My last day of work was on Tuesday, August 22nd. The next day I went and confirmed my flights to Nadi (Fiji), Los Angeles and finally Toronto.

On Thursday I moved out of Uenuku Lodge, the hostel in the suburb of Ponsonby in Auckland where I had been living on/off since May and moved in with four friends who recently decided to share a house together, a few blocks away in Herne Bay. For the rest of the week I basically did nothing but sit in the house doing crossword puzzles and watching t.v. waiting for everyone to come home from work. Well, actually - I did do a bit of housekeeping and cooked dinner for 7 people one night so I wasn't being completely lazy.

On my last day in New Zealand, my friends and I went out to dinner. We found a nice Italian restaurant called "Portabellos" which was conveniently located just around the corner.

On Friday, September 1st I flew into Nadi, Fiji. I had booked a package deal with Awesome Adventures. The name of my package was "A Lazy Threesome". The package included all accomodation, meals and island transfers. My trip would consist of two island stays and a live-aboard cruise. The funny thing is that the brochure seems to imply that you have some choice regarding on which islands you stay - and whether you'd like to go on the cruise or stay on another island instead - but that's not true. The Awesome Adventure people choose for you. But that's cool. I didn't really have a preference.

I arrived at the Nadi Beach Resort Hotel in the evening and was pretty tired. I decided to shower and discovered that there was no lock on the bathroom door. That's not exactly reassuring when you're sharing with 9 strangers. Yeah - I was in a 10-bed dorm room and 8 of my dorm mates were guys. Anyway, no one walked in on me so all was okay. After my shower I decided to just go to bed and read - didn't even eat dinner.

The next mornng I was up at 6:15 am so that I'd have time to get ready and eat my free breakfast in the hotel restaruant before the bus came to pick me up at 7:30. First I was served fruit (pineapple, banana, pawpaw with shredded coconut) and a cup of coffee. Then I was served wet scrambled eggs on top of a slice of toast. It was pretty yucky.

Two buses arrived to transport us to the Denarau port where we'd catch the Yasawa Flyer - the ferry that transports people to the various islands in the Yasawa and Mamanuca groups of the Fijian islands.

Denarau Port

Yasawa Flyer

After a 4 hour journey I arrived at my first destination - Coral View on Tavewa Island. About 10 of us all arrived at the same time. We were given a group orientation and then led into the dining room for lunch. The islands in the Yasawa's do not have restaurants. The cost of your accomodation includes 3 meals/day and you eat whatever they serve you. Also, meals are at set times so if you miss a meal it can be a long wait before you get to eat again.

Lunch consisted of ground meat in gravy (which looked frightengly similar to dog food) served on a large sweet bun. It was pretty vile - but perhaps not as vile as the canned spaghetti on a bun that was served to one of the vegetarians in our group. During lunch, I got to chatting with some of the others and as luck would have it, I happened to meet a girl from Austria - also travelling alone - who had exactly the same itinerary that I did. Later the two of us met a couple from Germany who also had very similar plans. So it was pretty cool to know that I'd have people to hang with during my Fiji holiday.

In the evening, our hosts sang a welcome song. Over the next several days we'd discover that (a) Fijians love to sing and (b) there's no chance of ever seeing "Fiji Idol" on t.v. anytime soon. The Fijians are passionate but pretty hopeless singers.

I spent 2 nights at Coral View and didn't really do anything other than lie in a hammock on the beach the whole day. There really isn't anything else to do there but I'm not complaining. On the second day though a few of us were taken a short distance to Blue Lagoon which is located on the island of Nanuya Lailai. (It's where the movie Blue Lagoon was filmed). We spent about an hour there before being taken back to our island.

Coral view has one dorm room with 18 beds (which is where I stayed) and a number of huts with double beds. Everyone shares the showers/toilets. And oh yeah - the islands don't have hot water and the tap water is not safe for drinking. So I learned to shower very quickly and spent $4 (Fiji) a day on a 1.5 litre bottle of water.

