Woes of a backpacker

I believe if I've had one-on-one conversations with you, I've probably said this to you already, but now I'm here to let you all know: backpacking is quite often extremely hard, both mentally and physically. Today was one of those days that tested me. After a full heavy night filled with loud Scottish men and too much booze, I woke up at about 8 to say goodbye, for good, to the frenchies. I then went back to bed to try to continue sleeping off the dizziness that had yet to leave my vision. As I lay there I realized this was the first time I'd really been alone in NZ since the first few hours in Auckland (before I met piers), and that I had no idea what I was doing that day. But after an hour I finally started to move, figuring out the steps as I went along. I ended up in a park waiting for Gigi and wani to come find me, that was pleasant as the sun was out and I had a book to read. We then went to the I site so I could book a bus to ashburton... That was where I was going to wwoof for a couple days. The threee of us then hung around until about 1:30 when I went to the bus stop. Now you see, the bus was supposed to leave at 2:05 and you're supposed to get there 15 mins before that-so, being punctual and paranoid, I got there about 20 mins early. By 2:40 I knew something was wrong, so I went back to the I site and the woman at the desk called the bus company, who reported that they'd stopped at 2:06, didn't see anyone, so left. WTF? I was then told to go to the intercity building on the other side of town (where I stayed last night). I arrived there and the woman was very concerned, saying she wanted me to get a free 5:30 bus but her boss wouldn't let her do that. SO she called her boss and had ME talk to her, which ended up doing... Nothing. And that is how I wasted most of my day and a good 25 bucks. Strangely, when I went outside of the intercity place to have a bit of a pity cry a dog came up to me and insisted we play ball. Dogs never fail to cheer me up! So I picked up my sorry self, and tried to figure out what the next step was. As I was homeless again (no hostel), I went back to the park to make some calls and had another wwoofing place to go... But in order to get there I'd have to take a bus to Riccarton (?) then walk to 65 peer st, go into the new world and ask for Hooman, who would then give me a ride to the place I'm staying...! Because this is already a ridiculously long post, I'll save you the time and end it here saying: maneuvering that was really long and complicated, requiring me to walk back across to the other side of the city again, pay another 4 bucks, and sit outside in the coldand dark for over an hour. But now, I'm sitting in new world (btw, that's the supermarket) waiting for Hooman to finish his shift. It's been a tiring day, but i survived, even though after the failed bus I felt like giving up... I missed being able to just call someone for help. But I'm in charge of myself now, totally. I can't rely on friends or family, so the only thing I could do was keep on goin, figuring shit out. And yeah, perhaps this can happen to anyone, even those who are not backpackers, however you must remember that literally all day I was carrying everything I currently own on me. I was a walking house... My shoulders have never been so sore. Bah-but it's all worked out, I made it through! Now I'm off to a warm home with a nice family. But I do miss my own home quite a lot, and I am so ready to stop moving all the time!! Really really ready to not be homeless.

4th of July came early!

Fireworks, giant flames, live music, hot boozy cider, lavender chocolate, fresh donuts, and a fergburger. Queenstown is the only place that makes me spend ridiculous amounts of money. Luckily the first three things on my list were free-all part of the winterfest, the largest winter party in the southern hemisphere-and they did deliver! The stage was set above the majestic lake Wanaka with the remarkables (mountains) as the background. A long and epic fireworks show was framed by shooting flames all along the edges of the lake while the band sang songs about heat and burning. It was pretty much super awesome. Though, the bands were mostly really... Quirky? One group in particular, sadly, reminded me of really bad musical theatre, while another act consisted on an opera singer belting out some supa badass notes while two pole dancers did their thing in skimpy white outfits behind her. And of course, I can't forget the strange man wearing a blue spandex suit who came out pretending to ride a rodey and then singing poorly and rolling around on stage. All the while I grooved and moved in between my two stoic mates who seemed more amused by me than the talent on stage. It was a good night for me, I think I'm growing out of my self conscious stage and I was able to dance in places where no one else was dancing without thinking "oh dear, other people are going to be watching me and thinking im an idiot." I did break to sip on some hot cider, which I was not ided for-woohoo-and to watch a couple couples doing some serious dancing out of the sidelines. It reminded me of my mum's ballroom classes. It was a really fun night, a good way to celebrate winter, I'd say. I do apologize for the lack of pictures though, I didn't bring my phone since it had to charge in the room. But the whole time the fireworks were going I was thinking "damn, I shoulda brought my camera." oh well-guess this is one night I'll just have to rely on memory for. Until next time-cheers!

