My Adventures/Life In New Zealand

Americans in New Zealand!

2008-11-13T01:29:00.000-08:00

I was finally, after 2 months, able to meet up with my friend Paul from Pagosa. I knew him through church back in CO and he ended up coming over to NZ to do a bit of traveling. He is flying out to go home tomorrow, but I am glad we got to see each other while both here, even if it was brief and the day before he was leaving. Allison is also here from Pagosa doing YWAM and knows Paul as well, and she happened to be in Auckland at the same time..so the 3 of us Pagosans were able to spend an evening together. P-towners unite! So fun, and such a blessing to have fellow Americans and friends from home to connect with while so far away. We had some good laughs and swapped stories of our adventures here, as well as our feelings about NZ. Quite interesting to hear the different experiences and views.

More Holiday pix

2008-11-05T04:09:00.000-08:00

The light house at the very tip of the North Island

Crossing the bridge over to walk through the mines

Julia and I at Waihi

Gorgeous blue water

The group of people I went to Coopers Beach with

my new friend..I wanted to take him home

Whale anyone?

Kinda cool..kinda gross..poor whale

Justine, Briar, and I having way too much fun

found a seal on Pooh Bear Island

The seal I tried to make friends with..he wasn't all about it, and he let me know

Me with Pooh Bear Island in the back ground

Lovin being on a kayak in the ocean

Briar

It's just so exciting..gotta jump

Can't Sleep

2008-11-05T03:24:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep. I often wonder how people find time to keep up with a good blog..I certainly can't seem to accomplish that. But since I am wide awake when I should be sleeping..I do need something to tire my eyes and hopefully slow my mind down..so maybe that is a good time for me to blog..we will see. I fully admit I am a horrible blogger and have accepted that. So I am sitting here typing by candle light (very romantic, I know) and listening to thievery corporation- because their music is perfect to chill to..it's tight, and hoping to get my thoughts out of my head and onto my blog enough that my brain will let me sleep. I couldn't sleep the other night and ended up on eBay. I originally thought I would find a cute dress to wear for my sister's wedding in January, but instead ended up bidding on a pair of vintage cowboy boots..because how cool are they..and on a few pieces of anthropology clothing. I love anthropology but could never afford it, so it's pretty fun to get a shirt of theirs that would normally be $150 for $20 off eBay. I never did find a dress..figures, but I did win the boots. This whole not being able to sleep thing could be bad if I keep ending up on eBay!

It's been quite interesting to watch all of the presidential elections stuff happening while so far away. Maybe it's a bit nice in a way. I was able to watch a special on the US election this evening here in New Zealand..and I turned it on just in time for them to announce our new president-Barack Obama. Maybe that is why I can't sleep..all these thoughts running through my mind about these crazy times. I was bummed, but felt peace knowing God is in control and that is really what matters. I was able to send in an absentee ballot and vote all the way from NZ..and I was proud to be able to do that. And though there are so many things that disgust me about our country, I am still very proud to be an American and feel blessed to come from where I did. And I think living in a different country has made me feel that way even more so. I'm not sure why..maybe you need to step back or leave for a time to realize what you have. I do miss home so I'm sure that plays a big part in it.

I will be home in 3 weeks for a 2 month stay. And if I haven't already mentioned it a million times, I'm very excited to get to see my family and be in AK for the holidays. I will also need a job while I am home..so I am just going to put that out there for my friends to keep their ears open for me. Thanks guys. I think I could sleep now..I will finish posting the rest of my hundreds of pictures from my holiday in Coopers Beach...finally, and then crash..I hope.

