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So after leaving New Zealand, we popped over to Rarotonga, a tiny little island part of the Cook Islands, for a week of beach fun & relaxation. Boy, if I ever thought New Zealand was isolated, Rarotonga took it to a whole other level. Literally, you could drive around the island in less than an hour. I’d imagine that if you lived there for a few months, would end up getting to meet and know all the locals, who were all extremely friendly anyway.
One of the highlights of the trip was absolutely renting a scooter! And oh it was a blast. Who knew that I had a secret love to scoot?
BUT it was no easy process. When Kyle & I went to get it at the local Avis, he suddenly remembered that his license was expired. No valid license = more paperwork. But the good news was that he could do the test at the police station & still be able to enjoy the experience. So it looked like it was up to me to magically pass the scooter driving test (though never driving one before) and get us to the police station. I started off terrible…..I couldn’t balance, wobbling this was & that. Kyle sitting behind me didn’t help. He was soooo nervous and couldn’t help but yell, “oh god, stop! no! oh god!’, which in turn got me super flustered. The test was so island quirky: it basically consisted of driving in a straight line, looping around the first palm tree, and trying not to hit the second. After 3 times, I finally passed. The guy looked at me and said, “you barely passed…you better be careful.”
Hip hurray! So we headed off on the open road to get Kyle’s license. WELL. The driving test at the police station was hardcore – no palm tree in sight! – but instead an extremely difficult one, literally making you weave in and out of 20 cones….needless to say Kyle failed the first one. In his defense though, the lady testing him was really mean, obviously not giving him a break even though it was his first time driving. Literally while he was driving, she was muttering and shaking her head,” no no no, he can’t do that. no he won’t pass…..ok enough! you fail!”
So we went back a day or two later, and that time Kyle passed and off we went! Let me tell you, I would love to incorporate another scooter into my life. Who needs a car? Scooters are so fun & way cuter than cars.
My dream scooter:
Here’s Kyle on our scooter:
Back in February – April 2007 I was doing exactly what I’m doing now…..sending out my resume & praying that someone would take pity and offer me a job. Ugh I hate this. I really do. The whole applying for jobs thing is so depressing. You spend so much time perfecting the resume & cover letter, carefully looking it over to make sure everything is just right. As clicking on send, I can’t help but think to myself,
“they will see how much effort you put into this resume – they’ll have to take notice! You will get this job. You will get this job…..keep thinking those positive thoughts…they will hire you….they will give you a normal salary….you will have health benefits again someday…”
You ever wonder who gets these resumes, where they actually go? I feel like once you click send and push it off to sea, it literally just sits in some one’s mailbox. They may take a look at my resume for a minute and wonder why I randomly worked in New Zealand for a year, but quickly get distracted & blown away by a recent grad with phenomenal internships.
Going to New Zealand was supposed to be the time to figure out my brain and get a grip on what I wanted out of a career, but honestly I am just as confused now as I was then….mostly because like it or not, I’m probably going to have to work somewhere I’m not too thrilled about because, well I’m broke and need money to pay bills. Is this what being a grown-up is all about? Just sucking it up because you have to? Its sad. All I’ve really wanted is to find somewhere to work that I don’t actually hate. To work somewhere where I feel good and don’t count the minutes, devastated that I lost another day of my youth. I know they exist somewhere – I know people who like their jobs! It scares me that this will be my destiny – never making enough money or being satisfied where I am.
So for the time being, I’m going to keep up what I’m doing – keep sending those resumes out. Who knows….I did apply to a few that looked absolutely wonderful – maybe someone will take notice & want to give me a chance 
I’m kind of at a loss right now – not really too sure what I should be doing with myself. I assumed & so hoped that I would be home for the summer, working locally part-time, and helping my mom & dad…but now everything is different. Looks like I have to be a pseudo-adult again.
With a little persuasion, I have convinced Kyle to try out a year in the New York City area! Up until recently he really hasn’t been a fan of the idea of working in the city & living somewhere outside, but he came around and has agreed to give it a shot. I know he’ll love it – between all the wonderful restaurants, happy hours, brunches, events, music, shows, plus lots of our favorite people all live up and around there ….it’ll be just great.
And….my lovely friend Geraldine has mentioned she’d like to live with people again when her lease is up in September, so how wonderful would that be? Sharing a home with her would be a dream & I could just see how great the three of us would live together
Now it all comes down to is finding a job…
Now that I got the bad news out, I think it’s time to update you on our fun road trip we took around the north island. The trip was an absolute blast & we got to do some pretty fantastic things.
Day 1: We took a bus down to Auckland from Kerikeri, checked into our cheapy hotel room, and set out for a delicious dinner. Up in Kerikeri, there weren’t too many choices in terms of restaurants. Our town consisted of mostly cafes. Kyle & I were very excited to be back in the city and amongst different types of cuisine! One block later, we came across a Mexican Restaurant. Hurray! We literally hadn’t had Mexican in a year, so ahh what a treat to have some good food & delicious margaritas.