Tavewa

Blue Lagoon

I left Tavewa on Monday, September 4th. We were transported back onto the ferry for a two hour journey until we caught up with the Wanna Taki - a 24 metre catamaran. (From the outside it looks a lot like a smaller version of the Yasawa Flyer).

Wanna Taki

I spent 2 nights on the Wanna Taki and quite enjoyed it. The level of comfort on this boat was a lot higher than what I had experienced during my Australian sailing adventure. The dorm room consisted of 24 beds. In addition, behind the dorm beds were three double beds separated by a curtain. It was air-conditioned which was really nice - but perhaps a bit too cold at night. The boat is also had hot showers. And oh yeah - the food on the boat was much better than the food at Coral View.

Activities on the boat included swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, visiting nearby islands, scuba diving and lying on the deck. For those who wanted a break from fun in the sun, there was a DVD player in the air conditioned lounge area.

Crew from Wanna Taki singing us a song

When our stay on the Wanna Taki came to an end, we were once again taken to the ferry and sailed two hours until we reached our next destination. Couples were taken to Bounty Island and singles were taken to South Sea Island. (So this is where I said "see  ya later"  to the German couple I had met). South Sea Island is the tiniest island I have ever seen. You can easily see from one end to the other. I loved it! I felt like my own little private piece of paradise. I was one of only 10 overnight guests on South Sea Island.

View of South Sea Island

The food here was really good too. After dinner, Dave the manager, divided us into two teams and gave us a quiz about Fiji. The winning team would win a bottle of white wine. It was funny though because Dave put 4 people on one team and 6 people on the other team. Also, the team with 6 players consisted of two people who had already been on the island for 3 nights. Since the quiz was conducted every night - with the same questions every night - of course, they already knew all the answers. It's pretty obvious which team won the bottle of wine.

After the quiz Dave hosted drinking games. I sort of played. I participated but made a strong attempt to not get myself into a position where I'd have to drink. When I did need to take a drink, I just took a small sip. By the end of the game I had only consumed one can of beer. (I was flying to L.A. the next day and really didn't want to have a hangover). After the games, several people kept drinking - including Dave who was properly legless. It got to the point where being sober amongst a bunch of intoxicated people wasn't fun anymore so I went to bed. (By the way, I wasn't the only wet blanket in the group. Three others chose not to drink either and also went to bed even earlier than I did).

The next day was spent cruising on a sem-sub boat to see the coral and fish, snorkelling, swimming and basking in the sun. At about 4 pm it was time to shower (in a cold saltwater shower), get dressed and pack. The ferry was arriving at 5 pm and from the port I needed to head straight to the airport to catch my flight to L.A.

South Sea Island

The flight took off on time but then about an hour into the air, the pilot announced that there was a problem with the plane and that he'd have to return to Nadi. He also said that before doing so he'd have to dump fuel. A flight attendant assured us that there was nothing unusual about this but nonetheless, a number of us were a bit nervous. After we landed safely, the woman sitting next to me said that she was very tempted to grab my hand at one point but was afraid that it might freak me out if she did that.

Anyhow, eventually we took off again and the rest of the flight was uneventful. Luckily, I was able to sleep for nearly the entire duration. By the time I woke up we were due to land in 2.5 hours. (It was a 10 hr flight). We landed in L.A. about 3 hours later than the original scheduled arrival time.

In L.A. I took a shuttle to my hotel, called mum, ate dinner, showered and went to bed. The next morning I got up and went to the airport to catch my flight to Toronto. I was so anxious/excited the flight seemed longer than 4.5 hrs.

And now - after nearly 10 months of being away - I am finally back home. 

P.S. Since I've been away I've become lighter and stronger. I lost 4.5 kg (10 lbs) and...when I left Canada for my trip I had to lighten my bag from 16 kg (35 lbs) to 14.5 kg (32 lbs) because I couldn't even pick it up. Well...coming home I had 21 kg (46 lbs) and had no problem picking it up. (In fact, until a few moments ago I was convinced that I was coming home with a lighter backpack - ha!)

A few days after returning to Auckland from Australia, I set off on a short trip around the top end of the north island of New Zealand.

