Hi friends and family. I guess everyone is gearing up for the holidays. It’s quite strange being in warm weather during this time of year. It still doesn’t feel like Christmas to me yet. At the same time, it’s kind of nice to not have all of the commercialization that comes with the holidays in the states. It’s much more low key here... really just about being with friends and family. I find it funny listening to all the kiwis say they find it commercialized here when they haven’t seen a Christmas on steroids like it is in the states. Unfortunately I have to work on Christmas Eve. Lots of people spend their holidays in the national park by the beach so we stay open in order to get them all to their location with our aqua taxis. Luckily we’re closed on Christmas Day. I plan to go to the beach with my friend Bella and her partner, Marius. Then Marius’s boss is having a get-together, so we’ll head over there. Nothing special, but good to be with friends.

We’ve had some torrential rains in the area. There was quite a bit of flooding which damaged lots of houses, roads and even part of the Abel Tasman track. The Department of Conservation are working tirelessly to get it fixed so people can walk the whole park. We even had an earthquake a couple of weeks ago! I was the only one that didn’t feel it because I was driving home from work. I guess I should be glad, but for some reason I wanted to see what it was like.

Other than that, not too much news to report on except that I absolutely love it here. I’m making tons of friends and I love my job and co-workers. We just had our Christmas party for work and it was good to see everyone let loose. Funny thing I’ve forgot to mention a while back... before I started my job, someone at work started a rumor that I was Miss Texas! Well clearly, I don’t look, or act for that matter, like Miss Texas. One night I was out with some friends and I had five people come up and ask me about it. I’ve never been so confused in my life. I’ve found that this is such a small town and EVERYONE talks. They all know your business and find out fast! I can’t even go to the grocery store without seeing someone. Just last week I crawled out of bed to run to the store (looking pretty crappy) and saw three people I knew. I do miss that a bit about Dallas... it’s a big city.

I think I have decided I want to stay one more year. I spoke to immigration and I can get another working holiday visa. I can go back to my old job in Queenstown at the ski field and then come back for the summer to the job I have now. I’m just having too much fun to go home at this point, plus, I still have jobs here. It’s hard because I definitely miss everyone so much! At the same time, I just don’t want to lose out on this opportunity. So my plan (pending funds) is to do a bit of travelling in Southeast Asia for April and May and then come back to NZ. Maybe this will persuade people to come visit me?!?! I know, I know. Fat chance. Maybe at least mom and dad.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday and an even better new year!

I’m all moved in here at my new home. It’s quite perfect actually. I have my own little back house in Brent’s (my flatmate) backyard.

I use the kitchen and bathroom inside his house and usually hang out in the living room if I’m home. There are always people in and out of the house. Sally, his girlfriend is usually here. She’s from Canada and just a super nice person. Brent’s four-year-old son, Olly, is also here a couple of nights a week, plus Brent’s one million friends that I cannot keep up with. He grows most all of our vegetables in his garden in the back and usually catches several fish for the week. He’s quite self-sufficient and “Kiwi as” which just means he is exactly what you would picture someone from New Zealand being like. I couldn’t have asked for a better place with great people.

Lately, I mostly just work. I really like my job, but there is so much to learn!! It’s crazy. We have so many different trips and there are so many moving parts. It’s quite easy to mess up! A couple of times a week I work in our little booth at Kaiteriteri beach.This is my favorite!! It’s an amazing view and I kind of get to do my own thing since it’s quieter than being at our base in Marahau. Shania Twain even has a house there!

I’ve been trying to take advantage of going out on all we have available since it’s free anyways. My friend Alex from Queenstown just recently came in town and was pretty excited to get into the National Park. We did an overnight trip called the Royale with Cheese. We took the Aqua Taxi (fancy name for a boat) and hopped off at Bark Bay. We walked about a four and half hour hike back to Anchorage Bay where we stayed on a house boat for the night. It’s actually a hostel on water. Pretty sweet idea! The guy that owns it really wants me and my co-workers to book people on for the night while they’re on our trips so he let me stay there the night for free as incentive.

The next morning, Alex and I got up for our five and a half hour kayak trip. We met our guide back at Bark Bay and kayaked all the way back to Kaiteriteri beach. Luckily, it was really windy, which normally would be a bad thing, but worked in our favor that day. The kayak guides set up a sail where basically two kayaks hold on to one another side by side. Each person holds the end of a sail and we high tail it back. It’s pretty fast and cuts down so much on the paddling time.

I also had another friend, Fraser come in town. He and I worked at Coronet Peak together this past season. We did a hike up to Mount Arthur. Fraser was a guide at Franz Josef Glacier so this was super easy for him while I felt I was near death behind him. I’m not sure of the exact altitude of Mount Arthur, but the last Department of Conservation hut said 1,310 meters. Of course I’ll remember that number since it’s my favorite sports radio station!! We hiked a good two hours up from there, so it must have been quite high. The winds were seriously far past gale force! There were several moments when Fraser turned around and I had been blown to the other side of the track. I’ve never in my life felt winds like that. We got to about 200 meters away from the summit and had to turn back. There was too much snow on the top and neither of us had the proper shoes, plus I probably would’ve been blown away. Kind of frustrating we were so close, but for the better.

