I Heart NZ

Oh, New Zealand. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....

North Island Sheep, May 2011

I was doing some math the other day and figured out it took me eight months to get here & come July, it will have taken me eight months to leave. For someone who bounced around and hardly kept still for an entire year, that says a lot in regards to how I feel about this little country. The beaches are stunning, the people are genuine and the air is clean. But when it comes to my epic crush on New Zealand, I think its the "little things" that make me love it so much....

The fact that the daily weather report includes the number of layers you should wear in order to be comfortable for the day. Today, for example, is a 2 layer day. I also love how, without fail, every time I walk the thirty minutes from my flat to my office, I see at least one instance of friends or acquaintances bumping into each other. Even in this capital city of New Zealand, you'll see someone you know on your way to work. Speaking of my walks around town (and let me mention that I love how walking clear across the city happens in 30 minutes or less), I love how any time of day, there will be a handful of street performers scattered around the city. Whether its a young girl singing along to the instrumental of an Etta James song, or that older couple that sing hippie folk songs outside of the New World Metro each night, or just a young boy with his guitar & a microphone, at any given moment, somebody is performing for cash on a Wellington street corner. Artsy fartsy in a charming & casual way.

I also love how, even though I work in a government office and am surrounded by Economists, Lawyers and Investigators, every single desk is empty by 5:30pm on a Friday. Kiwis work hard, but they put more value and emphasis on their life outside of work. After three years of law firm work & constantly hearing about people pulling all-nighters, missing anniversary dinners & cancelling family plans, I love that. I also love how I haven't been asked where I went to school since I got here. Not that I'm at all ashamed to say "Sonoma State- that's where!", but there's just very little emphasis put on labels here. I'm surprised how much I love that. I also love how there are so many backpackers/travelers that got stuck here. One of my closest friends here in Wellington is a girl from SF who came on a one year visa and is now applying for her third year residency. You also might recall that Liora, my friend from Palo Alto, came over to "check out New Zealand" four years ago and hasn't managed to leave. Talking with a few friends the other day, we started adding up all of the people we knew of that had meant to just pass through Wellington but haven't been able to pull themselves away. I'd be curious to know the actual figures on expats who arrive with the intention of staying for one year vs. those who end up staying for multiple years and applying for residency/partnership visas. I'm guessing somewhere close to 70%. The love for Wellington is contagious.

Speaking of people who can't manage to leave, I am leaving Wellington. Its finally time to head home. My mom is turning 60 and I hear the celebration will include a beach house, good wine and lots of cooking. How can I possibly miss that? My baby brother is turning 21 and having taken the responsibility to "obliterate" both of my other siblings on their 21sts, I feel compelled to do the same for him. Also, one of my best friends has a bun in the oven and having thrown her a blast of a bachelorette party three years ago, it would only be right if I invited the same girls (plus our moms) and threw her a baby shower. There are also other weddings and birthdays to belatedly celebrate, engagement rings to drool over & new houses and cars to see. Plus, I can't possibly miss another San Francisco Fleet Week. Its totally time to head home.

In early July, I'll finally board a plane for San Francisco. The good news is that I'll get a job, unpack my stuff, eat CPK at least every other day & finally be able to join my friends for their fun weekend adventures. The bittersweet news is that it'll be a temp job, a subletted room & there are only four months of fun that my CA friends and I will have together. Come November, the plan is to move back to New Zealand and work here through another Summer before heading down to South America for a few months of backpacking. (insert eye roll here) I know, I know. "Are you ever going to come home and stop traveling?" Not any time soon, no. Besides, not only am I in love with my plan for the next chapter, but it looks like I have one hell of a buddy who wants to do it all with me. Double win!

North Island, May 2011

Living the dream, loving it and never been happier. Like any good almost-thirty American, I do struggle with what this means for my future. When will I buy a house? When will I build up my credit? When will I get back to work on my 401k? But all I can think about lately is which city in Chile would suit me best? I wonder if its possible to get a working holiday visa in Argentina? What month does it really start to get cold in Bolivia? How hard would it be to get a job in Peru? Until my mind starts racing with thoughts of mortgages and babies, I'm going to keep up this lifestyle as long as I possibly can. At this point, all signs are pointing to "Forever".

