Charlotte McFadden

CharMcF

Charlotte McFadden

So here's the deal everyone. I decided to take a bit of a gap year since there isn't much in the way of work at the moment and I really want to see quite a lot of the world, so I'm doing it now. I'm gonna miss everyone and some people a very large amount! But, I'll hopefully have a really awesome time and will see everyone when I get back - I will come back.

Everyone seems a bit confused about my exact plans and that's probably because I don't actually have very firm plans, just a rough idea in my head. But here is a basic guide so you have a rough idea of what I'm up to:

I leave Edinburgh on the 4th on November and fly from Heathrow to Hong Kong on the 5th where I have a 2 night stop over and then head on to Auckland, New Zealand where I'm probably gonna stay for a while. I'm not going with any friends but I'm not going on my own either. I'm going with a company called BUNAC (google it) and they do a package called Working Holiday New Zealand - that's what I'm doing. So basically, at Heathrow I meet up with 19 other people and we all go off to New Zealand together. I figured this was the best idea as it means I can do my own thing but I will probably also meet loads of people who I can travel with if I want!

We fly into Auckland and the company's HQ are there but I can work anywhere in New Zealand, as long as I can find a job. I have my working holiday visa in my passport and from the date I enter I can stay for 12 months. I have a few ideas of what I would like to do when I'm there but I'm going to wait till I'm over there to see what sort of thing everyone else is planning on doing before I make any firm plans. I basically have a week booked in a hostel in Auckland and then I'm free!

My visa is multitrip, which means I can go in and out of New Zealand during the 12 months so I am planning on hopping over to Oz for maybe a few months and then back to New Zealand to earn some money, I'd also like to see some of the islands in the South Pacific, especially Fiji, while I'm there.

Although, I don't have any set plans at the moment, I don't excpect to be in New Zealand for the full 12 months, I think i will be away for a year but I plan on making my way home by taking a few months to travel through Asia, in particular Thialand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and India. I'm also considering stopping off in Egypt if I can afford it as I've always wanted to go. My rough plan is that I will be away for 12 months or until my money runs out - which ever comes first!

Wish me luck x x x
Love you x

Heading For Home - Delay Delay Delay

Asia » Singapore » Little India December 2nd 2010

Crazy Cool Hotel

CharMcF

Well, I'm having a bit of an eventfuly journey home (fingers crossed I make it all the way back!). I left Wellington on the evening of the 27th of November and I was meant to leave Auckland at 1am on the 28th. By 5am I was in a hotel in central Auckland and not half way to Singapore as planned! Due to runway light failure at Auckland airport I eventually left Auckland at 5pm and arrived in Singapore 16 hours later than expected. I was supposed to have two days in Singapore and I ended up having only one. I tried pretty hard to fit everything into one day but time totally ran out on me and I didn't managed to get half of what I wanted done. I gave it a good shot though, getting ... read more

Last Dash Round NZ

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island November 27th 2010

The East Coast Bus - Mike, Me, Denise, Lou, Rex, Gav, Miraj

CharMcF

I had an awesome time on the Kiwi bus the last two weeks. I was particularly pleased because I was so worried about getting back on the bus and meeting new people after being settled in Wellington for so long but it all worked out so well. I had a fab time on the East Coast. There was just 6 of us plus the driver. Three guys and three girls, all roughly the same age and all with the same kind of attitude and sense of humour. So yeah, it worked out so well! I fed wild stingray at the first stop which was definitely a highlight. We also got up and watch the sunrise before anyone else in the world as we were the furthest East people in the world! It’s quite remote out on ... read more

Hello? Yes, I'm Still Here! I'll Be Home Soon

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington Region » Wellington November 13th 2010

Karori Sanctuary - View

CharMcF

Well, it turns out it's been a while since I last wrote this- almost 4 months in fact! I guess a lot has been going on but it just seemed like normal life really, just that I've been living my normal life at the other side of the world, far away from all you lovely people! But now I've finished up at work and tomorrow morning, just after the rugby finishes, I head off to do my last tiny bit of travelling. Then I get back to beautiful but cold and miserable Scotland on the 3rd of December (Flags ready?!). So, I really should do a bit of an update on whats been going on in Wellington the last 4 months! I'll warn you all now though- this is going to be a bit of a ... read more

Nikki on the Waterfront with Mount Vic Behind

I 'heart' Welly!