Well that’s just a little update. Sorry there are no pictures. I almost crashed the computer for some reason trying to upload them!

I was so happy to talk to Whitney before her wedding. I was terribly sad I missed it, but I know everyone had an amazing time. CONGRATS TO THEM! I have a day off today, so it might be time to head to the beach! I’ll try and keep the updates coming! Talk soon!

Road Trip + Motueka

Updates… where do I begin? So much has happened since I last blogged. I think I last left off while I was finishing up the ski season at Coronet Peak. As always, it was sad to say bye to all my friends in Queenstown… flatmates, co-workers, friends, but I was really excited to make my next move.
Five friends and I took a four day west coast road trip from Queenstown to Nelson which is at the top of the south island. I can’t remember if I last wrote about this, but I bought a Nissan Bluebird with 181,000 kilometers for $1800. Here's a picture...

I had it checked out before I bought it and it’s in good condition. It has some corky areas… sometimes the radio doesn’t work, it makes funny sounds going uphill, one of the mirrors is taped on, some small dings on the exterior, but I don’t care because it runs and got us to Motueka safe and sound. I love the attitude about cars in New Zealand. They are just to get you from one point to the other, not to show off how much money you have. Obviously I’m not used to driving on the left side of the road on the left side of the car (actually I’m terrified), so my friend Ester drove the whole way. Thank goodness.
We first stopped at Franz Josef Glacier where we did a guided hike to the top of the glacier. They outfitted us with warm clothes, boots and crampons. Yes, crampons. My maturity level turned into that of a teenage boy every time I said this word. They basically are ice picks that you strap to your boots to grip the ice as you climb. Very helpful! I felt like such a ninny because we had to stop twice for our guide to tape my ankles because of blisters. It hurts though when you’re climbing! I really enjoyed the experience. The guides are really knowledgeable and helpful making it very worthwhile. Plus how cool is it to hike a glacier?!? After Franz Josef, we made a couple of other little stops along the way visiting some amazing beaches, waterfalls and even some po dunk towns that I will never stop through again, but made for a good laugh. I forgot to mention I slept in my car for four nights… the VERY tiny backseat of my car. It actually wasn’t too bad. On the fourth day, we arrived in Nelson where my friends will all be working. They work for a small company that makes the frames for tiny helicopters which are used for filming and other various projects. Their bosses have an amazing house at the top of a hill overlooking the beach. They basically office out of the house and my friends are staying there until they find a place to live.
I stayed a couple of days with them just relaxing before I left for Motueka which is where I currently live. It’s just a short 45 minute drive from Nelson. When I first drove into Mot, I was a little scared. It wasn’t just because I would finally be forced to drive, but also because I realized I was on my own again and in a tiny town much unlike Queenstown with not a whole lot to do. I first checked into a backpackers’ called the Happy Apple. I immediately felt welcomed by the owners, Bill and Janet who I now feel are like my grandparents. The Happy Apple is really a great place. It has a huge backyard with hammocks and chairs. They even have a hot tub. I actually went to this particular backpackers’ because my friend Jen from Queenstown said her friend Ande stayed here who turns out to be a super cool guy. We get along really well. Initially I thought I would never be happy in this tiny little town. After just a couple of weeks, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. Motueka may just be a tiny beach town that you can drive through in about 10-15 minutes, but I love it! I love the laid-back lifestyle of the people, the proximity of the city, Nelson, the amazing beaches in the Abel Tasman National Park, the quietness that makes you just appreciate sitting and chatting with friends. For instance, right now, I’m just sitting inside blogging while it rains and couldn’t be happier. There are some really interesting characters that live here too. My favorite is Darryl. He’s an older guy who’s been traveling for quite some time and loves to get on the drink. I absolutely love to hear him tell stories. Sometimes he gets to laughing so hard that he can barely breathe. He cracks me up. He just got a new laptop and has NO idea how to use it. The first day he couldn’t even figure out how to open it. He’s sitting in the lounge with me right now and has asked me three different times to show him where his cursor is. Love him. It’s people like him that make traveling that much better.
I started my job this week at Abel Tasman Kayaks. I’ll be working in Marahau (the main office) about 20 minutes away from Motueka and also in the booth at Kaiteriteri, both right on the beach in the Abel Tasman National Park. I usually carpool with my co-workers. It’s a very windy road through the hills. You have to watch out for chickens, ducks and cyclists around every corner. There is no part of this road that is straight. My first week is just training, but I see why I need it. I have loads of information to learn about the trips they offer. Basically my position will be selling the various kayaking, walking and aqua taxi excursions in the Abel Tasman National Park to the customers. There are so many different options and I have to know everything about all of them including which beach it starts/stops at, tidal crossing info, length of paddle, accommodation in the park, etc, etc, etc. Seriously, the list goes on and on. They say the best way to learn the trips is to actually go on them (plus we get them for free). You don’t have to tell me twice. Last week, my co-workers Bella, Ida and I took a kayaking trip called the Big Tonga. Tonga Island is a seal sanctuary. We started out by taking the aqua taxi to a secluded beach where our guide showed us how to kayak. (Pause for break to help Darryl with his laptop for the fourth time). I’ve never actually kayaked in anything like these boats. They’re really big for two people with pedals for steering. It seems like it would be really easy, but after 5 hours of kayaking my arms had shooting pains! We kayaked around all the beautiful beaches and into several lagoons and estuaries filled with seals! They’re so cute! They swim right up next to your kayak. Apparently in the summer when the pups are young, they tend to be really playful and curious. They’ll hop right on top of your kayak. We also did a famil trip with our supervisors which included an aqua taxi ride to show us each beach, lagoon, estuary, tide crossing and Dept. of Conservation hut along with a 2 hour walk through the national park. By the end of the season, I will know every detail about this place!
Lucky for me, I have some great co-workers. I’ve already become really close to a girl named Bella who is from South Africa. She and her boyfriend were actually in Queenstown too and just recently moved to Motueka. He works as a skydiver here, so I’ll definitely be trying that as soon as possible. They moved in with a lady named Niki, who has a friend, Brent that rents out rooms in his house. As much as I truly do love the Happy Apple, I’m going to need a house since I’ll be working here until the end of March. I looked at several places, none of which I particularly liked. Brent’s was perfect. He works as a kayak guide here, but for a different company than mine. He has a really nice house with two rooms (or backhouses I should say) in the backyard. My room is huge with a double bed (which I haven’t slept on for my entire time in New Zealand), a small kitchenette, and closet! Brent is a cruisey, very laid-back guy. He’s barely charging me anything. I use the bathroom, kitchen and living room in his house. He also has a four-year-old son named Olly who is only there some of the time, PLUS, he has a dog named Girlsy who I’m already obsessed with. She’s only a stand-in for my dog, Roxy, but will definitely do!
So that’s an update! Just reading it back gives me tired head. I have to say I’m very, very happy with what’s happening in my life. I’m really appreciating the simple life and the new friends I’ve made. I feel truly blessed to have come so far. As always, there’s a room for any of you to stay in for a visit! Fat chance, I know, but the offer is on the table. Doesn’t Christmas on the beach sound appealing?? Thank you to everyone for the lovely e-mails. I love updates. I can’t believe I’m missing the Rangers in the World Series against the Cardinals of all teams! I’ll be rooting for them here while everyone else cheers on the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team for the Rugby World Cup. Although I’m starting to finally get into it! Cheers everyone!

