One big difference between Illinois and New Zealand are the roads.  Everywhere you drive you are either going up a hill or going down one.  Plus to make it even more exciting they wind and twist like you wouldn’t believe.  I was getting bit nauseas as Amanda sped down and up these twisty roads going 80 to 100 KM/H. which is equivalent to 70 mph.  In most of the world they use km other then the American mile.  I prefer the mile. 

    We arrived at our Hot Water Beach.  It was a beautiful sunny day. I gasped and was in awe of the beauty of the ocean water.  New Zealand is surrounded by small islands that are uninhabited by humans.  When I looked towards the horizon, you can see these islands of all sizes bulging from the surface of the water.  I was over taken by the spectacular view.  God is definitely caring and loving to have made such an incredible scene for us to enjoy.  No picture could possible capture the essence of this wonderful country.  I am glad I came! 

We arrived in Auckland around 5:30 am.   I left the plane and went straight to the restroom.  Auckland’s airport was beautiful.  Everything in the restroom was spotless.  Steph and I had a pretty easy time getting through customs.  Luckily our luggage arrived in great condition.  Amanda, Steph’s little sister, met us at the airport.  Amanda has spent the last 6 months living and working in New Zealand as an au pair or in other words a nanny. 

Amanda had gotten up bright and early at 4:30 am to meet us their accompanied by her Canadian friend Kristin.  We dropped Kristin at her dorm at Laidlaw College in Henderson.  She is studying abroad completing her junior year as a Neural Physiology major.

We then left to Mairangi Bay were Amanda lives (the North shore of Auckland).  Amanda lives with the family she nannies for.  The house is beautiful and rustic.  Most houses in New Zealand don’t have central heating and cooling.  They used space heaters during the winter.  New Zealand whether is very moderate, never getting too cold or to hot.  The Hohaia family was very pleasant and welcoming.  We had toast and coffee with the mother, Lee, and her two boys, Logan and Mitchell.  They are 8 and 11.  Mitchell woke up with scuff on his legs from yesterday Rugby game.  He smiled and giggled a bit when I pointed it out to him.  He was a cute blond boy with dimples.  Logan was a tall slender young man with a rugby shirt on.  He spoke to me about his recent read “Harry Potter.”  Every child’s favorite!  The father, Steve, came out and greeted us all and played with his sons a bit before he went off to work.  He is a sergeant for New Zealand Police Department.

We didn’t stay more then an hour at the house.  I took a shower to wake myself a bit.  The jet lag was getting to me a bit but I didn’t want to waste a perfectly good day catching up on sleep.   We left on our first journey to Hot Water Beach in the Coromandeo.  The Coromandeo is southeast of Auckland New Zealand.

We left LAX at Tuesday, June 23 at 9:30 pm pacific.  The plane ride was actually very pleasant.  Steph and I had three seats to ourselves.  So we were able to stretch out for the plane ride and not have to be squished up with a random person between us.  One great feature on New Zealand Air was the personal T.V. for each passenger.  We were able to choose from 89 new movies to watch, 258 music artist to listen to, 60 games to play, and constant updates on our flight.  Isn’t technology the best!  About two hours into our flight we were served a chicken dinner and a small glass of wine.  That we didn’t have to pay for!Well after 4 hours into the flight I tried to fall a sleep.  Moving, twisting, and stretching – I couldn’t find a comfortable position.  So I ended up dosing off in 5 minute increments.  In the middle of the night my feet felt funny.  I searched for my flashlight to shine some light to see what the problem was.  I finally found my flashlight at the bottom of my bag and I shined it on my feet.  My feet were swollen at least 2x their normal size.  I tried to fit them into my shoe but they wouldn’t fit.  I guess the 10 hours of sitting caused more blood to flow into my feet.  So I lifted them off the floor and began to squeeze them to get the swelling to go down.  After an hour of messaging, I managed to get them back to normal.  Then I stuck them into my shoe and tied it very tight to create pressure, to prevent any further swelling.  After 10 hours into our flight we crossed the International Date Line, which means we complete skipped over Wednesday, June 24 and take a leap into the future and arrive in New Zealand on Thursday June 25 at 5:30 am.  

Here is the next video.  This one was created on the plane ride to L.A.  We will be giving random facts about different places we are visiting in our videos.  Please feel free to comment and ask questions.  

