New Year is approaching...as is a new adventure...(hopefully!)

---

‘You will find adventure…or adventure will find you’



Ok so the quote isn’t from some famous and wise philosopher (It’s actually the tagline from the Lord of the Rings films! Ironic much…) but it is a quote that since I first heard it has captured me and driven me to currently being sat in my flat in Auckland, New Zealand. Yes, I am currently living on the other side of the world. Even two months in I still have to pinch myself some mornings to make sure that this hasn’t been one huge dream!



If there’s one thing that I’ve learned so far on my travels it’s that life is far too short and complicated! And so, two months ago now, I decided to step out of my comfort zone, leave behind my well paid, stable, permanent job, pack up my life, say goodbye to friends and family and head out on my own adventure to the other side of the world to see what I could find. I’ll be honest and say that there were times when I honestly didn’t think I’d ever make it out here and it would just remain a dream but I held my nerve, followed my gut and stayed focused and what do you know, I made it! And I’m having a ball!! My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner! I was getting by back in the UK, I was surviving…I now feel that I’m actually living!



So what have I been up to since my last post? Well we’ve been doing the boring bit, getting a flat together and getting jobs to pay the rent! There’s three of us living together, myself along with Claire and Emilie, so there’s never a boring moment in the flat. It’s fair to say that we’ve gotten to know the Auckland nightlife pretty well…you know you’ve partied a bit too much when your advising other tourists where to go on which nights as if you’ve been partying here for years, living like a local! We’ve also been checking out as much as outer Auckland as possible! The CBD is actually very small but just a short bus ride or ferry away there’s quite a few beaches for us to top up our tans on our days off! And then of course there’s Albert Park, which has become my writing heaven! A beautiful enclosed park that sits almost in the middle of the CBD yet is one of the most peaceful places I have ever had the pleasure to experience and have spent many an afternoon lazing there before work! Oh yes work… I finally have a job and even though I’m only waitressing I have been able to meet a lot of travellers in the same situation as me, which means that we’ll be having a party at Christmas! Speaking of which seeing the Christmas parade in the sunshine is one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen! It’s hotter out here then the UK’s recent summers yet its Christmas…Its completely screwing with my mind haha! But I suppose that’s part of the fun when you’re travelling; nothing seems to fit the definition of ‘normal’ anymore!



I am totally in love with New Zealand and even though I’ve had many ups and downs (which I won’t go into here!) I am still extremely proud of myself for making it here, but now there comes a twist in my travelling tail…now that I’m here and I made all that effort to travel to the other side of the world I find myself once again with itchy feet! While I am sure that I could quite easily settle in New Zealand and make a life for myself out here I find myself looking around to see what else I can find as I’m not quite ready to settle down just yet. Having done the Kiwi Experience bus tour and lived in Auckland for over a month I do feel like I have gotten to know New Zealand very well but I do want to make the most of my travelling while I can so it looks like 2012 is going to bring new travelling possibilities…I am going to try my damned hardest to see the East Coast of Australia and head to Fiji!!



In a twist of fate, that’s quite hard to ignore, a job has become available for me in Oz for three months so I’ll be able to save some cash and then head up to surfers paradise and go to surfing school…oh yeah I’m going to do this properly and take full advantage of the beautiful beaches and surf out in Kangaroo land! And then hopefully head out to Fiji for my birthday as a treat as it'll be the middle of winter over here! The travel bug has bitten again but this time it has bitten hard! I used to hate moving around and changing my living situation but I honestly cannot wait to jump on another plane and move onto the next place, meet new people and experience a new side of life! I may have only been away for two months but I’ve crammed more into the past nine weeks then I would do in a year! And I feel myself changing; I feel my mind opening and my confidence growing! Excuse the personal evaluation here but this is my travel blog and I think its only fair I share not only how amazing the countries/places are that I visit but also how they are shaping me as a person. Packing up your life and coming out here is such a huge challenge but to anyone who is thinking of doing something similar, it’s so worth it!!



So I guess that’s kind of it for now! I’m here working in Auckland until the end of January and then it looks like a flight to Sydney and a bus to Canberra is on the cards, I’ll keep you all updated…



Love Amy

x

---