Surf.

So these days I spend surfing and working.

I still struggle to ride waves.

I actually have a group of solid friends now.

Yey.

I bought a new car, a Nissan Bluebird. It has a name- Snoop. And it's a manual.

The Kiwi survival guide:

Lemonade here is Sprite- real lemonade does not exist
They love ginger beer.
Candy is called lollies.
They have gummy babies and Eskimos.
They don't have rags but tea towels and cloths.
They giggle if I say silverware-its cutlery.
They say Ta for thank you.
You ask for your check when eating at a restaurant or else you pay at the counter- they never just bring it over.
Alcohol is not cheap.
The highest alcohol in beer in 5%.
The entrees are their appetizers and our entrees are their main courses.
Cars are not cheap.
It's okay to be homeless- or a traveling bum.
There is no animal or creature that will kill you.
Petrol (gas) price is double.
Kiwis are the cheapest fruit to purchase.
They love beets.
All cookies are hard- they are meant to be dipped in coffee or tea.
They have savory muffins everywhere- spinach and feta= amazing.
They don't really have drip coffee.
They have flat whites- which is espresso with steamed milk.
The sun is super powerful.
They call bathing suits, "togs."
They love pies- especially meat pies (mince and cheese).
Instead of a popcorn button on microwaves they have a meat pie button.
They drive on the left side of the road.
They love reggae, electronic, and drum & bass music.

AND...
They say things like : "Sweet as"

Peace of mind

I saw the Dalai Lama speak this past weekend, and to capture it in a nutshell, are you ready?..... Peace of mind will bring you happiness and well being (and anything else you want/need in life). It was a really nice talk- he wasn't profound or saint-like. He seemed incredibly real and just reiterated what we all know- what goes around comes around. He also made me realize that I want to go back to India and other Asian countries.

Anyway...

Later that night Ally (the one from VT) and I went out on the town and stumbled upon a singles party. We did not know this until we were inside and saw all the uneaten food and various nametags. Of course, we found ourselves a couple of new names; Sarah B and Esperanza. We actually got jiggy with it Will Smith style, and realized we had to escape while the DJ played Venga Boys. Needless to say it reminded me of an 8th grade school dance but with sad old men who haden't left the party hours ago with a new love.

So all in all my trip to Auckland and to see the Dalai Lama was good fun.

Back to reality in Raglan.

Surf. Work. Play. Explore.

My life

So I am pretty much just living and working in NZ. I took a kite boarding class this past weekend. Next weekend I am going to see the Dalai Lama in Auckland.
My job is going great and my surfing....well it's improving.
Today I am going to go kayaking and then to the beach to surf.
No complaints :)

So Sorry

For the lack of blogging....

You should all be very happy because it really means I am out enjoying my life instead of sitting inside on a computer.

Anyway, this morning will be spent sitting on a computer updating you all about my life.

My friend, Ally Martin, as some of you know, is here. For those of you who don't know her, she went to Lamoille and we were good friends back in the day. I have been living a fairly normal life this week.

I am full on into work. It's good. I get tipped (very little), which is almost unheard of. I think it's because I have an American accent. I had one man come up to me after the meal and say, "I heard your from America?" I said, "Yes, I am," as he was slyly slipping me a five.
I have been surfing a bit. I can stand sometimes. Hopefully I'll master it soon-before I get bored with it.
I want to start a garden but there is no space so I'll probably just plants some tomatoes on my deck. I am also trying to start volunteering for the environment center and for a organization called Trade Aid- it's similar to the Peace and Justice Center. I feel that I should give back to he community in which I am stealing shelter and jobs.
The Dalai Lama is coming soon to Auckland. I want to go. It's $20- which I think is a little weird. If I can get off from work though- I will go.

Okay, you should all check out my photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2172612&id=6906696&saved

I have a home

This past week, Leslie (the Vt girl) and I ventured off to the Coromandel to visit Ben. We went to see Katchafire (a famous NZ reggae band). After hanging out in Hahei for a few days we took off for Mount Maunganui. There, Leslie found a job to begin in a month. The first night we spent in my car and the next two we stayed at a couch surfers house. It was so much fun. Then we took off for Rotorua. Upon arrival we booked a white water rafting trip. That afternoon we spent on a river (we went down a 7m waterfall)! By night we had made friends with the raft guides and we stayed at one of their homes.
Now I am in Raglan. Moved in. I started my job yesterday. They don't have computer systems, so everything is handwritten.
I can't really think right now because the person next to me is screaming into a phone.
Soon I willl post new photos.