Coopers Beach and Northland

2008-10-20T01:25:00.000-07:00

My four days up in the Northland at Coopers Beach were probably my favorite during my holiday. I had such a great time getting to know a few of the people in my group a bit better, and making a new friend. We played games every night..took turns doing meals..walked the beach..went to a movie together..did kayaking. We also spent one day driving from Coopers all the way to the tip of the North Island to the light house out there. That ended up being quite the adventure. If you look at a map of NZ you can see the last little finger of the North Island..we were staying at a place in Doubtless Bay, the little bay on the East coast before that last little strip. From almost there up, you can drive on what is called 90 Mile Beach..I'm not sure that it is actually 90 miles, but it seemed we were driving it for ages. No traffic, no road construction..you can drive on the open beach for miles. So we stopped and messed around on some sand dunes, found a dead whale (that doesn't happen everyday)...almost couldn't find a place to get off the beach and back onto the main road, as the tide way coming in (that was slightly scary). Coopers was a blessing and a perfect 4 days of relaxing and being refreshed. And the company was fabulous. I have made some very dear friends here in New Zealand. I also went to Waihi beach with my friend Julia for my last weekend of holiday (that's what they call vacation here) and I will post some pictures of that as well.

Holiday- Day 5

2008-10-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

Thursday afternoon, I took a bus up to Bombay and my friends Michelle and Dave, picked me up and took me out to their place in Clarks beach. They have an awesome little house on the beach. We did make a stop at Dave's grandparents place to say hi. They were an absolute riot..such a cute old couple. Then we spent the evening hanging out and drinking hot black currant drinks (common in NZ), and catching up. I actually met Michelle through a friend back in the states and drove down to her place one day to meet her a month or so back. And we ended up having a lot in common..so I have been enjoying getting to know her and meeting a cool girl here who I seem to have a lot in common with. The next day Michelle drove me out to Dave's family's farm and we hung out there, and I got to see where they grow all their veggies..and meet the horse and the pigs...I love farms. We also drove down to the beach close by and sat and talked for awhile. It was such a nice relaxing day.
I caught another bus that evening to head back up to Auckland and spend the night at home before heading out again.

Saturday to Wednesday of the following week I spent up in Coopers Beach with a group of people from my life group. Our group leader's parents have a Bach up there that they own with a few other families. It was such a privilege to get to hang out there for 4 days. I drove up with my friends Will and Briar. We did a bit of tiki touring on the way up, and stopped in a few regional parks and many places with cool sites. So I feel like I was able to see a lot of the north Island in my travels. Here are some of the pictures we took on our drive up and back.

Most of the Regional Parks have these picture frames in them..we hit 3 of them. The stone building we were jumping in front of was in KeriKeri and is the oldest building in NZ. And the cool bathroom with all the bottles is one we stopped and used on our road trip back home. It was kind of a dinky run down town with these gorgeous artistic bathrooms..kinda funny.

Day 4 - Rotorua cont.

2008-10-13T02:25:00.000-07:00

I met a cool girl from Boston at the hostel I was staying at..she was on a world travel ticket. She was told by a local how to find these hot and cool pools in a creek a ways out of town (kind of a secret locals spot I guess). So my last day in Rotorua I decided to make it chill. I met up with the girl from Boston as well as a few other people we met, and we all drove out to the creek to soak. Rotorua is a geothermal area, and has hot pools and geysers in the area. This particular spot had a hot creek and a cold creek running together so it made for the perfect spot to soak, not to mention the beauty of the area. And then we went into the wai-o-tapu thermal wonderland and had a tour of that. So a nice soak mid-day and a casual walk through the thermal park was a nice way to spend my last day in Rotorua before catching the bus that afternoon to head back up north.

My Holiday- (Day 2,3,& 4) Rotorua

2008-10-13T01:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesday I hopped a bus from Waitomo down to Rotorua which is almost central North Island. I had heard there were a lot of fun things to do in that area, it's also probably a city geared towards tourism. I did the gondola and the luge, which is basically riding up the side of the mountain in the gondola and then riding down on the luge..a small car/sled ridin down concrete paths to the bottom of the hill. The luge was a riot..you actually picked up some pretty good speed, and hit some sharp corners. I'm lucky I didn't tip around a corner and take a chunk of skin off my arms. Good times. My favorite part of that was watching all of these grown men and women flying down the mountain (some squealing)..you could just see the kid coming out in them. I had a few good laughs.

