first surf & kiwi ways

on tuesday i went for my first surf here in NZ. logan, carmen's boyfriend is lending me a wetsuit for while i'm here and it's just sooo much better for surfing. because you can stay out for much longer and nothing falls off!

laura, me, and carmen

it went decently well. i was too eager at first and went hard for a wave pretty early on and got a little pummeled..haha. i then got a bit scared and took it easier. just getting the feel of the waves and and catching a few on my knees. the ocean is a beautiful beautiful place but also very unforgiving. it does what it will.

after, laura gave me her spare longboard to use for the time being which i was not expecting and we had a nice cruise after we surfed. soooooo nice.

but that's the thing i am really noticing about the people here, they are so generous and willing to do almost anything for you. i've already been really blessed by their generosity. it's inspiring and challenging me to follow in their footsteps.

just siftin around

after the skate we went to get fish and chips and eat them on the beach. however, conveniently i left my purse behind at the table we were at...and noticed minutes later...i started to panic but carmen said she was sure it'd still be there. so we went back and sure enough a group of kids sitting at a table near by had tried to get my attention but it was too late and they turned it into the restaurant. super relieved. i was able to enjoy the food and the surfers catching the waves. and hope that one day my family will be a beach family :)

fish and chips wrapped in newspaper

parachute

this past friday we headed to a massive Christian music festival in Hamilton that ran from friday eve to mon morn. if you wanna check out the link here it is: www.parachutemusic.com. i got in for free cause i was volunteering at a cafe there called Soul Cravings Cafe doing the graveyard shift for all three nights, 1am to 7am, chyeaaaa boi! needless to say this did not help out in the matters of sleep and trying to get that on track..but it was fun as. there were loads of bands during the day and into the night as well as a few rides, merch tents, info tents about all sorts of things that happen in NZ. everyone tents there all over the grounds. it was sold out with i believe about 1700 people.

graveyard shift team!
(l to r) blair, me, grace, logan, (corey just chilled with us), and tim)

i got to meet loads of people and carmen and logan's friends welcomed me right away into their circle :)
at first i was a bit overwhelmed at not knowing anyone and them knowing eveyone but i soon realized this was a great venue to get to know people a bit because we were all together for most of it.

trying to stay warm and awake!

the days were blazing hot and the nights were SOOO cold!! about 5 or 6 degrees. the first night on shift we just about froze to death and there were hardly any people around to serve. we just shivered around telling story after story. the next night was a bit more busy and we were a little more prepared but still cold as and then the last night so many people were pulling an all nighter so we were pretty busy. i learned how to do poi a bit from one of the girls i was working with, Grace. she was real good and could use fire ones as well!

it was so dry that the mosh pit was just a massive dust bowl you could barely breath. every time you blew your nose it almost looked like poo coming out, black brown chunks! yumma!

the bands were real great, i didn't know a ton of them as most were kiwi bands, but Switchfoot was there and the News Boys were both pretty big names.

one of my favs was Late 80's Mercedes. they did a lot of covers and just had so much fun doing it!

check em out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZUHICcWQNs&safety_mode=true&safe=active&persist_safety_mode=1

the cafe where i worked every night

learning poi! 

fun fact: i was at a campsite and they pulled out freezie's at the end of my table, so i held them up and asked the group if anyone wanted a freezie...weeelll, all 12 or so of them whipped their heads around to face me and they just stared..i wasn't quite sure what i had said, but they all just cracked up laughing.
and said, you mean an ICE BLOCK?? then it was my turn to laugh..ice block? what on earth do they call a block of ice then? haha, it was good for a laugh for sure.

arrival

one of the first views i layed eyes on

its been a crazy last week! i arrived in NZ on the 23rd of jan. real early in the morn, about 5:30am. flights were fairly uneventful. met some real nice people. the cutest Scottish couple who were keeping tabs on me, to make sure i was ok.
i made my way through customs, got my visa approved and went to meet Carmen. the airport reunion was great, huge hugs, lots of laughter and some tears. :)

jump shots on top of Shakespeare Point!

we hopped into Nigel and headed off to Cooks Beach which is where her family owns a bach (kiwi word for beach house). drove on only the most windy road in existence but also the most gorgeous along the coast line, around hills and mountains. had brunch at such a sweet little cafe called Jandals Cafe. (jandals is the kiwi word for flip flops)
arrived at destination bach and met her awesome parents Jenni and Rodney and her sweet granddad Murry.

big smiles!

headed to the hot pool beach just around the corner. here you can dig holes in the sand and find hot springs that come up and you can create your own little hot tub! the springs are boiling temperatures when they come up, really burnt my foot when digging for one!

got to hangout in the after noon with the two girls that Carmen nannies for and take them to the beach, they were cute as!

headed to Shakespeare point, an overhanging cliff out over the water. stunning views.

first day on the beach here in NZ

after dinner Carms and i headed out for a bike ride and a skate, rope towing style!
it was a full full day but a good first one. mission to stay awake till it was bedtime here completed.

quote of the day: You know that place in Canada called sas..sac.. Sasquatch? -Carmen
                          interpretation= Saskatchewan.

arm comparison....i got a long way to go!

hot pools beach!

view atop Shakespeare. 

in transit

well, here i am chillen in the airport awaiting the departure of my flight. the last couple of days have been a real whirl wind but i know and realize how truly loved i really am. everything from the awesome going away party (thanks jess and lisah!) to visits from friends and family...and trying to pack that stinkin suitcase.. to sharing a few tears and laughs with my three main girls on the drive up and giving each a final squeeze. (love you guys tons!!!)

i'm going to miss you all but i am also ready for this escapade before me. it. is. going. to. be. awesome.

check it.


halfway through and it's going smoothly. i met the sweetest elderly scottish couple who held hands at all times. and even just standing in line for the flight from san fran to auckland, the people were so sweet and helpful and kiwiish :) accents, yussssssssssss

so as i was sitting here, and decided i couldn't wait any longer to crack open my journal that many of you wrote in for me. i did. and it is awesome. i was so touched by some and laughing out loud at others. thank you again friends. you da bomb :)

final count down!

cannot believe it's almost here! time of departure is in t-minus 7 days..whew, so much to do still but i am stoked as. however i am dreading saying goodbye...but hey, it's only for a sum of months right..? i am not completely certain of how long i'll be there but it could be anywhere from 5 months to 1 year.

my flight leaves at 11:30am on mon, jan 21st 2013. i'll be flying into auckland where my friend carmen will be picking me up and taking me to her home town tauranga. and the rest is still to be written!

tauranga is on the east coast of the north island