My last few weeks here have been insanely busy and so I haven't had time to blog, so here goes..
QUEENSTOWN
After getting home from Sydney, I had a couple not-so-quiet days of work before my mom came to New Zealand. She had a nice few days in Christchurch and then the two of us went on a vacation to Queenstown. I was told by everyone who had ever been to New Zealand, that Queenstown was a must, so I thought a trip that consisted of more than stopping by for a burger (as good as fergberger was) on the way back from the Routeburn Track was in order.
We landed Friday night to some sunshine and warm weather and enjoyed the feeling of being on vacation. Work at TTNZ is really busy and between adjusting to daily life in a new country and squeezing in trips every weekend, I was really ready to just relax.We had an amazing dinner on the water as the sun was setting behind the mountains, and just sat back to take it all in.
The view in the opposite direction of the setting sun
Did I mention dinner was awesome?
On Saturday we drove to Arrowtown, a small historic town about 20 minutes from Queenstown, and then on to Wanaka, a more quiet version of Queenstown, but equally as beautiful. It was a bit cloudy but the drive was nice to show my mom some of the classic view of New Zealand.
Mama loving the view on the way to Wanaka
Back in Queenstown after our day trip
Evening at the base of the Remarkables (covered in clouds), the mountain range in Queenstown
The real excitement came on Sunday, though. I convinced my mom (or maybe convinced her that she didn't have a choice) to climb Queenstown Hill. One of the main attractions in Queenstown is a gondola up to the top of a hill where you can then paraglide, zip line, bungee jump, or ride a luge to get down. My mom took the gondola on her last trip in 2009 so she knew how high it was. The hill we climbed was next to the one with the gondola, and the summit was much higher. Starting out, my mom had some doubts, but with a little coercing she made it to the top! We had so much fun - may have turned my mom in to a hiker!
The Gondola is at about the height of her hand (and we're not even at the top!)
Queenstown!
Love those colors!
Next up was the bungey jump. New Zealand is the home of the bungey and the bridge I jumped from was the location of the first commercial bungey! Before coming to New Zealand, one of my coworkers, who had studied abroad in NZ, told me I HAD to do it... But I wasn't convinced. My middle sister told me to do one thing out of my comfort zone while I was here... And I definitely didn't think this would be it. But when I went to Sydney and talked to Charlie, he said he would be disappointed if I didn't do it and if he came to NZ (which I'm still hoping you do!!) he would do it. So after all the encouraging words, I decided that I too would be disappointed in myself if I went home without doing it and had to tell everyone I wasn't brave enough. I put off signing up until the night before, but once I hit confirm, I knew there was no turning back... Until I was on the ledge.
Not. Letting. Go.
I went to the bridge, super confident that I could bungee jump and not freak out. I was all harnessed up and standing on the edge when I made the biggest mistake you could make, I looked straight down. Instantly I started shaking and rethinking my decision. The guy working told me to wave and smile for the camera... and to take my hand off the handle. I was so scared I would fall or that he would push me (which if course they won't do) that I couldn't let go.
I'll wave but I won't let go. #grassrootsgear #thetribebungeyjumps
A few deep breaths later, we had our final dialogue:
"See that bridge out there. Just look at that. Don't look down"
"I already looked down."
"Do whatever you need to do to get yourself off this platform. Scream. Jump. Anything."
"Oh my god I'm so scared"
"I'm going to count down from 3"
"Can you start at 5?"
"3"
"Oh my god oh my god"
"2.......1..BUNGEY"
"AHHHHHHHHHHH"
And without thinking, I did it.
Yep, that's me screaming.
And it was awesome.
There was a life boat at the bottom, so they came out and got me and I walked back up to find my mom who had watched the whole thing.
After the jump I had a celebratory drink and enjoyed a quiet evening before going back to Christchurch. The legendary Queenstown, also known as adventure town, definitely lived up to is reputation. I loved it so much and can't wait to go back.. But maybe not to bungee jump.
NELSON
The next week at work FLEW by and before I knew it I was on a plane up to Nelson to find my mom again.
