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Ok, so I failed to drag myself away from Paihia. Again. It's just not in the stars for me to be away from here right now. Ah, well... what are you going to do?

So Whangarei will have to wait. My room was double-booked so it saved me from an hour+ long drive, and the plans to visit and play there are on hold.

There's a lot I could say about the time I've had in NZ. But I wouldn't do it justice if I tried to put it into words. Oh well. In general, and right now, there is little left to be desired. At which, now said, nags the fact that I will have to get a job at some point. For the money, for the sanity, the productivity. My dream had my heart missing, and a chunk of food where it should have been, removed. It's what caused my body to break out in a moldy-like fashion. I don't really want that to happen in real life. So before I grow moldy, I'll find work to do.

I have always loved New Years as a holiday. I remember writing in my diary in the late 90's crying my eyes out about how fast time was passing. And I wrote "When 2000 comes I'll REALLY be crying my eyes out." Came and gone it went... now we are approaching 2010. I doubt I'll cry. And I highly doubt that my eyes will fall out. But there will be some thinking going on between them. 2009 was a bitter-sweet year, but far better than the bitter-bitter year of 2008. At this rate, 2010 should be SWEET. So I am looking forward to it. WATCH OUT, because - ready or not - here it comes.

Flocks!

People are flocking all over the place. I have plans to head down to Whangarei (FONG-AR-AYE) today. It's a good thing because suddenly there is traffic on the streets and no room on the sidewalks. Paihia is getting flocked with visitors.. a little too much for me. But I shouldn't be talking, I'm a visitor myself. For now.

I'll be flocking down to Whangarei for about 3 days (that's the plan, but you know... it's a foreign concept here). As usual internet time is limited... I just want to thank everybody who e-mailed, message'd, called, texted, reached out to me during Christmas time. I was thinking of you all too. Merry Christmas and best wishes for an exciting/relaxing/happy New Year, whatever you need most.

Hopefully I will get some nice photos of Whangarei. I know my blog is getting boring without the photos... There are so many people I want to talk to, but so far away... One day soon I will sit down and make some phone calls to re-connect with my loved ones. Until then, take care - stay warm, dry and cheerful!

Jolly Holly

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season! I am thinking of everyone who has ever touched my life as we approach the end of this year. I will be missing my family, as I do every other day.

Someone else in this room is on Skype with her mom. She didn't buy a ticket back to San Francisco because she wouldn't get on a plane back to New Zealand. And she's crying for missing home so much.

Life is too short, so have a happy holiday.

Tee Hee

I'm back in Paihia! It is just as I left it, but better, knowing that I can stay here as long as I like...

I want to say that I just heard about Brittany Murphy's death, and I can't believe it. How tragic... I could start talking about how life is short, she was young... but I just want to say I think she was a wonderful actress - one of my favorites. She'll be missed.

My car comes with a TABLE. I love my car... so lucky to have found it :)

So.. I'll be here in the beautiful Bay of Islands for Christmas.. New Years... etc. What a joy... Love you all and miss you all, have a Happy Holiday Season.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!

Look what I bought!

 

1996 Honda CRV Wagon Blue; 123546 km, re-born 19/12/09. Mine!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

I didn't like my life back at home. So I picked up and left...for Auckland, New Zealand.

I didn't like Auckland. So I picked up and left... for Paihia.

I had to return to Auckland. So HECK, first thing I did was go to Denny's.

I didn't like my homestay. So I packed up and went to a hostel/backpacker.

It was really difficult to make these decisions (except Denny's). They could be seen as negligible, but they are small steps to my happiness. That makes them important. Some things are worth paying for, waiting for, etc. Traveling has given me many choices, and all the empowerment that comes with making them. It is humbling and can be humiliating. But overall, it has given me everything. And it's only been a month.

I am in love with a place, with a people. I am also in love with myself. It may be hot, sunny, beachy... but I am feeling the Christmas spirit. And I just may be at my happiest spending it alone this year...

Getting Ready to Leave... So I Can Return One Day

Here are some photos since I haven't posted any in a while:

This was taken a while ago. They have since turned into burger and beer.

This kitty looks just like Marlon and Styx.

Haruru Falls

Sisters, if this isn't enough to get you out here, I don't know what will. Salami snacks to-go!

And they're off!

Award Ceremony

"You Wouldn't Believe It..."

Sunday has come and passed.

"You wouldn't believe it..." unless you were in Paihia, in which case you hear these stories all the time. I missed my bus back to Auckland. Then I missed Jam Night. I woke up this morning, still in Paihia.

I AM STILL IN PAIHIA.

It cost me so much money to be here, and to stay here. I am still paying for my room in Auckland. I paid bus fare for the bus I didn't take. I am drinking lots of beer. So.. at this rate, it looks like I will need to find a job sooner than expected. But that bus fare... may have been the best money I ever spent. Wasted.

If I say I'll write again when I return to Auckland, I may never submit another post. So, suffice it to say that today I am in Paihia, and I don't know what tomorrow or the day after will bring.

I am still happier than ever. And absolutely none of it was ever part of my plan.

Must Be Doin' Something Right...

What is this place doing to me! Tuesday has come and gone, and I'm still in Paihia. I cannot even begin to explain how I feel day after day here.

