Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand

A beautiful day up the Remarkables

 

 

     

Merry Christmas and Happy 2014!

The last 6 weeks have been a whirlwind. I knew they would fly by, but I didn't realize how fast they would become the past. I spent a couple of weeks in Blenheim and around the Marlborough Sounds before Russ arrived. We then ventured off on our journey starting at the top of the South Island, making our way down the east coast, across to Arrowtown and then looped along the southern coast and back to Arrowtown. 

Russ' luggage turned into a fiasco when it was lost for 6 days, but he got to extend his flight for a few days, which made up for all the hassle in the end. We spent Christmas in Arrowtown with some friends in the fire brigade. They cooked a fabulous kiwi Christmas dinner and welcomed Russ just like they've done to me. We had a day full of laughter, good wine and good company. 

The holidays are always a time for reflection on what and who to be thankful for. We start setting new goals for the upcoming year and vow it will be the best year yet. With it being my second Christmas in a row away from home it was nice to have Russ here with me. It never felt like Christmas when hearing Jingle Bells on the radio while wearing a tank top, but recreated our Christmas Eve tradition of Mexican with the Schneider/Looney/McGregor family. We made burritos and margaritas and felt like we were there, just in our own way. 

Unfortunately, we had several days of rain throughout Russ' trip.  Rain and New Zealand don't mix well. There's too much beauty that is missed out on in the event of a grey day. We made the most of our trip with highlights being Golden Bay, visiting Breck Pappas in Kaikoura, an overnight cruise through Doubtful Sound and a relaxing night of drinking wine and playing Yahtzee at a friends place in the Catlins. So this year I'm thankful for the opportunity I was given to spend the holidays traveling with my brother.  He might disagree with my highlights though because I have a feeling lugging home 2 23kg suitcases of what I consider necessities took the icing on the cake! 

I spent one last week working like crazy. The first week of January is one of the busiest of the year. I spent the last few days realizing what amazing people I've met during my time in New Zealand. We laughed, cried, reminisced, caused trouble and made the most of what was left of my time. I've usually looked forward to the time to leave, but this time was different. Arrowtown was different. It was the best journey of my life to date.  The scenery was stunning and the people were what kept me there. The kind words that were said to me by so many really proved the value of the friendships I've made with co-workers and locals alike. Arrowtown is a special place for me and I look forward to going back sooner rather than later. There is truly no place like New Zealand. 

I boarded my plane this morning with both sadness and excitement and also the curiosity looming about whether my Australian visa was expired. I was about 99% sure it wasn't, but I took a total risk by just waiting to see. I'm looking forward to what's in store for this next leg of the journey. 

My best friend in NZ, Kirsty, put me in touch with her friend Dan who was leaving to travel through Southeast Asia before heading home to the UK. It turned out that we were on the exact same flight to Australia. We met up and talked about our time in New Zealand and our plans, or lack there of, for Asia. It's always really enjoyable when you meet someone like minded in the way of traveling. It will be nice to have someone to keep up with and meet up with at some point. 

I arrived in Melbourne with a whole day to spend between flights. I went through customs, declared muddy hiking boots, caught up for coffee with Dan and then grabbed a bus to the city for a quick walk around. My last trip to Melbourne marked it as my favorite city in Australia. It's a beautiful city, with amazing architecture, busy streets, good food, attractive men in business suits and excellent shopping. What more could anyone want? Heat? They've got that too. Today is a scorching 41 degrees Celsius.

 I did a great deal of walking around just taking it all in. Once I arrived at Federation Square I sat down to watch the Australian Open, which started yesterday, on the big outdoor screen. When I couldn't take the heat anymore I made my way back to the airport where I know sit writing this instead of wondering about where I will sleep tonight or who I rented a car through. I think I've become a little too lax in some of my plans, but no plans are definitely the best plans when it comes to traveling. 

I'm off to Perth in the next couple of hours and even though I'm not looking forward to the extreme heat, I'm looking forward to the beauty the west coast is known for and visiting my friend Georgie. 

My goals for this year are to quit saying i will become healthier, because we all know I'm a sucker for fast food.  I will quit saying I will get fit and run a marathon because that currently just sounds painful.  I won't promise to read more books, shop less or make life plans. Instead, I will focus on making the most of each day, each place I go and each friend I have or make. I have a feeling 2014 WILL be the best one yet, for so many reasons.

I will be in touch again soon! 

Love to you all, xo

Russ made it

His luggage did not....

I haven't uploaded photos from my camera to my computer yet, but here are a few from my phone 

Queen Charlotte Track

One of my favorite things about traveling is the people you meet. I don't do well with the young backpackers that want to go on a pub crawl every night, but I love talking to the older crowd. On the track I did a home stay the first night and stayed with a lady named Noeline. Noeline is 82 years old. She has been a widow for the last 19 years and has had her home stay set up for the last 18. At 67 she decided to start traveling because she had never left NZ. In the past 15 years she has been to over 60 countries. She has never been to the US or the UK, other than layovers, and has no desire to go because she says the culture is too much like her own. Instead she has been on trips to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, rural parts of Asia and Africa and so many other cool places. I was so fascinated by her story and the fact that at 82 years old she is traveling to 3rd world countries.

