Thursday, December 30, 2010

If Moby Dick was a blog...

This is gonna be big. Just saying.
Rathmoy
            Ok. So. Rathmoy was awesome. I was doing mostly functions down at the lodge. Oh! I should warn everyone that this is going to be one of those overly descriptive blogs that are filled with unnecessary details that are supposed to create a beautiful word picture for the reader to enjoy while secretly the reader reads and wishes the whole thing would just get to the point. You have been warned. The lodge at Rathmoy can sleep about 10 people and has two bedrooms on the ground floor and one large bedroom on the top level. There are three bathrooms, full laundry, a gorgeous kitchen with a window facing the cliff base, a sitting room, and a fireplace/dinning room area with floor to ceiling windows making up two walls. It is rustic and comfy and complete will that the amenities that “comfort campers” such as myself look for. While it only sleeps 10 people, we had functions with anywhere from 10 to 100 people. When I arrived it was just before the busy weeks hit. I had a couple days to do stuff with the pheasants, build stuff for campsites and hack at thistles (which I got massive exploding blisters from). I think I mentioned all this stuff early. What I haven’t really talked about is the functions. We had 7ish functions in a fairly consecutive sting. I was put in charge of cleaning the lodge (usually took about 4 hours to get it up to snuff), setting up for the evening function (usually about 3 more hours), and then assisting with the smooth pulling off of the poorly organized and set up for functions. Lack of organization and set up was not my fault, just in case you were wondering and beginning to point nasty grizzled fingers my way. The wonderful gents I was working for and with definitely ran on Kiwi time (very similar to Mexico time, or Fiji time) and were super relaxed about organizing the details until the guests started to arrive. Regardless (irregardless?) we managed to pull all the functions off swimmingly. I mostly served alcohol and then assisted with passing “nibbles” and then cleared plates after “tea” was finished and then plated up “pudding” and cleared those dishes and then washed all the dishes, maintained the cleanliness of the lodge in general, and then entertained guests by getting dance parties started, or joking with them about Canada, accents, my future as a psychologist, and whatever else their little hearts desired to talk about. Right! So. Ya. That went on for about a week. It was tiring, long days. But! The people were amazing, kind and generous. Oh, I did have catering staff to help me out with the food related stuff and some of the clean up. Tineka and I became pretty good friends and we would chill out before and after functions together. Overall, I loved working the functions and eating the steak that they served fresh off the barbeque every night. I basically lived off steak for two weeks. I’m still living off it now as I conveniently stored a ton of it around my waist. Anyone want a spare tire? I’m trying to get rid of mine.
            Somewhere in this mess a German boy/man (age 32) named Jan came up to work at Rathmoy. He was fun and we spent a lot of time together at the lodge cleaning and what not. Unfortunately, he really didn’t like loud music so he kept on turning my tunes down to barely perceptible levels. Insert uber sad face here. Thankfully, Tineka like loud music too so when the three of us were together the tunes were bumpin’! Anyway, Jan and I managed to finagle a day off and we went (in the pouring rain) to the National War Museum in some town I can’t remember, and then to another town I can’t remember for lunch, then just for a cruze cause the weather was still bad and we couldn’t find anything to do. We ended up in Wanganui where we tried to go to an art gallery (it was closed), and then successfully went to a stationary shop where I got supplies to write letters and create a travel journal, and then (also successfully) went to a cute little cafe where I wrote said letters. We then swaggered off too watch Easy A at the local theatre (good movie). After that it was home time, and eventually bed time. Good story. I know.
            When Christmas came nearer I arranged with Cath to spend Christmas day and a couple days after with her and her family at Bland Bay where her parents live year round. I booked a bus for Dec 24th to Auckland and then Dec 25th from Auckland to Warkworth. Her friend Ross was recruited to snag me at Warkworth and scoot me up to Bland Bay with him.
            Once all that was sorted, I half requested/half demanded that my Rathmoy bosses give me one full day off to go on a road trip to see some stuff. Mark told me about some glow worm caves and waterfalls that were pretty cool and a local walking/hiking path that would provide me with exceptional views. I was like “Score! Yes Please!”. So I woke up early, all packed the night before, and ate a super fast breakfast. Then I grabbed my bag, skipped happily outside to get in the car and go when!... There was no car. I ended up waiting 3 hours for a car to become available. Little did I know that this incident was forwarning of a terrible terrible day. Here’s the skinny. I went the to Hunterville (the local town) mailed some letters and headed out. The wrong way (north). Got going the right way (south). Got half way to my destination of Palmerston North to realize I had about a ¼ tank of gas. “No problem” thought happy me “I won’t be doing much driving”. Got to Palmerston North after an hour and a half of driving, went to the I site and found out that the caves I wanted to go to were actually about a 20 minute drive from Rathmoy (east). Tried to find the highway. Got flipped off my angry lady, who admittedly I had cut off in my confusion about traffic circles. Got onto the right highway and drove 30 