Alrighty, hello everyone! As you will notice this was nearly a novel about my South Island tour but it was full of great times, wonderful people and good memories so it took a while to write them all down. I also included the highlights from the week after my trip. Each entry is dated at the top of the day to keep things easy to understand.
12/26/13
After days of packing/unpacking and repacking our luggage, Ashley Ruebsamen and I met on the day after Christmas at the Auckland Airport at around 10 am and headed to check in for our flight to Christchurch! After check in we made a quick pit stop at the ATM and bathroom then there was basically enough time to snap a photo with our excited faces on and board the plane. Airports in NZ are a breeze compared to the US after 9/11. Security took all of 5 minutes and we didn’t even have to take off our shoes, belts, and other jewelry. We went to our separate seats on the plane both super stoked for our adventure to the South Island on New Zealand. I read my book for most of the flight. When we arrived in Christchurch it was raining and pretty cold even though its summer here.
We sorted out which bus to take after grabbing our luggage and headed off to find our hostel. When we first walked into our hostel it smelt horrendous and Ashley was getting quite skeptical. We were in a room with 6 beds and as far as we knew we were the only girls in a fully booked room of stinky men! (Later we found out there were 2 boys and 4 girls in the room including us). While we were dropping off our luggage we ran into one of our roomies and found out he was from Greece and was traveling the south island on holiday. Ashley and I decided to take our chances and brave the rain to get started exploring the city and sorting out dinner. Luckily our hostel was right in the middle of the city center so we were able to find a grocery close and then do some walks along the river as well. If you don’t know what a hostel is (like me before this trip), rest assured that they are not as scary as the American movies make them out to be; it’s basically just a house with lots of rooms, lots of bunk beds, a few bathrooms and a few kitchens with a shared common area for games or parties. Usually the rooms have between 4-6 beds but there are also doubles or singles available for a little bit more money. The kitchens have all the utensils, pots/pans, cups, plates, etc. that you may require however you have to bring/label all your own food and spices. In each of the hostels we stayed in throughout my tour there always was a free food bin as well so it’s interesting to raid that for any surprising finds! Kiwi BaseCamp, our first hostel in Christchurch was nice enough, a little dirty for my liking but the people were nice and the beds were warm. Christchurch is known as the garden city and that is evident since everywhere we turned we saw beautiful vegetation and gardens sporadically placed throughout the city. About 3 years ago there was a devastating earthquake there in Christchurch that basically wiped out the city. Even though they have made a great deal of progress in rebuilding the city you can tell that the heart of the great city died along with all the destruction in the natural disaster. I found Christchurch to be a little depressing but I was also amazed at the innovation some people had when rebuilding. They used shipping containers to create a mall that still stands today, cardboard cylinders were used to create the Cardboard Cathedral, and old wooden pallet were painted and used to create outdoor food areas with buckets and old doors as tables. There were hundreds of food trucks placed throughout the city, which gave you a feeling that people were a bit afraid to settle down again due to fear of upheaval but also made it an interesting city with eclectic charm. Also there were city sanctioned street art murals everywhere throughout the city on walls of buildings. The art really brought culture and life back into the city but it also portrayed the sadness at the lost this city and its people have been through. One section of the city that was particularly emotion provoking was behind the Cardboard Cathedral there was 185 chairs of all shapes and sizes painted white sitting on a green patch of turf in an otherwise empty lot. The 185 chairs represented all the men, women, and children who died that day during the horrific events caused by the earths collapse. I’m not really sure why this memorial affected me so much but I found that it was quite powerful to use all different types of chairs all painted white. I mean they even had a baby stroller, height chair, and rocking chairs, anything you could think of. It represented that we are all different, both in age, ethnicity, and personality but the solidarity of white said that all these people still died before their time and were united in the unfortunate events 3 years previous. On the walls of the buildings behind the memorial were murals portraying a