No shirt, No Shoes, No Problem

Everywhere I go people are barefoot  in New Zealand.  When I first arrived, I was shocked to see people barefoot in the city, in the shops, in take away restaurants and even in the supermarket.  But I get it now, it's just part of Kiwiana.  It represents the attitude and the carefree life.  I have welcomed this summer more than I've welcomed most and I'm trying to take advantage of it as much as possible. It hasn't taken much time off of work and in the sun for my feet to look like they belong on a New Zealand beach.  Here's a recap of my busy but wonderful holiday break:

- Christmas Eve was spent in my old flat so that I could wake up with people around and was surprised when I actually had something to open on Christmas morning (thanks to my flatmate, Meagan).  Christmas Dinner was a BBQ with my friend, Amanda, and her family where I was treated to some nice dishes that I've never tried before (including Christmas pudding).

Tent in Pauanui, Coromandel

- On Boxing Day Amanda and I packed up the car and drove to the Coromandel peninsula which is about a 2 hour drive east of Auckland.  The peninsula is lined with beautiful beaches and beach communities.  We camped on a plot of land hired out by Amanda's brother and his friends.  It has a small building just large enough to fit a kitchen on one side and bathroom on the other and the rest of the plot has space for tents and a few camper vans which we used to keep our food in.

Daniel, Olivia, Carl, Amanda

- After a few days in the Coromandel we went back north through Auckland to the west coast of the north island.  We met up with our friends in Opononi (which is just south of 90-mile beach).  There were about 13 of us (not including the 7 children) camping outside of a bach (which is basically a rustic cabin on the ocean).  We had did some sandboarding, ate BBQ, set up a campfire, sang songs, drank and played games.  It was a perfect way to bring in the new year. 

- On Jan 2, Amanda and I packed up our tent once again and headed directly east to the other coast to see the Bay of Islands.  We stayed in a hostel that night and after the bars closed we kept it going by ending the night drinking warm Reisling from the bottle, sitting on the beach, with some of the guys we met at the bar.  It tasted disgusting but I enjoyed every minute of it.

- The next day we were heading out to Urupukapuka Island and Amanda tripped and although there was some blood the most damage was to her knee which quickly swelled up and couldn't take any weight.  It was a bad way to start off the most physical part of our trip (we had everything with us for two nights of camping including all of our food and water that we needed to carry up a steep path over a mountain to the other bay where we would camp).  It made things a bit tough but we were fortunate to have beautiful weather for our time there and we caught a concert on the island featuring Jordan Luck, formally a lead singer in a Kiwi band, The Exponents.

Mangawhai Heads tent site

- We got back to the mainland and stayed another night in Paihia at the hostel and had Amanda's knee checked out before heading south to Mangawhai Heads about 2 hours north of Auckland.  Another small beach town, this time we set up our tent at a site directly in front of the beach.  We took in another concert on Friday night (Fat Freddy's Drop, another Kiwi Band) and then lounged around the next morning, slowly coming to terms with the fact that the vacation was over.

Flight around Auckland

- The Sunday after we returned we closed out the vacation with a voucher I purchased to fly around Auckland in a small prop plane.  As we taxied to the runway I nervously asked the pilot how long he had been flying.  With three years under his belt and the plane already lined up to takeoff, I decided I didn't have much of a choice but to stay calm.  I was happy I did.  It was an amazing experience and I even got to fly the plane a few times.  Of course, I noticed he always checked to see that it could basically fly itself before handing over the controls, but I actually appreciated that over the alternative of plummeting to the earth under my control.

I spent two full weeks on the road.  Have become quite tan for the first time in years.  Cherished spending time with all of my friends here.  And absolutely LOVED spending time in New Zealand without the stress of a job.  Throughout the entire trip I had trouble remembering why I wanted to go back to the United States.  It's such a wonderful country and I have made awesome friends.  I can already feel the melancholy trying to take hold.  It's amazing how my mind changes as soon as the end comes nearer.

A Bitter Sweet Vacation

For the past two weeks I have enjoyed not only some holiday time from work but the privilege of traveling with one of my best friends around both Sydney and Northern New Zealand.  Unfortunately, like many good things, it came to an end today.  This evening as we said goodbye at the airport (and I struggled and failed to keep my composure in public), I realized that this was just the beginning of all the goodbyes I will be saying in the next few months.  Here are some of the highlights of our travels:

Sydney, Blue Mountains:
We rented a car and drove west of the city just shortly after arriving in Sydney.  We stopped by a farm on the way out for the required photos with koala and kangaroo before enjoying the beauty and expanse of the Blue Mountains.  Don't be fooled by the image, it was a bright sunny day and the mountains really are that picturesque.

Inside Sydney Opera House

Opera at the Sydney Opera House:
On one of our last nights in the city we went to an opera at the Opera House.  The most famous opera house in the entire world didn't disappoint.  The atmosphere and experience was well worth it.  It was a nice night out on the town.  Although the sets weren't what we were expecting, we assumed that the number of shows at the Opera House prevent the size and cost of the permanent ones we are used to in Chicago.


Running the Auckland Marathon/Half Marathon:

An early morning start

So I didn't run the marathon as I had planned.  In fact, I didn't even train for the half marathon as I intended, but I ran it anyway.  We woke up at 4:30am on a Sunday and walked to the ferry where we met up with all the other crazy runners to start a marathon.  We crossed the start line together but I ended up falling to the back of the pack quite quickly.  In fact, I made friends with a 60+ year old man who was speed walking his fifth marathon in five months - I found this out just before he sped away.  So it wasn't the performance I would have liked but in the end I completed a half marathon in Auckland and am one of the few that got the opportunity to walk/run across the Auckland Harbour Bridge into the city.  Author's Note: For those wondering my time was 2 hours and 59 minutes, I finished in just enough time to take pictures of Dave as he crossed the finish line of the full marathon.  My flatmate Janine crossed just shortly after that (she started 50 minutes later with the rest of the half marathoners). 

Dave trying a small dune

Cape Reinga, New Zealand:
On Tuesday morning after spending Monday letting our muscles recover we drove north to Cape Reinga.  We lucked out with amazing weather which just made the experience so much more enjoyable.  Cape Reinga is the northern most point in New Zealand and is also where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean and on a clear day, like the one we had, you can actually see where the waters collide.  It was amazing!  And on our way we stopped by 90-mile beach (which isn't actually 90 miles, but that's just details) and went to the dunes to try sand boarding (basically sledding down massive sand dunes).

Waitomo Caves, New Zealand:

Blackwater rafting at Waitomo

On the last Saturday of our holiday we drove south of Auckland to see Waitomo Caves.  The caves are famous for the glow worms that line the ceilings.  We opted for a blackwater rafting tour to really experience the caves.  Blackwater rafting is hiking and tubing through the cave on a guided tour.  The water was freezing but the glow worms and the experience made it very impressive.  And along the route we found out that the "glow worms" are actually fly larvae (a.k.a. maggots) that glow to attract their food source.  Rightly so, they have been calling them glow worms since the 1800s when they first started bringing tourists to the caves.

Things to be thankful for:
- Best friends
- New Zealand - an amazing country
- Crossing more off my to do list (see the bay of islands, Waitomo Caves, half marathon and sand boarding!! It was a busy vacation!)

Operation Red Herring

Forget the excitement, it's fear, fear and more fear.  Who does this to themselves? I mean, really?!? I'm going to be over 8000 miles away.  Holy crap!  What am I doing?  If I don't cry in the first week at least once when I get there, I will be shocked...who am I kidding, before I even leave I'll be sobbing like a big baby.

Ok, this won't work.  So, to avoid completely breaking down and ruining the trip, I have a new plan - I'm going to arrive and live in a constant state of distraction.  That's right, I'm planning to mask the fear, the shock, and the stress with as many diversions as I can find so that I don't have time left to think about being homesick and sad. And eventually, maybe, I won't have to pretend at all. So, I've added new things to my list of to dos in New Zealand...(actually, I just want something to cross off after my first weekend.)

43.  Visit the Kai Iwi Lakes

44.  Camp on the beach

Distraction #1 - Weekend Camping Trip: After landing in Auckland, I'll have a day to sort things out before getting in a car and driving north for a few hours to the Kai Iwi Lakes.  It's there, that I'll spend three nights camping and playing on the beach. I personally can't think of a better distraction upon arrival.
 

Distraction #2 - Spending Time on a Boat: The Kai Iwi Lakes are three fresh water lakes, located on the Northwest coast just 2.5 km from the Tasman Sea. They have white sand beaches and are surrounded by farmland and pine plantations. Campsites are set up just off of the beach making it convenient to pull up a boat nearby, which coincidentally, we should have with us.

Distraction #3 - Easter with Fellow Heathens: There's talk of a group of people spending the long Easter weekend at a beach house in Omaha (on the East coast of New Zealand also north of Auckland).  BBQs, drinking games, beaches, fishing...not a bad way to spend the holiday.

...and so begins "Operation Red Herring."

About the pictures:  The first photo is an aerial shot of the lakes and the Tasman Sea just beyond.  In the second photo the people are standing near the campsites on the edge of the pine forest.