Day 3 I went on a white water rafting trip..probably one of my favorite things of the trip. I went on the Kaituna river about a half hour out of Rotorua. Supposedly Kai means food (in Maori) and tuna is for eel (which there are eels in that river as well). So the raft guides teased that we would be eel food if we fell in the river. The Kaituna has a 7 meter(almost 23ft.) waterfall on it, that is the largest commercially rafted waterfall you can go over in the world (that's what I was told anyway). So of course I was stoked about that. the trip only lasted 45 min. but it was packed with some fun waves, and drops..and we actually all managed to stay in the boat over the waterfall..although I wonder if falling out of the boat would have made for a more exciting trip...what do you think?

My Holiday- (Day 1) Waitomo glow worm caves

2008-10-13T01:04:00.000-07:00

Today is my first day back to work..I have been so blessed by two weeks of travel and adventures..and time with wonderful new friends. Sad to say that after being here in NZ for four months now, I am finally getting to see a bit of this beautiful country. But I am thankful to even get to be here. I feel very refreshed by my time off, and am able to look at New Zealand through a whole new light..mostly due to finally getting to see the beauty of this place by my travels this past 2 weeks. I feel like I crammed so much in two weeks, as well as took a ton of pictures, so I will start with my first week and post some of those pix first.

My first week of holiday I went solo...which isn't my favorite way to travel, but I think it has it's benefits. I was able to go see all the things I wanted, as well as create my own (very lax) schedule. Plus it forced me to reach out and meet other people as well. So I made a few new friends while staying at the hostels. I took a bus down to Waitomo on day one and was able to do a tour of the glow worm caves. I actually only knew about them because of watching the Planet Earth serious from Discovery Channel not long before I moved here. And they had done a thing on the glow worm caves in NZ. so it was pretty neat to see them first hand. We walked through one cave..and then actually floated on the creek through the other. That one we did in total darkness with only the light from the worms..it was pretty amazing..looked like the night sky filled with stars, only 10 feet from your face. There were also eels in the water below us, so I clung to the boat quite tightly while we drifted through the cave in the dark.

Update

2008-09-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry friends..I haven't really felt up to blogging lately. Trying to keep up with too many sites, and blogs, and emails...on top of many other things. But I thought I would at least post some recent pictures, and give some brief details to what I have been up to..nothing too exciting. I guess that's not totally true..there are a few things that have happened, or will be happening that I am pretty excited about.

My friend Allison from Colorado just arrived in NZ a few weeks ago. She will be going to YWAM here and I was able to catch up with her for an afternoon while she was in Auckland before heading out to the base. Her and I worked at the same cafe in Pagosa Springs together for around a year, and I loved that I was able to somewhat greet her as she came into a new place far away from home. For her to be able to see a friendly face and get a big hug, I'm assuming was nice. I would have loved to have someone jump up and down with me at the excitement of arriving into New Zealand..but instead I celebrated inside..and probably jumped up and down when no one was watching.

So I took her up to One Tree Hill (that no longer has a tree on it..but that is another story). And we were able to see a few sheep :) and look out over the city of Auckland, as well as the bay. I also ran into one of the guys that I do home group with at the top, and he was working on taking photos for his photography class, and he took a few nice pictures of us with his camera..I found it funny that I ran into him up there because it's not like I know a lot of people here. So having another American here with me, as well as a friend from CO was pretty special. Even though we were only able to spend an afternoon together.

Starting Friday (which is in two days) I will have a whole two weeks off to do some travelling..and just have a break. And I am obviously very excited about this. I have a few things planned for my trip..some kayaking, hopefully snowboarding, sailing, going to the glow worm caves, a bit of hiking. I'll try to do as much as I can in 2 weeks as well as get some chill time in. So I will try my best to post pix of my little adventures at some point.

The other thing that I am very excited about (even though it is still a ways away), I have plans to come back to Alaska November 26Th-January 25Th to be with my family for the holidays, as well as my sisters wedding on Jan. 8Th. Then I will head over to Australia for 3 weeks to meet up with a friend and see a bit of OZ, and then back to NZ for another few months, as I will have work again mid-Feb. with the same family I am currently with. So those are some of the recent things happening with me.