Life

Right now I am in Mount Maunganui.
I am couch surfing with the Vermont girl here. One night we slept in the back of my car.
On Sunday I move into my flat!
Very exciting.

I have a job!

I will begin work at Harbour View Hotel in Raglan on November 2nd as a server!

Once again....


LIFE IS GOOD


The next week I will go to Coromandel to a reggae show with Ben and the Vermont girl!

I have a FLAT

Mom & Dad-

Sorry you don't know this yet, but I have an apartment in Raglan. You should call me soon. 

I signed the papers today. I will be living with a Canadian guy named Allistair in downtown Raglan. This all begins on the 1st of Nov. 

Crazy.

Now lets hope I get a job.

This Country....

..is amazing. Have I mentioned that?

This past week I arrived in Raglan at Solscape. The ride was so beautiful. I really, truly, love it here. Everyday is full of good things. There are about 10 other Wwoofers from all over the world. I have many new friends. By day we work for 2.5 hours cleaning and by afternoon/night we relax and explore. I did all my medical stuff in order to get my working holiday visa. I am looking for jobs in Raglan and Wellington. Tomorrow I will go look at a house, "flat" here in Raglan. The other day I took off on a night trip to Wharepapa South- Froggate Edge- a rock climbing place. I bouldered a bit inside the backpackers and then explored the climbing areas outside. There was no one else staying at the backpackers so I had no one to climb with. Exploring was nice though. After that I drove to a hot beach in Kawhia. It is black sand and very few people know about it. You dig a hole in the sand and it fills with hot water. I just put my feet in, it was very very HOT. Anyway, before I discovered where the heat was I was walking around observing the beach and the weird sea life. I was the only one on the beach for about 40 minutes., after a while I noticed a couple of other people. One of them was a girl, 22 years old also, from Vergennes, VT! She played soccer.  Such a small world! Next week we will travel together to New Plymouth. 

And soon I will surf!

Jaw Dropping Beauty

So today I took off on my own adventure- a road trip to Raglan. Raglan is where I will be spending the next couple of weeks, WWOOFing. I'll be at an eco-retreat called Solscape. Here is a photo of a similar car to mine http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/90-96_Mitsubishi_Diamante_Wagon.jpg/250px-90-96_Mitsubishi_Diamante_Wagon.jpg
Before taking off I stopped at the Warehouse to buy myself some lollies (candy) and some purple keds, which are now muddy keds. After an hour and a half of driving I noticed my car was pulling drastically to the left. After about 10 minutes I finally made it to Whangarei to a grocery store. There, I discovered my tire was completely flat. I had a spare, but didn't think it was any good so I began thinking of other options. First and foremost, I went into the grocery store to buy chocolate covered pretzels so I could think properly. After walking around and talking with AA ( the AAA of NZ), I decided to attack the situation head on. I began changing the tire myself. Within 3 minutes I had an elderly man trying to assist me and then shortly after a mechanic decided to do his "yearly good deed." So 15 minutes later I was good to go- and my spare is a real tire that is suitable for me, for now. After that ordeal I decided it was lunch time. I drove into downtown and ate the best sandwich of my life. In the process I found a brochure stating some "walks" in the area. "Walks" are all over NZ- the Dept. of Conservation has designated walking areas, they are similar to a nature trail. So I set off on a Kauri walk. Kauri is an indigenous tree to NZ but most have been chopped down. The Kauri walk was very disappointing, but I discovered a very wet walk to some falls. These falls were absolutely amazing. And that is how my purple keds became muddy. After that I took off on the back roads to Orewa. I stopped here and there to observe. I found myself smiling at almost every corner. The hills were winding and around every turn I was equally as blown away by the beauty as I was the last. Eventually I made it to Warkworth- where I am staying the night now. I made too many stops to get to Orewa. It just so happens that this town decided to celebrate Spring so the 2 pubs in town are crackin', they have even installed a temporary river bar. I am just going to have to check it out. And I am going to do that now...

Wow. I bought a car.

Lets hope I get my work visa. Yesterday I bought a 1993 Mitsubishi station wagon. It's in good shape. Right now I am in Kerikeri (WWOOFing) a town north of Auckland. Tomorrow, I don't know where I'll be. We shall see soon enough. The family is absolutely amazing. The women has 5 children, 3 live with her now. Her house is incredible and she runs a small scale orchard. I like it there, I get a room and food for 4 hours a day, though I haven't been keeping my end of the deal because yesterday we ventured to get my car and then today it is raining.
I'll let you know of my future plans when I know.

Life is good cont...