Day one I left Auckland, passed through Waitomo and stopped for the night in Rotorua. In Waitomo I visited a gloworm cave, which in my opinion was not worth the money they charged. You enter a cave where you see a few stalactites and stalagmites. Then you're put onto a slow boat that rocks back and forth for 5 minutes in the dark while you look at gloworms. The whole excursion lasts about 30 minutes - and it's pretty boring actually. (Not everyone would agree with me though, as I did meet one woman who thought it was great).

During my stay in Rotorua, I attended a Maori concert and hangi. That experience was definitely well worth the money. The evening was hosted by Tamaki Heritage Experiences. The next morning I went to a park in Rotorua where you can see some of the geothermal activity for which Rotorua is known.

Bubbling Mud Pools

In the afternoon I went to Taupo where after a brief visit to the Huka Falls, I was picked up by a shuttle bus and taken to the airfield where I somehow mustered up the nerve to do a tandem skydive. I actually felt pretty calm the entire time - even when I had to wait an hour for my turn to go up in the plane. I was also feeling pretty chilled in the plane - even as we ascended above the clouds. I thought I'd be nervous while sitting by the plane's open door - but there was no time for that. Seconds after my tandem master and I scooted over to the door....we were out the door...freefalling at speeds of up to 200 km/hour. I will admit - that at that stage - I was kind of in a bewildered state of shock. (Oh my god - we just fell out of the airplane!!) The parachute was opened approximately 45 seconds after the initial jump...after a 7000 foot freefall...floating for the last 5000 feet. At that point, the experience felt very similar to paragliding (which I had done in Queenstown back in April).

Taupo

Huka Falls

Tandem Skydive

After Taupo, I headed towards the Coromandel Penninsula first stopping in Mount Maunganui for the night. In the Coromandel, I went to Cathedral Cove and to Hot Water Beach where during low tide, you can dig your own hot pool in the sand. Although I could see the little spas that others had made for themselves, I did not have the same luck. I kept digging and digging but all I got was cold water. I gave up as the hole I was digging began to collapse all around me (and as I hit my foot with the spade). Oh well. Was pretty cool anyway to see the steam rising out of other people's pools. I spent the night in Whitianga.

Cathedral Cove

Hot Water Beach

The next day I went back to Auckland for just one night. On the way back, I stopped again in Waitomo and went blackwater rafting - rafting in a cave. That was fun but at one point - was actually quite a bit scarier than skydiving. You see, at one point in the cave you reach a 1.5 meter high waterfall. The only way to go over the waterfall is to fall over it...backwards. I stood there for ages, heart pounding, convinced that I'd need to be left in the cave because there was no way that I was going to throw myself backwards over a waterfall. But after much coaxing and reassurances that what I was being asked to do was completley safe...I did it. The rest of the trip was easy cruising....and a lot more fun and a lot more interesting than the cave tour I did earlier in the week.

The morning after getting back to Auckland, I left for Paihia in the Bay of Islands. From there, I went on a full day trip to Cape Reinga  (stopping at Waipoua Forest along the way in order to see the gigantic kauri trees including Tāne Mahuta, the largest known kauri tree  before returning to Paihia for two more nights...and then back to Auckland.

Tāne Mahuta - largest known kauri tree (located in the Waipoua Forest)

Cape Reinga Lighthouse

Sandboarding on the Te Paki Sand Dunes

Ninety Mile Beach

This little trip took 8 days and I've now been back in Auckland for 6 days. Today I started a new job, working as a receptionist for a mortgage brokerage firm. The job is only for 2 weeks - but that's cool - because pretty soon.....I'll be leaving New Zealand in order to begin my journey back home....

I got to Magnetic Island on Friday July 7th. Soon after I arrived I attempted to go sea kayaking. My kayak partner and I had a bit of trouble getting our kayak into the water. Just as it seemed that we got it, a big wave would push us back onto the sand. We gave up after about 5 attempts. Eventually I was willing to give it another go. It took a bit of effort but finally there we were paddling along. All went smoothly until we decided to come back to shore. We got out of the kayak and were trying to drag it up onto the beach but the waves kept knocking us over. At once point a big wave lifted the kayak into the air - which then came crashing down on top of our heads. Had a bit of a tender head for a couple of days but no serious damage.