helicopter looking with spot lights for the people and the Cathedral (which Christchurch was famous for) it showed and empty space but in the spot lights there was a town Centre, the cardboard cathedral, and rebuild mall which represented that they city had not given up and they would try to rebuild even though it would never again be the same city it had previously been. As Ashley and I walked along the river, we navigated our way through the different main points of the city. We saw the Botanical Gardens, Bridge of Remembrance, Cathedral square, Rebuild mall (made of shipping containers), a Dyslexia Foundation exhibit that was awesome, quite a few parks, and a bunch of half destroyed/rebuilt historical buildings and structures. Unfortunately, Ashley hurt her foot and was having a hard time walking so we headed back to the hostel to cook our yummy pasta dinner. After cooking and cleaning our dishes we sipped some complimentary tea (most hostels provide tea and coffee of some sort; tea and coffee is sort of a ritual here and I believe in Europe as well) and I stared up some conversation and games with a couple of German travelers as well. There was a boy named Christov and a girl who I forget the name of that played cards with Ashley and I until around midnight. We all had tons of fun conversing and teaching each other different games and facts about our respective countries. We also found this hilarious game that used mini plastic champagne glasses stacked in a tower and played similar to Jenga. None of us had ever seen it before but we got a good laugh out of trying to not tip over the glasses. Around midnight we made our way to the rooms and tried to get some sleep. It rained all night long.
12/27/13
Part of the reason we booked our hostel is because they said they provided a continental breakfast which we were stoked about until we realized that 2 loaves of fresh baked bread to feed 35 people with butter, jam, and vegemite was their idea of a continental. None the less the bread was pretty good. Not as good as my dad’s homemade bread but it was edible and better than nothing. Ashley and I spent the morning organizing our bus trip to transfer to our other hostel and meet up with our tour group. After dropping off our luggage at Haka Lodge (a considerably nicer hostel) we met up with a French girl named Marion who was also going on our tour. All three of us decided that due to the rainy weather and Ashley’s injured foot the gondola and a short look around Lyttelton was the best idea so we hopped on a bus and went up the gondola. Although the Lyttelton harbor view was blocked by the low hanging clouds we were able to get some gorgeous views of the city and hills there in Christchurch. While we were in the gift shop there we found the funniest must have winter accessory: a Willy warmer! Ahahah. Completely ridiculous but still hilarious and we all got a good laugh out of it. We also took a theatrical tour of the history of Christchurch that was pretty interesting. On our way back we went all the way into the city to stop in at a grocery to sort out dinner and lunch for the next day before returning to the hostel to meet the rest of the girls. Unfortunately for us the lodge staff had forgotten to give us the code to the door so we were locked out and no one was answering the door. Just when I was about to climb in through the window to go unlock the door for the other girls I heard a car pull into the car park outside the hostel. Luckily it was our guide and he was happy to put in the code and let us in. Once we got in and got settled, we made ourselves a great dinner as well played some games which helped us get to know the other girls who had arrived. The Haka Lodge was so nice. It was clean, colorfully decorated, and made you feel just as if you were at home. The only thing that I was not too keen on was the pet cat running around because I’m allergic but the runny nose only lasted a bit and was totally worth it for the upgrade from our previous night’s accommodation. It turned out in our group of 20 girls there were 2 from Netherlands, 4 from USA, 1 from England, 1 from Canada, 1 from France, and the rest were from Germany. All in all it was a fairly diverse group which was nice. For most of the tour we naturally divided into 2 main groups the native English speakers and the non-native English speakers. This was not a purposeful division it just kind of happened that way. I hung out with all the different groups at one point or another except for the 2 girls from the Netherlands because they kept to themselves and chose not to join whenever invited to join in group events or activities. I would say we had a great group of girls all together there and had a blast exploring the south island together. Some of the other girls and I watched a movie with Sandra Bullock about alcohol abuse that was honestly not a very well made film but for some reason Ashley and I had to finish it before we could let ourselves go to bed.
