Hey, everyone! Well… I wound up in Wellington after all haha. It is the windiest city in the southern hemisphere and for good reason, too. The city itself is surrounded by a “town belt” of small mountain ranges or… hills, really. They look like small mountains to me haha. It is much easier to get out onto some lovely hikes here compared to Auckland. I’m enjoying my time here, although still a little preoccupied. We’ll get to that later.

Before Leaving Auckland

Before leaving Auckland, I had made two friends in my hostel dorm. Anna and Pau. Anna was from Italy, Pau from Spain. I think we started talking outside the hostel where we all were hanging out on the steps. They invited me to join them to take the ferry over to Devonport the following day. We walked up to one of the volcanic cones, which had some old military bunkers.

We were able to walk through the bunkers which was really cool and unlike anything I’d done before. It was spooky and very dark down there in some places.

After the bunkers, the three of us climbed to the top of the hill. We had the view of downtown Auckland on one side and the view of Rangitoto on the other.

After taking in the sights, we sat down and had a siesta. A lovely day. Both Anna and Pau told me how they wanted to get out of Auckland, too. Anna said something like, “A city is just a city. Could be anywhere.” Agreed! Anna was going to work on a kiwi farm and I think Pau was looking for a similar job. They both bought cars and have since left Auckland.

Oh, another thing to mention about the Auckland hostel… the day before I was leaving, the room just smelled absolutely AWFUL. Comparable to… I don’t know. The inside of a dirty sock that someone had been wearing for a month straight? There was one dude in the room who kept wearing the same clothes every day so I was thinking it was him but Pau thought it was the guy across from him. We did a sniff test and sure enough… both guys’ beds smelled rancid. Another girl ended up using all her peppermint spray to make the room smell better. Bless her. It was so bad, I had to actually leave the room earlier in the evening. Also, fun fact: the dude who was wearing the same clothes over and over literally was JERKING OFF one afternoon while Anna and I were both just chilling on our phones in the room. I’m not 100% certain but… I’m 95% certain. Anna thought he was, too. So wild. Hostel living, I tell you. If it were at night when he thought people were sleeping, that somehow would have been better haha.

Before leaving Auckland, I also met an American who had just gotten residency in New Zealand. Like me, his dream is to really wind up in Australia. He is a volcanologist and was brought over here for work. It was awesome to meet someone who actually got residency in another country! I would like that to be an option for me one day – far off in the future.

Auckland to Wellington

I wanted to touch on my bus drive down from Auckland to Wellington. I had downloaded a bunch of TV shows and movies ahead of the 11 hour ride but didn’t end up watching them at all. The scenery was so beautiful, I was looking out the window pretty much the entire time (I also was applying for jobs online haha so not the entire time).

It was cute to see all the sheep grazing on the hills. Some cows. Even some deer farms from the look of it. My biggest surprise was seeing… SNOW. We passed by Tangariro National Park which has three active volcanoes with snow along their peaks. (Please note, when I say active, it doesn’t mean there is molten lava exploding from the top. It’s just that they are still active below the surface and not dormant or extinct.) I think it was the first time I’ve seen snow in a year and a half!

Oh, and the craziest part of the bus ride was when the driver went CRAZY over the loudspeaker. We actually switched drivers halfway through the trip and when she got on, she apologized and said that she was having a bad day. Which… okay. At a certain point, she told us we were going to have a very quick bathroom break but that’s IT. The bus ride had a number of stops along the way and some of those stops were connections – the reason for the quick break was so that we could get back on schedule and people wouldn’t miss their connecting busses.

Anyway, at the stop, people went to the bathroom but some people ran across the road to grab a bag of chips. They hadn’t eaten and they were starving. The bus driver was so pissed. When they got back on board, she started nearly screaming over the loudspeaker, saying how people are taking advantage of her, how she’s had it, how she should just walk off and let us all figure out how to get to our destinations by ourselves. She said how she was assaulted twice in the last week… It was wild haha.

The people who went to get the chips were actually sitting in front of me and I said to them, “it’s okay, you guys…” I later started chatting with the couple some more. They asked me where I’m from, why I was in New Zealand, etc. They were a Māori couple if I’m not mistaken. We ended up talking a lot about New Zealand, about their trip to Fiji, and more. It was a nice conversation. Before they got off the bus, the lady told me that she’s sure I’ll do fine and that New Zealand needs more tourists like me. I was really touched by that.

The bus ride went by quicker than I’d imagined. Once we arrived in Wellington, I grabbed my luggage and checked into the hostel. It was evening at this point, so there wasn’t much to do other than get dinner and go to bed.

Botanical Gardens

I wish I could say the botanical gardens are an easy walk from the city center. They technically are but I wouldn’t say the walk is necessarily easy. Perhaps it was just the way I went there – taking the absolute steepest streets possible. I’m sure by the time I leave New Zealand, my legs will have never looked better. So. Many. HILLS!

The first couple of days that I’d arrived in Wellington, the weather was quite shit which isn’t unusual. It’s known for being extremely windy, as mentioned, and for having poor weather.

I didn’t spend long at the gardens since it was later in the day by the time I got there. Still, I was surprised by how quickly I was able to “escape” the city life and feel I was pretty immersed in nature. While the gardens do have some manicured areas, there are other more rugged, bushwalk-y type sections, too.

I sat for some time on the bench, listening to and looking at the birds. I saw the tūī again and saw my first kākā. At least I think that’s what it was. I’ll have to bring my camera next time to get a better picture of it. It reminded me of a cockatoo, bringing me back to my time in Australia.

Before long, it was time for me to leave the gardens. I’m sure I’ll be back there at some point. It is very near the city center.

