Hey, everyone! It has been a relatively chill week in terms of exploration but I think Oamaru was enough for a few weeks haha. The highLIGHTS of the week was probably LUMA – which is Queenstown’s annual light festival. There have been some other bits and bobs throughout the week as well but LUMA was the best.
LUMA
LUMA has been going on for a number of years now. It is based in Queenstown Gardens. What once was a free event, it apparently has slowly grown more expensive. And according to some people who have lived in Queenstown for a while, the quality has gone down. “They’ve gotten lazy,” Jasper told me haha. Still, I went in without expectations. Without having anything to compare it to, I thought LUMA was a fun experience. All of the installations were made by different artists. I’m happy to spend money to celebrate fellow artists.
LUMA started early for me since my hotel was located right near the entrance of the event. The organizers hosted a welcome party at our hotel for over 100 people. In our bar, we created a LUMA cocktail called After Glow. The organizers were hosting the event at our space as a thank you to the volunteers, artists, sponsors, etc. My boss and I helped set up a bunch of disco balls and multicolored lights for the event. This was the day before I left for Oamaru.
Arriving back from Oamaru on Monday, I didn’t get to LUMA until its final night. It seemed like the best option because the Thursday and Friday nights were supposedly extremely busy, with lots of kids running around. The crowds wouldn’t be as bad on its final night.
Jasper joined me. We got our tickets and off we went into the cold. We were greeted by a giant circle, the entrance to the event. A sort of portal.
I had to take a picture of the rubbish/recycling bins. So funny. Now THAT is lazy decorating. I joked with Jasper – look, it’s me!
I loved seeing the trees lit up in multiple colors.
There were lots of different displays and a couple of them were interactive. One of the coolest ones was near the entrance. It had a podium with a sensor. Depending on how you moved your hand over the sensor, you could change the display of the lights. Sometimes they would vibrate quickly, or slowly. The lights were synced up to some music, like lots of installations at LUMA. I’m not doing the best job of explaining it. I suppose it’s one of those things where maybe you have to be there.
We saw Vale who was there with her boyfriend Jake. Vale is the one who bought the sweatshirt with my kiwi drawing on it!
There was a section of LUMA that was under blacklight. Lots of glow-in-the-dark marine creatures. I liked that bit a lot.
And of course, neon.
I also loved the area that had multi-colored orbs. Very pretty!
At the far end of the gardens, there were two stand out installations. One had a bunch of screens hung up on trees. They looked like fire. And then they switched to fire-versions of Māori men doing haka, which is a traditional Māori dance.
Another cool installation was the skeleton of a moa, which is an extinct bird from Aotearoa New Zealand. Think emu, but the New Zealand version. Next to the moa was a little egg which had a kiwi in it. I wasn’t sure what the statement was. Maybe that kiwi are next?
There were a couple of performances at LUMA. One was an interpretive dance. A group of people adorned in lights started in a sort of netted womb. Throughout the dance, they lifted the net off themselves, and tried to break free from the umbilical cords that were tied to a massive tree. Eventually, they were able to break free but in the end, they returned to the tree. A metaphor for family, maybe? We will always be connected to the people that shaped and raised us.
Afterwards, we ran into Gonzalo, Lucy, Jesse, and Thomas. We talked about the event. Jesse and Jasper talked about how much better last year was. Spoiling it for the rest of us haha.
I really liked the event and since it was my first time, I had nothing to compare it to. It was kind of a bummer to have people talking about how it wasn’t as good this year. I liked it 🙂
WoF
I’ve certainly mentioned this before. WoF stands for Warrant of Fitness – which every vehicle in Aotearoa needs to pass once a year. If your car is older than year 2000, it needs it every 6 months. I forgot about that part. I will probably need to get another WoF before December in order to sell my car more easily. People get uneasy about buying cars that haven’t recently passed their WoF because who knows what will need to get fixed during the next inspection???
Ahead of my WoF appointment, I was starting to feel a little worried. Jasper had cautioned, “you probably won’t pass on your first try.” I talked with Gonzalo and he said he had an appointment only a few days prior… and failed. He had to spent $400. AHH!!! Romi had to spend a bunch of money, too. Basically, if you fail, you can’t use your car until you get everything fixed. So… it’s important to pass.
Anyway. Tuesday morning, I dropped my car off. I got a call around noon that my car was ready for pick up. “Did I… pass?” “You passed! Happy days!” Happy days, indeed. I couldn’t believe it!
At the time, I was feeling such a relief to have passed. I was so close to having hit the financial goal I had set for myself, which includes: 2 months traveling around New Zealand once I finish work, gas money, and the flight home. I told myself once I hit that goal, everything else would be gravy. I could just spend money exactly how I wanted to – on skydiving, endless dinners, etc.
When I went to pick up my car, even the lady handing over my paperwork sounded surprised. “Oh – looks like you… passed!” Haha. I think it really is quite rare to pass on the first try. Although, since my car has to get a WoF every 6 months due to its age, it probably is in better condition than most. However, on the paperwork it did say my oil and coolant was low, and that the rear left tire is “at its limit.” I will likely have to spend somewhere around $500 to get the new tire and get a “service.” Strangely, in New Zealand, mechanics don’t really do strictly oil changes like they do in the states. Usually, it’s a full service which is around $400. Yikes! And so… more to save for, unfortunately.
Visa Kerfuffel
My plan thus far has been to work at my hotel until mid September and then convert my visa from a Work and Holiday Visa to a Tourist Visa, and travel until mid November. I thought making the switch was easy peasy.
