Kazwad
Karen Phillips Joined: August 27th 2009
Logged in: January 20th 2011
Logged in: January 20th 2011
Travel Blog Posts
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Well! I am a little scared to look back and see when I last updated, as I feel it may be nearing to 5 months now, which is shocking. The winter has passed through with such pace, I honestly haven't had a chance to stop and take stock! So, my season closed last week having worked my last shifts on the Ski fields, and this was a very funny feeling. It only seemed like 5 minutes ago i was amongst a massive group of strangers trying to learn the job, meeting new faces every minute, and struggling to come to terms with staying upright on a snowboard. I look into Queenstown high street now and nearly everyone has left town, the snow has nearly completely melted, and my poor board is now redundant! New Zealand towns ... read more
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I have just realised i never posted these photo's!! This was the start of the winter!!... read more
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Well, its a few weeks on and it's minus 3 here as standard every day, and icicles are now on my window sill most mornings to wake me from my slumber. However.... One of our Ski fields has now opened and the cold has just started to become fun!! My new job started about 10 days ago and i was shocked back into a 45 hour week fast.. and still trying to catch up with it. The team is really lovely, and everyone is young and most are a little too cool for school - but i suppose you have to expect that! It has just got more and more beautiful here with each day and the sunrises and sunsets are simply amazing. The town has sprung to life, and we are all now just crawling ... read more
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Queenstown cabin fever truly has set in. Earning no money... No proper snow yet.... not started new job yet.. so whats the answer? Road trippin!! This exciting instalment from my German housemate and I brings you actual real life snow, deers, lakes, lakes and mountains, some sheep, more lakes, and then a Film set in little Arrowtown with Fake snow and Christmas lights!! All topped off a good days work with a hot chocolate. Wicked. I love being a bum. See ya soon!... read more
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Its been too long! I loaded these pics weeks ago - and then life took over! Its has been a happier life though, and for that i am glad! Things have steadily got better since i last ranted - and in less than a week i start working on a real life mountain with snow and everthing!! Cannot wait. To give you a brief update, and will re-load new pics real soon (promise!) These beauties include a trip to the "8th Wonder of the world" Milford Sound and Fjordland (Beautiful - yes, but 8th wonder???) Some pretty cool activities i managed to scam out of my last few weeks at the Hotel before my conscience won, like jet boating on the Kawarau River and zip wiring, and pics of my new house. Oh and the town ... read more
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I take it all back. The whole spiel in the last entry about keeping moving is absolute crap! Re-offer me the choice again after the past two weeks and I may have made a very different decision - and probably sat in the sleepiest bay all winter and felt very disgruntled and resentful. Ok - so moving on is good and all that, but dear god i forgot how hard it is to actually make that move, and then realise you are completely alone -know no one in what now feels like a huge town and have to start all over again....again!! So - no prizes for guessing the tone of my past few weeks in the South island! Sorry - let me re-cap. So after all the goodbyes in the bay, leaving drinks dinner, and ... read more
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The sun sets on another day in the bay and I take full advantage of the work computer, I realise it has been quite some time since i last wrote. I am moving on tomorrow to make my journey to Queenstown for the winter, so am long overdue. So as the sirens sound for yet another fire panicing many a tourist, the Queen sailed into town, I sadly turn 27, edging ever closer to 30. My favourite girl visits from home, and subsequently leaves again, my kiwi whanau grows and i continue to get quite attached to my adoptive family. My gorgeous 'real' parents arrive, fall in love with the bay and become part of the furniture. and achieved more sight seeing than iIhave done to date! We constantly prop up the one hostel bar claiming ... read more
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So, an older brother grew up and moved out before I hit teenage years, and then decided to move to the ‘northern depths’ of Norwich, and appeared once a year for the obligatory Christmas visit. About ten years later, one sister arrives in New Zealand, and almost instantaneously receives a mail to say said brother has booked flights to come see (her in) NZ. Whatever the reason behind the flights, said brother has since arrived, travelled, conquered and left again for the now, I believe, defrosted UK. To start, we had previously booked Big Day Out tickets for Auckland. Now this is a one day music festival, which the locals rave about being a hardcore festival, mainly for the young and brave, so we buy tickets. Now, the Auckland date is held at Mount Smart Stadium, ... read more
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Most towns in New Zealand have a Maori meaning, like running water or something spiritual like that, or Urenui for example, which means "big cock". But humble little Paihia actually means nothing, jack, zilch. A european settler named the town, actually i lie - with some maori meaning, "pai" means good, and this settler simply after being in the Bay for a bit, stated "its Pai here" and it stuck, with some twisted spelling later as Paihia. This is one small town. Being a beach resort and the wealthy aucklanders summer playground, if it rains - nothing opens. All trade is pretty much in the summer months, and 80% of the town are tourists. Now as always with small towns, there are pro's and cons. everyone seems to know each other, each others business, and in ... read more
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Getting back to Whangarei all jobbed up felt amazing!! i really didn't have anything on my mind at all, apart from surviving my first xmas away from home, and finding a place to live!! Kath took care of one, whilst lauren looked after the other! Thank god as i had no intention of tackling either one myself!! There really was no big build up to xmas day, and i kept on having to remind myself it was actually xmas! Darren and i went fishing xmas eve in Mcleods Bay, just outside of fungers early worm hours, and it was beautiful, the water was like glass, and the sun didn't have its strength yet, so we happy started to fish - i caught a baby snapper on my first cast out!! i had to throw it back ... read more