Mount Victoria

I’ve been to Mount Victoria twice at this point. Only twenty minutes from my hostel, the mountain provides some great views over the city below. The walk to get to the mountain is actually – SURPRISE – very steep. My friend Joey would love it haha. He loves a good incline. I will have to get a picture of the street leading up to the edge of the hiking trail for my next post actually. (P.S. I just looked up what the difference is between a hill and a mountain and according to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is no official difference.)

My first visit to Mount Victoria was pretty brief. I think it was my second full day in Wellington and I had spent a large portion of the day doing interviews. It was also very windy out. I decided I didn’t want my day to be a total waste, though, so I did a portion of the walk. My mission was to get to this spot on the hiking trail that was actually a filming location for The Lord of the Rings. I’m not a superfan or anything but I thought it would be cool to check it out.

Were it not for a sign in the ground that specifically pointed out the filming location, I would have never in a million years guessed it haha.

The second time I returned to Mount Victoria, I decided to make it to the summit. It wasn’t too difficult to reach the top. It had fantastic views of the ocean and the surrounding mountains/town belt. I sat on a boulder for some time and watched the birds and butterflies. I decided it was a good spot to hang out for the afternoon, so I read my book for maybe an hour.

The weather was also beautiful during my second visit, making it a much more pleasant experience.

Te Ahumairangi Hill Lookout

One of my favorite walks so far was at Te Ahumairangi Hill (MOUNTAIN!). Located behind the botanical gardens, it was a really great hike. I hardly encountered anybody else on the trails which is just how I like it.

The top of the mountain had a nice view, too. I sat and meditated for some time. I’ve been trying to get back into my self care routines – meditation, writing, art. Sometimes with meditation, if I haven’t done it in a while it can be difficult to quiet my mind. That meditation session was the first time in a while where I was able to kind of just… exist.

The trails were dotted with birds. There was a sign for a bird that has recently returned to the hills after not having been here for 100 years, so that was cool to see. I’m pretty certain I saw the bird, too. I should have taken a picture of the sign because I have no idea what kind of bird it was. I suppose I’ll be learning while in New Zealand, though! Birds make up majority of the wildlife here. With the exception of some skinks, penguins, and seals, that’s kind of it. And bats and owls… okay, it’s not just birds.

I walked along Te Ahumairangi for some time and then returned to the city to grab some food.

Work Stuffs

I must have applied to… I don’t know. Three hundred jobs maybe hahaha. And heard back from so few of them. However, I did want to give an update on where that is at – especially because it’s taken up so much of my time and head space lately.

My first two days in Wellington, I was having a lot of interviews. I think the first day, I had three nearly back-to-back calls. The next day, I had another hour long call.

One of the jobs is, ironically, back in Auckland – that is the SeaLink position. Pay would be good but would be some pretty long days at times. I also want to mention that now that I’ve left Auckland… it wasn’t so bad, after all. I would be happy to be back there, if I have to be.

The job that I’m really hoping for is at a hotel down in Queenstown. I had an incredibly promising call with two people for that role – which is sort of a marketing/admin/etc. role. I followed up via email afterwards and one of them got back to me and asked me to mock up a design for her. I mentioned that I don’t have any professional design experience to which she said was okay, that she was just trying to get a sense for if I even have an eye for design. I sent along two designs and… didn’t hear back the entire next day. Which was a Friday! So I then had the whole weekend to go before hearing back. Were my designs not good enough? I was really spiraling, stressing out big time haha.

I ended up going to an AA meeting the next day (not because I felt like using – but when I find myself feeling major anxiety, a meeting always helps to recenter myself). Afterwards, I went out to dinner with some people from the meeting. The dinner took a couple of hours because service was really slow. When I’d returned to the hostel, I realized I hadn’t thought of the job at all… and sure enough, I’d gotten an email. On a Saturday, even! She told me that it’s been crazy at the hotel but that she would be talking with her colleague on Monday and getting back to me next week. It’s like as soon as I stop focusing, stop worrying… that’s when the universe sends good news my way. I am really hoping to have some even better news tomorrow! Fingers crossed.

Miscellaneous

Before my second visit to Mount Victoria, I went for a walk along a footpath that trails along the water. I went past Oriental Bay and kept walking until just past Balaena Bay. Maybe an hour long walk one way? It was such incredible weather. It felt good to be near the ocean and to see all the mountains in the distance. I felt I really understood why people love Wellington on that day (which is today for me haha).

One cute thing in Wellington… One night, I was having sushi for dinner. I sent my old housemate Kory a video of the sushi conveyor belt/train. We used to get sushi together often. He sent me a video back – he was having sushi at the same time! “It’s like we’re having lunch together,” he said. Cute!

There are a lot of cool crosswalk signs in New Zealand, but Wellington in particular. They have drag queens and ninjas and stuff haha. They also have animated signs where the little dude actually walks when the light is green.

Art of the Week

I love this. It’s a bit new for me. I have absolutely zero idea what I’m doing artistically at the moment. I’m consciously going to try to make an effort to reconnect with my writing and drawing, though.

Reflections

I have to admit that I’ve been so preoccupied with finding a job that I haven’t even been able to properly enjoy my time in New Zealand yet. The issue is that I don’t want to spend too much of my travel money in New Zealand – so getting a job ASAP is crucial. With that said… the past couple of days, I’ve gone on some great hikes and I think I’m starting to pull my head out of the “FIND WORK” mode – especially after having done all these interviews and having options now. Hopefully by my next post, I have a job situated and am able to chill out a little.

While I’ve only just gotten to New Zealand, it is hard not to compare it to Australia. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous here but there just isn’t the wildlife that I’d gotten so used to the past year. And I know that New Zealand is NOT Australia. I’m looking forward to learning what New Zealand IS over the next several months.

That’s all for now.

Sending all my love! xx

((P.S. Fingers crossed I get the Queenstown job!!!))