March 16, 2010 - March 16, 2011

525,600 minutes

365 days
16 countries
4 visas
6 visits with loved ones from home
8 Paly alumni
6 rented motorbikes
4 rental cars
1 speeding ticket
15 islands
4 paying jobs
1 volunteering gig
20 doner kebabs

When I said goodbye to my family in the kitchen (Mom made the boys get up early for it) on the morning of March 16, 2010, I never in a million years would have predicted the way this adventure would all fall into place....

The fact that I am writing this while sitting in a McDonald's in Munich, Germany (treating myself to a Rittersport McFlurry to escape the rain outside) is proof that dreams do come true. I'm still at it- hell, I'm even flying over to London tonight and still have two weeks in Turkey with Seana to look forward to, not to mention three more months of living as a Kiwi in New Zealand after that. Rihanna may want to feel like the only girl in the world, but I am surely the luckiest girl in the world.

I just spent twelve incredible days traveling through Bavaria & Bohemia with one of my best friends from home: Munich, Pilsen, Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg, Grodig and then back to Munich again. Proper blog post about our adventure to come, but I feel so blessed to have woken up next to a buddy from home on this 365th day away and to have had the time/funds/ability to take that trip with him. And I still feel totally feel unworthy for what the rest of March will bring. Tonight, I will fly into Stansted for the reunion of all reunions. Somehow, the stars aligned (and our schedules matched up) for some of the CCPP volunteers from Cambodia to meet up for one wild reunion weekend in London. Samia from France, Oumaya from Spain via Morocco, Juliane from Germany and Priya, Victoria, Will and Luke from England. And its all happening over St. Patrick's day weekend. In true JJ's Beach Bar style, I brought my blacklight body paint & there is talk of drinking out of buckets. For memory's sake. London is in for a treat.

The amazing/international/lively group of friends I've made this year are like the gold coins you collect in MarioKart. Such a huge bonus to gather them as I've been going along on this solo mission. One year ago, I didn't even know these five gals and now, they are some of my closest friends. Come to think of it, I also didn't know how much I love to snorkel. Or that I love riding motorbikes. Or that I would be Skyping with loved ones all the way from New Zealand on Christmas morning. Or that I could manage to get by with just one pair of jeans in the rotation. Or that I could see myself settling down and living in either Vilnus or Sihanoukville. Like my Counseling 101 teacher used to tell us, "you just can't know what you don't know." True that.

This year has been spectacular and surprising. I ate a ton of curry, fell in love more times than I can count, got attacked by monkeys in Bali, trekked the snow capped Austrian Alps, slept in a sedan in Australia, got a tattoo in Cambodia and watched the sun rise in Goa. I feel like this past March 16th - 16th really helped me define who I am and what I want to be. But that's for me to know, none of your beeswax. But one thing is probably obvious. I intend to do a lot more traveling in my future! Thanks so much for following along and check back sometime in April for blog posts on the trips I'm in the middle of now. And before I forget, a few shoutouts...

Huge thanks to my financial support team (Mom, Dad & Kate), without whom I'd have already been home a long time ago. "IOU" big time. Also, a heartfelt thanks to Suzannne Levanas, Suzi Coleman and Asta Baskauskaite who might not even realize it, but are definitely three of my biggest cheerleaders. Additional thanks to my parents, my sis, Jess, Torrey, Mikhael and Seana for packing a bag, boarding a LONG flight and heading over to be my co-pilots for some of these adventures. Also, huge gracias to Liora for convincing me to make my way over to New Zealand. One of the best decisions I made this year! And thanks to Mikey for his patience. =)

Its been unreal. But it really happened. I have the pictures to prove it. I don't plan on trying to top this past year, but I am pretty darn excited to see what the next 365 days bring...

Kiwi Fun Facts

I dare you not to fall in love with New Zealand. For the amount of physical space it occupies, there must be some sort of record for number of gorgeous sights in such a concentrated area. Not only is the country absolutely beautiful, but the people are fantastic. Their dollars are more colorful, their slang is quirky and they have a serious obsession with competitive cooking TV shows; its easy to feel at home here.

If you're "keen" on learning a little bit more about the "cheeky" ways of Kiwis, keep reading.

All (so far, least) of the public bathrooms are clean. Its the strangest thing. They're mysteriously stocked with plenty of toilet paper and the seat is so clean that there's no need to squat and hover. Even high traffic public bathrooms at beaches are more pleasant than disturbing. Strange thing to get used to after many months of miserable Southeast Asian toilets.