minutes. Missed my turn. Figured out where I was (still going the right direction!) and drove another 30 minutes. Noticed that I was running on fumes. Made a wrong turn and ended up driving an hour back to basically where I started. Bought some a half a tank of gas which cost me $50. Asked for directions and ended up being told not to bother, it was too far of a drive and I wouldn’t make it in time. Gave up. Tried to see some local sites. Got confused. Got angry. Got fake happy. Drove home. Didn’t get lost, and only missed one turn. In the end, I did about 7 hours of driving and about 30 minutes out of the car. I also spent about $75 total (I bought some chocolate and other food with the hope that it would cheer me up... it didn’t). To top it all off, I had been shooting to get back to Rathmoy at 5:30 so that I could go to a carol service at 6. I managed to get my grumpy self back to Rathmoy at 5:30, was ready to go to carol singing at 5:45, and was then informed that carol singing wouldn’t be til 7:30. Lovely. So I sat around brooding until 7:30 at which point my boss grabbed a case of beer and hopped into the car to go to the carol service. Turns out that the carol service was a drinking, fooding, and carol singing party in a recently refurbished church that the owners bought so that they wouldn’t have to pay taxes on that section of land. Haha. Oh dear. That my friends, is the epitome of the icing on the cake. The next day I left. Haha. Caught the bus at 11ish going to Auckland.
Auckland and Christmas Eve
            This was good. I strolled around Auckland from about 7:00pm til about 9:00pm. I stopped in at K Road Hostel and saw some old friends that are still staying there. Then I scooted off to a proper candlelight carol service in a proper church – St Matthews in the City. It was supposed to start at 10pm but I think it got rolling closer to 11pm. There was a small brass group playing carols while everyone settled in. It was really chill. There were tealights everywhere and the lights were turned down really low. I wasn’t expecting the performance of secular carols such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer by the brass band or the explanation of emergency procedures that began the ceremony, but the rest was pretty standard. There were some readings and some carols (including a Maori one), a mediation, and more carols. It finished around midnight. As I left, these super cute older ladies told me that I had a beautiful singing voice and that I should try out for America’s Got Talent. I’ve put it on my bucket list.
Bland Bay and Christmas
            The next morning (CHRISTMAS DAY!) I was up bright and early (about 7am, not nearly as early as the usual 3am eh Mom?) and off to catch my bus. That went smoothly and I ended up in Warkworth right on time. Ross, on the other hand, was not on time. I waited for about 4 hours at the bus stop in Warkwork listening to a CBC Radio 3 podcast. It was actually really sweet. I have been meaning to reconnect with Canadian music and that definitely gave me the chance. Ross popped by eventually and we drove to Bland Bay.
            We arrived just in time to get settled a bit and then had Christmas dinner. There was turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, kumara, potatoes, pumpkin, fruit cake, and a chocolate log. It felt about as Christmasy as possible without being at home with your own family. New Zealanders really do Christmas improperly. Haha. It’s almost an afterthought. I suppose that’s because it’s in the middle of summer and everyone is already on holidays so Christmas is just part of that. Whereas for us, Christmas provides a much needed break from the bland dull winter.
            The next couple days were spent just hanging out and playing with the kids. The weather wasn’t the most cooperative but I still managed to go kayaking, get a wicked sunburn (which is now a glorious tan), and swim almost every day in the ocean. While there was a proper shower and proper toilet up there, I chose to go bush style and only used the “dunny” (outhouse) and “bathed” in the ocean. On a more respectful note, I organized a photoscavenger hunt for the kids the day before I left. There were about 27 things that they either had to do or had to take pictures with. There were 3 teams of 2 kids. Each child had to get their picture taken for each thing on the list so we ended up with around 160 pictures. I compiled all the pictures into a slideshow and we showcased the kids later that evening. It was superbly cute. I don’t think I’ll put those pics on Facebook (sorry team) just cause I don’t feel comfortable with putting other people’s children’s pics on the internet. So ya, the next day I was outta there and onto Paihia. I’m currently in Paihia now and the more astute of you might be thinking “Weren’t you already there?”. Well you smarty pants, I was. But I didn’t get to see 90 Mile Beach (which is actually 90km long) and Cape Reinga, so I’m doing that tomorrow. I saw the Waitangi Treaty Grounds this morning and am currently hanging out with a super cool Romanian guy and his friends from Romania and Russia who are all staying at the hostel. We are going to play cards, watch the fireworks, go dancing, scream the countdown, swim in the ocean, and go to bed for our New Years Eve. Should be barrels of fun! Tomorrow I am off to 90 Mile Beach/Cape Reigna, then on the 2nd it’s back to Auckland where I’ll start my New Zealand bus tour experience with Stray Bus. For the more involved reader, I have some extra reading. Google stray bus and check out the Max Pass. That’s what I’ll be doing for the foreseeable future. Huzza!
            In conclusion, my Romanian friend says I must say “Cranberry juice makes me sugar drunk”. The “me” in that quote refers to Julia, not to Romanian dude (whose name I shan’t mention in order to protect his anonymity).
love love love
Julia

