Two weeks since I arrived in New Zealand and it has been filled with mixed feelings. Sad to leave Australia, excited to go on holiday with Chris, curious to what my new house and housemate are going to be like and a little bit scared because it is the first time that I have to find a job all by myself.
But lets start at the beginning. On Friday the 31st of August, I had to say goodbye to people that have been my family for 2 years. It was difficult to say goodbye, but it didn't really hit me. I have spent time away from them before, but I have come back every single time. The fact that I won't see them for a few months just didn't really sink in. There were a lot of cuddles and kisses, some tears, but mostly good memories that I will take with me everywhere I go.
When I got off the plane, Chris was waiting for me in the arrivals hall and Erin was just outside the airport to pick us up. She took us to one of her favorite brunch places (I hadn't had anything except a coffee in the morning) and then she tried to drop us in front of our hotel for the night, but a scary bus behind us made us drive around the block again. Erin had arranged a welcome to Wellington dinner with some friends for us that evening and we had a good catch up.
The following day it was time to put our tourist hats on and we went up to the botanical gardens in the cable car. We took in the scenery, walked around a bit (got lost on our way to the cable car thanks to Chris's immaculate navigation skills) and took lots of pictures.
But lets start at the beginning. On Friday the 31st of August, I had to say goodbye to people that have been my family for 2 years. It was difficult to say goodbye, but it didn't really hit me. I have spent time away from them before, but I have come back every single time. The fact that I won't see them for a few months just didn't really sink in. There were a lot of cuddles and kisses, some tears, but mostly good memories that I will take with me everywhere I go.
When I got off the plane, Chris was waiting for me in the arrivals hall and Erin was just outside the airport to pick us up. She took us to one of her favorite brunch places (I hadn't had anything except a coffee in the morning) and then she tried to drop us in front of our hotel for the night, but a scary bus behind us made us drive around the block again. Erin had arranged a welcome to Wellington dinner with some friends for us that evening and we had a good catch up.
The following day it was time to put our tourist hats on and we went up to the botanical gardens in the cable car. We took in the scenery, walked around a bit (got lost on our way to the cable car thanks to Chris's immaculate navigation skills) and took lots of pictures.
On Sunday we got up early to get to the airport for our flight to Queenstown, only to find out that I had read the ticket wrong and we were there an hour early.. That didn't change our excitement for the trip though. The flight was easy and we had not problems pickup our super awesome camper van and hit the road straight away. During our 1.5 hour drive to Te Anau, we stopped at the old Kingston and Fairfield trainstations and saw some very very old trains that had not been used for ages. Another short stop for a juice at Five Rivers and at that point, it started to rain. The rain only became worse as we made our way to Te Anau and the wind started to pick up as well. When we blew into a tourist information centre, they told us that snow was expected and that they weren't sure if the roads to Milford Sound (the trip we had booked for the next day) would be open. So we went to a steakhouse for dinner where we could watch the Broncos win whilst having a lovely dinner.
Thankfully we got good news the following morning, the snow hadn't come and we would still be able to go on our trip that day! The drive up to Milford Sound (which is actually a fjord) was already well worth the money. The scenery was amazing, from beautiful mountain ranges to cheeky Kea's trying to eat all the food by hopping into cars to Monkey Creek where you can drink the water straight out of the stream to the mirror lakes in which the mountains were depicted without a ripple in the water (as the name might have already suggested).
Thankfully we got good news the following morning, the snow hadn't come and we would still be able to go on our trip that day! The drive up to Milford Sound (which is actually a fjord) was already well worth the money. The scenery was amazing, from beautiful mountain ranges to cheeky Kea's trying to eat all the food by hopping into cars to Monkey Creek where you can drink the water straight out of the stream to the mirror lakes in which the mountains were depicted without a ripple in the water (as the name might have already suggested).
The actual boat trip on Milford Sound was just as magical. We saw penguins and seals (also called rock sausages) and got up close and personal with a waterfall, which would make you look 10 years younger if you got hit my its water (it's up to you to decide if it's worked ;) ). We took a little trip down to the underwater observatory and the trip was over before we knew it. On the way back we only made one last stop before getting to Te Anau and continuing our journey to Manapouri, where we would stay the night and saw a stunning sunset.
The following morning, after a not-so-great coffee, we dropped in at Wild Wool Gallery in Manapouri. The owner was a lovely lady who told us all there is to know about her alpacas and we got to handfeed and pet them. Fun fact: did you know that alpacas always have one really close friend and the owners always try to sell them as a couple, not separately?
The following morning, after a not-so-great coffee, we dropped in at Wild Wool Gallery in Manapouri. The owner was a lovely lady who told us all there is to know about her alpacas and we got to handfeed and pet them. Fun fact: did you know that alpacas always have one really close friend and the owners always try to sell them as a couple, not separately?
After our alpaca encounter, we continued the Southern Scenic Route. The next stop was the Rakatu wetlands (also the first gravel road we had to pass with our van). After a short hike, we had a very picturesque view of the wetlands, but the sandflies drove us away really fast. After another stop and hike at Lake Monowai, we wanted to spend the night in Clifden. However, after seeing the suspension bridge we were all of a sudden in a different town. Clifden was so small that we didn't even notice we were driving through it. So we just decided to keep going, stopping at all the scenic lookouts and Monkey Island along the way, before making camp at Riverton, the biggest town we had seen along the road since Te Anau, it even had a proper coffee and breakfast place!
From Riverton it was an easy drive to Invercargill. We walked through the park and along the wetlands and river there before doing some groceries and heading to the Waipapa Point Lighthouse, where we saw some sealions fighting each other. A bit further down the road was Slope Point, the most southern point of the southern island of New Zealand. As good tourists, we could not miss this attraction of course. We took a very roundabout way to get there, but the view and the pictures with the sign were worth it. The last stop of the day was Curio Bay where we slept on the edge of a cliff and woke up to actual ice on our windscreen.
The last day of our trip before heading back to Wellington had arrived and we still had an entire list to work down, so we set off early. In the freezing cold we visited the Niagara Falls (which are definitely not as imposing as their name sake) and the McLean Falls, we quickly stopped at the lakes and lookouts along the way, but we couldn't reach the Cathedral Caves unfortunately because of weather and road conditions. After another set of waterfalls and a ginormous blowhole we finished the day by walking a very narrow path to the Nugget Point Lighthouse, with strong winds blowing and very steep cliffs on either side of us.
After our flight back to Wellington (which was almost cancelled because of the strong winds in Wellington), I moved into the place that I will be calling my home for the coming few months. We got all the furniture, put it up with some beers and donuts and just had a lazy few days at the house before Chris left on Sunday morning and from that point on I have been fending for myself. My days are filled with sending out job applications, grocery shopping, the occasional brunches/dinners and lets not forget the handball sessions of course.
From the 14th-16th of September, it was time to play for Spartanz to see if we could win the gold during the NZ Club Championships. After 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses we ended up battling for the bronze. It was a tough weekend, where I played as a left or right back for multiple games for the first time ever. It was a weekend filled with laughter, banter and a lot of fun and winning the bronze was a good way to finish the weekend. All in all a great start to my new adventure in Wellington! |