I was talking with my friend Jerome and he plans to do the same thing. He had talked with Immigration and they told him that because he will have been here for 12 months, he will need a chest X ray, medical examination, and to pay for the new visa. It is $700 for the exams and nearly $300 for the 12 month visa.
I felt almost certain that the US was exempt from this but still, I decided to call Immigration as well to better prepare myself. I thought it was a very simple process to convert visas. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
I have basically three options.
Option 1) Leave New Zealand on October 18th, a full month earlier than I had planned, in an effort to avoid paying medical exams. This would mean I would need to quit my job around August 18th, still during wintertime in New Zealand. Not ideal for me.
Option 2) Pay $700 for chest x-ray and medical examinations, and nearly $300 for a Tourist Visa (even though I would only use it for a month).
Option 3) – and probably the option I will do – Near the time my visa expires, I leave the country – and go to Fiji. Once out, I apply for a NZeTA which is basically a tourist visa for $17. It is good for 3 months, which is the perfect amount of time since I only need one additional month. Doing this nullifies the need for a medical examination, because I will essentially be leaving the country and starting new on a different visa.
Round trip flights are around $500. Considering accommodation and food costs, it may get close to the $1,000 I would be spending on the medical exams and visa. But the bonus would be… I would be in Fiji haha, instead of just spending $1,000 for bullshit admin purposes.
I also have to note just how ridiculous this all is – especially because all I want to do is stay one more month in New Zealand. I basically have to spend $1,000 for one month!!! Loco. And yet, it’s okay. By working from August to September, I will make more than $1,000. It all comes out in the wash.
However, I am/was/am/was feeling quite frustrated. As mentioned in an earlier paragraph, I had JUST about saved up for my financial goals. And now, there are more things to pay for. The tire/oil/coolant on my car, and now this.
That’s okay. That’s life. Curveballs. Roll with the punches. It’s just money, anyway. (See how I try to convince myself?)
Yet, on the flip side, money stresses cause me to spiral. When I was saving for Australia, I was CRAZY about money – being frugal as hell, always checking my bank account. It wasn’t a good state of mind to be in. While it feels significantly less intense now, it is something similar. I just want to have everything saved for and accounted for, so I don’t have to think or worry about money for a while. I was so close, damn it!
Miscellaneous
Okay, now a few fun things!
I continued Jasper’s Iconic American Movies Education featuring: The Princess Diaries (per his request) and Bring It On. Next up on the list is Spice World, But I’m a Cheerleader (that one is more queer film education, less so iconic), and ultimately… Barbie. That will be the grand finale.
Another evening, Renee, Jasper, and I went for bubble tea up in Frankton.
When driving in my car, Jasper fixed my aux cable and was able to get me to be able to PLAY MUSIC ON BLUETOOTH ON THE CAR SPEAKERS. This is revolutionary for me. This whole time when I’ve been on road trips, I’ve just listened to music on my phone. I could not for the life of me figure out how to pair up the bluetooth. Thank you, Jasper! Such a legend.
I am now officially done working at the hostel. Weird! I always enjoy it. One day, I wouldn’t mind working full time at a hostel again. Maybe while I’m traveling around Asia I’ll be able to work for accommodation for a while! It’s nice that I have this experience on my CV now.
A few months back, I had met Ash, who was visiting from Auckland. We hung out a couple of times and he took me to dinner. I have a long weekend for Matariki (Māori New Year) at the end of the month and he’s going to meet me in Christchurch. He told me “And you’ll be spending Māori New Year with a real Māori.” I will be flying there instead of driving since it is like a 6 hour drive and flights were cheaper than what gas would be. For the first time, I was able to use my staff rates on a hotel and OMG. Between the two of us splitting the cost, it will be shy of $50 a night for the Novotel in Cathedral Square. How cool is that?! What a great perk to have through my place of employment.
The same day, I decided to buy my flight home. If you remember the worst flight experience of my life, I ended up getting $350 in airline credit. I used that towards my flight, and it ended up being about $630 NZD which is… very cheap. $384 USD for a flight from Auckland to Chicago. Thanks, United Airlines! That flight experience was awful, but hopefully this one will be better!
So… with all the stresses about money, there are still silver linings. Yin and yang.
Art of the Week
I made this one for my friend Josh. He had told me about an experience he had where he had a vision of a blue buddha. I decided to recreate it for him. He seemed very pleased. I was supposed to have a movie night with Josh tonight, but I have a bit of a cold so we are pushing it back a few days.
Reflections
This week has been up and down. While LUMA was fun and I’m glad I passed my WoF, the unexpected upcoming finances threw me for a bit of a loop. It’s all temporary and I’m sure I will get everything sorted sooner than later. As mentioned before… curveballs. Sigh!
I still feel a little up in the air on whether I should just do the medical tests or if I should go to Fiji instead. I have time to decide.
I am looking forward to the upcoming Christchurch trip, though! That should be fun. I figured when I’m done with my time in Queenstown, I prefer to drive up the west coast instead of the east. But doing so would mean I would miss Christchurch. Doing it this way, I’ll still get to briefly see Christchurch. It all works out!
I was supposed to go up to Lake Alta with Jasper today but we ended up sleeping in and then having a lazy day. By the time it was time to go, Jasper suggested it would be dark outside by the time we finished. This is now the second time plans to Lake Alta have fallen through. Third time’s the charm?
Next week, Abby, Yvonne, Jasper, and I have plans to drive down to Glenorchy to walk a bit of the Routeburn track. We will see how that works out!
That’s all for now.
Until next time – sending you all my love. xx