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| haka lodge hostel |
On Saturday we met our guide Hygi (pronounced High-gEE) for the first time officially at breakfast. We all had a lovely meal and discussed some details of our trip, took a group photo and we were off to the bus headed for a tour through Christchurch and then on to Lake Tekapo. Since it was raining we didn’t spend too much time in Christchurch but we did drive by Sumner Beach which looked really cool for caving or rock climbing possibly as well as surfing. I think I would like to go back and visit sometime maybe. On the way to Tekapo we stopped in a small town called Geraldine which is home to the Largest Jersey(aka Sweater) in the world so of course we had to take a photo with it. We had a nice little walk around the town before we hopped back on the bus and finally arrived at Lake Tekapo in time to check into our hostel and freshen up and drive to the look-out point above the lake before dinner at Reflections Café. I ordered a succulent Lamb leg with vegetables and potatoes in a red wine sauce. And it was delicious as I’m sure you suspected. Tekapo is one of the few cities in the world where there are actually laws restricting lights/ electricity use. They do this so that on clear nights you can see the stars and that is why the Observatory there is one of the most famous in the world for the views of the sky that can be seen. Unfortunately, due to the rain the clouds were blocking our view but it was still interesting to know that we were in a place of that significance. After dinner we all grabbed our togs and went to the hot pools. They were a piping hot 32, 34, and 37 degrees Celsius. It started to rain while we were in the hot pools. The great thing about hot tubs or spa pools is they are good no matter what the weather is. Rain, snow, sun, or shine it’s always fabulous! Tekapo was probably one of my favorite places on the tour because the water that feeds in from the glacier was just so amazingly blue that I couldn’t believe how breathtaking it was. The bright blue water was enchanting and just made this quaint little town spectacular. Gina (Michigan), Lauren (Toronto, Canada) and I went for a walk around the lake as the sun was setting and headed back after it became dark to go back to bed.
12/29/13
After breakfast Gina, Lauren and I went for another walk across the bridge to this little seemingly abandoned church building that was sitting so picturesquely upon a hill over-looking the majestic waters. After jogging back to catch the bus we loaded up all our things and headed off toward Queenstown. Along the way we stopped and Fed Salmon at a salmon farm and then later we ate lunch in this cute little town called Cromwell. They really took the old-school buildings and small town feel to the next level here. It was almost theatrical the way everything was placed and decorated on the on street town. I love towns like these, they are so cute! Cromwell also overlooks a gorgeous lake which is probably another reason I was so taken with it. We made one more stop for pictures at Lake Pukaki which also had the gorgeous blue water. In late afternoon everyone’s Adrenaline spiked as 8 of us jumped off the Kawarau Bridge just before arriving in Queenstown, which is actually where the first Bungy in the world was performed and invented by AJ Hackett. I was the last to jump and had to go barefoot so as not to lose my moccasins but it was super awesome! Surprisingly I was not really nervous or scared to do it. I just jumped off and for a second had a moment where I was like what was I thinking? I am really falling! Then I thought well, it’s already done so let’s have some fun! Bungy was totally worth it! I think it’s one of those things that everyone has to do at least once in their life. The climb back up the cliff was the hardest part because I had no shoes and the ground was scorching so I had to jog up the cliff steps instead of leisurely making my way back up. I caved and decided to buy the photos. After collecting our photos we rushed over to Shot-over Canyon to ride a super-fast Jet Boat. These jet boats were designed by a new Zealander and only need 5 centimeters of water to be able to travel through the water over rocks, plants, whatever at speedy quick (top speed about 80 k per hour). I was sitting in the front next to the driver and I almost flew out a couple times when he did 360’s at high speed or swerved at the last minute when heading directly at cliffs. We had a great time on our adrenaline packed day! After the jet Hygi picked us up and we all headed back to the hostel (Haka Lodge: Queenstown), got settled and headed out to dinner take-away at Devil’s Burger which we took to the beach to eat on the lakefront. While we were eating this creepy dude came and asked if he could sit with us and of course I said, “sure, I mean its free sand” then he started talking to us really creepy so we went by the rest of the group and took a picture before heading back to the hostel and playing games with Gina, Lenora (Georgia), Ashley and Lauren. We also made a liquor stop on the way back to the hostel to stock up for New Year’s Eve before heading to bed.
