I arrived in New Zealand exactly 3 months ago on Christmas. That means it's been over 3 months since I've blow dried or straightened my hair!!! Crazy, I know. To celebrate this mile marker, I was asked to write a piece about my first 3 months in New Zealand for the IEP newsletter. This is the most I've written since I graduated college and it was not fun. A lot of these stories have already been told on the blog or vlog or both. It's a general snapshot of my journey so far, but I'm still very proud of it. Below is the essay and a google map of my travels.
I have slept in countless hostels, 2 sheds, a boat, and a
prison in the 3 months I’ve lived in New Zealand.
My first week involved a lot of random discovery in
Auckland. I got lost, I got confused, I
wondered what I’d gotten myself into. Once
I had my Kiwi sea legs, I hopped on the Stray bus to Paihia. My original plan was to work for
accommodation at a farmhouse, but the situation didn’t feel right. If you take anything from this essay, take
the advice to leave any situation that feels wrong in any way. Me and the other backpacker from the farm had
to hop 2 fences (with our gigantic backpacks) and catch a cab to get away.
I didn’t realize when I agreed to jump in a cab with a
random girl from Canada, that she would soon become my co-captain. We spent a week working at a boat yard in
exchange for free accommodation, sailing lessons, and a weeklong voyage on a
boat of our own. We scrubbed,
varnished, and waxed sailboats all day long, then slept in our boat all
night. The experience was exhausting and
it tested me in every single way but it was also the most rewarding 2 weeks of
my life. Once the hard labor was over
and we had completed 2 full days of sailing lessons, we set sail for our 5-day
voyage around Bay of Islands. Together Canadian
Catherine and I mapped, sailed, and anchored our way from island to
island. We even hiked with sheep and
sailed with dolphins. Sometimes I worry
that my first experience in New Zealand was unbeatable and to be completely
honest, it probably was. I did back
breaking manual labor, slept in a boat, made a friend for life and walked away
from the experience with a Class 1 Sailing Certification.
My next stop was less adventurous but more fun. I worked for accommodation at a hostel in
Rotorua. I made beds in the hostel and
in exchange I lived with 11 awesome roommates.
This experience was more social than it was cultural. I used my month to get to know my fellow
backpackers. It was nice to get past the
typical “where are you from?” and “how long are you in New Zealand?”
conversations. I started in late
October, so when one of my roommates revealed that she was a dancer, the rest
of us convinced her to teach us Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance. Every morning from 10-12:30 we would clean
the hostel then at 1:00 we would have dance practice. Learning choreography when every person has a
different native language is not easy, but luckily Michael Jackson is
universal. The hostel in Rotorua was
closed for repair on Halloween, so that meant that the entire cleaning staff
had the hostel to ourselves. I made
amazing friends in Rotorua, people I plan to continue traveling with or have
already met up with again. I know that
if I ever need a place to crash, I will have a home in Rotorua.
I’m currently living and working at the Historic Napier
Prison. The prison closed almost 20
years ago and has recently been opened as a tourist attraction. Once again, I’m working for accommodation. I sleep in a prison cell on death row. In exchange I work reception for the prison 3
hours a day. Though the situation sounds
ideal, it has its faults. The job is
boring and less active than my previous jobs.
I also share the prison premises with many cockroaches, a rat, and some
friendly ghosts. Luckily, I have 12 awesome
roommates to balance out the questionable living situation. We all recently spent Christmas day in the prison. We didn’t have presents or a tree but good
company was all that was necessary. My
roommates and I walked to the beach in the morning then came home and cooked a
gigantic feast in the afternoon. Being away from home is difficult especially
during the holidays. It was hard to miss
out on the traditions taking place back home, but in exchange I tried my first
pavlova and made a sand snowman on the beach.
I was on a boat in October, making beds in November, and in
prison for December. I already have
countless anecdotes and I’m not even half way through the country. I leave the prison soon to make my way down
to Wellington. I hope to find a job that actually pays me
money. I can’t wait to see what January
and 2015 have in store.
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