The next day, a group of us went on a bush walk on the island looking for koalas. Whoo hoo...we found three! The first one was quite high up in the tree and had it's back to us so at first it looked more like a rock than anything else. But later we say two more that were in lower branches. One of them was quite animated and kept looking at us.

View of Magnetic Island - Overlooking Townsville

Koala

The next stop was Mission Beach. I arrived in the evening and left the next morning so there's nothing exciting to report about that trip. I  had though of spending a few days in Mission Beach but it's pretty ravaged at the moment thanks to Cyclone Larry which hit the region in March of this year. During the bus ride, the driver spotted a cassowary on the side of the road and stopped the bus so we could have a look and take photos. Spotting cassowaries in the wild is pretty rare so getting to see one was pretty cool.

Cassowary

So, the next stop was Cairns. On the way, we visited The Johnstone River Crocodile Farm where I finally got to see kangaroos. I was hoping to spot them out in the wild but this was the next best thing. Surprisingly, they're quite friendly. They'll come right up to you and let you pet them. I took photos which unfortunately are a little cloudy because moments earlier, a crocodile splashed water all over me and the lens of my camera go wet. (Camera's okay now though). I also held a baby crocodile (kind of cute actually) and a snake (decided I don't like holding snakes).

Kangaroo - and Joey

Crocodile

Baby Crocodile

Later we went for a walk through a rainforest which could have been really nice except that it too was affected by the cyclone and everything was a big mess. We then went to the AJ Hackett Bungy jump site and I watched some friends bungy jump. I still think bungy jumping is nuts. They also have an attraction called a Minjin Swing which a few people did - and said was a lot scarier than it looks.

For a Minjin Swing, you're attached to this contraption ina horizontal position. You are then hoisted up and then let go leaving you to swing back and forth at speeds of up to 120 km/hour. (The other night I won a free Minjin Swing during a game of bingo. I wanted to sell the prize - worth $45 but no one wanted to buy it - and I have no desire to do it myself.)

Anyhow...on Sunday I got to Cairns. That night a whole buch of us went to The Woolshed Tavern for dinner, drinks and some dancing. I had such a good time. (Apparantly The Woolshed is "the place to be" for backpackers). Felt like a kid again. On Tuesday I went on a two day/one night trip to Cape Tribulation. On the first day we to Mossman to visit Mossman Gorge, which is located within Daintree National Park. Much of Daintree National Park is covered by rainforest. The rainforest, which is estimated to be around 130 million years old - is the oldest in the world. We also went on a riverboat cruise on the Daintree River to spot crocodiles and snakes - which in fact we saw. In the afternoon, we arrived at the resort where we'd be spending the night.

Crocodile

I was looking forward to spending time relaxing by the pool or on the beach but it was raining. I still went for a walk on the beach but ended up having an early night because the rain was coming down too hard. The next day I sailed out to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. It was still raining but I still had a good time - even if the views in the sea were not as spectacular as I'm sure they are on a clear day. It was my first time snorkelling and the crew of the boat were fantastic. It was a really great trip.

The trip back to Cairns took an hour longer than it should have because the rains had washed over one of the bridges on the road. There was a long delay as cars waited to be towed over the bridge. We were lucky though. We got through. The next day, more roads in the area were washed away and people ended up stuck in Cape Tribulation unable to go anywhere. The roads to many of the hostels/resorts in the area became inaccessible. All tours and trips to the area were cancelled until further notice. Glad I went when I did.

On Friday I went white water rafting on the Tully River. It was a full day trip and lots of fun - even though - once again - it was raining. Actually, it's been raining every day for the last week. I have nothing else planned until I fly back to New Zealand on Thursday so I was really hoping for some sunny weather so I can just relax. But oh well. I can still relax but instead of sitting on a beach or by a pool I'm relaxing in an internet cafe or in my hostel room reading a book.

So that's the update on my adventures in Australia.