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| random giant fruit and vege outside Cromwell |
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| our excited faces after bungy jump! |
12/30/13
Today we spent most of the day in the bus traveling to Milford sound and Fiordland. Since it was such a long drive Hygi, our guide decided to get a little game of chance going. We all had to put in a 2 dollar coin and he drew a grid on the passenger side of the window which we each chose a square from. At the end of the trip when we arrived in Queenstown it turned out that even though most of the bugs had been washed away by rain throughout the drive one German girl won the lot so she got an extra $42. The cruise itself was amazing through the enchanting waters of Milford Sound but the drive in and out was just as spectacular. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many waterfalls or greenness in my entire life. Through all the winding roads turning and twisting back and forth was a winding river with rain run-off waterfalls feeding into it at various places. The towering cliffs, mystical clouds/fog, and never ending greenery made you feel as if you were traveling through a movie set. It is almost unreal the immense beauty found in this area. Fiordland has been the setting for many movies such as: Lord of the Rings, Frozen, and many more TV shows/ movies. While on the cruise we were able to see a pod of seals lying on the rocks. Pita pit was the provided lunch on the cruise and it was yummy of course. All of us were rotating between the upper deck and the covered window cabin since it was raining. They say that Milford Sound is even better when it’s raining because of all the “thousands” of waterfalls that are everywhere. (When I say thousands I am not exaggerating even a little bit, there were waterfalls practically everywhere of all shapes and sizes.) During the cruise at one point the captain warned us that if we were not interested in getting wet we should come into the cabin but I couldn’t help but staying on the deck to get some photos of the enormous cascading waterfall I was soaked to the bone through my rain coat and all but it was totally worth it for the amazing experience of being so close to a waterfall like that. After returning the Queenstown we cleaned up before dinner and then went out to Winnebago’s for specialty pizza. Our group had a wonderful view of the restaurant from our table on the balcony overlooking the city and lake. Afterward we went back to the hostel and I stepped into the role of hairdresser to cut some of the girls in my group hair for new years and went to bed.
12/31/13
New Year’s Eve was pretty relaxed. Originally Ashley and I had vouchers to do these super sweet water-bikes however it was too windy and they were not running that day unfortunately. Instead we spent the day paroosing different shops and exploring the city with Lauren, Gina, and some other girls on and off. In the afternoon Gina, Roxanne, Lauren, Hygi, Marika, Christina and I went up the Queenstown Gondola and did the Luge. Speeding down the tracks in those tiny cars is kind of scary but by the end I got the hang of it and was racing past everyone. In our group during 5 runs we only had one altercation where Roxanne flew out of her car onto the pavement and many many times when we were nearly crashing/ balancing on 2 wheels instead of 4. Gina, Lauren and I literally ran back from the gondola to meet Ashley and go to the Ice Bar 5 below. For those who don’t know it is literally a bar made entirely of ice. The seats, cups, sculptures, tables, everything… is made solely of ice. So we put on the jackets that were provided and ordered our cocktails and explored the icy wonderland. At the end there was no one but us in the bar so we set up my camera and had a little dance party there wearing happy New Year hats and attempting to do a Hakka (New Zealand Maori native dance). We had so much fun in there however we were starting to freeze after about 30 odd minutes so we headed back out into the warm summer air and back to the hostel to sort out dinner. Our group of 4 made rice, roast chicken and veggies and joined the festivities that had already begun back at the hostel. While at the hostel we were able to join in a German tradition of watching a film called, “dinner for one” about a house keeper who cares for a woman who with Alzheimer’s or something (she doesn’t remember that all her friends are already dead). Apparently she had a birthday dinner each year to which she invites these friends. The 11 minute film depicts the servant acting the part of each of the guests and his own throughout the different courses. Since it is a formal meal there is a different alcoholic beverage served with each course so by the time it is over he is dancing and wobbling around drunk and she is clueless. It was actually a very hilarious film. According to the other German girls who were there that is a film that is played on all the channels in Germany all day long New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, so it would be common to see it more than once during the holiday. Then we all passed around a