Kiwis are not very well traveled. Considering the fact that their closest neighboring country is at least a 3 hour flight away, it kind of adds up- literally. Flying to USA translates to at least 24 hours in flight. Its shocking for me to meet Kiwis who haven't made it past Australia, but most of my generation ends up taking a path that leads to an "OE" in their mid to late 20's. After college, your average twentysomething Kiwi will spend a few years establishing a career while saving money and then do an "Overseas Experience" and try to check most of the boxes with one big trip. Although this is a new trend and only becoming more of the norm with GenY, when you compare NZ to places like Germany, UK and Australian, New Zealand looks like they lack the travel bug.

Every single inch of New Zealand is gorgeous. I recently spent close to 40 hours driving through the North Island over the course of a week and enjoyed every single minute of it. Lush green pastures dotted with sheep and deer; seemingly never-ending stretches of pine trees; breathtakingly beautiful sea shores with white sand and turquoise water. Kiwis tend to live a very clean and green life- they spend a lot of their time enjoying the outdoors and appreciating their land and resources. Maybe Mother Nature is glowing over here because of all the love.

Drip coffee doesn't exist in New Zealand. Even at American chains such as Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, your choices are limited to flat whites (espresso with steamed milk- see above), cappuccinos, lattes and mochas. I once asked a Kiwi if she knew of any places that sold drip coffee in town. After insisting that drip is not "real coffee", I was told I might be able to find some in a hospital waiting room. Ouch. Lucky for me, the kitchen in my flat comes equipped with a coffee plunger and the main grocery store in town has half an aisle dedicated to beans. Kiwis take their coffee seriously, but they sure don't take it black.



Any time a Kiwi impersonates an American, they do it in that terrible George Bush voice. Even if they're reenacting a scene from The OC, they apparently think that every last one of us has a southern drawl. That slow, dumb, enunciated and simple sounding country twang is used when giving an impression of anyone from the States, no matter which state they're actually from. Its unfortunate and inaccurate, but its way more entertaining than insulting. Besides, I don't have an accent- you have an accent.

Pedestrians do not have the right of way. Coming from a big city where walkers and bikers rule the road, New Zealand traffic is alarmingly different. Get this- when you're crossing the street outside of the crosswalk lines, you will often see a car speed up and show no sign of swerving to avoid you. Road rage, much? While at home, you can assume that a driver will slow down if they spot you in their way; in New Zealand, I would never even dare cross on a red.

Wellingtonians dress in costume for anything. In fact, they often dress up for nothing. Why wouldn't a Saturday afternoon with friends require a costume? From the simple Cowboy look of jeans & a plaid shirt to a full body cow suit with udders, nothing is off limits and absolutely nothing is even remotely considered "too much". At the bar where I work, its completely common for Wonder Woman to order a round of tequila shots for herself, Mr. T and Cruella Deville. February 4th is NZI Sevens, which is a national rugby tournament that takes place in Wellington; it basically becomes a citywide excuse to throw on a costume and spend the day drinking in sunny Westpac stadium with friends. Its Wellington's version of Bay to Breakers. And yes, I'll be taking part this year. 'Excited' is an understatement.

Naysayers & Song Lyrics

"Heavy footsteps to the dark unknown. This is a mystery, no security of home... Walk it alone, I'm not afraid. I have my wings to fly away."
-The Sun Song, Michael TolcherI once dated a guy who tried to convince me that this trip would be impossible. "Its an unrealistic fantasy", he would say. "You can't just quit your job and leave the country for a year with no real plan. Maura, you're 25 years old and you don't have enough savings to do that. Be realistic."

You be realistic and I'll be optimistic.

And he's not the only one. Plenty of people tried to steer me clear of this trip. I won't name names, but there was a crowd of naysayers. But you have a good job! The economy is hopeless and jobs are hard to come by! Some of the places you're going are unsafe! What if you run out of money? You'll get homesick. What if something terrible happens while you're in a foreign city?

Those are all valid concerns. But to me, the scariest "what if" would have been: what if I never tried it and never knew if I could have done it and what it would have been like? As Leona Lewis sings in "Happy", "I can't stand by the side and watch this life pass me by. So unhappy. But safe as could be. So what if it hurts me? So what if I break down? So what if this world just throws me off the edge, my feet run out of ground?" When that song came out in early 2009, I adopted it as my anthem and played it on full blast on my iPod any time I got overwhelmed with the fears of what could go wrong on this adventure. So what if something bad happens? I could always come home. I had to at least give it a shot.

