It’s been 2 years now since I visited this wonderful country. And I think I still haven’t fully recovered. From its astonishing nature, its amazing and hospitable people to its general sense of exquisite beauty.

Putting into words what New Zealand means is quite difficult. Not trying to sound as a cliché, but it truly IS something you have to experience for yourself.
It’s kind of similar as trying to describe a picture. There are the most wonderful pictures in existence, but how do you explain the feeling you get when you’re there at that exact moment. Like when you drive through the most beautiful mountains, thick forest and winding roads only to arrive in the view of Milford Sound. Or the moment you’re swimming with untrained dolphins in the wild, never feeling more peaceful in your life. Or the time you make eye contact with a sea lion resting on the beach. And you know, you just know this is what life is supposed to be about.

They say:
“What one has not experienced, one will never understand in print.” But maybe all the entries at Blog4NZ will inspire you.
I tried blogging about my adventure the best I could while I was there (NZ entries here) I hope someday you will give New Zealand a chance and make your own memories in this breathtaking part of the world.

(just be prepared when you’re visiting other countries and someone says “isn’t this beautiful” you’ll always reply with “oh yes, that’s nice. BUT IN NZ HOWEVER…” obnoxiously so)

“I discovered that even the mediocre can have adventures and even the fearful can achieve.” (New Zealander Sir Hillary – the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest)

Decided to keep this blog strictly about new zealand and maybe make another one for my travels in the future;

in the meantime i’m wasting all my time playing at

http://fromanothertime.tumblr.com

Change of plans, i’m gonna roam around the UK first. I might start a new blog, depends on how long i’ll be staying. As always, not much planning is going on. All I know is i’m leaving on 12 nov, the next day i’m attending the tegan & sara gig in london (again, yes again ) and the next week a friend is coming over for a couple of days. From then on it’s a blank slate…exciting and scary!

This also means i’m gonna live in hostels again. Cheap accomodation, the number one priority for the backpacker! Actually, cheap anything…Hopefully this time I won’t encounter rats and/or bedbugs in my room. hehe.

Should I go backpacking in Australia or the east-coast in the US? Best take the cheapest option…Why can’t it all be as cheap as NZ!!!

Routine, you are what I despise the most! I miss NZ, I really do. I’ve been looking at live traffic cams awhile ago. Is this normal? I think not, TRAFFIC CAMS…Sad sad sad.

Let’s see, what else have I been doing since I got back…
Kicked ass in Guitar Hero (evidently), observed an ant colony in the backyard (fascinating!), caught up with episodes of some of my favorite shows (here comes the funcooooker), hugged my guitar, struggled with driving on the right again (how can one month of driving on the other side mess with your head that much, brain I do not understand you; I really don’t), finally started reading “A short history of nearly everything”

Did you know Newton was a real eccentric person who did things like putting needles in his eyesocket, just to see what would happen?
Did you know at this moment the earth is spinning 1000km/h?
Did you know about 4 billion years ago a huge object crashed into the earth, blowing out material which later would form the moon?

Well, now you do Read it, you will be amazed…

Thank you so much for the T-shirt! I still don’t know what I did to deserve this, but know it is hugely appreciated! I love it, the design is absolutely amazing…

[insert obvious plug]

sogopro.com

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cheers cheers and cheers!

PS I plan on buying another one soon, so know your gift was not in vain

My last day in NZ was great! Who knew waiting at the airport for 8 hours could be fun?
I got to talking with a woman who just came back from her birthplace, one of the Cook Islands. She gave me a rare blue pearl, which is supposed to absorb all the negative energy. She brought them with her for her family, but gave me one, a complete stranger. Damn, kiwis are nice!
We also played on her ukelele for awhile. I kinda sucked at it, but it didn’t matter…people seemed to like it ) We should’ve put a hat down or something hehe

That’s what i’m gonna miss the most I think. People are so open and free in NZ. I could do something like that overhere too, but I won’t. Why? Because people are different here, and somehow I close down a bit again. I noticed it from the moment I set foot in Europe, it’s difficult to explain but it’s a whole different atmosphere…

There’s a lot of other things I miss too
I miss
how when you sit alone, EVERYTIME someone stops to talk to you and asks how you are doing
people saying “thank you” to the busdriver
how when you ask for directions and get to talking, you get offered a job
how you go to a bar and you get offered a job
how you can buy fruit on the side of the road without anyone standing by it. in other words, how they still rely on the goodness of people
I miss when you ask for the busstop, you get a ride to where ever you are going
how they don’t mind doing a detour to get you to a place, even if you keep insisting they don’t have to do that
how people smile at you when you walk on the street
how people still go barefoot to the supermarket, and no one thinks twice about it
I miss the names of the places like ‘Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateap’

I guess I’ll miss it all, but it’s good to be home too. I missed my friends, a lot!