bottle of Champagne and took a swig to Celebrate and got our things together to head out onto the town. We started first at BRAZZ which ended up being a bar/restaurant that was more like an Applebee’s and older crowd so we decided to try out Hygi’s friends’ bar, Red Rock. It was a hole in the wall bar but had a pool table and we were still having a great time drinking beers and ciders. Later we tired of that bar and wanted to find our way to the beach for the Fireworks. We ended up discovering a club with a balcony called, “the Find” which had a balcony and a great view of the lake fireworks as well as dancing. So we watched the fireworks and danced until the wee hours of the morning. One kind of disgusting but hilarious fact about The Find is that the floors are so sticky that your shoes stick to them which make it quite hard to dance but also there are so many people pushing through the crowds that you often get knocked and pushed about. Normally getting pushed about would not be such a troublesome occurrence, however when your feet are all but glued to the floor it makes it a much more comical experience of crashing into people. Another interesting thing about the Find is they mix all of their drinks in small glass Tea pots so we were all passing around these tea pots drinking. Pretty cool idea if you ask me, definitely iconic and kind of made me think I was in Alice and Wonderland with all the colored disco lights, loud music, psychedelic images on the walls and such. At around 3:30 we all made our way back to the hostel. Gina and I stayed up and shared a bag of popcorn while chatting with Lenora. During our early morning popcorn escapade we noticed a bottle of unfinished champagne on the counter that resembled our bottle but we thought nothing of it at the time. The next morning we realized that our bottle of champagne had gone missing sometime during the night. Eventually we sorted out that the girls had thought it was their own bottle of champagne and traded us so there was no trouble.
1/1/2014
We spent the our first day in 2014 traveling to the “Purple Cow” hostel in Wanaka, walking around the lake and playing Frisbee golf during the rare times when the weather would allow. For those who don’t know Frisbee golf is where you throw a Frisbee from point A, trying to land into a birdcage looking basket thing at point B in a specific number of throws or below. We had a blast and it was cool to see the progress even after just a few tosses. Dinner was at Amigos, a Mexican food restaurant there in Wanaka. It’s so weird to me to eat Mexican food here because it’s not quite as spicy but also back in AZ Mexican is pretty much the cheapest restaurant food you can find but here I paid $20 just for one mini burrito thing that does not come with beans and rice. I just found it funny because in the states you would get all the fixings for maybe $10 and it would be tons of food. It was still very tasty. On the way home the girls and I stopped by the supermarket and got some mangoes along with other snacks. Marika, Donna, Ashley and I played Pictionary in the lounge during a break in the afternoon. Funny thing is with the language difference between German and English with New Zealand Pictionary cards we ended up coming up with some pretty creative ideas of what we thought words meant. Like one time Ashley was trying to make me guess belly flop from her drawing but I guessed suicide and it became a joke for the rest of the game. That night Gina and I put some laundry on the wash before we joined Lenora, Lauren, and Ashley when they went out to this little small town bar. We started a pool tournament and Lauren found a lovely Irish bar tender named Dave who later became a point of struggle the rest of the night. We all wanted an “early” night after our new year’s festivities so around 10:30 Ashley went home and around 11 I started trying to get everyone together and leave. We spent the next 3 hours trying to convince Lauren that it was not safe to go home with this random boy at the bar and that we would not leave without her. In the end the bar kicked us all out at closing and we declined an invite to an after party at the security beach house before parting ways with Lauren and going back to the hostel. Unfortunately, due to the rain it was freezing so to keep warm Gina gave me a piggy back ride while jogging behind Lenora and making a fairly comical scene as we went down the street. On a side note earlier in the night Lauren and I beat Gina and Lenora in a game of pool which was quite a feat considering both of us are horrible at billiards? And while Gina and Lauren were playing throughout the night a couple came and started hanging with us and telling us all their problems. By the end of the night we knew way more than we needed to about Tony and his love life or lack of one and we became thankful that we are not psychologist and only have to deal with these situations on rare occasions when the drunkard at the bar won’t leave you alone. All in all our early night turned into a super crazy evening that didn't end until Gina and I finished hanging out laundry precariously throughout the room in the dark at 3:30 am.
