It has been three months since I arrived in New Zealand with a holiday working visa and the experiences I have had here have inspired me to share with you the wonders I have encountered.
Last year I spent 5 months backpacking around the world. Before this I had gone on vacations to Europe for 3 weeks here, a month there but nothing quite so drastic as this leap into the unknown. Traveling as a single female was terrifying for me before I left on my journey but I wasn't going to let fear stand in my way. I knew I had a level head and common sense and that I would find my way out of any sticky situations. Thankfully I was right! My first stop was New Zealand and not only did I find out that traveling alone was very empowering and fun for me I fell in love with New Zealand. This is where new ideas and ways of thinking and seeing started to form for me. These first couple of days on my trip in February 2015, I knew I would return to New Zealand one day. So here we are to the present, with a lot of traveling and growing in between.
I got my working holiday visa while I was still home in Texas and it proved to not be very difficult at all to obtain. I bought a ticket and there was no looking back, nobody to stand in my way of going. I had no plans other than a hostel for the first two nights of being in Auckland. I had no job lined up, no contacts, no idea what I was going to do other than travel first and then find a job when it felt right. Here is how the first weeks of traveling went:
Stopped to take a nice walk in Mt. Cook. The amazing peak is being covered by the clouds in this picture and unfortunately for our entire hike.
Walked to Mt. Eden in Auckland for a sunset
Wine tasting in Waiheke with some friends for the day. This was at Wild on Waiheke which is one of the more touristy spots on the island. A lot of games to play and a somewhat younger crowd but not one of my top recommendations for wine on this island.
Learning to slack line in Raglan at Raglan Backpackers since I was lame and decided not to surf. This backpackers is probably my favorite hostel I have stayed at in New Zealand. It has a great vibe, an open air concept and awesome people running it.
Drove on the left (wrong) side of the road.
We rented a car and drove around most of New Zealand. I highly recommend seeing New Zealand this way instead of taking the bus. I haven't hitchhiked much here but I have picked up some people. Hitchhiking here in NZ is very easy and the true backpacker way to go.
Bungy Jumping in Queenstown. I now have done all three bungy's in Queenstown. All of them were so unique in their own way. I jumped the Kawarau Bridge last year and it was very significant for me because it was my first bungy ever. The one shown here is the Ledge bungy and this one was pretty cool because I got lowered backwards and I didn't know when he would drop me off the edge. However, the scariest one had to have been the Nevis bungy only because it is so tall and you are jumping off into a valley of rocks.
Went kayaking the Milford Sound from the Tasman sea back. We saw dolphins while on the boat, which we were told was a rarity to see them in the Sound.
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