WWOOF WWOOF!!

After being dropped off in the middle of fuck-all nowhere at a petrol station, we walked with all our stuff to Shaun's place and were greeted by a fellow wwoofer, sanders from holland (who we came to find out was a bit wacky and earnestly believed he could create balls of energy with his hands, wanted to start a commune with his friends, and would interrupt any "normal" conversation by saying that we were hiding our emotions beneath this worthless small talk), and we're shown our living quarters. I swear piers and Stefan wanted to run away immediately. I just smiled in that, well thill be a challenge-type of way. Basically we were living in a loftish thing in a dirty dusty cold shack next to a tunnel house. The ceiling was in observable due to the mass amounts of garlic hangingto dry, there was writing ALL over the walls, and if we were really quiet sometimes we could hear mice clambering about on the roof. After 2 days, I didn't want to leave. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, day in day out just chillin with tea and friends for hours after work finished which was usually around 2. We would chop our own wood for the fire in the "living room," make tea, and wait around just enjoying the warmth until dinner when we'd all go to Shaun's house and cook. Twas brilliant. I did a lot of cool things on that farm, especially since I somehow ended up being Shaun's protegei. Helping with a dead pig, feeding calfs, driving a 4-wheeler, learning awesome tips on growing food (like x-mas lights under the soil to keep it from freezing), and I was even given a Thai massage by my new French friend, Pierre. I met some crazy cool people there. Chelsea who is actually from GA can cook and bake up a storm. She's super knowledgeable about farming, and her presence just always made me feel good. Pierre has been traveling non-stop for 4 years, so he's kind of like my idol... Actually so is Chelsea. Sweet! But yeah, so Pierre is also a nutritionist and says no no no to gluten and had a lot of other really good advice in the way of food. William was a shorter-term wwoofer, but he was an exchange student from hong kong and enjoyed chatting with me about my fascination with the Chinese language. And of course sanders, whose leaving actually lightened the entire farm and made everything less awkward. Leaving the farm was surprisingly hard as well. Although I knew them for a short amount of time I really came to like our little family unit. Hugs all around, from Shaun as well, and many "this isn't really a goodbye, I'll see you later in my travels." Was a rough beginning-minus 6 degrees the 1st night with nothing but a few blankets and a hot water bottle-but I survived and came through to really love the place.

Sad days

Im actually typing this up a week after I wrote it: journal entry from the day we left the frenchies: I'm having a hard time holding back the tears and the giant lump that is stuck in my throat. What is it about goodbyes that creates such strong reactions? Piers, Stefan, and I are headed to Clinton-our first wwoofing adventure-it's exciting, but right now all I feel is loss. Even though it had a bit of a rocky start, the ultimate road trip ended up being a huge success. Two islands in one month, friends I will never forget, and a lifetime of memories. Crazy to think that back in welly I was ready to leave everyone. Just goes to show how a bit of perseverance goes a long way. Oh my. It may not have been the adventure I imagined or expected, but it sure was one hell of a month I will never forget. :end journal entry: Now is my last night with piers and Stefan! It's weird to think I may never see these people again-these people who Ive spent nearly every waking minute with for the past 3 months. Seems impossible that they'd ever really be out of my life. And I don't think they will be-we've all made lasting impressions on one another. But I'm off on my own again, though this time I'm meeting up with a whole heap of friends in Christchurch-it's gunna be tiiight!