Allison and I

Maori face made of rocks on the side of the hill..the white dots are sheep

Part of the monument

One Tree Hill Monument

We hit a really nice sunset

Our sad attempt at a fun jumping photo

A view of the city center from the hill

Rangatoto Island

Dawson James

2008-08-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my adorable new nephew, Dawson James, born August 6th at 6:06 PM. I guess Tandy did very well for her first birth, and Dawson is healthy and such a sweet baby..and I am of course a proud Auntie.

My "new family"

2008-07-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the girls I am currently watching. They are so much fun, and very well behaved. E is 5 and is such a bright little girl..she started kindy yesterday and they had to move her to a new class today because she was too advanced for the other kids. She is also a book worm and reads at the speed of a 12yr. old. I love reading books with her. Z is 3 1/2 and full of personality. I love her little voice and the random things she says. And T, or Bubba as the family calls her..is the squishy 15 month old, little sister. It took her awhile to adjust to me, but now she walks around the house saying my name over and over, it's pretty cute. They are a wonderful family, and I am so thankful God put me here. I only work part time with the girls so I will start some part time work actually this weekend at a cafe, which seems like that will be a lot of fun as well.

JUMPING ON MY BED

YAY FOR POKA DOTS,STRIPES,& HEARTS ALL IN ONE OUTFIT!

Z TOLD ME IN OUR CAR RIDE TO G-MA'S TODAY,"TOSHA, I REALLY LIKE YOU"! :)

FUN AT THE PLAY GROUND!

BUBBA

A WALK WITH BUBBA AND Z

A HUGE HEDGE WITH ONE RANDOM FLOWER

LOTS OF BEAUTIFIL TREES HERE

MORNING TEA TIME

My nanny diaries!

2008-07-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

I recently watched the movie Nanny Diaries..I had heard it was good, and I thought I would get a kick out of it since that is currently what I am doing...and I did, very cute, also hit a little close to home since my last nanny job (my first month here) was a bit of a nightmare come true. Although it was challenging and quite a terrible experience for my first try as a live-in nanny, and my first experience of NZ..I know God put me there for a reason..and I am thankful for the job and roof over my head shorty after I arrived in the country. Esp. because I had nothing lined up before hand, and had only a small amount of savings to live on. This is truly a time for God to teach me about trust, and His provisions, and more on how to deal with times that are confusing and hard, when I can't see what it is that He is doing...I struggle so much with worrying..about money and having work, and about the future.

"But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you." Luke 12:28-31

"What is the price of five sparrows-two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. The very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." Luke 12:6-7

What peace to be reminded that if God cares about every single sparrow, how much more He cares about me, who was created in His image.

On a random note...
I love birds, and have esp. had a thing for sparrows for many reasons. One reason is some of the things they have been used to symbolize..like freedom and for a safe journey and return. I think they were big with sailors for that reason, sparrows travel great distances but always find their way back home. I have been feeling a bit artsy lately since trying to do crafts with the kids..so here are some of the things that have come from that! :)

When Jesus is my portion, a constant friend is He, His eye is on the sparrow & I know He watches over me

The kids and I made these cards with pressed plants and flowers we picked on one of our walks..they didn't quite turn out as planned, but they were fun to make anyway.

ABC's

2008-07-10T04:23:00.000-07:00

My sister made her this dress!

Anyone who knows me that well, knows how much I would love to be a mother someday..God willing. But until then, I think being an Aunt is the next best thing. I love having a little niece and nephew..(with another one on the way). Unfortunately I have been away from them their whole lives..I'm the one auntie that they really don't know, and that's been hard. Thankfully my sister is really good about sending pix and videos and updates. And I have a web cam so when I call home the fam can see me, and my niece can put a face to my voice. I love her little personality, she has this almost dry sense of humor, and has numerous fake laughs that she likes to bust out of nowhere. I could hang out with her all day, she's so fun. my sister has done such an amazing job of teaching her things..I think for being 1 1/2 she's pretty smart..but I might think that just because she's my niece. Either way, she amazes me. So here is a really great story that testifies to love of our savior and the peace we can have knowing he is fully in control..this is told by my brother-in-law about my niece. He had previously been teaching her to point to her heart when he would ask her where Jesus lives...thought this was pretty special.
I was originally going to tell this story, but it's so much better coming from Brian, plus it's better he admits he was crying than me telling you that! :)