Sure, I've been on a pretty tight budget this whole time and had to borrow a substantial amount of money to make it through the Australian leg of my trip. But that was after eight months of travel. And yes, it could be hard to find employment when I get home. But how can this year have made me anything but more employable, right? Plus, now I have bartending experience. ;)

Maybe there's something that we all feel like we HAVE to do. For one of my friends, its dying her hair pink. She's been talking about doing it since college but always gets talked out of it. For another, its picking up and randomly moving to a new city on the East Coast. Intimidating idea, but she's been toying with it for years. Maybe for some of those who enjoy more of an intellectual challenge, its going back to school or learning Japanese. Or becoming a chef. Or biking all the way from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The idea of a "soul mate" is universal and something everyone is constantly looking for, but I'm proposing we all pay a little more attention to our "soul journey". Not the one person you want to spend your life with, but instead the one challenge or adventure you want to give your life.

I could have listened to my ex and stayed in a job and routine that would have led to 2010 being predictable and safe. But as the Rascal Flatts song goes, "there comes a time in everyone's life when all they can see are the years passing by. And I have made up my mind that those days are gone." Amen.

For any of you who are reading this and thinking, geez-so what? She visited a few countries and managed to avoid coming home for a year. Its not that big of a deal. To those of you I say, good for you. Clearly, you know the payoff of a trip like this outweighs the fears and cost. I could have used more opinions like those when I first started planning this trip!

My new year's resolution is simple. To keep living this way. Following my gut. Challenging myself with the joy of adventure. Taking road trips with no destination. Spending an entire Saturday afternoon at the beach with a bottle of wine, a deck of cards and a good friend. Attending music festivals, even if the ticket prices are outrageous. Taking naps and reading novels in the sun. In 2011, I want to continue to take a little time to enjoy the view. Its a beautiful thing. And this trip has been the most beautiful adventure of my life.

December 26, 2010 - January 2, 2011

December 26th, Liora and I embarked on a seven day tour around the North Island. Starting here in Wellington, we drove a relocation car (free 24 hour rental, as long as you take it one way to a specific city) the eight hours up to Auckland. On the way, we stopped for a break at the stunning Lake Taupo and had a nice little stop in Rotorua. See pics below. From Auckland, we took our second rental car and drove all over the northeast portion of New Zealand's North Island. Piha, Mangawhai, Whangarei, Te Puke, Tauranga, Whangamata, Coromandel and then back down to Auckland to catch a ride back to Wellington with our neighbors.



During the seven days, we slept in our car, pitched our tent at the epic CoroGold New Year's Eve music festival, rented a room at a sketchy airport motel, slept in a 10 person backpacker dorm & stayed at the childhood home of one of Liora's Kiwi friends. Along the way, we stopped at McDonald's for free wifi & directions, InfoCenters to inquire about the "must see"s of each town and generally got out of the car at any point where the view was spectacular or there was a good place to catch a tan while playing Scrabble. Both of us came home calling it "the best" road trip ever. We left Wellington with no real plans set in place, no hotel reservations, no tickets to CoroGold, no idea how the week would develop. Ironically, even if we had sat down with travel books, maps and a calendar and nailed down a specific itinerary before we left, we couldn't have planned it better ourselves.



Going with the flow is the best way to let things happen and is one thing that I've become seriously good at. As long as you're armed with the essentials (in our case: tent, sleeping bag, pillows, Scrabble & banana bread) and willing to be flexible and let things come your way as the plan unfolds, very little can go wrong. In my opinion, it can be the best way to experience life. If we had made reservations for a hotel, we never would have randomly stopped in Hamilton and watched drunk casino patrons sing karaoke for over an hour. If we hadn't randomly walked into the surf shop in Whitianga, we might not have found CoroGold tickets for sale. If we had purchased a flight back home to Wellington, we would have missed out on the brie, roast beef and pesto sandwiches that our neighbors/drivers provided for lunch. If we hadn't decided to take Adrian up on his random invitation to stay with his parents in Te Puke, we wouldn't have taken tequila shots with Pedro.

The best trips are full of adventure and the best adventures are determined by random chances and random chances can only enter into the equation if you're open to adventure.

Happy 2011!