Auckland Life

Having a lazy day today so thought it would be a good time to update everyone. The house is great! Aaron and Jason have been working alot and have been busy at night as well so we have not seen much of them. Jason brought home a xmas ham from work so we have been eating alot of ham sandwiches! Aaron has two boys, Jarod who is 8 and Ethan who is 5. They stay with him every second weekend and this is one of the weekends. So we have been hanging out with them today. They invited us to have supper with them tonight...spaghetti and meat balls or as they call it "spog" for short. And Jason went to Melbourne for the weekend with work and wont be back till sunday.

Nate and I have taken the train into the city center almost everyday this week. We wanted to sign up for our NZ bank accounts and IRD #'s (thats like our social insurance # at home). So yesterday we went down to the hostel we stayed in when we first arrived and they gave us some forms to fill out. We headed over to the bank and got our accounts set up. Then to the post shop where we sent our forms for our IRD's away, we should get our numbers in 10-12 business days. We got our resume's updated and gave them to Nate's friend Patrick who knows a recruitment agent. She said there wont be many jobs right now because of xmas so it may be a few weeks before we find anything. But it shouldnt be hard for me to find a job bartending since there are many bars and the kiwi's like to drink :). Nate did apply for a scuba diving job and is really hoping to hear from them.

During the start of the week we walked over to the Domain...its a huge park near the city center. It has a museum in it, cricket fields, flower gardens, and a duck pond just to name a few! The park is so big that when we walked through it took us about two hours and we completely missed the museum! I guess its about 80 hectares in size. We are planning on going back since the museum is supposed to have some great cultural shows about the Maori.

On thursday we walked over to Mt Eden which is Aucklands highest cone 196m (dormant volcano). The trek up was tough but the view was amazing and very worth the climb! There you could see the whole city, the harbours, and the ocean. It was breathtaking and I could have stayed up there all day. There were cows up there too! So you had to watch where you stepped. The symetrical crater (50m deep) is known as Te Ipu Kai a Mataaho (the food bowl of the Mataaho, the god of things hidden in the ground) and is highly sacred so you are not aloud to enter it. They also want to preserve it so you have to stick to the little pathways around it. On the way down there was a very steep slope with lots of dirt...I decided this would be a trecherous area for me and assumed if I took the path I would slip so I took the grass...Nathan must have thought differently cuz right after I had this thought he took the path and fell flat on his ass ha ha! he scraped his arm and was covered in red dirt but otherwise ok. Too bad my camera wasnt out to document the fall!

On friday was when we finaly got our bank accounts and stuff set up. We decided we wanted pizza for lunch so we went to Dominos near Base (our first hostel) and got a large pepperoni and a litre of coke. We headed over to Albert park which is on the city's eastern flank. It is right next to the University. We ate our deliciously greasy pizza and then just layed in the grass and enjoyed the sun.

Last night we went to the Grasshopper (which is a thai restaurant) where we met patrick and some of his work friends for a birthday. We had some spring rolls and a deep fried banana with cocunut ice cream...very tasty. From there we went to the bar where we met up with Pat's friend Mike and some others from south africa. We ended up going to three diff bars, The Zeppa, Sail St bar, and then the Lennon bar near the Viaduct Harbour. It was a fun night which we ended with a McDonalds cheese burger and fries. The cab ride home was a bit pricier than it would be in canada...I think we payed just under 20$ for a five min ride! But it was that or sleep on Pat's couch.

Only 5 days till Christmas here! We are planning on going to the beach and then to Patricks for a BBQ! Never had a BBQ at xmas so it should be good. Then we plan to find some good deals on boxing day. We already have a few stores downtown that we plan to go to for sales.

Thats about all for now. If I dont update again, well Merry Christmas everyone!
Terra

I have arrived!

I have arrived and been in Auckland for 3 days now! My flight was very long. My parents dropped me at the Regina airport where we said our farewells. The flight was very uneventful. I met my friend Tanya at the Calgary airport and visited for a bit before heading off to Vancouver. I was given a free headset on my second flight...not sure why, but the flight dude must have thought I was cute or something lol!

The trek from my landing gate in Van city, to the international gate seemed to go on forever! I wasnt given a window seat for my flight to Auckland but when I got on no one else was in their seat yet...I took the opportunity to steal the window seat. It was a chinese couple who sat next to me and they didnt speak much english so they didnt say anything!