Goodbye Queenstown!

It's getting close to the time where I will say goodbye to yet another city. It's been an amazing last couple of months here in Queenstown, but the season is ending and the snow is melting which means so is my job. I absolutely loved living here. I met some amazing people and had some awesome times. My boss even told me she wants me back next season. We will see... I might miss you all too much to stay that long!

I just recently found out I got a job with Abel Tasman Kayaks located near the Abel Tasman National Park which is at the top of the South Island. It's a customer service type position selling the excursions the company offers among many other tasks. Best of all, it's right by the beach! Here's their Web site... http://www.abeltasmankayaks.co.nz/. I'm pretty pumped. It will be quite the different atmosphere than what I'm accustomed to here in QT. I have to say I'm ready for some warm weather. I don't know anyone there, but I have two friends moving to Nelson which is less than an hour away.

Today I had to say goodbye to two of my best friends here. It was really difficult considering Hayley and I were together every single second when I wasn't at work. We have already begun to plan our next adventures together around the world. Now that Hayley moved out, I'm officially the only girl living in my house with seven boys. Kill.me.now. Just kidding... I love them to death.

The Rugby World Cup has started here. It's an awesome atmosphere! There are tons of teams walking around Queenstown. I saw the Georgian team walking down the street the other week. There aren't any games here, but the teams train at some of the facilities. Did anyone hear about England's team captain? He apparently is married to the Queen's granddaughter. Well he had a little too much fun the other night at a club here and is all over the news. Oh the drama! The US team beat Russia last night. I don't know much about Rugby but it's fun to watch. We're actually not too bad considering it's not a huge sport in the states. I watched the US vs. Ireland game last week with about a million Irish friends from work. We lost and they definitely let me know it.

If you haven't seen the pictures yet of my trip to Milford Sound, definitely check out my facebook profile. I'm far too lazy to upload them all to my blog. Here are a couple of pictures. It was BEAUTIFUL. I felt like I was in a movie. We took a 4 1/2 hour bus ride there and then hopped on a boat and cruised around the sound. Loved it.


Last week, I actually had a visitor! A guy I used to work with at the Richards Group came in town with his wife and some friends for the Rugby World Cup. We had a nice day of skiing. It was great to see someone from home! Here's a picture of us at the top of Coronet Peak.