"Before I put Winter to bed, we always get in the rocking chair, say her prayers, and then Daddy sings. This particular night, the song was "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". While singing, my mind began to ran...started thinking about what Over the Rainbow means, is it when we die, is it Heaven...and then while looking at my little girl, the thought jumped into my head of "Will I see her in Heaven?" That's when Daddy started crying. Little Winter looked up at me, put both hands on my cheeks and kissed me oh so softly on the lips, and looking me in the eye, touched her chest and said "heart" , then pointed skyward and said "God". That turned on the waterworks even more. I really felt like God reached down and touched me through my daughter. Too special, and never to be forgotten!"

So here are some fun pix of me with My niece and nephew and a cute video my sister sent recently of my niece doing the alphabet. She is working on her sign language and you can see her try to do some of the letters while going through it.

The Haka

2008-07-06T02:22:00.000-07:00

Ok so the All Blacks (NZ's rugby team) do this "war dance" before every game, and it's called the Haka. I saw something similar to it on the movie Whale Rider way before I moved here, but thought it was cool to see the team do it towards their opponent before each game. It's defently a Moari thing (the native New Zealanders). I had to laugh at it the first time I saw it, and then I just loved it, cause they are so serious and intese about doing it. It's very disciplined and emotional, so I thought I would try to put a video of the Haka so you can enjoy this with me! :) Ok I'm sure most of you will laugh, maybe Leslie will like it though! Don't worry, I'm going to learn it and do it for you all special when I come home! Ha! The first video is the Haka called Kapo O Pango which I think is done esp. for the All Blacks and the second one is called the Ka Mate which is the most well known Haka war dance. Enjoy!

My 25th!

2008-07-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Pumping gas in style!

My knight in shinning armor! :)

Yay!

I'm 25 now. It's funny that many people have told me turning 25 was a hard b-day for them..I love it..it's not 24 and it's not 30...not that there is anything wrong with those ages..for all my sensitive 30 yr. old friends :) ...but insurance goes down, and you can rent a car, and you're just more of an adult when you turn 25..right!? Anyway, I was anxious for it. It was quite weird not to have fireworks, or a BBQ for my b-day as of course the kiwis don't celebrate the 4Th. And esp. weird not to spend it with family and friends..instead with people I barely know. But even so, I had a wonderful day. I was determined to have a good b-day this year because the last few were pretty disappointing, I might even say terrible. I think the key is to not have too many expectations, I am learning to be more of a go with the flow kind of person..which I am more of a plan ahead, make sure everything is perfect kind of person, and that makes it hard to accept when things don't go as planned...not always a great quality to have. So I have been working on being more flexible and adapting to changes and forcing myself to roll with the punches. Speaking of what kind of personality I am..I took this fun little quiz off of Karla's page about what punctuation mark I am..I love things like that, cracks me up. Am I really like that? You'll have to tell me whether you agree with the fact that they say I am a comma. I'll post the little thing at the end. So I went and watch a band play in Auckland (they sang happy b-day to me!) hung out in the big city, and watched some more rugby. Was given a bottle of fijoa wine, and it was fantastic. I had never heard of fijoas until I came here, and it's this amazing little fruit that tastes like candy! I'm sure going to miss it when I leave. I hope all of you in the states had a great 4Th. Lots of changes and new things happening here that I will have to post about when I have more time.

You Are a Comma
You are open minded and extremely optimistic.
You enjoy almost all facets of life. You can find the good in almost anything.

You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests.
You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time.

Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to.
(But with so many competing interests, you friends do feel like you hardly have time for them.)

You excel in: Inspiring people

You get along best with: The Question Mark
What Punctuation Mark Are You?

