Counting the days...

How has a month gone since I left home?! I literally don’t understand where time goes!! The fact i’ve been in Queenstown over a week baffles me too…but within a week i’ve managed to bag a interview and a trial shift. I also looked at renting a room but unfortunately didn't quite make the cut, but everything happens for a reason because i’m now staying at a nicer place in while I look for something more permanent! 

A lot has changed in my mindset over the past week as well, my first few days I felt so down and was questioning every single choice I made about coming away. But I went for a run round the beautiful lakes and met up with Sam from Noosa and met the people he had met and just having people around makes such a difference…You don't realise how much you depend on people until you have no one! 

I know you have to give something new some time to settle but I felt like there was so much pressure to enjoy Qtown because so many people had said that it was amazing and their favourite place so I felt like it had to be amazing and it was me that was the problem not the place..

Qtown...

Touchdown in Qtown…after a very long(9hrs) but scenic bus drive from Christchurch to Queenstown/ The bus route took us via Lake Tekapo which was beautiful, just wish I could have stayed a bit longer…nevermind!! And then all along the west coast which was so beaut too, but what seemed like a lifetime I have finally arrived in Qtown.

Now to embark on my first day adventure and wander about and get a feel for the place. This morning I went for a wander and had a coffee by the lake and then decided to make the most of the sunshine and went for a run round the lake to Frankton which was just stunning!! Surprising just how much better a workout can make you feel…just what I needed! 

However, the girls in my room were off skiing today and it would if been amazingg conditions to ski but I got in too late to hire gear for today :( So will have to check out the rest of the weeks forecast to plan a trip! 

Possibly the worst thing about travelling alone is feeling lonely and wanting someone just to do things with, even if it is just wandering about! But give it time and i’m sure i’ll make some friends!! It’s Canada day today so hopefully i’ll get smashed and make some pals! 

Where does the time go...

Another week has flown by consisting of lots of procrastination over making any decisions whatsoever!! But I finally pulled my finger out and booked to go to Queenstown which was a lot harder than I had anticipated…It’s funny how quickly you can fall back into routine and comfort in a situation. But I think we all need a little shaking up every so often… So i’m heading south on Tuesday to go have some fun in Qtown. But this weekend we’re hitting the local slopes and getting our ski on!! 

Ivan and Dean had bought a new car (aka the spacko wagon) this week and wanted to test it out and a road trip to the ski fields sounded like a pretty good place to do so!! 

Unfortunately our day got cut short due to gale force winds closing the lifts, so had the morning pottering about and then the boys decided to hike up the mountain which I was NOT fit enough to do! I just went up about 50m and then skied back to the warm cafe! 

But because we had paid for a day of kit rental I thought we’d best make the most of the day and with the nursery slopes still open I thought it was the best opportunity to get Dean to teach me how to snowboard and I attempted to teach him how to ski…Well, fair to say i’m no natural! But Dean on the other hand, he was something else…made my day watching him try to ski…I was sat at the top of the slope watching him come up the button lift and somehow managed to fall flat backward off the lift…FUNNIEST THING EVERRRR! Can’t say he saw the humorous side to it! 

What could of been a crappy day turned out to be a really really great one, just shows it’s not the situation its what you make of it!! 

The struggles...

The one thing I struggle with while travelling is making decisions. It's not that i'm indecisive (well that could be part of the reason) but I find it really hard to choose one thing over another because I never know if i'm making the right choice, but I guess you never know until you've done it. But making that leap terrifies me and unless i've got someone pushing me then I end up just letting life ride out and take it's own course.

So time to man up and make some wrong decisions for once and live with the consequences....may they be good or bad!

Day trippin'

Yet another weekend has been and gone but at least this weekend was slightly more productive!

On Saturday we embraced the tourist in us and went to the International Arctic Centre. It was interesting for the first 5 minutes when we got to ride on one of the show mobile things and then got a bit boring after that...but semi interesting...

Then we took a road trip on Sunday to Hamner Springs which is about an 1.5 hrs north of Christchurch and they have heaps of thermal pools and saunas which was really cool to be sat in them while looking over the snowy mountains. Nice little bit of relaxing me time...not that I need any more of that?!

Heading up to the springs was a weird one....I found it difficult to place where in the world I felt like I was, it almost had a Scottish highland feel to the landscape. Usually a place reminds you of another or has a similar feel to it but this was unique.

But one of my favourite things about the day was that we managed to time our drive home with the sunset which was beaaaautiful.


I've been in NZ a week and a half now...think its time I get my act together and head to Queenstown!!

week one...

The beauty of travelling is having contacts all over the world, and having friends to see pretty much all over the place.....So when I knew I was going to be in Brisbane for the night I just knew I needed to see my two favourite pommies! It's funny how you can not see someone for 8 months and it only feel like you've not seen them for 8 days!

But as all good things come to an end, it's now time to leave my fellow brits and head to New Zealand...it's never a goodbye, it's a see you later!

First impression of NZ?? ohmygod. It's SO chilly!! I've headed straight to Christchurch to see a friend before heading to Queenstown so have spent my first week just mooching around getting all life essentials sorted.

I can't say I want to hang around long. Because of the earthquake that happened in 2011, the city is still in it's rebuild phase and there's not heaps about to do. But the 'city' (if you want to call it that) is small but has its own quirks, like the shopping mall made out of shipping containers. But yeah i'm not feeling the Christchurch vibe...

Lets hope Queenstown can make it up to me and make the cold weather worthwhile!!!

And here we go again...

So as i’m sat on the plane somewhere above Istanbul (41000m to be exact) the pilot has just told us to put our seatbelt on because we’re due to have turbulence… for those who don't know me so well…I hate turbulence, well not just turbulence, I hate flying but love to travel.… Go figure!! It petrifies me so so so much so as you can imagine i’m trying to distract myself by writing my blog. Can’t really say its working but hey i’ll try my best not to get distracted and dawdle.

Reflecting on the last time I came away. I think it was for the wrong reasons…I was running from life and instead of facing it, I wanted to escape and find something - what that was i’ll never know.

But in hindsight it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. The experiences that I got to experience, all the fabulous people we met along the way just made us have such a great time. I don't necessarily feel like I found what I was running from but maybe it was just what i needed. 

Now thinking to this time, I don’t know what drove me away. I was in a secure job, had good people around me, a roof over my head. I couldn't complain but I felt like there was a part of me missing and I feel like I left it behind when I got on the plane to come home a few months ago. A routine is all fine and dandy when you're settled and happy. But being in a routine and not being happy isn't much fun, when the days all seem to be the same when you go to work, gym, eat, sleep, and repeat day in day out. Don’t get me wrong theres nothing wrong with that. But for me, I needed to spread my wings and let the travel bug come bite me in the ass. 

Time to be a free spirit and embrace life to the max, never know whats round the corner so take every opportunity you get.