Only Tuesday

It may be only Tuesday here but it feels like the week has already been full on. Some of it comes from a weekend of sleep depravation some because I had 5 'urgent' ads given to me on monday that were also due on monday. In any case I survived but man what a long week already!

This weekend was some good fun as I went to Himatangi Beach with Rachel, Marc and Evan in the caravan. The beach has black sand that stretches out endlessly out of view in either direction of the shore line. There were cars parked along deeper close to the dunes and the ocean was filled with swimmers, kayakers, and small time surfers. There were a few lifeguards on duty to keep watch on the kids in the water while others built small sandcastles. There were dogs barking at waves and people going by on horses. Good times.

Best Little Gingerbread House Ever!!

For Thanksgiving dinner, Jess made the cutest little gingerbread house FROM SCRATCH. She baked the gingerbread, made homemade icing (with a dash of cinnamon which was sooo good), and used 'lollies' for windows and decorations. The awning of the windows and door frames were pineapple covered chocolate and she even made and decorated little gingerbread trees and candy canes! so pretty!! so yummy!

cute little gingerbread house with walk!

see! little decorated trees and 'holly' bushes that were cinnamon candies!

close up of window. she was sad the icing melted and covered so much of it.

inside of window so you can see it was a sucker! The bloody windows were transparent! wow jess!

A Year Ago Today

A year ago today I had 3 plane tickets. The first plane ticket took me on my first flight; I had never flown or been in an airplane and it was wonderful. The second ticket took me to LA, the furthest west I had ever been to a state I never thought I would see in a city I never dreamed I would visit. The third ticket took me to New Zealand. The first country I had ever visited and a world of excitement. 

I had packed my life into four small bags for the journey. In retrospect I could have fit it in one but then again this is what I was allowed to carry so I did. All I really need is chuck t's, blue jeans, a dr pepper shirt and macbook. 

I said goodbye to the family and mexican food and greeted a great adventure.

Me and my sis

Me and the family. We love Auburn if you can't tell

Sis, Dad, Me

Now I live in New Zealand and love it. I host couch surfers from Australia, Germany, Russia, and God knows where else in my flat. I work at rockin little Design Studio and design everything from Magazines to displays.

 I freeze my butt off in winter but love traveling to crazy places.

And of course have weekly 'parties' with friends. It's a good year.

Best of New Zealand

The Best of New Zealand according to Yahoo! News:

Kiwi Experience polled the 'best of' in New Zealand for hot spots and hidden gems. This is what they discovered - do you agree?

Where in New Zealand is the best place to:

Buy a pie?
Steak & cheese from The Stove Oven Bakery in Devonport 

Chicken curry pie from Better Quality Pies in Rotorua

Have a beer?

Lake Wanaka waterfront in the afternoon sunshine

Bungy jump?

Nevis canyon in Queenstown

Go skinny dipping

Lake Mahinapua (where? The west coast, 10 kms south of Hokitika)

Try your luck at fishing?

Catch some snapper in the Bay of Islands

See some buskers?

World Buskers Festival in Christchurch

Make a new friend?

On the bus!

Spend some hard earned cash?

Queenstown nightlife

Skateboard?

Wellington Waterfront

Meet some locals?

Waitomo

Have a dance?

World Bar in Queenstown

Climb a mountain?

Mt Tongariro in the Central Plateau

Get up close to New Zealand wildlife?

Baby seals at Ohau stream north of Kaikoura

Sample the local cuisine?

Hangi at Tamaki Maori Village in Rotorua

Experience a taste of Maori culture?

Tamaki Maori Village in Rotorua

Have a picnic in the park?

Abel Tasman National Park

Sunbathe?

Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel

Watch some live music?

Monsoon Bar in Franz Josef

Witness a New Zealand sunset?

Lake Taupo

Eat fish and chips?

Kaikoura

Go for a surf?

Punakaiki- just you and a pod of dolphins

Treaty of Waitangi

Today is Waitanigi Day , the closest thing I can think of to New Zealand Independence Day. A little Wikipedia history for ya'll.

The Treaty of Waitangi (Māori: Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand.

The Treaty established a British governor in New Zealand, recognised Māori ownership of their lands and other properties, and gave the Māori the rights of British subjects. The English and Māori languageversions of the Treaty differed significantly, so there is no consensus as to exactly what was agreed to. From the British point of view, the Treaty gave Britain sovereignty over New Zealand, and gave theGovernor the right to run the country. The Māori seem to have had a range of understandings, many of which conflicted with the British understanding. After the initial signing at Waitangi, copies of the Treaty were taken around New Zealand and over the following months many other chiefs signed. In total there are nine copies of the Treaty of Waitangi including the original signed on 6 February 1840. Around 500 chiefs, including 13 or more women signed the Treaty of Waitangi.

Until the 1970s, the Treaty was generally ignored by both the courts and parliament, although it was usually depicted in New Zealand history as a generous and loving act on the part of the Crown. From at least the 1860s, the Māori have looked to the Treaty for rights and remedies for land loss and unequal treatment by the state, with little success. From the late 1960s the Māori began drawing attention to breaches of the Treaty. Subsequent histories have emphasised problems with its translation. In 1975 the Waitangi Tribunalwas established as a permanent commission of inquiry tasked with researching breaches of the Treaty by the Crown or its agents, and suggesting means of redress.

Today it is generally considered the founding document of New Zealand as a nation. Despite this, the Treaty is often the subject of heated debate. Many Māori feel that the Crown did not keep its side of the bargain and have presented evidence of this before sittings of the Tribunal. Some in the non-Māori population believe the Māori pay too much attention to the Treaty and use it to claim 'special privileges'. The Crown is in most cases not obliged to give effect to the recommendations of the Tribunal, but nonetheless in many instances has accepted that it breached the Treaty and its principles. Settlements to date have consisted of hundreds of millions of dollars in money and assets, as well as apologies.

The date of the signing has been celebrated as a national holiday, now called Waitangi Day, since 1974.

Treaty House

Kia ora!

Queen Street

Queen Street shops

First views of NZ

Hello New Zealand!

Look Out!

Look Out New Zealand! I have an International Drivers Permit!!

I did this just in case I needed to rent a car and so I can used it as an official form of identification where needed. Social Security cards are no bueno for that over there.

I am much more concerned with this whole driving on the other side of the road bid. I'm reading up on it before I go but somehow I don't think it's going to be enough. If I'm lucky I won't drive at all while I'm there but I have learned to trust nothing to luck or the future. It's better to make your own luck thru hard work and preparation if at all possible and then if you do get lucky it's just a bonus.

Official Travel Date

So my official travel date is now September 4th with an arrival of September 6th!