Greetings from Australia! I've been here for 2 weeks now. I started my trip in Brisbane but only spent two days there. Brisbane is an okay city but I didn't have much desire to spend too much time in a city...so I went to Noosa. There's not much in Noosa. It's just a small town that mostly attracts surfers. I don't surf so I just hung around doing nothing except enjoy the weather.

Brisbane

After Noosa I went to Hervey Bay. There's not much there either but it's a popular place to stop for those intent on visiting Fraser Island - which is what I did. I went on a guided 2 day four wheel drive safari (with a company called Fraser Experience) which was pretty cool - but could have been better if the weather was more co-operative. It was windy and it rained a bit. But overall it was a good trip. I was excited that I got to see dingos but was a bit surprised to see that they look like ordinary dogs. I thought they'd be "wilder" looking. I also saw a few humpback whales. Mostly managed to only see the spray from their blowholes but did see one that actually leapt out of the water. And I also saw a manta ray - they're huge.

FRASER ISLAND PHOTOS:

The Pinnacles and Cathedrals Sand Dunes

Dingos

Maheno Shipwreck

Eli Creek

Chocolate Rocks

Lake McKenzie

Wanggoolba Creek Valley Rainforest

View from Indian Head

View from Indian Head

View from Indian Head

After Hervey Bay I spent the night at the Kroombit Park Lochenbar Cattle Station. The dorm room looked like it once functioned as a horse stable. Very rustic and about a 500 m walk to the toilet/shower.

The next morning I spent 12 hours on a bus travelling to Airlie Beach.

Airlie Beach - View from Airlie on the Waterfront Hostel

From Airlie Beach I departed on a 3 day/2 night sailing trip to the Whitsunday Islands on a schooner called "Providence". Was quite an adventure living on a boat for 3 days - but wouldn't want to do it full time. We stopped at Teague Island, Hook Island and Whitehaven Beach. The beach was gorgeous! And this time the weather was perfect. Cool in the evening but sunny and warm during the day.

"Providence"

Whitehaven Beach

Tomorrow I'm heading to Magnetic Island. After that it's off to Mission Beach and then finally Cairns until I need to catch a flight back to Brisbane before flying back to New Zealand.

I've now been back in Auckland for about a month and a half. I had registered with a couple of temp agencies and began working within a week. My first job was a one-day stint in a law office. Most of the day was spent sorting out their stationary cupboard and making photocopies. A couple of days later, I started an ongoing job at a tech company where I worked as a receptionist.

My co-workers at the tech company were really nice but I really hated the work. The phone rang over 200 times a day and it drove me nuts. The job was actually quite stressful and so I ended up quitting earlier than planned.

The original plan was to work until the end of June and then go to Australia sometime during the first week of July. So now, I've stopped work and I'm going to Australia next week and I'll be back in New Zealand towards the end of July. I'll be flying into Brisbane and travelling up the east coast of the state of Queensland. I don't really have an itinerary. I'll make it up as I go along.

I made some good friends while here in Auckland and I really like where I've been living. At first I thought I would rent a place while here but ended up staying in the hostel. I decided that it wasn't worth the hassle of looking for a place since I was only going to stay for a short time. The hostel is in a suburb of Auckland called Ponsonby and it's close to a lot of pubs/restaurants/nightclubs so there's always a good place to go that's within walking distance. (Pog Mahones, an Irish pub has become a regular hang-out). I was also able to walk to work (40 minutes each way) so that was convenient.

I've been thinking about what to do when I get back to New Zealand after my Australian holiday but I really don't know yet. We'll see....

I've been in Auckland for nearly a week now. I've registered at a few temp agencies so hopefully soon I'll begin working. (I was told by one agency to expect to start work early this week). For now I'm staying at Uenuku Lodge, a hostel that has a reduced rate for long-term stayers. Once I start working - and know how much I'll be making - I might look to rent a flat short term. I do like where I am though. Most of the guests are in their 30s - like me. Also like me - several are travelling on their own and also working or looking for work here in Auckland. So it's been a good place to connect with like-minded people.