WO-AH

Sitting in Queenstown right now, and it just hit me how little time I have left in New Zealand!! Just one week ago I was so homesick I wanted to get on a plane and go home immediately, but now it's completely different!

Thinking back on my journey I realize how crazy of an adventure it truly was. Strangely, while it was happening I often felt underwhelmed by the journey, as if I wasn't doing enough to fullfill my expectations. But that's the way it always goes I guess. Now there are tears in my eyes and a giant smile on my face as I look at the pictures from the past crazy month. Jack and his crew have gone throughout nearly all of NZ in 4 short weeks and although there were some trying times, overall it has been incredible. I've seen amazing things and done some pretty heart stopping activities. My favorite of which was the tongariro alpine crossing, which took us high into the mountains and gave the most breathtaking views.

I jumped out of a plane, 12000 ft in the air and I explored the abundant forests at ground level. I rejoiced with my friends over free pudding at 8:00 pm, which barely satisfied our infinite cravings for chocolate. We've driven through the southern alps and stopped many times along the way to take in the sights and just "be." Even on low key days like yesterday where I spent the majority of my time on the internet organizing things, new experiences were abundant. Stefan and I ventured out in search of pavlova, a traditional kiwi dessert, and after a bit of a wild goose chase, found the scrumptious delicacy in a resteraunt called lone star, which had a roaring fire in the center and a very kind and humorous Maori waiter who made me feel like much much more than a poor dirty backpacker, especially when he brought me my glass of pinot gris wine on it's own platter and bent down for me to take it "madame,"

I know I still have 3 weeks left and I shouldn't yet be reminescing, however, the end of this part of my journey is nearly over. On Saturday the frenchies will drop stefan, piers, and I off in Invercargill and from there we'll find a way to get to our first wwoofing host. The jack clan will be split and the super fast crazy "see NZ!" will be over. A couple weeks of wwoofing, a show in Auckland, and some partying with friends, and then home. I simply can't believe it.

At least I had some time to relax and think of the future whilst in fox glacier. After the trek on the ice during the day, we came back to the hostel and jumped into the hot tub located on the back deck amidst a forrest at the base of a mountain. Pure Awesome.

I don't wanna leave. But you can bet I'll be thoroughly enjoying these last few weeks.

Much love!

Recently:

I've got no excuse for the lack of updates. Absolutely none as I've had 3 days of free Internet and nothing to do except sit around in the hostel. So I apologize for neglecting this. However, it's late and I'm exhausted (I actually went on a hike today) so no big posts today. Just a short update-I'm now in the south island and it is absolutely magnificent. Does not disappoint! I have a flight back to Auckland on the 28th of June, markingbasically the end of my trip. :-( But, good news! My mother's results came back and the tumor has decreased 50-60%! Still 2 more months of chemo to go until the next step. But I'll be home soon to help my mom fight. Here's the bad news-I go home soon. Here's the good news-I go home soon! So many conflicting feelings about that! Until next time when I'll give a proper update, Te anui

Indulging desires in Wellington

It began with an egg. But not just one egg, I wanted heaps. A plate filled with a mountain of eggs! The cravings began two days ago and slowly built up until the crushing weight of my yearnings were too strong-I became weak under its pressure and when I saw eggs Benedict on the menu of a strange cafe located in a home and garden store, I cracked-just like the eggs that were shortly thereafter released into the frying pan. The circle of life. Price? $16 Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), it didn't end there. After a nudge from the fates (a German girl I'd met previously asking me if I had plans that night), I cracked again. But what a delightful break it was! $4 for the best cappuccino to have graced my lips, complimented perfectly by the live jazz playing in front of me whilst I sat in cafe lido trying to make sense of the broken English my new friend was using. Pure brilliance. Pure bliss. Leaving the smooth sounds that breathe fire in my soul was a sombre task, however, my friend was tired (and probably straight up didn't like jazz). But we battled the Wellington wind home to our hotel hostel where I was rewarded with a huddle of friends and a good movie. ...whoever said money can't buy happiness was a liar...