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| we survived new years eve! 2014! |
1/2/14
In the morning we woke up and played a few games before heading off to watch “Frozen” at the Paridiscio Theater in Wanaka. Not only was the movie completely awesome but the venue itself was so cute and eclectic. Instead of seats there were stairs of couches as well as a car half driven through the wall simulating a drive-in movie. Also there was an intermission where they served fresh baked cookies and hot drinks that were super yummy! After the movie we packed up our things and hopped on the road to Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. We arrived at Chateau Franz with just enough time to get changed for dinner and get picked up in a Hummer limo for dinner. Yeah that’s right, a Hummer Limo!!!! So we had a super fun time riding to the Blue Ice Bar for dinner and Karaoke night! All 20 of us girls spent the evening singing at the top of our lungs, eating, drinking, and playing pool once again. I don’t know what it is about karaoke but I think it is the most hilarious, fun activity ever! Later that night at the hostel, all 6 of our posy couldn’t sleep due to never-ending laughter about the stupidest things such as, “Hslupp”. In explanation, the day before at Amigo’s Lauren and Gina were looking at the menu and Gina says, “oo...tacos…yum! Burrito …tasty! Nachos…hslupp!” immediately we all start cracking up at the slurping noises and it became a joke the entire rest of the trip. Our night ended early at 2 am when we got a ride home in the limo again since it was raining sheets outside!
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| taking out free "backpakers" shot |
1/3/14
After breakfast Ashley, Lauren, Lenora, Vivian, Christina, Kristina, Marika, and I went kayaking on Mirror Lake which is made from glacier run-off. Although it was raining we had a blast navigating through the New Zealand Native Bush and chatting with our guides. About halfway through the 3 hour trek Jose, Cambell, and Mike stopped us and had us try some red leaves claiming they were called bubblegum leaf in Maori. To our surprise we found that in fact it is actually a pepper leaf which is used as an antithetic. Therefore for the next 10 minutes we all had numb burning tongues which our guides found hilarious! Ashley and I were in a double kayak and I was at the back, meaning I was in control of the Rutter! Ashley soon regretted this decision as I navigated us haphazardly into precarious situations. We had a blast! Er… well at least I did even when we got stuck a few times. Afterward we were soaked once again. By now nearly half of my clothing was soaking wet with no way to dry except to hang it up which was useless since we were in a rainforest and the humidity may have even made our clothe wetter by the next day. It rained on and off throughout the day and we made various trips around the small village getting a gift for our guide, picking up pictures, etc. In the afternoon we went on a walk to see the glacier since we were not able to actually go on it due to the weather preventing helicopter flights. I was a little bit surprised that the glacier was greyish in color instead of the bright blue like in Tekapo but it was still an amazing experience. Hygi threw us a BBQ to celebrate our last night on tour. So as we feasted on steak, salad, and pasta we presented Hygi with a case of his favorite beer and a card with warm remarks of thanks from each of us! After-all, he was a fabulous fun guide and we had a blast throughout the trip thanks to him and his surprises and connections. After dinner we had a party in our room (29) before heading out to Mongoose bar where we all had a blast dancing to country music and meeting various individuals in the bar. We had a great night, so much so that some girls were sick in the morning.
1/4/14
1/5/14
Bright and early the next morning I caught a shuttle to the airport at 4:30 am for my flight at 5:30. I arrived at the airport and caught the bus to Mt. Eden Road and made my way back to the house. After chatting with Kent and the boys for a little while, I slept for half the day; I unpacked, ate, and then later Skype with my family. It was so nice to talk to my family and start posting photos from the trip after being gone so long. It’s weird how you notice how much the little communication Skype and Facebook give you to people until it is not accessible for a time. On the tour in most of the hostels you could either pay for Wifi or it was provided with our package however I chose not to bring my lap top with me on the 10 day trip so although that sounds like a fairly short time I really did miss talking to my friends and family.
