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Published: April 3rd 2006
Travelling in New Zealand for me has been like riding an unpredictable rollercoaster, smooth and running sometimes yet rickety and stuck at other times. Here in NZ I tried balancing fun and work but in the wrong way, I was looking for the ideal work situation and struck out. Starting out I had built up my expectations to come WWOOF (work in exchange for room and board) at a creative retreat center for a month. After things at this so called "retreat center" didn't work out, I was in search of a better stable situation. First I worked on an organic farm in the North Island for a week picking rotten tomatoes, filling honey jars and getting attacked by mosquitos on the outdoor drop toilet. I next attempted to help a Danish woman reconstruct her rundown house in Nelson on the South Island, which after a week I realized I was just moving the same piles of wood around that had been moved around for the last two years. Finally I found a place on the South Island, in Nelson that I liked. I cleaned a backpackers for free accomodation and I loved it! This work was so simple for me because I only had to deal with sheets and toilets and not people's personal issues or families falling apart.
In between working though, I experienced a lot of fun and adventure. Rachel and I have covered almost all of the main attractions on the North and South Islands here in New Zealand. We have been adventurously hitch hiking from place to place and jumping from town to town. While not working we biked the Coromandel Peninsula, drove around the Bay of Islands, smelled the muddy thermal activity in Rotorua, cheered on Rachel's flatmate in the ironman at Lake Taupo, did a two day tramp (hike) at Abel Tasman National Park and finally trekked up to Franz Joseph Glacier on the West Coast of the South Island.
Now my time in New Zealand is coming to an end, for I depart for Australia in a week. I am in Milford Sound on the southwestern tip of the South Island doing a four day trek (which I will write about later). I have enjoyed and been touched by the natural beauty of this country. Looking back on all my experiences in the last two months, my fondest memory was staying in Lake Taupo with Rachel's flatmate, Lucy and her father. Rachel and I had the luxury of realxing at their bach (lakehouse) while we were visited by three rainbows over the mountain surrounded lake. To add to the beauty of the ladscape, we witnessed Lucy win first place in the triathlon for her age group. This day in Taupo ignited something within me that had died when I tore my ACL four years ago. Watching Lucy inspired me to set small goals for myself so I signed up to walk a half marathon in Melbourne Australia in two months.
I am excited for what is to come, for everyday is a brand new adventure. Each sunrise brings me new scenery, smells, weather and people. This constant changing, the land of no promises, keeps me continuously on my edge. Although half the time I am uncomfortable, I know that I am learning more about myself and what I want my life to look like here than I would be learning anywhere else. I am truly thankful for this amazing experience.
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Aunt Kimberly
non-member comment
Sounds like great adventure!
Hi JJ!! Just wanted you to know that I really enjoy reading about your great adventure! Please continue to keep us all informed. I will print these out for your grandpa since I know he probably has not connected to your travel blog. Right now he is "between computers" and we are waiting for a new CD for him to be able to connect to the internet. Please take care and know I am praying for your safety!! Love, Aunt Kimberly