Jen and I at our Christmas Party - Part of what made the week go by so fast
It was a funny to see my mom waiting for me at the airport and have a dinner place all picked out, as I had been the host the week before. We had a really nice dinner (again) on the water in Nelson. The water there is just the most gorgeous shade of blue. We spent all day Sunday traveling around the area which is known for both their craft beer and their wineries!
Neudorf Vineyard
We stopped by three wineries for a tasting, an A&P show (kind of like a state fair) to see what it was like, and finished with lunch and a glass of wine at a vineyard close to the airport, before flying back to Christchurch.
Waimea Vineyard
The following day my mom hopped on a plane to Sydney and began her trip back home. It was so nice to have her here! <3
2015
I was sad to lose my visitor and even more sad when I started to realize it was my last week in New Zealand. I have really gotten to enjoy my life in here, though it is a true 180 from my life in New York, which I also love and miss. But my time here just didn't feel complete. There's so much more I want to do and I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my friends. So Wednesday morning, when the head of my office said "Doesn't it just make sense for you to come back?" I had to agree. I did have my objections and reasons why I should stay home, but by the end of the conversation it was decided - I'm going to spend a week in Southern California with my manager and some of the team who have been helping us from the TT Irvine office, and then my manager and I will be flying back to NZ. I'll stay for three weeks until I have to go home to move apartments! Then, I promise, I'm home for good.
Why stop when you're having this much fun??
So the adventures in NZ continue. I will likely get one more trip in. I'm hoping to go to Milford Sound or Franz Joseph Glacier or Mount Cook on my last weekend here. I'll keep you posted :)
Thanks for reading and supporting me for my time abroad. I really needed it in the beginning and I still love it in the end. Now, let's all get home safely for the holidays!
Ah, Sydney. I love this city - the feel of the city, the unique suburbs, and, of course the beaches. It's easy to get around, plus the people are happy, the sun is nearly always shining, and you never seem to get over the view of the bridge and the opera house. If it weren't so damn far away from the United States, I would move here tomorrow.. In fact, after this weekend, if TT had a Sydney office I'd move here tomorrow. (Can someone please start working on this??)
My love affair with Sydney started three years ago when I studied abroad here. I mentioned this briefly in my first post, but to review, I came to Australia for 4 months in early 2011 to study at Sydney Uni. I made great friends with a few American girls, my Australian civil engineering friends, and a few of my sister's friends who hadn't gotten enough of Sydney on their study abroad, two years prior, and were back for a little more. I was so happy with my little group of friends, but near the end of my stay, while Skye, Steph, and I were skipping our program's farewell dinner and hanging out at the Uni bar, we met Charlie, a horse riding Aussie in an Elmo shirt. Of all my Aussie friends, Charlie ended up being the one I kept in touch with the most.
I saw Charlie last year when he came to NYC, but wasn't sure if I would see him again for a long time. When I first got to New Zealand I sent him a message to see if he wanted to come visit. He didn't have any free weekends for the entire time that I would be in Christchurch, but said he could probably free up some time if I wanted to come to Sydney. Come to Sydney?! I hadn't thought I would do that in my time in NZ, but now that the offer was on the table, I couldn't possibly turn it down. So I decided to do it. Picked a weekend when Charlie could miss a horse show, and booked a ticket to Australia. I was a little nervous that maybe I had built the idea of Sydney up in my head over the last few years, but sitting in the airport, on my way back to Christchurch, I can honestly say I had not. This weekend was amazing, everything I remembered and more. Charlie and I were crazy busy - I think (know) we could both go for a nap right now, but when you only have three days in the best city in the world there's no time to rest.
Friday morning, I woke up SUPER early and flew to Sydney, landing at 8 am. Charlie had to work until mid day so I spent the morning on the beach in Manly (not a bad way to spend a morning). I got hooked on that Serial podcast (anyone else addicted!?) on the plane over, so I know that I was only laying down for 23 minutes and 55 seconds, finishing an episode, before I realized I was probably getting sunburnt. I was right- I looked in the mirror and found that I had already gotten a pretty bad sunburn on my face, my chest, my legs... basically all over. I informed Charlie of my lobster status, and hopped on a train to meet my long lost Aussie friend.