1/6/14
Nicole and Kent were painting the house so I was enlisted to take Brooklyn and Bailey to the movies to see Frozen in 3D. Frozen was just as good the second time if anyone was wondering! I seriously love this movie and the boys loved it as well. They were singing it as we left the theatre. (3D is not worth the extra money however because there wasn’t much difference). After the movie we came home and played some games before dinner.
1/7/14
I took Brooklyn and Bailey to St. Hellier’s beach today and we had a blast. The first hour we spent digging a huge hole in the sand for a “spa pool” when that water filled it up. However we made it a little too close to the water but Bailey devised a clever plan to combat the incoming tide so he forged damns in front of the pool which actually worked well to ward off the ocean water for a while, but eventually it came in and filled the hole which we enjoyed laying in before it was washed away. All of the sudden I felt something biting me and reached down to swat a bug off my hip and after I did I realized that I was actually bleeding. In the end all was well and the burning went away. After a quick call to Kent and Nicole to check whether I should be worried about the bite the boys and I continued our fun. The boys and I paused our play for a bit to eat lunch and move the car to a new park since our time was up. After rearranging we headed up the beach, went for a swim and then Bailey wanted to go climb these cliffs that were at the end of the beach. Naturally, I said I thought maybe it was too dangerous an activity to do with Brooklyn but we compromised saying we would only go up 3 levels. We made our way up as far as we could go and I found out how nerve racking it is to scale cliffs with a 4 and 7 year old trying to make sure they don’t fall plummeting to their death but still get experience in life. Everyone made it down safely with no problems because they listened very well to my ever direction thankfully! Our next adventure was that Bailey wanted to get to this rock that looked as if it was jutting out of the bush on the side of the cliff. I explained that there was just no way we could swim with a 4 year old, him and me against the tide to the rock. He reasoned that maybe he could find a way on land so I relented and said how about we go to the top of this hill and if we don’t see a way down we will turn back and come to the beach again to try again next time. Just to spite me it seems, there happened to be a sign for a path just over the top of the hill called, “Ladies Bay”. We headed down the path and eventually found the rock that Bailey was so excited about however; we also realized that it belonged to a nudist beach! I promise I really am a good nanny, my children just happen to have a few more interesting experiences in life due to accidental situations. The boys and I made our way out of ladies bay and back to the playground at the beach to play for a bit before we went to the ice cream shop and headed home. We just mucked around for the rest of the day before dinner and bed.
The rest of the week my host family was away visiting friends and so I took advantage of having to house to myself and caught up on some much needed sleep, finished my book, caught up with friends and watched a movie or two. Then on Friday morning I met a wonderful Czech girl named Martina so that I could cut her hair. We chatted for a while about our experiences in New Zealand and then I started to get things ready for my trip that evening. Even though it had only been a week we were having withdrawals from our group of friends on the tour and decided we had to have a reunion. Hygi, Lenora, Roxanne, Gina, Ashley, and I met in the Auckland harbor and with some connections from Hygi were able to charter a boat with his friend Steve, out onto the harbor for sunset! So we blasted the music, brought the booze and fixings’’ for a BBQ, grabbed our togs and boarded the boat. Seriously I don’t think we have ever had so much fun with one group of people ever! We ended up skinny dipping in the ocean and taking turns jumping off the top of the boat into the water and spending the night dancing and having way too much fun! Finally, Steve (the boat owner) dropped Ashley and I off near the city just in time to go catch the NiteRider bus back to Ashley’s car and my house. We seriously had so much fun, you wouldn't believe it. All of us girls couldn't believe that this type of scenario was actually happening to us… I mean these types of things only happen in the movies right? Not for us apparently! We are so lucky to have become such great friends and I am sure we will have many more amazing rendezvous in the future!
