Wellington Sevens

If you've been to NZ you know what it is and if you haven't than you should be dying to know! It is seriously the most extraordinary event that I have ever been to! I've heard people rave about it but to be honest I never thought the event would live up to it. But, surely enough it did. The 7's met and exceeded all of my expectations!!! There's no wonder why tickets sell out within 3 minutes of being on sale.

To put it in perspective, for those Chico friends of mine this event is like Halloween but 10 times better. Instead of waiting all day to dress up and go out at night you get started first thing. The Sevens is a Rugby tournament with 16 countries playing in it. Instead of the usual 15 players only 7 are on the field and the games consist of two 7 minute halfs. There are 9 destinations and this year some of them include Dubai, London, Glasgow, Gold Coast and of course LAS VEGASSSS. But, nobody does it better than WELLINGTON!!!

Here in Wellington, it's not about the rugby. It is all about the costumes and there are no shortcomings there. Everyone goes all out, it is not the time to be original. For instance I went as a Jack in the Box. And boy was I not prepared for some of the comments we would be getting. They were hand made by a wonderful group of girls/ new friends up in Auckland who slaved away making 15 costumes. Their work didn't go unnoticed, we managed to get 2nd place for our smashing costumes and made it on the front page of the newspaper. Other amazing costumes included: Wellywood sign, Tui ads, surfs, the infamous bucket fountain on Cuba St and more! You have to see it to believe it so start thinking of your costumes and mark it in your calendars!

The Bartholomew road trip had to come to an end sometime

Our last destination for the Bartholomew road trip was the Coromadel! It's well known for its golden beaches, small towns and of course the infamous Cathedral Cove. We stayed at a friend of a friends house and it was so nice to have such friendly hosts. We got the perfect insight on what a "true" kiwi summer is like! Unfortunately the weather wasn't on our side but we still enjoyed it. The hike to Cathedral Cove was a bit muddy but we were really lucky cause if we'd gone any later we would have been sliding down. My favorite quote/moment form that day was this little chubby boy probably 8 or 9 years old walking behind his family and just as he passed us he whines, "but WHYYYYYYYYY?" It was the funniest thing, I could only imagine how that poor boy felt on the way back because soon after it was pouring! So much for us relaxing and soaking up the sun! 

The journey home was definitely sad. Not much excitement knowing our parents trip was coming to an end and soon Amanda and I would be back to work. Can't we just always be on holiday? Their last week went by far too quickly! We let the parents out loose in Wellington during the days while we worked, SCARY! But they survived and surprisingly I don't have any grey hair! We spent the last weekend wine tasting in Martinborough and relaxing in Welly! One of our last nights we all went out on the town, it was definitely a night to remember. 

Best Day Yet

I can officially say that in only one month I have traveled to the very bottom of the south island, Bluff and to the very tip of the north island, Cape Reinga! Im very proud of this accomplishment as many kiwis keep reminding me that I've probably seen more of their country than a lot have! The reason why Cape Reinga was so awesome is cause you can see where the Pacific ocean meets the Tasman sea. it was breathtaking! It was quite the drive to get there but definitley well worth it!

We also heard sand-boarding was a popular event up north so we couldn't miss out! It had been a busy day filled with lots of driving and sightseeing and by the time we were finished with the look out it was getting late but we knew we had to give sand boarding a shot. We went to the Te Paki sand dunes and I was flabbergasted! For those who know me I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to extreme sports so this was  a big deal! We had to hike up as far as we wanted and then plunge ourselves down! It was the most fun I have had in a while! You sure can pick up speed!! One of my runs I was literally an inch away from sliding into the river (mind you when i say river i mean a minor stream of water but same same)! Anyways, we managed to finish sand-boarding just in time to catch the sunset on 90 mile beach, even though it's only 60miles hmmmm.... this made the perfect ending to the BEST DAY YET!

However, I would be lying if I said our day ended there. Unfortunately we had one of our most interesting nights. We had to stay in a BACKPACKERS! Yes that's right, also known as a hostel! My poor parents let us take care of them and we put them in a hostel. Amanda and I had the brilliant idea of planning the way home as we go! Well bad idea when you end up not having phone service all day and the nearest towns shut down by 9! We even had hotels hang up on us! Backpackers was literally are only option and I find it hilarious! It did help us get one of our earliest starts to the next day so it wasn't all bad!