Day 2: The following morning, Brian, one of our favorite regular customers from the cafe we worked at, happened to be in Auckland and suggested we meet for breakfast. So Brian picked us up and we headed down to the waterfront for a delicious meal of eggs benedict. From there, he dropped us off at the camper-van pick-up location and away we went on our camper adventure! Kyle & I drove for about 2 hours and decided to stop in Raglan, a cute little surf town filled with interesting shops, great restaurants, and bars. We spent our night drinking and hanging out with some super nice locals.
Day 3: We headed out early for the Waitomo glow worm caves, were we were going black water rafting! Basically it was 3 hours of walking, stumbling, floating, swimming, and tubing through a small dark cave, while admiring the glow worms. The first few minutes were the most intense, where you were literally floating on a tube going through the smallest possible spaces. I was a bit panicky, thinking that I’d have to turn around, knowing that any minute I’d get claustrophobic and pass out. Luckily things mellowed out and it was a wonderful interesting experience. Afterward we showered, had some soup, and were off for more driving! We stopped in a town called Wanganui to park the camper and get a good night sleep.
Day 4: Off to Wellington we went! I loved it there. It was such a cute & quirky city. Kyle & I went to the Wellington Zoo in the morning and then spend the afternoon casually walking around. Turned out one of my old friends from home, James, lives in Wellington with his girlfriend, so we met up, had some sushi, and lots of drinks. Definitely a lovely surprise and nice treat.
Day 5: Ho hum, left Wellington with the determination to make it up to Matamata – home to Hobiton! Ugh the ride was rough and I was terribly hungover – apparently it doesn’t take much for me to get drunk anymore. Anyway, after 5 hours or so, we landed in Matamata and arrived at a wonderful camper park – it was so cute & had hot minerals pools for our use! It was just perfect.
Day 6: We took the Hobiton tour early in the morning and it was so sweet and interesting to learn about how “The Lord Of The Rings” impacted the town – and got to see some of the memorable places that scenes were shot. Afterward we were headed back to Auckland to drop off the camper and spend another night in Auckland.
The trip was so special and we really appreciated such an interesting and fast paced trip. I would have to say it was one of the highlights of my time in New Zealand and am so happy that we were able to do it before we left.
Back in October, when we only just started settling-in in New Zealand, I got the news that would forever change my life; my mom had lung cancer. Her strength was comforting though. I felt that out of anyone with this type of disease, my mother would beat it. She planned on fighting it aggressively, using a mix of medical & holistic tools, and that would be that. I never said anything here because she specifically asked me not to blog about it – she didn’t want too many people to know.
We stayed in New Zealand, being told to stay put until absolutely necessary. When Kyle & I decided to come early last week, that was the reason. The treatments didn’t help whatsoever and she passed away last Wednesday. Luckily, we got home on Monday, so I was able to spend time & be there with her till the end.
My mom was so important – her energy and spirit beautiful and exciting. It breaks my heart thinking of her & my father apart – their love literally grew stronger by the minute. I think of my brother, sister, & I and how she won’t be apart of all the next steps…she’ll never see me get married or have children of my own – thinks she so looked forward to.
I don’t know how to feel or what to do now. At times I know I’ll be ok, but then I have to wonder if it’s just my body’s way to numb everything out a bit because it hurts too much. Regardless, gotta keep moving forward…needless to say this summer is going to be all about transitions and making sense of what life means now without her.
The past week has been amazing – as you know, Kyle & I rented a camper-van and traveled all through the south of the north island (I’ll write a summary of that in the next few days). And for the most part, hit all the spots we planned on. The trip was unbelievable….there are no words… It was such a complete wonderful feeling of freedom and seeing life. We came home yesterday to wrap everything up here in Kerikeri. You know, all the wonderful administrative duties of life; closing bank accounts, converting Kiwi dollars for American and best of all….selling our minivan! So we leave tomorrow for Rarotanga and it’s a mixture of excitement & sadness. I feel that as soon as we leave, I”ll be lonesome for New Zealand. But what else is there to do but move forward? And I am soooo looking forward to being with my family & catching up with friends. Anyway, talk soon. <3
So our departure from New Zealand is literally just around the corner. This is our last week at work. Then off we go to Auckland for a mini-holiday! We’ll be renting a camper-van and plan to loop around the southern part of the north island for a couple days. We haven’t made it down there yet, so figured it’s now or never. In particular, I’m looking forward to the Tattoo Museum in Wellington, Lord Of The Rings Hobiton Tour, & the zoo in Wellington!