A rainy day...again

2008-06-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

So winter in NZ consists of rain, rain, and more rain, and a lot of wind as well. Which I guess coming from insane amounts of snow last winter, and spending hours digging my car out of my drive way, numerous times...I really can't complain. It is so lush and green because of all the rain, which makes it so beautiful. So today I have a nice fire going in the living room, and of course drinking a cup of tea...I love hot tea, and the Kiwis drink crazy amounts of it. I'm only able to sit down and attempt to contribute to this page because the kids are taking a nap. I have a small taste of what it's like to be a full time mother, as I am a full time nanny at the moment. The quiet right now is so wonderful. I'm very thankful for nap time! I've had a lot of fun reading some of the blogs written by all of you mothers...I'm amazed at how you find time to make such great pages. Not only that, it seems to me that all of you have this great ability to tell stories, or find a way to turn your everyday lives filled with mud, runny noses, playing at the park, and nap times, into these creative, well written stories that are enjoyable to read. I wonder if there is something about becoming a mother that automatically turns you into a great story teller. I'm just far from being a creative writer, so starting this page has been a challenge for me, because I cant seem to figure out a way to tell people what I am up to in a way that they would actually enjoy reading. But since Sarah convinced me to make a blog, here I am, attempting to tell you my stories...I hope you are happy Sarah! :) Today, is such a great day...I got a package in the mail from Erin in Colorado..my first package since I have moved here. It's such a wonderful treat, and has made my whole week! Just a little connection to home. I spent the weekend in Auckland (the biggest city here) and had a chance to do a bit of shopping and just getting out of the house and this very small town I am currently living in. You gotta have a little retail therapy every once in awhile. Not that I can really afford to buy anything, but just to be out and about was so nice. Went to a little pub and watched the All blacks (NZ's rugby team) play against England...I still have no idea how the game works, but watching a bunch of ripped up men with no padding or gear on, just run around slamming each other into the mud, is entertainment enough for me...even if I have no idea what is going on. That's just so manly and hot...plus they have accents! :) Just trying to blend in with the Kiwis you know...of course then I start talking and people start starring and my cover is blown. I had a guy tell me the other day that I had a cool accent which was so bizarre for me to hear. I don't have an accent, YOU have an accent. I will try to Post a few of the pix I have taken since I have been here, you will have to bare with me as I figure out this site. Cheers!

Getting settled

2008-06-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

After spending two days in Auckland with my new friends just exploring the city and wandering around, I took a two hour bus ride up to the North land of New Zealand to a small beach town called Mangawhai to meet with a family about work, and have now been here for two days. I think this family is going to work out just fine, for the time being anyway. I will be watching two kiddos, Am is 4 years old, and very talkative...also very dominating, so I can imagine she will keep me on my toes. Al is 2 in a few days and he is a bubbly little guy. He talks quite well for a 2 year old, and there's no question he's boy, he loves to eat...a lot, and gets as dirty as possible. It seems they both have become quite comfortable with me being here. They both sat on my lap for dinner last night and had no problem eating off of my plate! My room is upstairs completely separate form the house, and has a deck that looks out on the ocean, which is a 5 min. drive away. It's so lush and green here. I will have a car to use as my own whenever I want, I just have to pay for the gas. Now the plan is to work for a bit and save some dough, so I can start traveling more, and exploring this beautiful country!

getting to New Zealand

2008-05-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

So after losing my passport, and missing my flight, having to purchase a new ticket...and questioning whether I am supposed to even go. Then finding my passport, and finding out I CAN use my old ticket, paying for the change fee...and finally getting to LA only to fly for 13 hours...I have finally arrived in New Zealand! I've met up with an awesome girl and guy (who are not travelling together) at the airport, and we ended up riding the bus from the airport for 3 hours because we couldn't decide what hostel to stay at. Now I'm just hanging out in the big city. It reminds me lot of San Fran. A hilly little city on the bay. Next up, taking a 2 hour bus ride to meet a family I might possibly work for....wish me luck!