Sheets of Ice

I climbed up Roberts Point on my day off (amazingly beautiful weather). The site from the top was so crazy; a long sheet of ice with mountains all in my 360 degree view. The weather here is strange with clear blue skies typical in the morning, but usually it's cloudy in the afternoon. It is raining now, for the first time since I arrived. That means that the net cafe can't reach it's sattelite and we are working on a dial up connection. Ahhh!

Happy Turkey Day! I'm off to celebrate, myself, and the best part is that I'll be drinking summer ale. Not quite sure what we'll do about the actual dinner part. The town is super small and the market doesn't excatly have all the required ingredients, actually I don't even know if you could get a whole turkey, cranberry sauce, or stuffing in a regular supermarket.

Coast to Coast

Driving from coast to coast in the United States is quite an acheivement. In the south island of New Zealand from Christchurch to Greymouth, it takes less than four hours. It took me longer because I must have pulled over at least a dozen times. The scenery was changing from open plains to towering, snow-capped mountains and there were so many picturesque moments (especially when I could encorporate the numerous sheep in the foreground).

I am now in the most sparsely populated province in New Zealand, the west coast (less than 1 person per 1 square kilometer). It has a rugged landscape and a laid back feel to it. That means that it is even harder to find a store open past 5pm and maybe not even on the weekends, 24x7 is not concept they have embraced in New Zealand and even less so in the small towns. I went out on the black sand beach today and the waves were crashing so powerfully. It was awesome! Bring on the glaciers, I am ready for a heli-hike, or a day of ice climbing (well, mentally and physically ready... economically is another story).

I must fill the gas tank before I go, the next petrol station south from Hokitika is 137 kilometeres.

A new wind is blowin'

Ok so my luck has kind of changed and the other day I was faced with deciding between TWO JOBS. I actually accepted both (terrible, I know). I worked one day at the office job and then quit. I am hoping for the best in the next. Maybe I can set a record for the most places worked in my OE (overseas experience).

This afternoon I am heading to the west coast, via Arthur's Pass. I am getting excited for some glaciers and some amazing scenery. I have that 'christmas eve' feeling. I know there is some good stuff ahead of me and I can hardly contain my excitement. It is a beautiful day out, too and the drive should be pleasant. I am hoping to get a good hike in tommorow, so keep your fingers crossed that it keeps up.

The best part about the job I accepted on the west coast (besides food included with accomodation cost, being right next to glaciers and with lots of other backpackers) is that I get MY OWN ROOM! I'll leave the 10 person dorm rooms till after the new year! Sweet as!

Full On Sightseeing

I am hoping to be gainfully employed next week out of Christchurch city so decided to be a full on tourist for the week. This is a photo from the top of the gondola ride. I think I sat and looked at the hills for an hour, it is so beautiful. This picture is great because I positioned the flowers in front of the ugly harbor activities.

I take that back

I once said I could work at any job for three weeks. What three weeks anyway? Let me preface this by saying I have already proved this wrong when I made it only one day at the Uconn dairy bar and only through the orientation at McDonalds (I can't believe I made it that far). I proved it again this past week when I ditched my vine rubbing (aka breaking back) job and headed south to Christchurch.

Ironically, after traveling down to Christchurch with me, Kevin went back up to Blenheim to earn some money doing the vine work. I must say the opportunity to work the same day you are hired is pretty enticing. He will be heading up to Auckland after to work at Katmandu, where they lured him in with more money and amazing discounts.

The Christchurch job market has the appearance of being quite active. Within 24 hours, I had three interviews lined up (one outside the region). The city center is pretty compact but the suburbs make it a very large place to nagivate by car. There are tons of cultural events waiting to be explored including an art cinema, live music and art galleries. I think I could get to like it here a lot. Keep your fingers crossed that I can get some more gainful employment. The good news is that my earnings from breaking back are in my Westpac account ready to be spent.

Working Girl

I sold out the the highest bidder (alright, it was the only bidder to offer more than 10 hours a week). I said I wanted to come to New Zealand to see and try new things. Today was my second day in the world of viticultures. In plain english, I'm working on one of the splendid wineries. So far we are in the middle of bud rubbing. This highly sophisticated craft involves getting rid of vine off-shoots below a scertain height. My back, but and thighs are truely in pain as I write. Should I go on, or do you feel bad enough for me yet?

No but seriously: it is great to be outside all day; quitting time is at 3:15pm which gives me tons of extra time; and I get some sweet discounts on the wine. Alas, I am a working girl!

Roughing it,well sort of

After too long in Nelson, job-less, I decided it was time to move on. I packed all my stuff and moved to Renwick. Renwick is a beautiful wine town just outside boring Blenheim. This town has all the ambiance of a country village with wine vineyards everywhere, plus you can also head into the city if you need more stimulus.

I decided to play it smart (in this case, cheap) and pitched my tent. I can't pretend I'm truely roughing it though, since I'm right outside a hostel with all the luxuries. This place has great showers (with hooks, benches and even a removable shower head), good kitchen facilities, a gas grill, hammock and even a tennis court behind it. What a perfect deal; I save a bit of dough and still get all the ammenities.