I have to admit that after spending so much time in the South Island, surrounded by mountains, lakes, waterfalls, etc. I'm not too thrilled to be back in a large city - people in suits rushing about, cars, traffic, noise, etc. Auckland has more people than the entire South Island! It is warmer here though than in the southern part of the country so that's something I keep telling myself when I start to feel homesick for the south.

Yesterday was a beautiful day - warm and sunny - about 29c. I went to watch some friends bungy jump off the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It was very entertaining to watch - and it further confirmed my adamant stance that I will neve bungy jump in my life.

So I'm now in Wellington. I took the ferry (Interislander) and surprisingly - felt a little seasick during the journey. Made it here in once piece though so all's fine. Yesterday I went to the Te Papa museum. Today I'm a little bored. I think I'm just tired of moving about and sightseeing. I'm ready to settle down a little in ne place. Tomorrow I'm flying to Auckland. Decided to pay a little extra ($25) and take the one hour flight rather than the 11 hour bus ride.

I've booked into a hostel for the first two nights and then it's off job hunting. (Gotta make some money before I go to Australia in July).

Te Papa Museum

It's been awhile since I've updated this journal - and so much has happened in the last few weeks!

So...I left Arthur's Pass and went to Franz Josef Glacier. I booked myself on a full day glacier hike and luckily - though it rains nearly everyday in Franz Josef - it was pleasantly sunny on the day of my hike. The whole hike took about 9 hours from start to finish with about 6 hours of ice time. We started out with a group of 25 which was then split in to three groups. I was in the group of self-designated "slow walkers". Walking on the glacier was definitely an amazing experience.

Town of Franz Josef

Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef Glacier

After Franz Josef I went to Queenstown. There's lots to do in Queenstown - and lots I did....I went on a jetboat, a short helicopter ride (my first time in a helicopter), went on a luge and gondola ride. The most exhilerating activity though was tandem paragliding. I must admit that I was pretty nervous. But it actually turned out not to be as scary as I had anticipated. (It took me quite awhile to adjust to the fact that I was actually just going to run of the side of a mountain).

On the Road - From Franz Josef to Queenstown

On the Road - From Franz Josef to Queenstown

Queenstown - View from Butterfli Lodge Deck

Helicopter I Rode In

View of Queenstown from the Top of the Gondola Skyline

Tandem Paragliding

While in Queenstown I also took a daytrip to Milford Sound where I took a boat cruise through the fiord....beautiful scenery...The drive down there, which took several hours, took us through beautiful scenery as well. I was most awed by the Mirror Lakes. Luckily it was a sunny day, which made it obvious why the lakes are such named.

Mirror Lakes

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

After all that I decided to take a trip to a lakeside town called Wanaka and just relax for a couple of days. The only thing I did there really was visit a place called "Puzzling World". It has two sections: a maze and an optical illusions room. That was quite fine.

Wanaka

After Wanaka I went to the city of Dunedin where I met up with a friend. (The same friend I had originally met in Arthur's Pass on New Year's). We spent two days driving around the mid section of the south island towards Mount Cook/Aoraki (the tallest mountain in New Zealand) and spent a night at Lake Tekapo. On the way we stopped to see the Moeraki Boulders - these huge spherical stones found strewn along a stretch of Koekohe Beach near Moeraki.

Moeraki Boulders

Moeraki Boulder

Mount Cook (Aoraki)

This afternoon we got into Christchurch - and that is where I am right now. I'm going to hang around here for a few days. Early next week I plan to go to a place called Hanmer Springs (with thermal pools being the major attraction). And then I'm going to start planning a journey back to the north island. I'm probably going to head for Auckland and look for work and make some money.

When I came to the south island I took plane from Auckland. This time I think I'm going to take the ferry across - just to get a different experience.

Will keep you all posted....

I left Waimangaroa on Thursday, March 30 and headed towards Greymouth. On the way, the bus driver took a 40 min. break in a town called Punakaiki. This provided just enough time to pick up a coffee and go see the Pancake Rocks - a popular tourist attraction.


Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki


Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki

In Greymouth I stayed at Neptunes International Backpackers. I didn't particularly care for Greymouth - not such a nice town and there's not much to do there.