So the past few weeks my life has basically consisted of living on the herb farm in Coromandel. Each morning I would wake up at about 8 am, we would work from 9-11, have tea, and by 11:30 we would be done with our obligations. Usually this would mean, nap time, or an adventurous bike ride to town. We planned our lives around meal times. Each night after dinner we would play many rounds of rummy while eating cookies.
A family friend of Ben's came up to visit for a week, Cari. Last weekend we went to a town called Hahei. It is very small and is a huge tourist spot for city folk in the summer. This is also the home of Cathedral Cove (see photos and it is featured in Lord of the Rings). Ben stumbled upon an apartment and a job there, lucky man. Anyway, that trip as a whole was incredible and I would not mind living there myself.
Overall NZ is amazing and I am trying to stay about a year- I am applying for a work visa. Wish me luck!

Life is good

Wow. Where to begin?
Well for one, I am having the time of my life. Right now I am sitting in an internet cafe in Auckland yet once again. Yesterday Ben and I left our campervans in Coromandel to flee to the big city. I still do not know what even tomorrow will bring....hoping to find a nice WWOOF farm on the west coast. Anyway after arriving in Auckland in the afternoon, Ben and I decided to hit up ther casino before heading to a rugby game. After many losses, we ended up actually walking away from the casino with an extra $30. Not bad. After the rugby game Ben and I met up with his friend Jordan and had a night out on the town. Today, we went on a little road trip to the west shore, a tiny town called, Piha. Of course it was raining for most of the day, but it only added to the experience. On our mini adventure we saw a sign for a dangerous surf beach, so typically we went. It was absolutely incredible. The rain was pouring down, and it was at high tide so even getting to see the beach was a trek. See my photos to understand. After feeling insanely liberated we kept on our path to Piha to only discover more beauty and rain.
Visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2166987&id=6906696&l=
I will update more later....

Doin' Great

Internet is tooo $$$ but I am great.

Update

Alright, where to begin...
After Auckland I took a bus to meet up with my friend Ben, from UVM, we met up in a town called Thames (pronounced Tems). From there we hitchhiked to his friends house and then continued out to camp for the night in a national park. I froze. It was a perfect second night in NZ though. We then hitched to the Coromandel Pennisula (where I am now). We were picked up by a couple of Europeans who are traveling on a working holiday visa. We spent the day with them- went for a mini hike/walk and for a couple drinks at a local bar in the tiny town of Coromandel. That night Ben and I stayed in a very nice hostel and met a bunch of cool people, we all went out to a bar to watch an infamous game of men's rugby. The following day Ben and I headed up to a Wwoof farm just outside of town. I love it. We each have our own "caravan" or trailer and a communal kitchen. We work 2 hrs in the morning on this herb farm. The lady who runs it is a herbalist. I can't comlpain. Right now I am sitting in a super cute cafe that is a 2 minute walk from our new home. The farm is on has a river, with tons of lemons, limes, and grapefruit, chickens, a dog, and a super cool horse. Today we went on a walk to neighboring land and I felt like I was in fairy land, it was so beautiful! At night we will be working for a couple dinners and $50 for a total of 8 hrs of work, not too bad. Anyway, Ill be here for a couple of weeks before moving on. The internet is not cheap so I'll post at a minimum, but Ill try my best to keep you all updated. Thanks for reading!

Corormandel

Hello all!
I am doing just fine. I am on a beautiful peninsula on the north island. I will put details in later.

In Auckland!!!

So overall my flights went well and I am safe and sound in Auckland. Though upon arrival in LAX I discovered 1 hr before take off that they will not let me board without a ticket leaving NZ. I had to exit security and purchase a ticket to Australia for December, I guess I can't really complain, but I didn't want to have to do that. Luckily, I already had an AUS visitor visa. The NZ travel site said I needed enough funds or a plane ticket leaving in 3 months (max time for visitor visa). Oh well. Anyway, the 12 hr plane ride from LAX to Auckland was just fine but of course I was in the middle of 2 obese people, one who had horrible breath! I offered gum to both and the one with fine breath accepted. It was a smooth flight all in all, watched a few movies and ate a lot of food. I ordered the veggie option so I was "special" and was able to eat before everyone.
Upon arrival, I took a bus to downtown Auckland to my hostel. The website listed that it had 24 hr reception but it didn't. (I arrived in town about about 6:15 am) So I went to a near by market and befriended a Korean man who let me put my bag down while he tried to contact the hostel. By 7am I was in. I passed out until 11 and woke up, showered, and here I am in an internet cafe writing to you all.
I think I am going to like this place.

Photos

My photos can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalibrgant/