so excellent with flight. Its eggs and species is being killed by the native possums, stoats, and rats. Sort of a problem. The ecologists at the park created a system of poisoning the pests with a sort of pellet that prevents their blood from clotting. Through out the park, every 100 m, there is a bait station used to administer the poison. Our job was to make the paths to the bait stations so the workers on the project can easily maneuver through the land and get their job done quickly and efficiently. Extreme gardening if you will. The three of us girls and our project leader, Dan (who was awesome by the way) trekked through the park, off the trails with lopers and sheers and created minerature paths. It was pretty hard work actually. We spent 4 hours the first day working on a rather long track, and almost 7 hours the next day working on a series of two tracks. There were points where we were down in the deepest part of the bush, tramping through a river, and cutting down overgrown native plants. It was really intense and totally awesome. There were also points where the climb up the ridges were so steep that it was basically climbing straight up, only holding on to roots and whatever stayed still long enough to pull yourself up.
It was great fun. My feet were one giant blister when we got back to our volunteer house. Dan insisted that I show him and told me it was awesome. I am convinced he is the only male ont he planet who looks at brusied and blistered feet and says "AWESOME! YOU DONT GET THAT FROM SITTING ON THE COUCH".
Other fun events included going to the local sheep-shearing contest. Total redneck fest. Totally awesome. We also went to a place that gives you three scoops of the most delicious ice cream for $2.80 NZD. Which means it is basically free in USD. Fantastic!
This weekend, after working on a pretty intense paper and doing really hard things (like laying out in the sun and reading), I'm going to the East Coast! For real this time, finally! To Tauranga with my new pal, Bobby. It should be a good time. The East Coasts of NZ are known for their white sand beaches and clear blue water. We shall see. There is also a mountain there with a 360 view of the town, I know how to say it, but not spell it. And because I am too lazy to open a new window and look it up, or go to the map located 4 feet away from me, I will take a "stab in the dark" (as Kirill would say). Mount Monginui? It's pronounced MONG-A-NEWY.
Ah, I am such an illiterate and stupid American. I'll attempt to keep the updates coming.
Wednesday, March 10
Sunday, March 7
THINGS ARE SETTLING DOWN.
Ah, the impossible has happened. Things in New Zealand are finally settling down after 2 weeks of madness. And I must admit, I am relieved.
For those of you back in the States, the Kiwis at Uni have this wondrous event called O-WEEK. Freaking fantastic excuse to go to the bars, every night of the week, and dress or act for a certain theme. A few of the ones I went to include: BOCS (Costume party for all the students living in the residence halls), Toga at Bar 101, and Beer Fest at Outback. All I have to say is that I LOVE the way Kiwis party. It isn't about looking the best, it isn't about going out soley to get laid (on most occasions), and it isn't about sitting awkwardly in the corner feeling sorry for yourself. People here know how to have a fantastic time, no matter what the occasion. People celebrate having a good day here, people are genuinely interested in one another, people really take a piss on someone they like. (Not literally for those back in the States). People dance! People drink! People dress up as ships and showers and go out in public! This fact alone is something I have come to really love about New Zealand. I would never consider myself a big drinker or a big partier, and I definitely feel uncomfortable drinking in uncomfortable situations where people are trying too hard. NZ has none of that, and I LOVE IT.
But now, thank god, O-Week is over. I can finally sit down, study, and do "what I came here to do" as my mother so often reminds me. Yes people, I actually came here for an education. Classes are good so far, mildly boring but that could be because I was severely hungover and the thought of talking about "the art of food" for 2 hours was a little painful. Other than that I couldnt be happier.
I already feel at home in this country, completely, 100%. I am already significantly happier here in the 2 or 3 weeks I have been here than the entire semester I was in South Carolina. Yes, it has to do with the fact that I am in a beautiful country, but it also has to do with the fact that the people are so kind. I am going to have an extraordinarily hard time going home in a few months. I'm not even prepared to face it yet. But who needs to right? At least not now.
Now if the damn first-years would shut the fuck up, stop running down the hallway, and resist playing Miley Cyrus for TEN MINUTES I could get some well-deserved sleep. Ha. A girl can dream.
TO BE CONTINUED.
For those of you back in the States, the Kiwis at Uni have this wondrous event called O-WEEK. Freaking fantastic excuse to go to the bars, every night of the week, and dress or act for a certain theme. A few of the ones I went to include: BOCS (Costume party for all the students living in the residence halls), Toga at Bar 101, and Beer Fest at Outback. All I have to say is that I LOVE the way Kiwis party. It isn't about looking the best, it isn't about going out soley to get laid (on most occasions), and it isn't about sitting awkwardly in the corner feeling sorry for yourself. People here know how to have a fantastic time, no matter what the occasion. People celebrate having a good day here, people are genuinely interested in one another, people really take a piss on someone they like. (Not literally for those back in the States). People dance! People drink! People dress up as ships and showers and go out in public! This fact alone is something I have come to really love about New Zealand. I would never consider myself a big drinker or a big partier, and I definitely feel uncomfortable drinking in uncomfortable situations where people are trying too hard. NZ has none of that, and I LOVE IT.
But now, thank god, O-Week is over. I can finally sit down, study, and do "what I came here to do" as my mother so often reminds me. Yes people, I actually came here for an education. Classes are good so far, mildly boring but that could be because I was severely hungover and the thought of talking about "the art of food" for 2 hours was a little painful. Other than that I couldnt be happier.
I already feel at home in this country, completely, 100%. I am already significantly happier here in the 2 or 3 weeks I have been here than the entire semester I was in South Carolina. Yes, it has to do with the fact that I am in a beautiful country, but it also has to do with the fact that the people are so kind. I am going to have an extraordinarily hard time going home in a few months. I'm not even prepared to face it yet. But who needs to right? At least not now.
Now if the damn first-years would shut the fuck up, stop running down the hallway, and resist playing Miley Cyrus for TEN MINUTES I could get some well-deserved sleep. Ha. A girl can dream.
TO BE CONTINUED.
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