Greymouth

Greymouth Beach

Surfer - Greymouth Beach

Rocks on the Beach

On Saturday I went to Arthur's Pass. That evening I went to the local pub and ran into a guy from Christchurch whom I had met in Arthur's Pass on New Year's Eve. We had planned to go on a 4-5 hour hike the next day but it was raining.  Nevertheles...we decided that a 2 hour walk would be manageable. So we'd get a little wet. We walked the Otira Valley - a walk through subalpine bush and  grass leading to the Otira River. (Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of Otira Valley because I didn't want the rain to ruin my camera).

Anyhow...I thought I'd stay in Arthur's Pass for 2-3 days and just relax but once I got here, my old boss asked how I felt about staying a few extra days and working so he could take a few days off. Sure - no problem. I don't mind making a little extra money. Surprisingly, despite being the off-season now - the motel has been filled to capacity every night. The boss gets back this afternoon. Tomorrow I think I'll just take it easy - and then move on to my next destination.

Since Saturday evening I've been staying in a small town called Waimangaroa. I've been working at a place called the Railway Tavern. My job is to help clean in the mornings. The first day I vacuumed the tavern. The second day I cleaned the bathrooms. The third day I defrosted the freezer. That's about the extent of the work I do around here. In exchange, I get a room and meals.

The Railway Tavern

The owner and the other travellers who work here have rooms in the house that is attached to the tavern. There is a Scottish couple who have a room with a double bed. An English girl and German girl share a room with bunk beds. I, on the other hand, sleep in a room that's located outside behind the tavern/house. I prefer it that way. I have a double bed and television - and privacy. I also discovered that when the tavern is hopping and people are drinking and being rowdy until 3 in the morning - I'm the only one who manages to get any sleep.

So I guess it all sounds good...except....that I don't really like it here. Ever get to a place and immediately get either a good or a bad vibe? Well, it's happened to me a few times already. I got really good vibes from Nelson and Takaka. I got really bad vibes from Motueka and this place. A lot of travellers have stayed here and really loved it. But I just feel completely out of my element.

I feel out of place - like I don't know what to do with myself. The other helpers tend to hang out in the tavern and meet the locals but bars are not my scene - so I don't hang out there. Also....I'm no health inspector - but I wouldn't give this place a passing grade in terms of hygiene. I tried to clean but there seems to be a lack of cleaning supplies. I searched high and low yesterday trying to find a sponge and didn't find one. No one else knew where I could find one either. Try scrubbing a shower using a J-cloth. You don't really get anywhere.

The other morning I decided to tackle the kitchen. There was a pot of chicken on top of the stove. I had assumed that it was leftover from food served in the tavern the night before and that it had been sitting out all night.... so I dumped it. Later I found out that the chicken was dinner that had been prepared for us (and some invited guests) for that night. I apologized and I was quickly forgiven for my error. On the one hand I felt badly - on the other hand - not so much. Turns out that my assumption that the food was left out overnight was correct. So as I see it, I probably saved a whole bunch of people from food poisoning.

Yesterday was sunny and a warm 22C so I decided to walk down to the beach (30 min. walk). I arrived and was amazed by how long the beach extended - and that no one else was around. That changed after about 2 min. Someone arrived with car and stopped to chat with me. I still find it hard to get used to the fact that unlike back home - it's not unusual here in New Zealand to have complete strangers come up and talk to you.  He was a local guy and obviously this is a small community where everyone knows everyone because he immediately assumed that I was staying at the pub. He was a nice enough guy but I really wanted some alone time. After about 10 min. he finally carried on his way. I spent the next hour just walking along the sand and listening to the surf (and being eaten alive by sandflies).

Waimagaroa Beach

Driftwood

Today it's cool and rainy and I'm bored, bored, bored.

So, I'm leaving tomororw. I was planning to leave 2 days ago but if I leave tomorrow I can get a ride to Greymouth - my next destination. I'll probably stay in Greymouth a day or two. From there I might also take a trip to Arthur's Pass to visit my old boss. We've been keeping in touch and several times he mentioned that I'm welcome to visit anytime - so I think I will.