The flight attendant I had told me I was aloud to move to the back if I wanted more space to stretch out and sleep. I checked it out once we got in the air but they had already been taken. Soon after they presented us with dinner. I had chicken in a red wine sauce with mushrooms and a salad. It also came with a bun, cheese, crackers, and cheese cake. And I got free NZ wine as well which was very tasty. After the meal I watched a few movies...Nights in Rodanthe, Juno, and Waitress. I slept off and on but it was hard since there was a baby crying constantly, a kid with a cough, a guy who kept sneezing in the row next to us that kept scaring me awake(probably would have been funny to see) and the bathroom door that was slammed open and closed a few times. I got to watch out flight progress on screen as well which was pretty neat. In the morning they served us breakfast which consisted of a fruit tray, yogurt, muffin, orange juice, and coffee or tea. It was also very good.

I didnt really get excited until we started our decent. I relized then that I was on the other side of the world. It seemed like a dream. We finally landed and and as we were coming in the sun came up so I got to see everything.

It took forever to get my bag. I then headed over to customs where the lady gave me a hard time for not having a copy of my approved work visa. I was scared she wasnt going to let me in but she finally stamped my passport and I made my way to the x-ray machines. I made it past and went thru the last gate where Nathan was waiting.

I was so relieved to see him and know that the long flight was finally over. I gave him a big hug and we went and sat down. I was shaking so badly(not sure why) that he had to take my camera away to look at the pictures I was trying to show him, lol. I had to keep touching him to make sure he was real. After a short rest we jumped on the airbus that took us into downtown auckland.

I couldnt believe how nice and green everything was. And it was weird to be driving on the wrong side...still not used to that. We checked into the hostel but our room wasnt ready until 1pm and it was only 8am. so we put my bags in Nate's previous room for safe keeping and went exploring.

We walked down to the harbour and got some pictures. I met Nate's friend Patrick. Then we walked back to the hostel where we crashed for about 4 hours.

That night we went to a movie (The Day the Earth Stood Still) and wandered around downtown a bit checking out the sights.

The next day we went to Cornwall Park (aka One Tree Hill) Where Nathan's friend Patrick's friend were having a BBQ. We got to see NZ sheep and cows for the first time! Then we had to go look at a couple places to live so we wont have to stay in a hostel over x-mas. Patricks friend Aaron offered to drive us and he took us on the scenic route, it was great he was like a tour guide!

The two places we looked at were crappy. The one had alot of cats and a tree in the shower...seemed a bit sketchy. So then Aaron says why dont you come see my place...so we did and ended up moving in today! It is really cool. Nate and I will add a video of it later.

So after looking at all the houses we went back to the BBQ and then went out to the bar that night.

Today we moved our stuff to Aarons, picked up some groceries at a mall 2 mins away and have been hanging out most of the day.
Tomorrow we will probably start looking for jobs.
I think I will go now before this turns into a novel! Hope you are all doing well at home. I heard the weather is a little chilly so I will try to send some sun home. Ttyl
Terra

Goodbye Snow!

I officially leave in 21 hours! I think I have everything done. Did my last shopping today and got all my christmas gifts wrapped and under the tree!
Nathan is in Auckland and doing well, I am very excited to see him :). We dont have much planned other than where we are staying once I arrive. I cant wait to see everything and be away from the cold snow here and on the beach with a nice tan!
I had my going away party on saturday which was great. It was good to see family and friends before my trip since I wont see anyone at christmas...or for a very long time after that.
All that I have left to do is make sure I have everything packed and nothing is forgotten. And then I need to eat as much christmas baking as I can stuff in my face so that I get my share lol! And my mom made buns which are delish...wont have those agian for a while. Lots of ppl suggested going for dinner tonight, but I wont have a home cooked meal for some time and have opted to stay in.
My flight leaves at 2:25pm tomorrow and I fly to Calgary, then Vancouver. Then its a strait 16 hour flight to Auckland! I land at 6am NZ time on the 12th...there is a 19 hour time difference so it will be the 11th here still and 11am our time. I lose a whole day! Its almost like time travelling :)
I couldnt get NZ money here, it would have taken too long to order in so I am hoping the Vancouver airport can exchange some for me.
Well wish me luck! Next time I post I will hopefully be sitting on a beach somewhere enjoying the hot hot sun!
See ya later saskatchewan!

1 week to go!!!

So I made the move to Regina this past sunday. What a long road it seemed to be to get to this point! My last day of work was kinda sad. I really enjoyed it there and will miss alot of the people I worked with.
I was sick during the move which kinda sucked but am feeling better now and hope to be back to 100% by the weekend. My dad is throwing me a going away party on saturday which should be a blast!
I sewed my canadian flags onto my packs today...they look awesome! But I had to redo one that was crooked. I tried to leave it but knew it would drive me crazy if I left it like that so ripped it off and redid it. My fingers are very cut up from the needle but it was worth it!
I still need to get my tetnas shot and I have a dentist appointment tomorrow. And after that I need to get my travelers insurance and I should be ready to go...gotta do laundry and make sure I have everything packed too.
Other than that my only worry is Nathan. He was stranded in Bangkok because of the airport closures and is busing it to Singapore to try to catch his flight to Melbourne...his flight was already booked from Melbourne to New Zealand and he was worried he wouldnt make it on time. Still waiting to hear from him and hoping for the best. I am sure everything will work out just how its supposed to.
Seven days and counting!!!

16 days to go!

So I just celebrated my 25th this weekend. I dont feel any different, not older or wiser. But if I reflect back on the year I had I know I have learned a whole lot more about myself. I have had many obstacles to face that have led me to who I am today and I dont really have any regrets. Ya my parents might be disapointed that I didnt finish my classes at school but I learned that before I go back I need to find what I am passionate about. I dont want to be someone who goes to work each day and hates it. I want to enjoy it and feel that I am making a difference in the world. When I come home at the end of the day I want to feel fulfilled.
So off to New Zealand for an adventure...and to learn more. Only 16 days left! I have my backpack and am trying to decide what to take and what not to...its tough! And I am in the midst of packing to move my stuff from my place in Saskatoon to my moms basement in Regina for storage. I bought a camera and am almost ready to go. I got to Party with Megan one last time before I go this past weekend which was awesome. I only have 5 more shifts at work...then moving day on sunday and then its only 10 days after that and I will be in NZ on the 12th! So far all we have planned is to stay in Auckland and explore. Then try to get Jobs right away. Then we are meeting Nathan's friends in January sometime and maybe travelling to Christchurch in February. I have a lonely planet book for NZ that I have highlighted and bookmarked for all the things I want to do and see. The black river rafting is a must and I want to learn to surf for sure! I'll be sure to update again before I leave!

This and That

My flight is officialy booked! I leave wednesday Dec. 10th at 2:25. I fly to Calgary then Vancouver, and from Vancouver strait to Auckland. Its 23 hours in total with layover time included. My flight from Van city to Auckland is 16hrs! My passport has been approved and I am anxously awaiting its arrival in the mail. I applied for my international drivers permit which I can pick up on tuesday. I still have to set up a bank account, get my IRD # (which is NZ's social insurance #), set up travelers insurance, and make sure I have all my shots n such.

I am getting my backpack on friday(my b-day!) and some of my travel stuff I still need. My mom is coming down to take me shopping and go for supper :) and Megan (my BFF who I refer to as my "person") might be flying down from Winnipeg.

I gave work my notice and am done in 2 weeks. I am moving all my stuff home to the parents house for storage on the 30th. I have 10 days in Regina to see all my family and friends before I go. So anyone who wants to see me better book me ASAP!

Its going to be a very sad day on the 10th but also a very exciting one. I can't wait! Only 24 days to go...

First post...

Ok so this blogger thing is completly new to me, but I want everyone to be able to follow my adventures in New Zealand...so here goes...

I am currently in the throws of planning the trip and getting myself prepared...crossing my T's and dotting my I's as my stepdad would say. I still need to book my flight, I still need to set up accounts and get my visa, and I still need to get a backback and everything to go in it. Its been hard to plan because I have never done this before and I have already learned that it is better to research than to throw yourself over the edge before looking...

That said I have about a month to tie up all the loose ends and jump on the plane. I plan to leave on Dec. 10th since flights start to get very expensive after that.

Nathan is currently in phuket Thailand getting certified as a divemaster. He is going to do a little more travelling in Thailand and around, then hoppin on over to Australia for a week or so and he should be in NZ by the 2nd of Dec. and I will meet him in Auckland.

I will try to keep this updated on my progress and plans and I hope everyone enjoys reading about my trip!

Terra