In honour of my six month-a-versary of being in New Zealand, in my last post I told you about six things I absolutely adore about this country. I also warned you that my next post would be six things I dislike about it. I had a bit of trouble thinking of six whole things,…
A few days ago I hit my six month-a-versary of being in New Zealand! As I sat wondering just where the time has gone, I decided to tell you about a few of my favourite things about this country. I could be all clichéd here and say ‘Ooooh the scenery is so beautiful’ or…
In my last post I promised to tell you what’s been keeping me so busy lately, so here you go! I’m in New Zealand on a Working Holiday visa, which is a good thing because to spend a year in this super expensive country definitely requires working at some point. $8.50 for a smoothie!…
As the year came to an end, I thought about doing a ‘Highlights of 2014’ post. I even made a list. But while I have had an incredible year of travel, I also realized that I’ve been too busy/lazy/disorganized/unmotivated and I haven’t actually written blog posts about many of those highlights, and to try to…
I’ll bet you’ve heard of being addicted to alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, and even shopping, but did you know that it’s possible to have a penguin addiction? So now you’re laughing. Why do you doubt me? I know what I’m talking about, and a penguin addiction is a serious problem! Here are six signs…
I believe in restoration. I think preserving historical buildings that helped shape a place is important, for us now and for future generations to be able to learn from, to find out where they came from and how these places came to be. Christchurch Cathedral is one of these buildings. Built between 1864 and…
The floor creaked and groaned as I tiptoed through the old abandoned house in Waiuta. Wallpaper was peeling off the walls in huge chunks, every surface was covered in thick dust and it was clear that the house had been empty for quite some time, but I still felt the presence of its former occupants,…
Not many people stop in Reefton. At first glance it’s just a blip on the highway, a place you pass through on your way to or from the West Coast, a one-street town with not much going on. The highway goes right through Reefton. It doesn’t look like much! Except that’s not true.…
My bag was stolen in Oamaru. A street in the Victorian area of Oamaru. Not recently; this happened back in 2002, when I came to New Zealand for three months before I went to Australia for a year’s working holiday. When I tell people my bag got stolen in New Zealand usually…
I’m sick. I mean, not seriously sick, but I’ve had a cold for more than a week and I’m still a coughing, spluttering, phglemy mess of a person. And I’m somewhat miserable, because I’m in Wanaka and it’s beautiful and I thought I’d be out hiking and taking advantage of the multitude of activities available…