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington July 24th 2010

Girls Ice Skating

CharMcF

Well, it’s been a really long time since I updated this. But that’s really cause for most of the last two months not too much has happened, except for in the last few weeks since I moved to Wellington - which, I have to say, is probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! Anyway, guess I should just begin at the beginning. I think I was in Queenstown for about a month, maybe just a little less. It started off okay, catching up with everyone I’d met when I was there before and seeing all the people from Russell who had headed down. Everyone looking for a job, which was pretty much everyone in town except for the people who already had jobs up the mountain, had been told that jobs would start to ... read more

Please, stamp all over my passport some more!

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Waikiki May 29th 2010

Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge

CharMcF

Well, my little trip out of New Zealand was great fun but very bad for the bank balance! Hopefully I'll be getting a job in Queenstown very soon. It was really nice to be travelling to new places but I actually found that I felt a bit homesick for NZ! I think that's just me missing the familiar things agian, I actually looked forward to coming back here so that I knew all the coins,and the price of things and where the shops were familiar... but anyway, here's what I got up to on my little trip: Sydney I had a great time in Sydney, even thought I was there for only about 30 hours. I stayed at a great hostel in the centre of the city and luckily for me they had a walking tour ... read more

As Far South As I'll Ever Be In The World

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown May 21st 2010

Nugget Point

CharMcF

My four days on the bottom bus were some of the best of my bus tour so far! We had a fabulous driver for the first two days. He was called bloke and I recon he was about 60. There were only 4 of us for the first two days, one older woman and two other girls form the UK, Amy and Nicola, who were lovely and we got on really well. We were on minibus and Bloke was just like a granddad. He was always checking if we were okay and asking us if we needed anything. He was a fabulous guide and talked the whole time and we got out and saw so much stuff. The first day was Queenstown to Dunedin (a route I haven’t done to Dunedin yet!) and the second day ... read more

Oh Look, Another Flipping Great Big Beautiful Mountian - must be in New Zealand.

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island May 4th 2010

19 Me and Mount Cook

CharMcF

Well, I’ve been in the Campervan for almost two weeks now and it’s been the least fun I’ve had since I came away so I’m not really going to write much about it because I don’t really want to go on about it. I will say I’d never agree to do this sort of thing again where I’m in a tiny space with someone I’ve never met before, especially as you can end up with someone you can’t stand. It’s a lesson in life though and hopefully I won’t end up being in this sort of situation again. Anyway, I have done some really cool things in the last two weeks so that‘s what I‘m going to write about. I saw Mount Cook up close, went right up to the Sir Edmund Hilary Centre, not far ... read more

Seeing the South Island on the Big Green Bus

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island April 22nd 2010

Sperm Whale

CharMcF

So, I spent the last week or so on the Kiwi Bus in the South Island and it was pretty awesome. My first day on the bus, we headed north from Christchurch to Kaikoura and went whale watching, which was pretty over priced but I did see a sperm whale called Tiaki, twice. But we did only see about 10% of him and it was hard to comprehend just how big it was. But still it was cool to have seen the whale and the info on the boat was excellent and they had a really good video about the area and the sealife. We also found a pod of dolphins, a pod of over 400 dolphins! So that kind of made up for it a bit. The next day the bus went up to Picton ... read more

Trying out the Wwoofing scene - and liking it!

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Dunedin April 9th 2010

The Shop

CharMcF

I've just come to the end of my first ever wwoofing experience and it was great! I got really lucky and a family in Dunedin had a space for me and they actually liked me and I ended up staying for two and a half weeks and going on Easter Holiday with them! Result! They were great, they live just outside Dunedin and had two young kids - Pepa 5 and Solomon 3 who were great, heaps of fun and cute as! It was interesting being around young kids all the time, definate eye opener! But still really enjoyed it and they are good for making you laugh and giving you hugs! Pru is an awesome cook and I had a brilliant little room in a sleepout in the garden with TV and electric blanket (well ... read more

I've Seen Middle Earth - Heading South, Solo.

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Christchurch March 23rd 2010

Lizzie!

CharMcF

I flew to Christchurch and as soon as we were over the south island the views were stunning! I have definately found Middle Earth - looking forward to seeing a bit more of that at some point. Lizzie from my BUNAC flight met me in the centre of Christchurch and she was brilliant. She had booked us into a fantastic hostel and was my Chch guide for the next day, showing me around and telling me all the places I should check out, setting me up perfectly before she flew off to Oz. I would like a Lizzie for every city really but it was great to see her again and have a proper catch up and not be on my own for my first few days in the South Island. Thank you very much Liz! ... read more

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