Manly Beach
Just South of Manly Beach
We spent the rest of the afternoon adventuring around Sydney and ended the day with some Jamaican food in Surry Hills. I was so excited to go back to Surry Hills, where two of my friends had lived during study abroad. I used to love that neighborhood so much. We got Charlie's favorite gelato after dinner, and then drove about an hour west of Sydney to Charlie's farm.
Little Collins Street!
I hadn't been out to the farm during study abroad, so I was so excited to see it. After showing me the house, Charlie told me he doesn't actually live there. He moved to his own shed behind the house when his little brother was born, so he has his own little unheated area. After the unheated hut on the route burn track, I was skeptical, but, hey, when in Australia...
Charlie's Room
It wasn't nearly as cold as the Routeburn Track, so I survived just fine. In the morning, Charlie made us some eggs on toast with eggs fresh from the chickens running around outside and a mango smoothie with fresh mangoes. Delicious! He drove me around the farm - definitely necessary since it's a few hundred acres - and introduced me to his 3 week old foal. I think I got the full service farm experience :).
Morning on Charlie's Balcony
Spike!
Feeling full, we drove down to a student of Charlie's, who lives on the south coast. She asked us if we were up for a hike, to which we said yes, and we all headed on much more of a hike than any of us expected, along a trail that was barely visible at some points.
Burning Palms from the Top of the Hill
After spending five weeks in a country without a single animal that can kill you, I had my guard up about the deadly animals in Australia. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about snakes and drop bears (just for you, Charlie). Just as I was thinking that the difference between Australia and New Zealand is that the kiwis prepare for hikes with hiking boots and packs and well maintained tracks, and the Aussies just grab their surf board and flip flops and go in search of a good wave, Charlie asked me "So Erin, is this what you thought you'd be doing in Sydney this weekend?" Nope, but I loved it. When we made it to the beach there were almost no other people around, so we stayed there for a bit and tried to surf, before making the difficult trek back up the hill.
Made it to the Beach
Afterwards we went to see a couple more hidden gems of the south coast. Jared, Charlie's student's friend, had grown up in the area and knew of an old train tunnel where, when it was pitch black, the tunnel was lit up by glow worms, giving the allusion of the Milky Way in the night sky. We took our torches (Aussie/kiwi for flashlight) and walked in to the tunnel far enough that the glow worms seemed to go on forever in each direction. It was absolutely amazing, and one of the best parts was that we were the only people there.
To get my engineering fix of the day, and to kill some time until it was dark enough to see the glow worms, we went to see Sea Cliff Bridge. Despite all the cliffs in Australia, this is the only bridge that runs along them and spans over the open ocean. It curves along with the shape of the cliffs and looks really cool. During the day you can even see the sting rays below it. Charlie said he had seen the bridge in photos but never knew where it was, so I'm glad we went to it.
It's hard to see but the bridge runs along the cliffs out there...
Sunday morning, we drove back in to the city, to Rose Bay, where they do kayak rentals. We were able to get a couple and kayak through the harbor with views of the CBD, the bridge, and the Opera House. The view really doesn't get old.
Stopped for a rest on the beach
After returning to Rose Bay, we drove in to the city to see Ruthie, a Hopkins friend here on study abroad, and MY MOM, who had just flown in to Sydney on her way to see me in New Zealand. It was the perfect way to end my weekend in Sydney, surrounded by family and friends, kangaroo pizza, and some wedges. After lunch, I made my way back to the airport, and finally back to Christchurch.
Im so sad that my weekend in Sydney is over and that I really don't know when I'll be able to come back, or when I'll see my Aussie friend again. But I can assure you, I hadn't overhyped Sydney in my mind, and sincerely hope I will be seeing both Charlie and Sydney again soon. Thanks for such a great weekend, Charlie. You were seriously the best host!
