Hot pools and hot chocolate
Time is ticking away. I spent some awesome days in Pareora and did things I never thought I’d do. Queenstown is waiting though, and thus it’s time to hit the road! Since I don’t want to start working without having seen anything, I planned some stops along the way. First…
Pareora; family life
Travelling is all about new experiences. During one of my intense internet searches I came across Workaway. Workaway is an international platform where people can connect via volunteer work. I signed up as a volunteer and started browsing the ads. New Zealand seems like a perfect country to do this…
Driving the clouds away
Woohoo! The new car is checked, registered and ready to go after buying $140 petrol. This might become an expensive endeavor, but as soon as I hit the road, I know I have made the right decision in buying a car for my time in New Zealand. The freedom! My first…
A night in jail
I’m going to Christchurch to stay in jail. Yes, voluntarily. In the suburb Addington, about a 20 minute walk to the city center, they’ve transformed a jail into a flash backpackers. Jailhouse accommodation offers privates and dorm beds. Most of the building still looks like it used to, but with…
City of recovery
Christchurch is a city that’s recovering from the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. We are a few years further now, but the damage is still visible throughout the city. It is strange to see empty plots where once there’d been buildings. Some buildings still stand, but have obvious damage. You…
Crossing hills
“Walking? Are you sure?” the girl at reception said in a French accent. “It’s really steep!” She stared at me with a frown on her face. Of course I went anyway. There is a gondola that takes you up the hill for $25. If you want some exercise however, you…
Booking frustrations
Why can booking flights be so stressful? It’s lovely when you don’t care where you’re going and you stumble across a cheap fare and book it in the spur of the moment. It’s less lovely when you know you want to travel on a certain date, because your visa is…
Doing the happy dance
Woohoo! Andrea on 5.2.2014 In January I finished my visa application for a working holiday in New Zealand by sending in a Chest X-ray (to prove I do not have TB). Now, 1,5 weeks later, I already received the verdict: Granted! Time for a little happy dance! In the past…
Application adventures
As my time in Australia is ticking away, it is high time to search for something new. My search brought me to the immigration website of New Zealand. Since I am on ‘the other side of the world’ anyway, I might as well explore it thoroughly. Plenty of things I’d…