Paihia

The journey continues! Our third destination was Paihia! We knew we had to make it to the bay of islands when we were planning this trip but finding which town to stay in was a tough decision! After 4 nights in Paihia I can say we definitely made the right decision!

Paihia was a cute peaceful little beach town! It had everything you needed but not much more. The one supermarket was almost sold out of all the essentials (meat, fruit, lettuce, garlic bread, cheese, etc) by 6pm! They don't call it Countdown for no reason! The main street had lots of shops, cafes and of course an ice cream stand, a Bartholomew necessity!

We spent our time soaking up the sun and sights and BBQing just outside of our hotel room with the most beautiful view! I went kayaking for the first time!! I will definitely have to try it again and venture out a bit further next time. We did a car ferry to Russel island which had gorgeous beaches and another quaint little town! We also did a boat tour that took us out to see the famous hole in the rock! I've never seen such clear water! There were many different shades of blue and green! This was my favorite part about Paihia! On our tour, we even spotted a pod of 3 cheeky dolphins! I don't know what was more entertaining, watching the dolphins or the other tourists swimming trying to catch them! I was sad leaving this place to say the least but onward and upward we go before our final journey downward!

Ringing in 2012

Happy New Year everyone! As the year came to an end it was a time to reflect on ups and downs and the events and accomplishments that took place in the last 365 days. This year the biggest change for me was moving to NZ and landing my first "big girl" job! It is also that time of year to make those silly resolutions that few people tend to stick to. This is normally a tradition I tend to skip but for some reason this year I've decided to make a few! One being to make a conscious effort to keep my blog up to date!

This NYE was like no other! I mean, I got to be one of the first to ring in the new year! How sweet is that?! I celebrated 21 hours before all of my friends at home! And as I've gotten older I've realized that what matters most are the people I have to share this special time with! It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing or how many people you're with. I was so lucky that I got to spend it with my family and that we can all be together here in NZ!

The weather could have been better but it was a step up from what we had seen the days before! We spent the day wine tasting on Waihike, an island just out of Auckland and then enjoyed some of the best Thai food I've had yet! Eating and drinking with family led to a perfect day! Luckily the weather cleared up just enough for us to watch the fireworks set off of the sky tower! The atmosphere couldn't have been better! The streets were filled with people of all ages and races just enjoying the night! There was a hari krishna band that really helped add to the scene! All in all it was a wonderful night which makes me think it's going to be another great year!

Kiwi Camping

When I found out camping in new Zealand didn't mean camp fires and s'mores I was pretty disappointed! What's the point of sleeping on the ground surrounded by bugs and with no showers if you can't sit around the fire and make s'mores at the end of the day?
They do it a little different than what I'm use to. We're staying at a camping "resort" that comes equipped with hot showers, toilets, blow dryers (an essential in my books), kitchen, BBQs and anything else you may need! Everyone has their own blow up mattress and there is even a laundry facility on site and of course a wi- fi station! Instead of sitting around a fire to stay warm you can set up a table to gather round! The other thing that I find comical are all the little cars! Back home camping, all I ever remember are SUVs and trucks at camp sites, none of this pee wee sedan kind of stuff! So not quite the same feel but it's always good to try something new! And with my family there's plenty of entertainment to go round so there hasn't been a dull moment yet! I'm glad I'm able to experience a typical "kiwi" summer vacation!

Merry Christmas! Ho!

Well so much for a white Christmas! This year I spent it soaking up the sun and eating heaps of seafood! Nothing like anything I've ever experienced! I was hesitant going into it but it turned out to be a great day! My sister and Oliver got engaged in the morning so we had lots to celebrate!! It was so fun to see our two families interact! We spent it at Olivers parents house and his mom had it decked out with Christmas decorations! It was perfect!

I'm not going to lie though, it was pretty upsetting going into Christmas this year. It never even feel like the holidays! Here in NZ, Christmas time is also summer break for everyone so I felt like there was no emphasis on Christmas. Normally, I'm sick and tired of all the Christmas music everyone is playing but I found myself searching for it this year! I might have heard a song every few days if I was lucky and I hardly saw any Christmas decorations. Now that I have officially experienced a summer Christmas I can say without a doubt I prefer a winter Christmas!