Canuck to Kiwi...My Adventures in NZ!

Alright, so we made it to Queenstown, and again, managed to set up our tent just before it started raining. And rain it did! For the 3 days we were there, it poured almost non-stop. We didn't let that spoil our fun though. First of all, the campground we stayed at was the coolest campground I have ever seen! There were quirky little touches at every turn, and lots of re-purposed items that were super funky. The common areas were also the best I've seen, which was good, considering the time we spent indoors! Awesome outdoor kitchen at the campsite Neat old parking meters at the campground Queenstown is an adventure based city, with lots and lots of fun things to keep you busy. We shopped, dined and explored, and hit most of the attractions not to be missed. When the rain became especially heavy, we ducked into cafes and ate warm cookies at "Cookie Time" and also killed some time at the same fudge shop we found in Arrowtown. I got my Canada hit at Starbucks w...

Okay, for those of you who didn't already know, you do now. I am quite possibly the world's biggest procrastinator. Since it's been, oh, 6 months or so since I last posted anything, (I don't seem to grasp the concept of blogging too well) I thought I would update all of you who haven't totally given up on me. Well, the last 6 months have been very eventful, and I've been lucky enough to see lots of New Zealand, both with David and with friends from home. After a long and hot summer, the winter has been somewhat of a shock, but I am better prepared for it this time around. Out came the jogging pants and slippers, and I've become very attached to my hot water bottle, or "hottie" as it's referred to here. David's Dad was also nice enough to put a heat pump in for us, and I seriously do not know how David survived last winter without it. I have a new appreciation for the toughness of the people of NZ, which I'm reminded of when I put on c...

Well, sadly, our three week holiday has come to an end, and David and I were both back at work this week. Our Christmas holidays were a whirlwind of visitors, camping trips, lazy beach days, and lots of adventures. I don't want to overwhelm anyone, (myself included) so I'll break it up and write a series of mini-blogs instead of one big one. We'll start with our Abel Tasman adventure with Renata. After Christmas, my lovely friend Renata came to stay with us for a few days. I can't tell you how nice it was to see one of my friends from home...it was so cool to have her here in New Zealand! We had lots of fun riding our bikes, swimming and lounging at the beach, and eating lots of yummy things from fish and chips, to whitebait, to home-made pancakes with all the toppings, and drinking raspberry mojitos and having Baileys in all our hot drinks..mmmm. (Thanks Renata!) Happy to have made it in time for the last ferry to Mapua Lining up to catch the bike ferry ...

Ah, Christmas vacation! Something that, to my benefit, New Zealanders take very seriously. The cafe is closed for 2 weeks, which is not uncommon here. Aside from grocery stores, or the stores in the mall, lots of smaller businesses close for an extended period over Christmas. I've even taken it a step further and taken an extra week off so we can go on a road trip to Queenstown. David also has 3 weeks off from his job. I think it's important to have a nice long holiday to relax every now and again. Now that I have a job, I remember what it's like to do absolutely nothing and love it. When you're unemployed, there's constant pressure to find a job, so you can never totally relax..you always feel like you should be doing something productive or working on your job search. I forgot how great it is to wake up late, lounge around, take naps, and just do whatever you feel like doing. To kick off our Christmas holidays, David and I went to Totaranui, a popular camping...