Christchurch to Dunedin

I concluded my time in Christchurch with a visit to my friend Nigel's farm to see the sheep, an evening full of dancing at Boogie Nights (hilarious throwback of a place), and a day of driving around and seeing the sights of Christchurch. The next stop on my little journey south is in Dunedin where I attended Uni last year. It felt a little weird to be back in a totally different situation but the city is familiar and comfortable. I settled into a little backpackers called the Kiwi's Nest (what a classic name for a NZ place) and then spent some time checking out my old haunts. It was nice to be back but I couldn't bring myself to go back to see my old flat (plus it is on top of a huge hill that I wasn't motivated to climb). I did, however, dine at The Flying Squid, an old favorite for fish and chips, and catch up with my old flatties/friends over greasy food and wine. The next evening we went out for what was touted, the best kebab place in town, and it was definitely delicious. We visited our friend Tony who was working at a bar/cafe and he proceeded to try his new drink creations on us: delicious. It's been fun to be back in Dunedin but I am glad that I am not staying here; I'm ready for a new place and new experiences. Off to Queenstown!

Wellington to Christchurch

Wellington is windy! They’ve been having winds of 80 knots (no idea what that means in mph but it was windy). Tuesday I ate a picnic lunch with Dave on Queens Warf (in the crazy wind) and then we headed over to the Wellington Maritime History Museum. While informative, the museum was quite random, showcasing underwear of various eras next to navigation equipment in the room next to the video of the ferry disaster (made me really excited to take the ferry with high winds and rough seas). I then headed through town to take a tour of Parliament and the fairness of their system of government made me even more frustrated with the US. They have total freedom of speech and can schedule time to meet with certain committees to discuss their needs, problems or ideas. With this direct form of governance, the floor is theirs for part of the meeting and then their ideas are discussed by the governmental body (must be nice to live in such a small country).
Later that evening I dined on Nepalese food for the first time which was absolutely amazing; the food, combined with my recent reading of Into Thin Air (about climbing Everest) are encouraging thoughts about a visit to Nepal in the near future. The next day I was able to spend some time with one of my flatmates, Euan, from Dunedin. We had a wonderful lunch and dinner and a really good time catching up.
The following morning I caught a ferry to the South Island and then a train to Christchurch. The train ride was spectacular; it went along the coastline so there was ocean on one side and gorgeous mountains and hills on the other. The farms were green and brilliant with new springtime growths and the baby lambs were frolicking in the pastures (I never knew sheep are born with tails). I arrived in Christchurch just in time for my friend Nigel’s birthday dinner. The next day I walked around Christchurch and spent the afternoon sitting in the sun, enjoying the beautiful day, and beating my friend Jack in cards. He then proceeded to spend the evening beating me horribly in pool, so I’d call it even. Well, the sun is shining outside so I am going out to enjoy it!

Auckland to Wellington

My second day in Auckland was wonderful. We were ready for some exploration and drove from the East to the West side of the country (about an hour drive) to visit a beautiful black sand beach called Piha (pictures below). We wandered around the beach admiring the rock formations and coming across three or four brightly colored jellyfish which were beautiful (but sadly dead). We headed back to Auckland for a nice afternoon soak in the hot tub (their apartment building has everything!) followed by a steak dinner. We then headed into Auckland to a few going away parties for friends and I was able to see some friends from Dunedin which was really nice. The next day we walked around, at lunch at an Asian marketplace and then explored the market at Victoria Park. I headed out later that evening on the overnight bus to Wellington (while good in theory, I do not recommend it as they make ten stops throughout the night and turn on the lights and shuffle people around at each). I arrived in Wellington at 7am and was very content to head over to Dave's apartment for a morning of reading and relaxation. I then headed out to walk around the downtown and found a lovely little cafe (the city is known for its lovely little cafes) to hang out in. I then met with Dave who introduced me to Malaysian food at a cute little restaurant; it is quite scrumptious. Well, I am off to do some much needed job applying before heading back into town, hope you all are well and thanks for your comments and emails.

I'm Here

After much rushing, packing, and realizing that I needed to leave half of my clothes at home, I arrived at Logan on monday. The flight to Charlotte was uneventful but when we arrived it was raining hard. My next flight sat on the runway for an hour in line for take-off. During the flight I read almost all of Into Thin Air which definitely kept my attention and helped me to ignore the five children, three and under that were within a few rows of me. I arrived in LA with plenty of time to haul all of my luggage across the airport to the international terminal. We left the terminal a few hours later to take a ten minute bus ride to our plane which was inexplicably eerie in the yellow light of early evening with a bunch or strangers all standing in this large, dark airport vehicle. The plane was huge and new and I had my own tv and two seats to stretch out. I was able to get some sleep which made my first day in Auckland much happier. I got through customs only to realize that my NZ cell didn't keep more than five minutes of charge and I didn't know the pin # for my new debit card. I changed the american money I had which was miraculously enough to catch a shuttle into town and ring the friend I was meeting. I arrived at the sky tower (this big, sort of futuristic looking building in the middle of Auckland) and walked a mile to my friend's work to get his key so I could recover from the jet lag in the apartment. Turns out, I wasn't tired all day so after writing an email or two and eating lunch I headed out to explore Auckland. I walked to Queen Street, the Newbury street equivalent of Auckland, explored the city center and bought myself a new cell phone (which I discovered is free for incoming calls so if it is inexpensive for you to call New Zealand, my number is +64 02102431732). I then walked back to Stormer and Emma's along the bay and the area and apartment buildings reminded me a lot of the new, modern, buildings being built on the bay in Boston. When they both got home from work we celebrated with some champagne in their apartment and then headed out to this posh Thai restaurant which was beautiful. At about ten I was almost in my food I was so tired so we walked back but it was a wonderful night and so fun to catch up and see them again. I am now off to whatever fun they have planned for me today!

Off to New Zealand

That's right, I am heading to New Zealand on the 13th of September which is rapidly approaching. No, I don't have a job or place to live, but that's half the fun; I want to see if I can 'make it' in a new country/city. Since it is their summer I will be looking for a rafting/kayaking/bungee/&or tourism job in Queenstown. I will still be looking for international development jobs but I think it will be a much more exciting job hunt from New Zealand. I am planning on taking my computer so I will still have internet/email to keep in touch and I will post my address once I get an apartment. I hope to hear from you before I go, keep in touch.