NZ part 2
Hello friends,
I spent a week and a half on the North Island of New Zealand- traveling to Rotorua and exploring the thermal pools and redwood forest, visiting a Māori village, wine tastings at various vineyards and hitchhiking on Waiheke Island, forest bathing in the Auckland Domain Park and visiting the art gallery. I really enjoyed my time on the North Island when I wasn't in Auckland- the grey city life just isn't for me. After traveling to many cities so far this year, I've come to realize that every city is basically the same no matter where you are. There are often great parks, restaurants, museums, etc. and I'm sure that when you live in a certain city the uniqueness of your own city emerges and is more important to daily life than when you're simply visiting. It's nice to have people to connect with in certain cities because then it seems a bit more personal than visiting it by yourself. But most of my traveling is solo so when I do get to spend time exploring a new place with others it's nice. There's a balance to being on this independent solo year and spending time with others. I enjoy my time much more when I'm not alone constantly but rather have someone that I've connected with from the country I'm in to spend time with. That's one of the perks of spending a longer amount of time in one specific place, like at Wangat, where I start to get a glimpse of what it's like to be a local. I'm hoping to find more experiences that are longer-term rather than for just a few days, because it gets really exhausting traveling from one place to the next every few days and not making any real connections with people. Another lesson I've learned for this year is that hostels are my last-resort option for accommodation, because everyone staying in a hostel is a traveler like myself, and while hostels are cheaper and I can still meet some really awesome people, it's a different experience than the one I'm looking for this year. I'm not just "backpacking" around. It's better to stay in an AirBnB if I don't have a personal connection in a place, because that way I can at least get to know the person I'm staying with who's a local and can connect me with other people/places/experiences that they feel are important to their own experience.
I flew to Christchurch in the beginning of the week and have spent the last few days chatting with various people from the adventure therapy community here and attending a workshop, plus learning about the history of this area regarding the Māori and pākehā (which means white New Zealanders). While walking to the museum the other day, I walked past a mosque that had many flowers and memorials lining its entrance gate. I quickly realized that it was the Al Noor mosque, the target of the horrible terrorist attack back in March. I stood there looking through the gates at the place where a white supremacist murdered so many innocent people, where a member of the mosque that greeted him with "Hello brother" stood moments before he was shot dead. Seeing that mosque is not going to be something I ever forget. I picked a flower from the nearby park and laid it down at the gates, said a silent prayer, and walked away. I wasn't sure what else to do.
On a lighter note... I'm staying with a friend I met while at the AABAT forum, so it's going to be really nice to have a homebase that is actually a home and not a random person's spare bedroom. Unfortunately, I've gotten sick yet again with strep throat/tonsillitis, and it sucks! It hurts to swallow. But I have medication and I spent the day napping, so I hope I"ll get better soon. My friend invited me to go kayaking with her over the weekend and go camping, and it sounds incredible, but my body just cannot handle it. It's quite cold here, especially when it's raining (which it has been a lot lately) and so I think going camping would just make my sickness worse.
I'm signed up to attend a Guided Solo Experience training in..... *drumroll please*..... Mallorca, Spain! I know basically nothing about it yet, other than that it's about learning how to facilitate a solo experience in nature. Spain was not on my original travel itinerary, but neither was New Zealand! So now I just have to teach myself Spanish. Easy, right? I'm hoping to spend time in Barcelona before Mallorca, and if anyone has any contacts anywhere in Spain, please connect me with them!
-Andi
I spent a week and a half on the North Island of New Zealand- traveling to Rotorua and exploring the thermal pools and redwood forest, visiting a Māori village, wine tastings at various vineyards and hitchhiking on Waiheke Island, forest bathing in the Auckland Domain Park and visiting the art gallery. I really enjoyed my time on the North Island when I wasn't in Auckland- the grey city life just isn't for me. After traveling to many cities so far this year, I've come to realize that every city is basically the same no matter where you are. There are often great parks, restaurants, museums, etc. and I'm sure that when you live in a certain city the uniqueness of your own city emerges and is more important to daily life than when you're simply visiting. It's nice to have people to connect with in certain cities because then it seems a bit more personal than visiting it by yourself. But most of my traveling is solo so when I do get to spend time exploring a new place with others it's nice. There's a balance to being on this independent solo year and spending time with others. I enjoy my time much more when I'm not alone constantly but rather have someone that I've connected with from the country I'm in to spend time with. That's one of the perks of spending a longer amount of time in one specific place, like at Wangat, where I start to get a glimpse of what it's like to be a local. I'm hoping to find more experiences that are longer-term rather than for just a few days, because it gets really exhausting traveling from one place to the next every few days and not making any real connections with people. Another lesson I've learned for this year is that hostels are my last-resort option for accommodation, because everyone staying in a hostel is a traveler like myself, and while hostels are cheaper and I can still meet some really awesome people, it's a different experience than the one I'm looking for this year. I'm not just "backpacking" around. It's better to stay in an AirBnB if I don't have a personal connection in a place, because that way I can at least get to know the person I'm staying with who's a local and can connect me with other people/places/experiences that they feel are important to their own experience.
I flew to Christchurch in the beginning of the week and have spent the last few days chatting with various people from the adventure therapy community here and attending a workshop, plus learning about the history of this area regarding the Māori and pākehā (which means white New Zealanders). While walking to the museum the other day, I walked past a mosque that had many flowers and memorials lining its entrance gate. I quickly realized that it was the Al Noor mosque, the target of the horrible terrorist attack back in March. I stood there looking through the gates at the place where a white supremacist murdered so many innocent people, where a member of the mosque that greeted him with "Hello brother" stood moments before he was shot dead. Seeing that mosque is not going to be something I ever forget. I picked a flower from the nearby park and laid it down at the gates, said a silent prayer, and walked away. I wasn't sure what else to do.
On a lighter note... I'm staying with a friend I met while at the AABAT forum, so it's going to be really nice to have a homebase that is actually a home and not a random person's spare bedroom. Unfortunately, I've gotten sick yet again with strep throat/tonsillitis, and it sucks! It hurts to swallow. But I have medication and I spent the day napping, so I hope I"ll get better soon. My friend invited me to go kayaking with her over the weekend and go camping, and it sounds incredible, but my body just cannot handle it. It's quite cold here, especially when it's raining (which it has been a lot lately) and so I think going camping would just make my sickness worse.
I'm signed up to attend a Guided Solo Experience training in..... *drumroll please*..... Mallorca, Spain! I know basically nothing about it yet, other than that it's about learning how to facilitate a solo experience in nature. Spain was not on my original travel itinerary, but neither was New Zealand! So now I just have to teach myself Spanish. Easy, right? I'm hoping to spend time in Barcelona before Mallorca, and if anyone has any contacts anywhere in Spain, please connect me with them!
-Andi
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