If you are worried about me, consider this. Back at home, my happiness level was 1 (almost 0) on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the LOWEST). Here, I am living at a level of 10. If it sounds like I'm exaggerating, then you don't know me. Life here is not ideal, but it is perfect, so much so that I cannot believe it is real.

So for all the people who have ever tried and failed or tried and successfully hurt me, I dedicate this day to you.  Because I must be doing something right.

Truman goes to Fiji

I am sorry to say that the posts in my blog will be fewer and farther in between. There are reasons for this.

1. Internet access is not as widely/cheaply available in NZ as it is back at home. It really takes a concerted effort to get online and update the blog.

2. As I'm getting accustomed to life in NZ, I am less interested in tourist attractions and activities. However, I am still a sight-seer, and NZ is phenomenally beautiful, so I will take and post photos sporadically. Life here for me is normalizing, and I am realizing that this is less of a holiday/vacation than it is a new life for me. So what happens in my day-to-day life is becoming more private, less "blog-worthy." Of course if you want the details, you just have to ask. I just choose not to post it on the world-wide-web.

3. I'm sure there are more, but my time on the internet is limited as I type! I hope you get the point.

I am returning to Auckland this weekend, and will have a mobile phone and car before I leave. I'll post another update with details on where I'm headed next.

A Tipping Point

Yesterday I went on an 11-hour long tour. We went through the Ancient Kauri Forest (home to the only Kauri trees left in the world).

Then we continued to Cape Reinga ("REE-EN-GAH"), which is the very northern tip of NZ and is marked by a lighthouse. 

"The name of the cape comes from the Māori word 'Reinga', meaning the 'Underworld'. Another Māori name is 'Te Rerenga Wairua', meaning the leaping-off place of spirits. Both refer to the Māori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld." 

Oh, it was amazing. And REALLY invigorating, standing there at the end of NZ, with only ocean in front of me... getting spooky in the warm fog...

The only thing better would have been...seeing 2 oceans in front of me! Cape Reinga also happens to be where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean! I never thought I'd see 2 oceans colliding before me, but there they were!!! Waves in the middle of nowhere, coming in from 2 different directions and crashing against each other.

It was a really, really amazing thing to see. Now you can picture me on your map on the tip of NZ, and know that for a little while I was a just little bit closer to home :)

Afterward we went sand-boarding down some very steep, hard to climb sand dunes. It was fun, but after going twice I realized it was no longer worth the climb.

Our tour "bus" was actually a truck, so we were able to take it off-road... unlike those other, inept "vehicles."

Just another poor soul meant for the leap off Cape Reinga. So we scaled the "90-mile beach," though I don't understand the name. (1) it is only 60 miles long (2) NZ uses km, not mi (3) it is a coastline, not a beach). They say Australia has an "80-mile beach," maybe the Kiwis just had to one-up the Aussies.

To finish the tour we picked some shellfish from the Tasman Sea (not sure what kind but its muscle tasted like abalone) and ate FRESH fish and chips.

But I am pretty tired of NZ's "chips," they always give you too many and wrap it in bulky, blank newspaper. That was my day, it went from 7am-6pm, was completely exhausting, and I came back a little sunburnt (whoops. the sun is 40% stronger here than back at home... which I knew but ignored  anyway to be a rebel). Also, I realized I had been staying in the dirtiest hostel around, so I moved next door this morning after deciding to extend my stay. Now I'm scheduled to stay in Paihia until Monday Dec. 7. Yay.

Leonie left this morning so I'm on my own again. No more tours and planned outings for a while... I'm just going to meet some locals and enjoy the simple (and cheap) life again. So if my blog gets a little quiet it's because I might be working...

...on my tan!! Well, eventually I will get off my butt.

...to tan the other side! :)YAY!

Catch-Up (not TOMAHTO SAUCE)

Sorry Justin, I don't have pictures of the fish I caught. But I can tell you it was about 8.5 feet long, 3.9 feet wide, and made groaning noises.

Here are the leftover pictures I didn't get to post before. Be warned, there's many of them!!

From Russell on Nov. 29...

View of Paihia from Russell

Backpackers are great. They'll jump into your picture at the last minute to make you look popular!

Others are not so welcomed... :)

Jam Night at Beach House!

From "The Rock" on Nov. 30 - Dec. 1

Waiting with Leonie for our outrigger trip. But we got stood up :(

Paihia

Aboard "The Rock"

Heebie Jeebies!

Don't mess with me. I have terrific aim, even if I am holding it wrong.

A crew member on "The Rock." I was envious of their job until I saw how hard they worked and how much they sacrifice.

New Zealand flag.

Pacific Ocean

A Sailboat

Tourists

Islands

Hiking... (wait for my next postcard to see what the view was like at the top!)

Robertson's Island

Robertson's Island

Hiking, kayaking, roaming barefoot!

 

Got my toes in the water...

Happy Times!

Snorkeling for sea urchins

Getting uni (usually a very expensive Japanese delicacy) - first time I tried it, and it was very yummy!

Back to Paihia

But first, free mussels!

Goodbye to "The Rock"

Welcome back from a baby kitten outside my room.