N-E-W-Z-E-A-L-A-N-D in pictures : the 'N'

I have initiated my own version of eye-spy-new-zealand. My quest is to capture the word NEW ZEALAND photographically, while at the same time trying to capture this country in only 10 letters/pictures. The word I found out is not the easiest. There are not many trees, or buildings that look a Z or W. Anyways, here is the N:

Differences

Anne and I will share, I am sure, very different views of what New Zealand is like. Maybe it is because I am almost done my MBA, or just my love for business and politics, but what I notice is framed around those schema.

Coffee and dining is a different game in New Zealand. It’s a mild variation – like CFL vs. NFL. No tipping is the first significant difference. The price on the menu is what you pay, and the prices are not inflated by 20% to account for the tips, so there is defiantly restaurant food arbitrage in my eyes. I cannot complain because I nearly made the equivalent of $75,000/year simply waiting tables at Earls through university (once accounting for the tax free nature of most tips). Interestingly, there seems to be no compromise in service. Servers are just as happy, and just as attentive as servers in Canada despite not walking out with a mitt-full of cash at the end of the night. I think tipping has become so expected in our culture, that there is no incentive to actually provide better service since the tips you make will hardly vary either way.

New Zealand, like Australia, has not succumbed to big-box, dominate-our-world type shopping, where every 10 km you pass by a retail complex that looks shockingly similar to the one you just passed- a Best buy, a Starbucks, a Linens n’ Things that is now vacant etc. Instead, there are coffee and other retail shops located just as frequently but they are all branded differently. It is refreshing, and also a bit of a gamble when you order a tall, non fat, extra-hot sugar free, no whip, half caffeinated,….latte. In Kiwi you pronounce this – Latte.

The roads here are also amazing. Despite that fact I am driving a small motorhome that likely holds 50 liters of water and sloshes from side to side every time I take a corner, I am living the Indy-dream every time I get behind the wheel. The roads are windy and slow, and people accept that, as passing is very rare.

I find it so interesting that cultures that are so similar, can also be so different at the same time. Combine that with a business mind, and I am bombarded with endless ideas of what would be successful here.

Our First Day

The first thing I did when we stepped off the plane was take a big deep breath. All countries seem to have their own smell, much like houses.  It smelled sweet, fresh and humid (if you can smell humidity?)

At first glance, the people of New Zealand seem to be health-conscious, adventurous, outdoorsy and environmentally friendly. Most of the menus have light options and there are messages of recycling and conserving water everywhere. I have yet to see a toilet that isn’t low flush. They also appear to be quite adventurous. Options for extreme outdoor adventure are limitless; we just have to pick a few!

Our first day, Christmas, was spent in Auckland. Although most things were closed, there was a healthy bustle of activity downtown. We spent most of the day driving around and eating, two of our favorite activities!

The next day we were set to pick up our campervan and head north to the Bay of Islands. For those of you who followed our last set of travels, you know very well we can’t get anywhere without some sort of chaos ensuing. When Greg went to pick up the van he double-checked with Britz that we would be dropping it off in Queenstown. We had already booked a flight from Queenstown to Auckland where we catch our flight back home to Canada. I won’t go into details, but there had been a slight miscommunication. We actually have to drop the van off in Christchurch, a 7-hour drive from Queenstown. We spent the first part of the morning at the airport weighing our options. We decided on a drive originating at 3am from Queenstown and a $120 flight change. Given our history with flights, we got off easy!

I don’t have much to post as of yet. We’ve taken a day to get our bearings and relax. A short run, a few camp-style meals, some ice cream and a cave of glowworms are all we have to report. I should mention that we did stop in a small town famous for a set of colorful public toilets. I am embarrassed to say that we did take pictures. We are embracing cheesy tourism to the fullest.  

We are NOT the travelers who feel guilty taking time to not do anything. The best part of a longer-type vacation is the ability to live a lifestyle that is difficult to replicate at home.  Go to bed when you are tired, wake up when your body feels as though it’s had enough rest and plan your day moment to moment as your desires dictate. Those desires don’t have to vie for time against work, traffic, appointments, grocery shopping and social commitments. It’s the life!

Hope everyone back home had a very Merry Christmas! 

A Little Background...

Traveling can be like a drug, at least what I imagine a drug to be like. You take a hit, experience a high and want to do it again, often as much as possible. Soon the same drug isn’t as satisfying, you need to up the dose or try new drugs.  Our new drug: New Zealand.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with our last trip, I will provide a little background. This is not the first time Greg and I have packed up to go halfway around the world. This trip was inspired buy a much larger trek we did a few years ago.

I had just graduated university and had landed what would be considered to be a great job at a major oil & gas company. I had a host of wonderful friends and was dating a great guy. Unfortunately, it was the most unhappy and unsettled I had ever felt in my life.

I still remember the day I went into work, sat at my desk and took a look around the office, specifically at my boss. His job was what all of us young eager analysts were vying for. If I worked extremely hard over the next couple of years and proved to the company I knew what I was doing, I could maybe one day have a job similar.  I came to the realization that I did not want his job or any job like it. In fact, the idea made me miserable. I knew what I needed to do… start over.

I told Greg that I needed to up and quit my life, sell my belongings and go travel in order to sort some things out. He said, “Great, I’ll come with”.  Greg, being quite spontaneous, actually called me up at work one day and said, “I just quit my job, so you’d better too”. Greg sold his house, I sold my truck, and we bought an open-ended trip to Bangkok without so much as a hotel booked our first night. What ensued was the best experience of our lives. We spent over 6 months is SE Asia and Australia (not to mention over a month in Winnipeg!)

The trip changed our perspectives, our expectations of ourselves and the goals we set for our future. There is not much I can speak about with such positivity and passion. In my opinion, such experiences are invaluable in getting to know your real self. After experiencing what we did, it was hard not to want more.

Eventually we came back to Calgary, found jobs that felt more suited to us and began planning our next big trip; New Zealand. We planned 3 ½ week camping tour of both the North and South Island. And here we are!