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Ho Ho Ho Holidays!

Dearest Everyone,

This is your daughter/friend/cousin/co worker/granddaughter/neice/etc Julia Koop reporting in with some serious holiday cheer.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This year has been so incredible for me. I have completed a university degree, worked full time for the 1st time in basically ever, met some great people, and begun my first big adventure. Wow. It's been eventful.

Christmas letters (which I'm attempting to write now) are often a summary of the doings and goings ons of ones life throughout the past year. Hence the above couple sentences. But this Christmas letter is going to be different. This Christmas letter is going to tell you about the things I've learned about myself this past year and the few things I've learned about New Zealand in the last month and a half.

Things I've learned about me
- I demand a lot of myself
- I demand a lot of others (sorry guys, sometimes I was seriously out of line)
- I love to learn
- I hate to study
- I can handle pressure (Thesis you big jerk, I love you)
- I've learned to let things go
- I'm not as smart as I think I am, and I'm usually not as smart as you think I am
- There is always room for improvement but that doesn't mean that you can't be happy with where stuffs at now
- My faith is still important to me and is constantly evolving
- People are scared/intimidated by me
- I love people, specifically my family and awesome friends, but I love the human race as a group of individuals forming a collective
- I love working in the service industry aka the food and beverage industry
- I love big and.or unusual words (Ben, you know what I'm talking about)
- I have an unusual philosophy about how I am allowed to view my physical appearance
- I'm different than most girls
- I love getting dirty and working with my hands
- I LOVE the gym
- I love/hate the radio
- I love to sing and dance
- And my motto of the last year -- "I have no one to impress"
- I'm out of things I've learned. And, to be honest, this list was completely formulated off the top of my head about 5 minutes ago while I was typing. I'm sure I've learned a lot more, and a lot more important things, but that's what pops into mind.