And for my last update... I got my nose pierced! Sorry mom and dad. I've wanted to do it for so long! Now is the perfect time. It's very small so most people still haven't even noticed it.

That's all for now. I love to hear from everyone, so please update me with your lives. Are people even reading these updates? Hello? Is anyone out there? Love and miss everyone!!

Meet My Housemates

Even though most of my housemates are about to leave after the ski season to go home, I feel like I have to introduce them before they hit the road. It's about time... I know. Just last week, my landlord Sophie took us all out for pizza at a place called Winnie's. It's THE best pizza I have ever had. I would seriously go every day if I could afford it. Here we are all.Joe (left) is from the French-speaking part of Switzerland. This is his second season boarding in Queenstown. He's a funny guy. Just last night, we were all watching a scary movie (they all realize now it is not fun to watch them with me because I scream at every jumpy part) and he came up behind me in the dark and scared the ever living you-know-what out of me. He also makes the best cookies ever!!

Kathleen (middle) is from Germany. She also works with me at Coronet at the Snowsports desk. We've had some really cold mornings walking to the Snow Centre together!

Hayley (left) is who I share a room with. She's from Nottingham, England. Robin Hood! She's my best friend here and I don't know what I'll do without her when she leaves in a couple of weeks. We've had some great times. I will definitely go visit her one day.

Trish (right) is from Australia and actually already left to go back. Really sweet girl... wish she could've stayed longer.
Sophie (left) is my landlord...sweet, but slightly neurotic. She's got three young kids and they all live in the house above us. She comes downstairs every day and chats/lectures. We all have grown to appreciate her because she really does take good care of us. I find a new post-it on the walls every day around the house with messages such as "please recycle toilet paper rolls".

Kay (middle) is from China. She is an amazing baker, but also makes some really questionable food. I haven't quite figured out what some of them are. She's incredibly nice. Unfortunately she leaves tomorrow. Maybe I'll at least lose some weight. She bakes every day!

Avril (right) is from Ireland and an absolute trip! I find her so hilarious with her thick Irish accent and attitude. She says whatever is on her mind and I love it.

Jamie (left) is from Scotland. He also works with me at Coronet as an instructor. He's an amazing skier and really patient. He's even taught me how to ski over the boxes at the snowpark. Jamie is leaving for Scotland in a week or so to fly for Logan Airlines.

Boris (right) is a friend of Joe's and also from Switzerland. Nice goggle tan, right?!? These boys go up the mountain every day! He is a tiler and a ski instructor at home. He's an incredible skier. He doesn't speak too much English but has gotten so much better the last couple of weeks. For speaking so little English, he always makes us laugh.

Well these are my housemates. We're all incredibly different, but all here for the same reason... to ski and have fun. I'll miss them so much, but know I have a friend in so many different countries to visit one day!

I thought I would share a few of the things that happened over the past couple of weeks… some good, some not so good.

We needed someone to dress up as the Coronet Peak mascots, Spike and Shred. I volunteered. Here’s what I looked like. Yes, go ahead and insert owl jokes here. I dressed as a giant Kiwi bird.

My friends and I had a barbecue by the lake front. Everyone brought their own food and drinks and we just hung out under the moonlight. I even played on the playground!
The Winter Games have started here in Queenstown. What an event to have in my own backyard! It’s an elite winter sports competition that brings together the world's best athletes. I even saw Lindsey Vonn the other day. Tons of teams are at Coronet Peak including the U.S. Olympic team. Here's the rail jam they held in town.

My friend, Harriett and I were going to go for a quick shopping trip in town. We ended up buying too many groceries to carry. We figured we would just hitch hike on the side of the road (I assure you it’s safe to do in Queenstown). It was in an unnoticed location so we just continued on walking with our grocery cart realizing after a while that we accidentally, kind of stole it. Oops! For some reason, it was absolutely hilarious to us because people were staring.

My friends Harriet, Lucy and I went up to Coronet to ski on my day off. The conditions weren’t too good so we decided to just take the first bus home and go have a drink. A nice day off in the sun!
One of my not-so-favorite moments happened last night at work. Part of my job is to assist in the search for missing people. We have a whole list of emergency procedures we have to go through. Usually it’s just kids who lost their parents or friends who can’t find each other. Typically, they end up being at home or at a bar. Last night, after my first missing person search ended, someone else came in to report that they could find their friend and they had searched for almost 2 hours. Keep in mind yesterday we had 65-70 cm. of new snow in the last storm cycle and most lifts were on hold all day because of the conditions. I didn’t end up leaving work until midnight after patrol searched for hours, police were alerted, and a helicopter with thermal imaging finally found him out of bounds. It was so scary and eerie being up at the mountain that late in those conditions. The guy was even able to walk into administration afterwards! It was so insane. I can’t even describe it. I cried along with his friends! We were so happy they found him… ALIVE! Here is some more information... http://infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?id=73129. It was a good ending to a day especially since it started with the staff bus sliding into a ditch.