I am sitting on the floor in LAX waiting for our flight to Auckland, New Zealand.  Steph is sprawled out on the floor taking random pictures of herself and me.  Yes, she is a bit sleepy.  It is 8:36 pm pacific which is 10:36 pm central.  Here is the first video of many.  I hope you enjoy.

           

New Zealand Starts in 13 Days

As I sit in my empty classroom, I am overwhelmed with joy and sadness having had walked my first class for the last time out to the buses, something I will never do with these students again. Though, I couldn't be more thankful that I chose a career that is so rewarding and impactful.

Now that my first year of teaching is complete, I have tons of memories to reflect on during my summer vacation in New Zealand. In 13 days I will be traveling to Auckland, New Zealand for a 5 week long vacation. Not all 5 weeks will be spent in New Zealand. I will be traveling to the beautiful continent of Australia as well. Then back to New Zealand and making a stop in Fiji before arriving in the U.S. in late July.

This will be my first time leaving the country to travel over an ocean for 12 hours. Yes, the flight is that long and I will be flying coach. Steph a close friend of mine will be traveling with me from Chicago to New Zealand and throughout my trip. She is a teacher on the Westside of Chicago in North Lawndale. Her sister currently lives in Auckland, New Zealand. She has planned a lot of the trip and will be joining us as well. I have a friend that was born and raised in New Zealand and currently resides in Wellington, New Zealand (the south end of the North Island) and he will be touring me around.

Unlike the typical sunbathing summer vacation on a tropical island, during Chicago’s summer months New Zealand will be beginning its winter. New Zealand is broken into two main islands: the North Island and South Island. The weather is different on each. On the North Island the weather will be around 55 degree Fahrenheit. Here I will spend time surfing, snorkeling with seals, hiking on a volcano, hunting goats, rock climbing, and visiting many beautiful rock formations. New Zealand is very volcanic. So it's landscape varies depending on what region you are in. There are some mild volcanoes that give off heat creating thermal pools. I will be visiting these mountains where I can put on swimming trunks and relax in natural thermal pools. Pretty cool!

Also, New Zealand is known for it's Weta's. You're probably wondering what they are. Well, they are large bugs, roughly the size of your hand. They look similiar to a grasshopper but brown and very large. Weta's are not poisonous and don't bit. My friend Nate, a native New Zealander a.k.a Kiwi, mentioned that they are always around his garden. They have large pinchers but they use them for eating not for defense. If you know me at all, you know that I am terrified of bugs but for some reason this bug interests me. So I can't wait to see it.

About one weeks into my trip, I will take a flight to the South Island where the temperature will drop a bit, ranging mostly in the 30’s. During my 8 day stay I will travel with friends to see glaciers, jump off a plane to skydive, leap off a bridge connected to bungee, and see the beautiful landscape.

Feeling hungry? Well, I will be visiting a place called pancake rock. These unique rock formations were limestone that melts into peculiar shapes. Unfortunately, if I try to bit into one I will chip a tooth.

Every time I think about my trip I can’t help but imagine myself hiking through the vast New Zealand Mountain range and taking in a deep breath of pristine frosty air. Many people say, "New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places in the world." I am still in shock that I am taking such an incredible trip.

After my stay on the South Island, I will take a flight to Sydney Australia. Here I will be doing the usual touristy stuff. I don’t have any friends that are native to these lands who will take me around like in New Zealand. So this part of my trip my friends and I will be taking guided tours. The first 5 days of my Australia stay I will be in Sydney then I will take another flight to a small city near the Great Barrier Reef. Here I will do some scuba diving and beach activities because it will be a lot warmer.

This trip is definitely a challenge to pack for, considering the differences in climate.

I will take another flight back to New Zealand to gather things we left behind. Our second to last flight will be to Fiji where we will enjoy beautiful HOT weather and crystal clear ocean. Fiji will bring our trip to an end.

During my trip we will staying mostly in hostels. We will be saving a lot of money this way because they are way cheeper then staying in hotels which can range in the hundreds per day. Hostels are roughly $30 a night to stay. You would have to share a community shower but you have private rooms and clean linen. Please visit my site after June 23 as I will be on my trip and posting pictures and video.

PLEASE COMMENT AND ASK QUESTIONS! I will definitely answer them to the best of my ability. I will take request for souveniers. My gift to you. Make sure in your comments you write your name. Thanks for visiting and I will see you soon.