Things I've learned about New Zealand (this list got considerable more thought, though it's still incomplete)
- NZ outlets (plugins) have an on/off switch. Often for both the top and bottom outlet
- Kiwi's say "Eh" just as much as we do
- Weather changes are no joke here. It really can change on a dime.
- People always talk about Mexico time -- New Zealand should really be included in that saying
- Standard vehicles have the shifter on the left and the indicators on the right
- Kiwi girls are generally accepted by all nationalities to be not as cute as the average girl in any other country
- Public transport is the same here as in Canada, which is greatly worse than Europe
- Sprite is called "Lemonade". You can look it up, it says that on the bottle. Weird.
- Orange juice is basically the only juice in the country
- Sober drivers are in high demand
- There is an incredible amount of texture in the NZ and I would suppose the world
- My body has decided that while in NZ my internal clock is set to 6:30am
- Hitchhiking is highly unadvised by the locals
- Canadian accents are considered cute
- NZ is populated by 4 groups, Asians, Germans, Kiwis, and Canadians (in that order)
- Kiwi boys love to cook and are good at it
- Internet is sold by the megabyte
- There is no such thing as unlimited text plans
- NZ geography is like a compressed Canada
- Kiwis have trouble articulating
- They don't say bless you when you sneeze
- There is no butter or margarine (very hard to find). There is "spread"
- Everything is expensive
- Sunblock should ALWAYS be worn
- People think I'm either Dutch or Irish. Mostly Dutch.
- Fat Freddy's Drop and Katchafire pump out some seriously good tunes
- Supper is called "tea"
- Dessert is called "pudding"
- Everyone asks "How you going?"
- Everyone loves the Red Hot Chili Peppers
- People "suss" things out
- And they "reckon" a lot
- Generally, Kiwi terminology is closer to British than American
- "Cool Bananas"
- "Sweet as"
- Bunny hug = Jumper
- Pop is roughly $4 for a 330ml bottle, still only about $2 for a 2 liter bottle
- No one says "man, dude, etc" they say "boi"
- This country is awesome

That's my Christmas Letter Reflections. I love you all. Miss you all. And want to wish you all the bestest, greatest, whitest, lovelyest, everythingest Christmas ever.

LOVE. MERRY CHRISTMAS. HAPPY NEW YEAR. GOD BLESS.
Julia

Saturday, December 18, 2010

I'm dreaming of a white (sand) Christmas

Alright all you unfortunate peeps who are stuck in blistering cold weathers, here is my address for the warm, sunny, beach filled Christmas season that I am about to partake in.

Julia Koop
C.O. Cath Lewis
4 Grand View Road
Leigh/Warkworth, North Island
0947, New Zealand

I must stress that this address only be used during the Christmas season as I'm going to be leaving that area forever when Christmas is over.

I'm still at Rathmoy and am still having fun. Though, I must admit that the insane amount of work, and very little free time, is starting to wear on me. I'm glad I'll be leaving for Christmas on Friday. We shall see if I return here or not.

Much love to everyone. I wish you a very Merry Christmas.

Julia

Monday, December 13, 2010

Tea and Talk

I'm a slacker. (That's all you are getting for an apology for the long silence).

I'm now in the ever beautiful, ever interesting Rathmoy Fish and Pheasant Lodge. I got here a couple days ago after another brief stint in Auckland. I took the bus at 7:45am (WAY too early) and arrived in Flat Hills around 3:30pm. It was a long bus ride, but the bus was really comfortable and it was a double decker so I felt terribly adventurous. I know I keep harping about the scenery but really, this country takes the scenery cake to an entirely new level. I saw my first New Zealand mountain around Taupo. It was absolutely breathtaking. There was a bit of cloud but the peak was brilliantly clear and covered in snow. My bus driver was giving something of a running commentary all the way throughout our travels and he told us that some of the Lord of the Rings had been filmed in that area. I didn't get any good pictures from the bus, but I am really hoping to borrow one of the cars from my new boss (Mark) one day and do a day trip up there to do some "tramping" (the New Zealand word for hiking). I suspect that that area of the north island will be one of my favourites. There are mountains, hills, fields, gorges, sand, and everything else you could dream of all in a small area. The grass in that area is especially interesting. It looks almost like a golf green. It's thick and appears to be flat but when you step on it it's actually a couple inches deep. Very deceiving. Anyway.
I arrived at Flat Hills and Mark and his lovely girlfriend Andrea (an Argentinian film producer) picked me up to take me to the lodge. The lodge is situated along the Rangitikei River and near the town of Hunterville. The lodge is a lot smaller than I thought. It sleeps about 10 people and has two large sitting rooms, 3 bathrooms, and a kitchen. There is a cricket pitch, a crochet field (?), an archery area, and an ax throwing board. There is also fishing, jet boating, clay disk shooting, pheasant shooting, a campground, and a ton of sheep and fields. It's absolutely gorgeous and peaceful. It really is an upperclass escape resort. My job here is extremely varied. I will do anything from sorting pheasant eggs, to grubbing thistles (basically hacking out thistles with a hoe like thinger), to cleaning the lodge, to serving functions. We've had one function so far. It was an engagement party of a local couple. There were about 60 people and I ran the bar with one of my bosses (Muzzy). The locals are really kind and welcoming. I've already been invited to go camping, go horseback riding, go shooting, go hunting, play rugby, to work at the local pub, to get married, and many other things. I'm really feeling comfortable and at home. I'm living in my boss Mark's house on the hill above the lodge. It's just me and him and Muzzy there. Then there is Pete up the road, Chris lives in town and there about 4 other guys that come and go. Basically it's me and a ton of middle ages men. It's awesome. I'm the princess and also one of the guys. It's a great balance and it means that I get worked hard but if I'm feeling lazy I can totally wiggle out of working. Haha. Alright. I need sleep. I've got a bit of a cold and for some reason I insist on staying up late to write these blogs. But, my lovelies, I want to keep you posted. It means a lot to share my adventures with you. I hope you enjoy reading about them.
That's all for tea and talk tonight.
Julia

Monday, December 6, 2010

Road Trippin'

Alrighty. So on Friday the 3rd Remco, Jenny, and Nils scooped me up from Leigh around 3pm and we all embarked on our extremely too brief tour of the Bay of Islands. We took the scenic route up the east coast of the Northland. The views the entire way were absolutely fantastic. There were forests so dense and thick you could only see trees for miles. There were lush, green, blanket-like pastures with ridges worn into them by the sheep and cows that have been grazing there for years. There were grand expanses of blue sea from peripheral to peripheral. And there was every combination inbetween. While I did get a touch of car sickness, it was easily calmed by rolling down the window, breathing the clean air, and reveling in the beauty around me.
We had booked a hostel in Paihia (Pie-he-a) and were shooting to arrive there around 9pm. The drive is something like 3 hours but we took more like 6. First we stopped at a Dutch food store (Remco is Dutch and really jumped out of the car while it was still moving to get to that Dutch store, Nils is Belgian so he was also excited to check it out, Jenny is German so she was indifferent, and I was car sick and loving the chance to get out of the vehicle). The boys bought some snacks there and I got to taste authentic Dutch peppernuts (ours are better), and Speculaas (something like a ginger bread cookie). Then we were back in the car and off to Whangarei (Fang-gar-ae). Whangarei Falls were what we were shooting to visit in Whangarei but we really had no idea where they were. So like good little tourists, we went to the I-site (tourist booth) to get directions. We arrived at Whangarei around 5 and fortunately/unfortunately, there was a 24 hour tourist interactive map and sights guide at the I-site. However, said touchscreen wonder was locked behind the glass doors of the I-site which had been closed for the evening (see facebook for image). Kiwi's are such jokers. We figure that there was a security camera stategically placed so that the workers could sit around and watch footage of tourists staring bewildered at the 24 hour tourism guide that was just out of reach. Fortunately, there was a map also taped to the glass door on which the falls were clearly marked. Thus, after a good laugh, a short bathroom break (at toilets that were advertised as open 24/7 and actually were open 24/7), and a mild stretch, we were off. The falls were highly over-rated. They weren't very tall and there wasn't much falling water. However, they were still quite beautiful and because they were on the smaller side we were able to climb the rocks around them until we were basically underneath. Jenny and I ventured out first and made it quite far, but because we were wearing flip-flops (aka jandels) we stopped once it started getting to slippery.
After the falls, we were back on the road and straight off to Paihia. We found our hostel with very little trouble, threw our stuff into our room, and got directions to the golf course so that we could go star gazing. Remco, Jenny, and Nils grabbed some drinks (of the alcoholic persuasion) and I drove. Of course, I took directions for my tipsy co-pilot Nils and we ended up going the completely wrong way. There was no golf course in sight but we did find a campground that advertised having a beach. So in we went, around 11pm, to star gaze at a campgrounds beach. We parked, wandered, couldn't find the beach, and were just hopping into the car to drive back when the manager of the campground came out and hasselled us about being on his property and "acting suspicious". He told us that he had taken down our licence plate number, demanded that I tell him where we were staying, and asked me what my name was and where I was from before he let us go. We were all a little shocked at his mistrust and anger but we let it go and took off. About 5 minutes after that there were flashing lights in my rearview and we were getting pulled over by the cops. The officer asked us what we were doing, and then held this device in my face and asked me for my name and address. I was so confused. I figured it had to be a breathalizer but there was no mouthpeice and I wasn't sure how I was supposed to blow and talk at the same time. So after a mild twitch fest in which my head was jerking uncertainly toward and away from the device, I stated my name and was about halfway through my Canadian address when he told me that was good and that we could go. Apparently in New Zealand there are three different stages to being breathalized. First you speak into a device. If you fail that, they get you to blow into another device. If you fail that, then they take you to the cop shop to do a third test. Weird? I think yes. Anyway, we were back on the road and managed to get on the right track, to the golf course, star gaze, and get back to the hostel with no further issue. We spent the rest of the night hanging out with hostel peoples and sleeping.
In the morning, we got up around 8:30, took a dip in the pool and decided that the weather was officially crappy. It was really cloudy, not raining but definitely looking threatening, and it wasn't overly warm. Thus we postponed our plans to go kayaking and opted for some hiking instead. We took the ferry over to Russel and climbed up Flagstaff hill, another (lame) hill, and another breathtaking hill (of unknown name). It was still really cloudy but I was still quite impressed. The cloudy/fog tinted everything is a misty blue and the layers to the horizon became so delicately clear. Everywhere we looked it was lush green foliage, dark blue sea, and etheral blue horizon. After hiking, we crashed on the beach and had a bag lunch complete with this delicious spread of roasted kumara and pumpkin. Kumara is a New Zealand vegetable that is similar to a sweet potato. Oh, after climbing the first two hills we went exploring in the town of Russel. We checked out some of the local shops, got some information from the I-site, and took a gander at the oldest church in New Zealand. It was built roughly 150 years ago and is surrounded by a cemetery that is equally old. The church has quite the history as it was involved in a couple gun fights and skirmishes throughout New Zealands history. Feel free to google it for more details. Right, so back to the chronology. We had lunch on the beach near the third hill, and then went back into Russel to decide what to do next. The weather was still bad and we decided there would be no kayaking that day. In the end, we went swimming at Long Beach. It was quite chilly at the beginning but the waves were great, and the sun did break through, so it was really fun. We played volleyball and soccer on the beach which was fun, but ended being quite costly for me. During a set, my ring flew off my finger and was never seen again. The sea (or some lucky little kid) is now $80 richer. You're welcome. Haha. (Don't worry mom, I still have the ring with the saphires, I lost the plain silver thumb ring).
So with the beach done, we did a brief walk on a marshland boardwalk and then we attempted to skidaddle back to Paihia via the ferry. While sitting in line at the Ferry, I realized that my wallet which held the return ticket was no longer in my bag. We drove back into Russel and scouted the bathrooms, the I-site, and were then directed to The police officers house (yes, I do believe there was only one of them in the entire town). I found the police officer drinking and having a BBQ in his backyard. It was pretty funny, cause I walked into the back and everyone stopped to stare at me. I said "Is this the police station?" and this one guy stepped out and said "You lost your wallet". I was like PHEW! It turns out the guy who found my wallet was also at the BBQ so I got to thank him personally. After excessive thanking, we were legitimately off back to Paihia. The return was uneventful and we spent the rest of the night just chilling at the hostel. I went for a brief run (about an hour) and everyone else BBQed.
On Sunday morning the weather was glorious and we booked a half day kayaking tour of the Bay of Islands. We went out to a couple of islands and a couple of beaches. The tour supplied us with homemade scones that were absolutely fantastic. The toured part of our kayak adventure was about 4 hours long and then we adventured on our own for about 3 more hours. We kayaked through mongrove forests and to the Haruku Falls (even less impressive than the Whangarei Falls). We picniced briefly by the falls and then paddled back to the kayak shop. Then it was time to bust out of Paihia.
On the way back we stopped at Ngahwa Springs and Kawakawa. Ngahwa Springs are a natural hot springs that are chalkful of minerals and reek of sulpher. We paid $4.00 entrance to the super ghetto looking springs and were able to test out roughly 20 different pools. The temperatures ranged from about 15 degree to 51 degrees. We spent most of our time in the a pool that was about 45 degrees. That was perfect. It was freaking hot, but didn't burn like the 51 degree pool did. I couldn't even keep my feet in that pool for more that 10 seconds. Think about it team. That's halfway to boiling. Youch! We exited those pools feeling refreshed, extremely hot, and stinking like there was no tomorrow. It's Tuesday as I'm writing this and I still stink like sulpher. Jenny is sitting near me and while I can no longer smell her from across the room, she assures me that the smell is still clinging to her skin as well.
From Ngahwa Springs we went on to Kawakawa to check out the "world famous toilets" designed by German dude Hundertwasser. They were pretty cool. Very unique and unusual decor for toilets. I can see why the quotation marks are applied to the "world famous" bit though. While the dude that made them is pretty famous, and the site itself is well known in New Zealand, it really wasn't that big of a deal. None-the-less I can now say I've used a famous toilet. Haha.
Right. This is getting long... Shmeh.
We basically just drove straight home to Auckland after that. We did stop for gas and had an epic dance party at the pumps as we squeegeed the windows of the car. But other than that, it was just a dark drive back.
Yesterday was uneventful, played some pool, went for a run, went for a walk, went to bed. Now I'm chilling in the hostel trying to get a hold of my new boss. I suspect he's on the plane back from Bali or where ever he was vacationing. I'm planning on snagging a bus to Hamilton very shortly and checking that out as I head down to Rangitikei to the lodge.
Tha tha that's all folks!
Snuggles and cuddles to you all,
Julia

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Boom Baby!

BBBBbbbbbbbOOOOOOooooooMMMMMmmmmmmBBBBBBBbbbbbb Baby!

I got a job at Rathmoy Fish and Pheasant Lodge. http://www.rathmoy.co.nz/modules/content/content.php?content.19 Check it out! NOW!

So?! How jealous are you? I'm so utterly and completely stoked that it's not even funny. I have no idea what I'll be doing up there but it sounds much like Delta stuffs. Just chilling with guests and doing a bunch of Christmas parties. Well, and fly fishing, pheasant hunting, white water rafting, ATVing, etc. Rock on oh rockers. Score one for Julia. Can you tell I'm excited? Well I am. Very much so.

Right! So. The bathroom. I am now a champion of cutting tiles. I have learned to miter cut and how to place tiles and waterproof and everything. I have also learned to rock earmuffs. They are orange and huge and glorious. Ya, I spent all morning doing that and cleaning Mikaela's so that my lovely replacement could come. Get this, team. She is from Speedy Creek (aka Swift Current). Ya that's right. Saskatchewan meets Saskatchewan in New Zealand. Bam. One world collides in another world. She seems really sweet. I'm happy that my boss has someone awesome to help out when I ditch out this weekend.

Alright, this weekend! I am going up to the Bay of Islands with Remco and others (we are recruiting at the moment). We are going to to Paihia. There is a three part tour I hope to take where we can 1) Swim with the dolphins, 2) Sail (Kayak) the Bay of Islands for a day, 3) Tour 90 Mile Beach. I'm really excited about that too. It will be my first real road trip since I've arrived. Fun times ahead my friends.

Ok. Sweet thing that also happened tonight (tonight actually). I went to a Haka Kapa. Which to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what it was. It was like a Pow Wow kinda thing but New Zealand Maori style. It incorporated the Poi Poi (a dexterity building tool and something of a musical/rhythmic instrument), traditional dance, and warrior culture. It was performed by the Leight Preschool kids, the Pakiri school kids, and the Leigh elementary school kids. The two kids I'm helping look after were both performing with the elementary school group (Grade 1 til Grade 6). They did really well and were super cute. It was absolutely incredible to see these white kids, predominantly all white kids, performing the culture of the indigenous peoples. Can you imagine the entire school in Rosthern or Evan Hardy or whatever (all white kids) performing a traditional Pow Pow with pride and enthusiasm? It was mind boggling. I really hope that one day Canada can embrace Native culture like New Zealand has.

Anyway team supreme. I am distracted by my new found Saskatchewanian.

I <3 all of you (Mom <3 is an typed version of a heart. Turn your head side ways. There you go.)
Julia

ps. I love it here. Start thinking of ways to convince me to come back, cause you are going to need some serious fire power.