After that quick little vacation, we’ll be flying to Raratonga (the capital of the Cook Islands) for a week! When revising our travel plans, Kyle and I thought long & hard about where we should still visit. Raratonga, being an extremely obscure itty bitty island, probably wouldn’t be a future destination if we didn’t go now. Everyone we’ve talked to has described it as a complete paradise. So, see you soon Raratonga! It’s been cold & rainy in NZ the past few weeks, so I’m ready for the return of summer & sunshine.
I wish I could live in the now & just be excited for the next few weeks, but I can’t help but wonder, “what next?” I’m going to need a job…..but doing what? Despite disappearing from the world for almost a year with the hopes of inspiration, I have yet to uncover what would be good for my life. So many plans for the future (like getting certified as a yoga instructor, writing a book, & opening a restaurant – but these all take time and money!). What’s a girl to do now?
I need something that:
a) isn’t going to be boring and consist of me sitting around all day.
b) won’t be everyday.
c) will make me mildly excited about the day.
d) includes sunshine
Oh I don’t know. Lots to think about. Any suggestions?
One of my favorite things to do as a kid was hunt around garage sales and thrift shops with my mom. It was always an exciting feeling finding hidden travels in the depths of knick-knacks and “why would anyone buy those” objects. I can still vividly see the sombrero I bought for a dollar (it could still very well be somewhere in my parents basement) the bust of Shakespeare, and of course the fantastic dresses, paintings, & more recently this:
A bunny cookie jar – my mom & I got it for my brother….obviously something he’s always wanted.
Turns out New Zealand is covered in Opportunity Shops (aka thrift stores). In my town alone, there are about 4! So days off with nothing to do usually consist of me happily browsing, searching for the next big find.
With the end of our stay in Kerikeri near approaching, Kyle & I have been more conscious in appreciating our town and time here. We both had the day off on Tuesday, so figured it would be a good chance to browse around town & pop into the Op Shops to see if there were any new arrivals. We stopped at my personal favorite, the Hospice Shop….favorite because it is just so quirky and obviously designed for the senior shopper. After much digging, I found a fantastic grandpa sweater vest that will be great with some leggings and boots.
After the Hospice Shop, we walked over to the used bookstore. I love it there. It has that feeling of old books, like you’re in some-one’s old library and not a shop. While browsing your way through fiction & non-fiction, the stacks go up to the ceiling, making a sort of canopy. Sigh…..oh it gets better. There is also a little attic for more selections, like cook books & self help, & literally it’s as if you could burrow in, completely cocooning yourself in the written word. Ah yes, the readers paradise.
Well well well, look who I found…
Oregon Trail! Who knew our favorite computer game from back in the day was also a book! Or was it common knowledge & I was the one in the dark? Regardless, I took one look at this beauty and knew it would be mine for the heaping price of $8.00.
It was a good day at the shops.
So. Looks like we’ll be returning to New Jersey about two months earlier than planned….and I have to say I am absolutely excited & ready to be back (for a bit anyway). Why you ask? Well, my family needs me & I need them. I’m not going to get into details just yet, but basically it’s time to come home.
The bad news is that we won’t be doing our South Island & Aussie trip. Wah, I know. BUT we will still be visiting Raratonga. Kyle & I decided to keep that leg of the journey on because it didn’t seem like a place we’d likely get to visit ever again. I already see myself being lonesome for New Zealand in a year or so, making it a perfect excuse to come and visit again – Future trip to Aussie, South Island NZ, and Fiji!
The good news is that because we are cutting the trip shorter, Kyle & I have been musing about summer vacations in the states – I think it’ll be San Francisco! I have been there once with my family, for only a day or so, and really didn’t get the chance to dive into the city’s culture. Kyle has never been, so we figure it would be a perfect place to visit. PLUS my Aunt & Uncle live about an hour north of San Fran, so it would be great to go hangout with them a bit.
It’s becoming more & more chilly here and honestly, I am not quite ready for cold weather. I think it’s time for another Summer!
See you soon New Jersey!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been about 3 weeks and am now FINALLY mentioning my birthday! Yes, April 23rd was my 27th birthday….ooof, where did my twenties go?
Honestly, I’m not a big one for big birthday celebrations. Give me a few nice wishes, a couple presents, a good meal, & a night out and I am perfectly satisfied.
And that’s exactly what I got this year & it was great!
Flowers from my bosses & Kyle!
Kyle & I had a nice dinner & a movie date night – something we always did back at home. We saw the movie, “Boy”. It’s a film made by a Kiwi filmaker and set in New Zealand during the 1980’s. Really good. We’ve been meaning to see more Kiwi films, so that was definitely a good step in the right direction. After the movie, we went out for dinner at this restaurant called the Pear Tree – we’d been there once for a New Year’s celebration & it was great, so wanted to try it again for a normal meal. It did not disappoint. Yum.
All in all, despite not having family or friends around, my birthday was a great day. I can’t help but wonder where I’ll find myself next year’s birthday….maybe Thailand
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