I've been quiet. What's going on?

It's been a long time since I last wrote a post, and I'm so sorry for neglecting you all. I've actually been incredibly busy starting a life in a new country. And that (hopefully!) is no exaggeration.

Since my last post, I have been offered a permanent position as assistant manager at The Camera Shop where I work. And though there may only be 4 staff members there, this technically puts me in a higher position than my dad (many of you know as the infamous manager of Park Cameras in the UK), an achievement that I'm pretty proud of anyway.

It's official. I have a business card

This role has been keeping me very busy, and is a LOT to take on, especially after only working for the company for 2 months.

Joe also recently landed himself in a good job, and we're considering the prospects of extending our visas for the foreseeable future, and quite possibly, forever.

But enough adulting, before all that can happen, we need to go on an adventure.

Keeping us busy on our days off from work is Gimli, who not only has taken us to some of the local scenic areas, but has been undergoing a complete makeover. Meaning, we removed everything from the back of the car including seats, shelves and bed frame, and completely re-assembled a structure in order to make our van self contained. It now includes a travel toilet, sink, water tank, and foldaway bed/seating area.

Freedom camping in New Zealand is legal, but there are many campsites that have amenities only available to those in a vehicle that is marked with a valid self contained sticker. The vehicle must be approved by an official self-containment dude to gain this classification. We will hopefully be getting our self contained sticker this weekend.

So, why such a rush to get the van fixed up? This friday will be the start of our month long adventure travelling the whole country before going back to work. There's a lot of cool places to fit in to this visit, and I can't wait for what we're going to encounter! We're not quite sure where we're going yet, but our top 3 must-sees are:
1. Hobbiton movie set
2. Franz Josef Glacier
3. Rotorua geysers and natural spas
...and a lot of awesome scenery and breathtaking views on the way!

Piha, Auckland
The cold will still never stop me going to the beach

Currently in New Zealand it is winter time, and unlike Australia, the kiwi winter is actually cold. Where we live in the north is a very mild climate, mostly sunny and slightly warmer than the UK, but the south where we are headed is bitterly cold and snowy. I love the snow, but I'm a little worried about how well we'll survive living in a van in these conditions, as it's not something we've ever done, so any advice would be welcome!

So that's where we're up to now. I will definitely write more posts about where we go on our trip. For now I just have to get through one more day at work! If anyone has any advice for us on where to go during our trip, please leave a comment - we want to see as much of the country as possible!

Walkies at Goat Island

The Matakana Coast Wine Country - Why this region is a MUST see

For almost 2 months we've been living in a small town called Warkworth, which is located about a 40 minute drive north of Auckland. Before we arrived, I'd never heard of this town, but now I'm going to tell you why it is SO worth visiting.

Warkworth wharf on the river

We don't tired of a swim in the pool after work every day!

We originally found the place through a job ad online - cleaner/receptionist wanted to work part time in return for a weekly wage and a room in a beautiful motel, The Warkworth Lodge. The lodge has pool, spa, and charming living areas. Their company, Matakana Tours offers wine tasting and tours of the local vineyards, as well as limousine hire for parties, events and people with too much money who need a ride from Auckland terminal 1 to terminal 2 (actual request!). This job was a great opportunity, and to earn a bit more money on top of that, Joe and I both went into town to find an additional job. Having worked previously at Park Cameras in the UK, I thought I'd try my luck and walked into the town's small camera shop, asked for a job, and was told to start tomorrow. I've been working on their website (check it out here to see how sexy I've made it), as well as serving customers and printing on the mini lab. Now we're more than a month on, and I don't want to leave!

Bethany and I showing off canvases (image stolen from their website)

The stretch of coastline that homes the towns surrounding Warkworth is the Matakana Coast Wine Country; named so after Matakana, it's central town, and the numerous vineyards in the area. If wine is your thing, this is definitely the place to go. As well as wine, the region has a number or micro breweries producing exquisite beers, ales and ciders. Tahi Bar is a local pub in Warkworth serving only locally brewed drinks. They also have jolly staff and a great atmosphere!

Having a beer in the Rusty Pelican, Matakana

 Now, I haven't been everywhere (as much as I'd like to), but I'm pretty sure this town is the friendliest place in the world. The welcoming attitude and hospitality of every person I've met has been overwhelming. The community feel is unlike any I've experienced anywhere else.

Feijoas given to me by a customer

I've seen it in almost every instance - shop owners going out of their way for customers; locals welcoming visitors and foreigners as their own; a customer at work gave me a bag of feijoas* that she had grown herself because she knew I'd never seen them before. Joe and I even ended up booking a horse riding tour in the carpark of the supermarket after seeing the company vehicle. The guy was extremely friendly, and even picked us up from our accommodation and dropped us back after at no charge, giving us the scenic route to allow us to see the absolutely monstrous Kauri tree outside the Warkworth museum (800+ years old, standing at about 40m high!)

Here's Joe standing next to a massive Kauri tree... can you see him?

The horse riding tour was outstanding! It was a birthday present to Joe from his aunty back in England, who loves horses. The company, Horse Riding Warkworth, were fun, professional and accommodating. Neither of us had ridden horses before, but that wasn't a problem - we were trotting in no time. The hour tour took us through some beautiful countryside, up hills and through woods, and for a second I really thought I was a character in the hobbit (not just because I'm small).

Joe and I on horseback

The best view

As well as awesome people, this region has so much to offer! Knowing that Joe and I work 7 days a week and don't yet have a car, my boss at The Camera Shop offered to take us on a drive one saturday evening. And in that one evening I got to see pretty much the whole region, tasted the fine delicacies (fush and chups) and drank at numerous watering holes (too many that night, if I'm honest!). He gave me a polaroid camera and unlimited film to document our adventure.

Polaroid Snaptouch and pictures of the evening

The drive started with a bottle of feijoa wine in the backseat of the car (I felt like a proper celebrity being chauffered around), and we visited nearby areas of Leigh, Omaha, Snells Beach and Goat Island marine park.

Omaha Beach

Goat Island

Goat Island

The quaint town of Matakana is not to be missed either, with plentiful shops, bars, restaurants, a cinema, and apparently - killer eels (I saw a sign for them, but never actually found the eels. Much disappointment). The cinema, where Joe and I went to see Kong, has 2 large screens. We had one to ourselves on this occassion and it was quite possibly the fanciest cinema I've ever seen, with a large chandelier on the ceiling!

Snapped a sneaky picture before the film started!

So, it's been a relaxing few weeks soaking up the chilled out atmosphere of this region, and we're learning to appreciate just how beautiful the landscape is and how awesome the people are in this country. For the last few days we've been looking at getting a car or van, so lots more adventuring to come and I'll keep you updated!

* Feijoas - a fruit native to south America and widely grown in New Zealand. They have a gooey and slightly gritty consistency, but a sweet, delicious taste.

Adventures in Auckland

It's been a busy few weeks - Joe and I arrived in New Zealand exactly one month ago, and have been based in Auckland (up until now, but I'll get to that later!). Our intention was to first find jobs, and then continue in our travels; but the job search was harder than anticipated. We did, however, get to see most of the city centre, and I'll tell you all about it here.

New Zealand has a population of 4.7 million people, and 1/4 of them live in Auckland, making it the country's largest city, and also making the rest of the country largely uninhabited! Although, as cities go, I found Auckland to be a lot smaller than expected. There are still the skyscrapers and tall buildings that give it that sense of grandiose, though the majority of this large industrial and consumer section of the city is centred around one long road - Queen's Street - and not spread out for miles and miles like much larger cities such as London, Paris and Sydney. Having said that, the suburbs are very spread out, giving Auckland a nice size, but giving it's inhabitants a good bit of breathing space - the perfect balance for city life.

The city itself is rather beautiful. on a scale of 1 to Sydney, I'd give it a perfect 5/7. Unfortunately I didn't get to take many pictures as I thought I'd be there longer! You can take a walk down by the harbour and look out across the water. The view from the harbour bridge looking into the city is immense! The shopping areas are great, there are bountiful shopping centres and leisure parks, and for some reason the malls in this country actually look stunning and I enjoyed just admiring them rather than buying anything. My favourite has got to be the Queens St Metro building which is home to a 3 floor cinema, bowling alley, laser tag, and mini golf with dinosaurs. Yes, DINOSAURS!

There are many many places to visit within a short drive or bus ride from Auckland, including beautiful beaches, islands, and mountains. But unfortunately, we didn't get to go to them this time because we were primarily job searching. We will be back in Auckland in a month or so and will definitely put them on the list.

View from the skytower

During our stay, we were offered free tickets to the Auckland Skytower (normally $30 each) which is a viewing platform 328m high (60 storeys). Someone in our hostel had gone earlier in the day when it was cloudy, and couldn't see a thing so got offered another free entry for the same day. They weren't going to use it so gave it to us and we couldn't turn down such an opportunity. At first it was the same story. Nothing but clouds and not a lot to see. But as the clouds started moving suddenly the whole city lit up below us and we could see for miles and miles over the skyscrapers, across the bridge to north shore, over to mount Eden and the islands off the coast. It was sensational! Whether or not you like the city life, everything looks beautiful from a height, and you can put yourself away from the hustle and bustle for just a few minutes to look down on life below. It's awesome!

View of the city from the skytower

While in Auckland, we stayed in 3 different hostels which I like to call "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". Now, let me explain why...

The Good - Borders Beyond
This is where we spent most of our time, and would have spent a lot longer if we didn't find a job out of town. "Borders Beyond" is a small hostel located in the suburb of Grey's Lynn, a 30 minute walk from the city centre. It's everything you could want in a hostel: great company, comfortable bedrooms, good facilities. We were in a room of only 4 beds, and prices are cheaper than all the places in the city. It's run by a French guy, and a lot of the guests are French so it's a perfect opportunity to practise the language - though mostly they prefer to practise their English, but everyone is welcoming and there's a great social atmosphere unlike I've seen in any other hostel.

A good bunch at Borders Beyond

The Bad - Fat Camel Nomads
Ok, so this one isn't bad as such, but lets just say it could be better. We were in a room with 8 beds, and each floor had a shared kitchen and a couple of toilets/showers. The facilities were clean and the place seemed well managed. The staff could help you book tours and coaches, etc. It is located right in the city centre, very close to the main train/bus station. The best thing about this hostel was the free snack you get in the bar every night which would be something like fish and chips, nachos or chicken salad. Now, this was only a snack, so don't expect piles of food, but you can upgrade to a full plate for only $3, which is not bad! The bar was also a pretty cool place to chill out, and played some great cheesy music, but can be annoying when you're trying to sleep.


The Ugly - Silverfern Backpackers
Just the sight of the front entrance scared us. The reception desk had bars infront of it like you'd see in a bank, post office, or a prison. The guy behind the desk was screaming at the small crowd infront of him "Check outs only! You can't check in until 11!". But when check in time came around, we found our room - in the basement - with 14 beds. And for a much less peaceful room, we paid almost double the price of our room of 4 at Borders Beyond. There was no locker in the room (but there were down the corridor), and wifi was pretty expensive for just an hour or so of browsing. However, despite our first impressions, we found that the facilites were pretty good and bathrooms etc were clean and well maintained.

So, where are we now? 5 days ago we found a job in a small town called Warkworth, which is located 45 minutes north of Auckland. The role included 2 days of cleaning and running the front desk of a beautiful motel called Warkworth Lodge in return for free accommodation, and a few extra hours of cleaning during the week paid hourly. The motel is stunning, with a pool, jacuzzi and large lounge. They even offer chauffered limo hire and tours of the Matakana wine region.

Warkworth Lodge (picture taken from their website)

For a bit of extra pocket money, I found myself a second job in a local camera shop (aptly named "The Camera Shop") and is much like my role at home with Park Cameras - I work mostly to fix their website, and also help customers when needed.

The town, being in the middle of the Matakana wine trail has many glorious vineyards operating tours and tastings, as well as good proximity to beautiful country walks, beaches and areas for snorkling, surfing and more. So that's where I'm going to be for the next month and a half. I can't wait to see what's in store, and when I do, I'll tell you all about it!