Now I finally have some days off. I’m too drained from last night to even go skiing, so we’re going to wait until tomorrow. Check out some of my pictures. We got tons of new snow! I’ll send our good snow vibes to Texas since I know y’all need them with those temperatures!

I have a lot of people ask me what a typical day in my life is like right now. It varies depending on whether or not I’m working. I usually work 4-5 times per week. If I do go to work, I get up at 6:45 AM to eat breakfast and get ready. I start walking to the station building for the bus in town at about 7:15 AM. It’s only about a 10 minute walk from my house. It can be really cold and sometimes icy. Two of my roommates work at Coronet Peak with me. We have definitely had a few slides and falls down the hill which always proves to be hilarious even at an early hour. We hop on the bus with all the other Coronet Peak staff and head up the mountain. It’s about a 20-30 minute ride depending on the weather conditions. At one point, the buses were picking us up at 6:45 AM because it took so long to get up the mountain and we would be late opening if we left at a normal time. I sometimes get a nap in or just listen to music. I get to work and have coffee with co-workers until the 8:30 AM start. Things are pretty chaotic in the administration office, so I stay really busy the whole day between Web site updates, PA announcements, following emergency procedures for missing people, and so many other tasks. I can either go to lunch or take a ski break. After work, I either come home and hang-out with my roommates, go out with friends, or night ski on Friday and Saturday nights. I usually try and give myself a midnight cut-off so I feel ok for work the next day.

If I am not working, I’m playing! Usually on my days off, we will all go skiing/boarding. My lift pass gives me access to either Coronet Peak or The Remarkables, so we switch it up. Coronet is more family-oriented and with more guests. It’s anywhere from 3,000-4,500 per day during the winter holidays. Lindsey Vonn, the U.S. Olympic skier is actually training at our facility right now!! The Remarkables has more park areas as far as rails and jumps. I almost pulled my leg out of socket going over a jump the other day so I haven’t built the courage back up to try again. It’s really cool to watch others though!

If we don’t go skiing, I’ll usually try and just relax, do some errands and laundry. If I’ve got some energy, we try and be “touristy”. Most of my friends are only here for the season and don’t want to spend too much money since they don’t have jobs. We splurge every once in a while. Last week, we went on a cruise around Lake Wakatipu. It’s the third largest lake in New Zealand and crystal clear. I really would like to be here in the summer so I can swim in it! If we aren’t being tourists, we generally just hang-out together, go get a treat (J), or watch movies. There is still a lot of adrenaline activities I want to take advantage of so stay tuned!

My life is pretty simple, but I’m really happy right now. I hate thinking about what I will do after the season is over since all my friends will go back home, but I just have to reassure myself that there is a plan for me and I will find another wonderful city! Who knows, I might even stay in Queenstown for a bit longer! I’m just going to go with the flow.

Hugs and kisses! Miss you all. Love to hear from each and every one of you! Don't forget to check out the tab with all my pictures!

Praise the Lord, I have a home! Yes, that’s right. I’m writing to you from my new house! My friend Hayley and I just moved in tonight along with EIGHT other people. I know it seems crazy, but that’s what everyone does here. We live in a four bedroom home that’s just a short walk from the center of town with a killer view of the mountains and Lake Wakatipu. Hayley and I share a cozy little room. I never thought I would appreciate shelves so much in my life. I’m so happy to unpack! I haven’t met all my new roomies yet, but they are all friendly people so far. A couple of them even work on Coronet Peak with me. It’s nice to always have someone around to hang out with too.
Not too many new updates as of now. I’ve been working my little tail off. For the first couple of weeks, the large amount of snow and ice caused bad road conditions. Since the bus drivers had to drive really slow and chain up the tires, all the NZSki staff would have to catch the 6:45 AM bus to go up the mountain. It was still dark when I got to work, but I would get a good sleep in on the bus ride. Luckily, they changed it back to 7:45 AM. My job is going great. It’s been so absolutely chaotic in the administration office. I don’t have a single second of down time. I really enjoy it though. It keeps me on my toes. We even had to go over avalanche procedures today which I’m supposed to help handle if it occurs. Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen under my watch. It’s supposed to die down after the New Zealand school holidays are over. At that time, we will get to take ski breaks during lunch. I usually go skiing on my days off or on Fridays and Saturdays for night skiing.
This morning on the bus ride to work, I truly realized how amazing New Zealand is. I often take that time to think about how lucky I feel to be here and how this experience is once-in-a-lifetime. When we reached the top of the mountain, I looked up and the sun was coming up on one side in front of pink and purple clouds, and on the other side, the moon was still shining bright around a lit sky. Right below the mountains, I stood above a thick layer of clouds that really looked like snow. It was so amazing and unlike anything I’d ever seen. All the staff got off the bus and just began to take pictures (see my pictures tab). So with that said, I continue to remember to never take this experience for granted. Obviously I have my ups and downs, but lately it’s all ups! I hope everyone takes the time to see the beauty of what’s out there because there really is so much.

Well we finally got a dump… a snow dump that is (hehe). That’s right… it finally snowed A LOT! YAY!! I arrived in Queenstown a couple of weeks ago. It was perfect timing because Winterfest just started. There were all sorts of things going on like dodgeball tournaments, drag queen drag races, and tons of bands playing. There was even a Japanese James Brown band which was totally awesome. I want them to play at my wedding.

Queenstown is by far my most favorite place in New Zealand. The scenery is breathtaking. It’s just a cute little snow town with tons of activities always going on. I even did a bungee jump. I can’t even begin to describe the adrenalin rush. It’s 134 meters high with about eight seconds of free fall. I honestly didn’t think I would be as scared as I was, but it’s so incredibly intimidating. Not to mention I was the last one to go, so I had to wait for about 15 people to go in front of me. I’m not sure I even remember the first few seconds, but it was truly amazing. I want to go again!

Good news. I officially started my job! I’m working for NZSki as the Coronet Peak Administrative Assistant on the mountain. I get tons of perks like a free ski pass for both Coronet Peak and The Remarkables which runs upward of about $1,400. Lucky me! I work in the office with all of the ski area managers and other admins who are all really nice. So far so good. Some of my job duties include updating the Web site and snow phones, finding missing people, and making PA announcements which I struggle with. The entire mountain hears my voice and I always stumble on my words. I accidentally even said “y’all” when I radioed patrol the other day. I’ll never hear the end of that. It’s a chaotic job, but goes by super fast every day. You wouldn’t believe how many missing people there are! As long as the snow keeps up, I should have a job for the rest of the snow season. I was supposed to go skiing today on my day off, but due to high winds, they closed all the mountains.

I’m staying at a hostel right now which is definitely the nicest one yet. It’s only a year old and centrally located. I met a good group of friends who are also staying here most of whom are British. I love to hear them talk. Do you fancy this? Do you want to have a sit down? Do you need to throw away your rubbish? They get a kick out of me saying “y’all”, which I guess I never realized how much I use the word. As much as I enjoy hostel life, I finally found a place to live! It’s a brand new, 4 bedroom house about 5 minutes from town. I’m sharing a room with my friend Hayley. There are 2 people to a room, so I will have several roommates. We have a great view of the mountains and Lake Wakatipu. I’m pretty pumped!

Thanks for all of the recent e-mails! Keep them coming! I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. Unfortunately, I didn’t do too much for the holiday because we were all too tired, but I celebrated in spirit! Love and miss everyone. :)

After the fruit-picking season ended in Tauranga, I decided to take a bus back to Auckland for a couple of days with my German friend, Katrin. It was sad to leave all the people I met there, but I think you just get used to saying good-bye while traveling. I still keep in touch with some of them and hope to see everyone again at some point.

On my birthday, Katrin and I went on a sailboat for the afternoon and then out-and-about for the night. I know a couple of people who live in Auckland, so we all met up for a fun night out. They didn’t want me to feel lonely or miss friends and family on my birthday, so they showed me a great time. Of course I still missed everyone, but had fun regardless!

After Auckland, Katrin and I headed to Waiheke Island. It’s just a short ferry ride from the city with lots of wineries and beaches. We checked into a hostel called Kina Backpackers. It was very laid-back and had an absolutely amazing view of the beach.

Luke, the owner, lives next door with his family and runs the place well. I even caught him drawing with a marker on the face of a passed-out, drunk Irish guy. Hilarious. While staying there, we visited a winery, hiked, ran on the beach and just relaxed. Waiheke is really quiet this time of year. It is really small and doesn’t have much nightlife. The nightlife exists in the hostels I suppose. We met an English guy, coincidentally named Guy, who helps Luke run the hostel. He offered to take me and some friends around the island where the buses don’t go. We got out of the car on top of a hill to take a picture and the car broke down. We tried to jump the car, but that didn’t work. Oh and it was raining. Luke got in car to come get us and ended up getting in a wreck and flipping his van! He was ok, but shaken up. Oh and did I mention the car that we broke down in was also Luke’s? Guy managed to break two of Luke’s cars in one day. Another girl attempted to come get us and got stuck in the mud. Finally, she was able to get out and come find us. It was an interesting day to say the least.

Last week, I went by myself to a place called Russell Island. I had to take a ferry at 6 a.m. in the morning from Waiheke to Auckland in order to catch an 8:00 bus from Auckland to Paihia. Katrin got up at 5:30 in the morning and sat outside to wait for the bus with me. What a good friend!!! I miss her already. I came to Russell because I have a work-for-accommodation job with a family. Basically I watch their kids and do some light cleaning for 12 hours per week in exchange for a room in their staff house. Well, the first day I arrived, I received a phone call from the HR lady about the job I had been hoping for in Queenstown on Coronet Peak. They told me I got the job and orientation was the following week. I ended up having to tell the family I will be leaving next week instead of staying. I felt so awful, but I really need a steady job that pays. The next day, I booked my flight to Queenstown and not even 30 minutes later, the HR lady called and told me they were delaying orientation another week due to the lack of snow. Lovely. That’s ok. Everything happens for a reason.

I’m taking everything day-by-day and trying to go with the flow. I try not to worry about the little things and just enjoy living. I have my ups and downs, but I know that’s part of this experience. I love meeting new people from all over the world. I love the endless scenery of this country. I love the casual lifestyle of the Kiwis… no fancy cars, jobs or clothes. I love that I can repeat the same outfit two days in a row and no one cares or even notices for that matter. I do miss a lot from home though… MY PARENTS (so much), brother, sister-in-law, grandpa, my dog, friends, my bed, Tex Mex, Fahrenheit, miles, pounds and the letter Z… you know, the important things. J

Soooo, I guess I’m headed to Queenstown tomorrow. It’s in the South Island where all the ski areas are located. I’ll be working in the administration office. I am actually in the 2nd intake of employees, meaning, I have the job, but I don’t start until the season picks up and it begins to snow. They tell me it should be very soon. Please, please everyone pray for it to snow!!!!! No seriously, every day and night… pray for it to snow. Much appreciated.

I still love hearing from everyone, so don’t forget about me!!! I love detailed e-mails with lots of updates. J Talk soon. Miss you all.

Kia ora! I know it’s been a while, but free wifi is hard to come by. I am currently in a city named Tauranga. I came here so I could make back all the money I spent over the last few weeks by fruit picking. It’s a common job that most all backpackers do; however, I will never feel the same about kiwis. It is a really tough job! I never thought I would be using my college degree for manual labor, but it’s a great experience. It’s really hard on the back and shoulders, but I’m building big muscles. There are tons of fun people from all over the world working in the orchards. If you are slow, the Maoris will fire you! No joke. Needless to say, I will never look at a kiwi without thinking of the thousands I have picked over the last couple of weeks.
In Tauranga, I’m staying at a place called Just the Ducks Nuts (insert joke here). I still have no idea what the meaning is, but it’s still funny. There are three separate houses with a garden and hammock in the middle. There are kitchens and living rooms in each house where everyone hangs out. They are much nicer than the previous places I stayed at… more like a home. There is also a great view of Mount Maunganui overlooking the bay. I had a free day and hiked to the top. It’s a beautiful.

I have met some really awesome people here who are also fruit picking. Tons of French and Germans. Luckily everyone speaks a little English. None of them can understand the locals Kiwi people because of their accent. I have become the official translator.
I have to mention my road trip to Rotorua two weeks ago. The whole city smells of sulfur. It is from the geothermal activity within the region. Luckily, instead of the smell becoming unbearable the longer you stay, the aroma fades. Rotorua also goes by the name Roto-vegas. I now know why. Friday night, we went to a party called Shake the Lake. It was on a huge boat that drove around Lake Rotorua with a local band playing all night. The next day, we did one of the coolest things I have ever done… zorbing! See picture below. You get in a huge, inflated ball that they fill partly with water so you slide instead of flipping with the ball and then push you down a long hill. IT’S SO FUN!!!! My friend Muna even got us two free rides since she works for Base.

You cannot visit Rotorua without visiting one of the hot pools. We went to the Polynesian Spa overlooking Lake Rotorua. There are about 10 different pools with temperatures ranging from 36˚ to 42˚. That’s Celsius, not Farenheit. I still don’t know the conversion, but it was hot. The pools are filled with alkaline mineral water.
The last day, we stopped off to Luge. A world 'first' proudly designed and built in Rotorua. The Luge is a ride on a three-wheel cart. The braking and steering system provides the rider full control and allows you to travel as fast or slow as you want. We took a gondola up the hill where we were armored with a helmet. You can choose from three courses: beginner, intermediate and advanced. It’s kind of scary at first, but once you get comfortable, it’s awesome and you can go really fast!
Today, New Zealand has a public holiday for the Queen’s Birthday. We plan to go watch the Mavericks game. Just so everyone knows, people from all over the world are rooting for our little Mavs! We are world famous! Until next time… Go Mavs!!!

Bay of Islands

Hi everyone! I'm slowly but surely starting to adjust to the Kiwi culture. Let me preface this by saying "Kiwi" has many different meanings. It refers to a person from New Zealand, a little bird that is indigenous to NZ, or the actual fruit. The Kiwis (person) have a vocabulary of their own. First off, they say "sweet as" all the time. You think they're going to compare it by saying it's "sweet as something", but they don't. It's just "sweet as". Also, instead of saying a lot or tons, they say heaps. I have heaps of work to do or there are heaps of people. "Cheers" and "mate" are common too.

I am also finding that people here are not huge fans of Americans. Surprise surprise. Our entertainment culture is ruining us as well as our government. They sure do like American music and movies though. Don't worry, I'm working to change their perception. :) Luckily, everyone has been super nice to me. I have only met a handful of people from the states. There are far more travelers from other countries.

This last weekend, we were lucky enough to have our own personal tour guide to take us to the Bay of Islands! A girl we met, Muna, is from New Zealand but lived in Germany and then Australia. Now she works here in tourism at Base which is a large chain of hostels. She was nice enough to offer to take us with her on her business trip. We got to see beautiful scenery on the way. It's all green rolling hills. Not like the green in the states. It's bright green. Once we got to Paihia, we stayed right by the beach and had an amazing time! On Saturday, we took a ferry across the way to a place called Russell Island. We hiked up to Flagstaff Point and got a 360 degree view of all the islands. Absolutely amazing. My pictures won't do it justice.

On our way back, we made a stop at Goat Island. It's a marine reserve with some really great views.

Right now, I'm still in Auckland. I actually had a skype interview for an administrative assistant position at Coronet Peak near Queenstown. Unfortunately it doesn't start until July when the ski season starts to pick up. It's a start though!

Cheers!

Good morning! Or good afternoon in Texas. You get two for one on the blog updates today. I haven't had time to upload. Yesterday, we took a train to see Mt. Eden. It was quite a hike to get up that hill. Sadly I'm sore today which means I am so out of shape. Once you get to the top, you can see the entire city. It's amazing and beautiful. There is a gigantic crater. There are (I think) approximately 15 volcanoes in the Auckland area, but they are all dormant.

Last night, we had a pub meet with some of the other people in our program. We went to a bar where they serve basically towers of beer with a tap. Afterwards, we headed to a bar completely made of ice. They provide you with Eskimo jackets and gloves and you're set! It was pretty cool. We had two additions, one guy from Germany who barely spoke English and a guy from London who looked EXACTLY like Napoleon Dynamite (see picture). Don't worry mom... I won't spend every day at the bar. :) I'm still in the honeymoon phase.

We are having a slow morning as it is raining and the guys are hung-over. I was a good girl and returned to the hostel a little early. I did open a bank account yesterday so my money is safe! Cell phone is next. I feel so disconnected from the world, but I kind of like it. I originally wanted to find a job immediately, but I am going to wait until we figure out where we are going next. I feel a little guilty not having one, but I'm going with the flow. Oh and "we" is always Paul, Daniel and Dave (well for now at least).

First Things First

Hello from New Zealand. I finally arrived early Sunday morning. The flight wasn't too bad even though it was 13 hours from Los Angeles. It is weird that I missed an entire day of my life due to time changes. I was really emotional the first day wondering what in the hell I was doing leaving my wonderful family and friends and moving halfway around the world. I mean seriously, that's a gut check. I could barely even read your e-mails without tearing up. After a lot of prayers and some new friends, I feel 100% better. I went to the orientation for the program I am in and could not be more excited. There is so much to see and do here. It's the "world's biggest playground". I met two guys at orientation, one Canadian, Daniel, who I can barely understand. I swear he sounds Irish, but we all know I cannot decipher or really understand new accents. The other guy, Dave, is from Portland via Pittsburgh via a bunch of other places. We call him our "token black guy". His roommate, Paul, is also from Canada where he was a police officer and some sort of UFC fight. Let me tell you, we are the most random group you have ever seen, but we sure do have fun together. They make fun of me for saying "y'all" and call me "Frizzy"because there is no hope for my hair here. It's so humid. I'm sure the guys I used to work with are relieved that someone is taking up the slack on making fun of me.

My plan was to head straight to Queenstown, but after orientation, I decided to stay around Auckland for a couple more days until I figure out what we're doing. As I'm beginning to realize, it's best just to go with the flow here.

The hostel situation is well, very interesting. I sleep in a very small room with two bunk beds. There is another guy I share it with who I have yet to meet. All I know is he farts a lot and has zero remorse. Showering is a huge pain. It's like living in the dorms, but worse. The showers water turns off after about five seconds to save water. You have to continue hitting the button to turn it back on. The temperature is always either really hot or really cold. I am not exactly living in the lap of luxury, but I love it!!

Auckland is a lovely city. You could be walking down the street and hear 10 different accents of people from all over the world. Last night, the guys and I went down the harbor to an Irish bar. The people here are very friendly. I think our plan today is to head down to see the volcano, Mt. Eden. There are several in the surrounding area, but they are all dormant.

Oh and I am hesitant to even say this because I will scare my parents to death, but I promised to be honest on my blog. I had a major scare yesterday, but it taught me a valuable lesson. I went to get some coffee and decided I should clean out my purse, but oops, I took my money belt off. The money belt that had ALL of my money in it that I had yet to take off. Well, I go to open my bank account later and realize it is no longer there. My sweet friend Dave walked with me to retrace my steps. Low and behold, there are good people in this world. Someone turned it in without a penny missing. Thank you God! He's watching over me.

I will try and update as much as possible, but I'm never sure when I have internet access. If I haven't returned your e-mail, it's not because I don't love you. :) I miss everyone so much, but rest assured, I am having an amazing time thus far! Pictures will be posted soon.