There were 3 of us staying the night with her and I was the first one to reach her place so we spent a few hours talking. We watched 'Millionaire Hot Seat' together and talked about the latest gossip in her celebrity mags. Before I went to bed she told me to make sure I woke her up the next morning if I was ready to go before she was up. She said she must say goodbye and give me a hug and a kiss before I ventured on. She was full of wisdom, knowledge and a great amount of love. People like Noeline inspire me and bring a smile to my face every time I think about that mere few hours we spent chatting and hanging out.

70km/52mi is a long walk and my feet were feeling it at the end, but the views, the company and the peacefulness were all worth it! Had my legs allowed me to run when I saw the sign for 1km I would have been sprinting.

Preview of the view

I went to the Picton Harbor today to have a look at my boss' boat and this was the view. It made me realize how much I miss my Thursday night sailing club!  This is only the harbor, so my views over the next few days of the sounds should be stunning. 

I'm Back! Again...

I know I've said it a million times before. However, I am hoping this time it's for real! I have so much exciting news. I won't go into a lengthy post, but will start with the important updates. Sooo.....

I've finished my first semester of school! It was amazing. I have always thought online classes were a little bogus. After trying them I realized they were perfect for me. I dread going to class unless I know the teacher is really interesting, so this was convenient that I could do all of the work in my own time. For upper level courses this would be really hard, but for some of the basics it's great. It was extremely nice considering that half of each of my classes were freshmen. They would write things in text message lingo and use smiley faces like this : ) which I just found so inappropriate for school. It drove me mad. For one class we had to write a paper about a society that we would create using all of the anthropological terms we'd studied through out the semester. When one girls started off with "My society is Girl World and Beyonce Knowles is the President...." I could not contain my laughter. It's times like those that I am SO thankful I wasn't in a classroom. She proceeded to go on about no boys being allowed. It was so strange, I mean I could barely handle it. So I politely commented that her "world" seemed a bit unrealistic and silly. Luckily, I didn't get points deducted, but that was seriously the nicest thing I could come up with. Anyways, I am DONE!!! Woohoo it's summer time. PS did I mention I have 2 A+'s and one waiting for a grade?

Since I last posted I have done soo much. I have been on tons of great hikes and walks. Be on the lookout for pictures of them all. One of my friends I've had since I was about 4 or 5, Charles McDonald, came to visit. Charles and I are both red heads, or gingers as they call us here. Charles and I were in every class together from Kindergarten through 5th grade at Leinkauf. He remembers every person in each of our classes and just about every event that ever happened. We were hiking one day and I was seriously doubled over in tears because of the random things coming out of his mouth. I can barely remember college, much less elementary school. Despite Charles' cheapness and fear of spending money, we had a great time and I enjoyed catching up and having a visitor. I mean let's get serious, he rekindled my love of a classic PBJ, which I am pretty sure he ate everyday for lunch for the 12 days he was here. At least it wasn't Ramen noodles.

My brother gets here in one week. ONE WEEK! 7 DAYS! I am so excited. I have our trip all planned out with some places I have never been before. It will be my second Christmas in New Zealand, meaning my second Christmas away from home, but my brothers first for both and my parents first Christmas home alone! Remember in July when I was freezing my tail off and everyone was posting beach pictures? Well that will be me in December while you guys are freezing.

I am done working. It's such an amazing feeling to be retired as I like to call it. I have been traveling a bit and am now in Blenheim visiting my friend, Kirsty, that lives here. Kirsty and her husband Patrick own a cherry orchard here, so I am trying to alleviate some stress by helping out around here with their two children, cooking and whatever they need extra hands for. At the moment I don't feel like I have been very successful, but I guess two extra hands is always better than none.

I am off tomorrow for a three day hike through the Marlborough Sounds. 70 Kilometers to be exact. I have a really sore knee from my last 1100 meter downhill hike, but I just can't pass up on the amazing scenery I would miss by not going. So I have promised myself I will go slow, take it easy and enjoy the walk. I couldn't say no when I found out I get an hour boat road through the sounds to the start of the track AND they deliver my luggage to my hut each night for free. I will make sure my pack is nice and heavy with delicious food and clean clothes, unlike my most recent journey on the Milford Track where I went minimal at its finest. I promise to have lots of amazing photos when I return.

Last but not least, I am almost in my last month of being in New Zealand. It wasn't the easiest decision to make, but I have decided the timing was right. Like my mom said, the longer I stay the harder it is to leave. My friend Kendall said she wanted to meet in Bali so I booked a flight. I leave here January 14th for a week in Perth and then will arrive in Bali on the 20th. I have no specific plans, but want to make my way up through Indonesia, Singapore, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. There's so many more places I would like to go, but don't know that they will happen this trip. So once I have finished my travels I plan to be home. For a LOOONGGG time. I have loved every minute of it here and am not quite ready to come home, but I know that when I get there I will be excited. I have done a lot of traveling, but this is the longest I have ever stayed away without a visit. It will be nice to be surrounded by friends and family, the water and my favorite restaurants. I shed quite a few tears when I first made the decision to leave, but now that it's all becoming real I am actually getting excited.

Ok so this post is getting lengthier than I planned. I will go for now, but after my trek I will have some updates.

Love to you all! xo