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New Zealand

April - October 2016
A 174-day adventure by Steve Read more
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  • Steve WyngaertNew Zealand
    Day 15

    Long day of Traveling... Ugh

    May 6, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    So last night we had a freaking shit ton of alcohol and did a mini bar crawl in Wellington. We went to three bars which was pretty good since the bars down here are really strict and won't serve you if they feel like you have had too much to drink. One of the people we were with actually got kicked out of one of the bars that we were at.

    Well a large portion of us didn't sleep very much that night and ended up leaving really early to catch a ferry which is 3 and a half hours long to cross over to the south Island. Most people just slept the entire journey. Once we got off the ferry we were back on the bus for three more hours to get to Abel Tasman national park. On our way we stopped at several places including this River bed that was in the hobbit movies. I wish I would have got the name but I can't remember it for the life of me. It was great to spend some time after the long car ride just to skip rocks. This road trip has been long winding roads on the side of mountains with ocean on the other side. In other words really amazing scenery!

    We then had a little stop to eat in Nelson. Then headed to where we were staying, a small little place called old MacDonald farm. Yes, there are animals roaming around on this farm. We ended up turning it in early after a late night the day before.    Read more

  • Steve WyngaertNew Zealand
    Day 16

    Sea kayaking

    May 7, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    So this morning we got up and was picked up by a sea taxi. It was a boat that was being pulled by a tractor. The tractor pulled us to a little boat launch where it launched the boat. It was really interesting seeing how well these people worked together to grt a bunch of these taxis in the water efficiently. They do this daily with big tractors because of the huge variation of water levels due to the tides. The guide said that it that day the tide would be the biggest variation of the season. Sweet as. Once on the sea taxi we drove up by some seals and got some pictures. He explained how it used to be real easy to hunt them because seals are lazy and curious so they would just sit there as people would come to them. The Americans said to keep us Canadians away from the seals so we wouldn't club them. Until that point I had forgot that they club seals in the north.

    We then docked the boat in anchorage and hiked a bit taking in the scenery before heading to the beach for some sea kayaking. I feel like by the end of the trip I'll be almost a sea kayaking expert or at the very least a semi competent paddler.

    After a couple hours of kayaking we headed back to the farm and took a well deserved shower before supper and a camp fire. Sitting by the campfire telling stories under the stars was a nice little detail that I had never really expected coming into the trip. I kept hesitating to go to bed or to stay up because I knew that I would be getting up early the next morning in the hope of falling out of a plane. I was really hoping for shitty weather in the morning so that it would be cancelled again but I would not be so lucky.    Read more

  • Steve WyngaertNew Zealand
    Day 32

    Then there was one

    May 23, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Just a quick note. I know i missed a lot of days of my tour and i will go back and add them in probably within the next week but I wanted to get this one out first.

    Well today the last two people from my Gadventure group left which was really hard. I didn't realize how close I became to my group. I cried my fair share of tears and i really hope that u will get the chance to see every single one of them in the future but I am afraid that the chances of seeing them all is very slim. I will forever cherish you guys and it made me realize that I need to do a eurotrip at one point to see a fair share of you.

    After they left I finished my ird application and applied for about 5 jobs. I will do more tomorrow. I stopped because two new roommates came in and I wanted to learn a little bit about them.

    That's all I wanted to say.... Just I miss you guys and hope everyone gets home safe. I'm going to listen to Candyman now to bring back some of the epic memories.

    Cheers    Read more

  • Steve WyngaertNew Zealand
    Day 36

    A little update on my current situation

    May 27, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    I know I haven't really had a chance or really wanted to go back and make a few posts about my Gadventures trip. I just don't feel like I'll be up to it just yet. So I will give a little update on what I have been up to and what is going on.

    I have spent the past few days applying to pretty much everywhere. I talked to the lady at the desk and she offered me a job at the hostel for accommodation. It's 3 hours a day, yesterday I did dishes and today im pretty sure they said that I had to walk to Halls and make sure that no one is drinking since it's a dry hostel. It is okay for now but I feel like i want to work somewhere where I actually get paid.

    Today I got a call from a company that asked if I wanted to be a caller for a non for profit to try and get people to donate money. I told them that I would be terrible at that which caused then to laugh and say thanks anyways. I would be a terrible call center person. I then got an email from someone who wants to interview me to manage a hostel up in the north Island. Only issue is that he wants me to potentially start in July. The bright side is that i am getting call backs right?

    The more time I spend in Wellington the more I realize that Montreal is just as beautiful here, the only thing that I don't like is the French. I like being served in English and being able to strike a conversation with random people in the bar or street on English without getting a weird look. Yes, I have actually been doing that actually because I feel like if I don't I will end up leaving new zealand sooner than expected because I will have made no friends.

    This post is a bit boring and kinda more depressing than most but I meet new and interesting people everyday even though I never see them again afterwards.    Read more

  • Steve WyngaertNew Zealand
    Day 43

    Ird number

    June 3, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    So today is my day off so I can do anything. Well instead I decided to sleep in and catch up on game of thrones. All in all I think that I made the right choice. After that I called the government of new zealand to know about my tax number which was approved and they gave it to me so now I can legally find a paying job for the next 10 months or so while I am in here. On top of that my new roommates seem really nice and we get along super well so far. We will see how that continues as we start to smell each others farts and hear each others snores every night. With that in mind someone clogged the toilet yesterday and they wanted to call a plummer to fix it because they didn't want to deal with it. I called them wimps and unclogged it.

    Every night I seem to meet new people and it can be anywhere from just sitting and talking to strangers in a coffee shop to laughing at random peoples jokes as they walk on the street then introduce myself. I have a theory of why I can do this here while back home I can't communicate with people and I feel like that is the fact that I never have a clue of what language to talk to them in. French or English... Maybe things will change when I get back home but for now I am enjoying myself.    Read more

  • Steve WyngaertNew Zealand
    Day 51

    Need to make a change

    June 11, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Yesterday was my day off so I didn't do much other than drink and hop around various bars. I started early to go and watch game 5 of the NHL playoffs. It was nice and it felt like I was back home for a bit. Then I went out for late lunch with my boss at a little Irish pub which was really nice. I got to know a lot about him. Then that night we did something different, we went to a jazz show. It was different but and interesting because the age demographic was significantly older than us (most of them had white hair) but man could they dance to that jazz!

    With that in mind, I'll say that I am loving it here. The people are great and I am having an amazing time but I feel like shit. Too much unhealthy eating (and drinking) and not enough exercise is making me feel like absolute shit. I spend most of my days on my computer and applying to many jobs, working in the hostel then into the bar next door. The nights are starting to add up and it is about time I start to cut back a bit. I keep seeing hiring signs on doors then ignore them as I go back to my computer to apply to other jobs. I know that I will be able to find a job when I finally decide to go out there and hand out my cv door to door. It will be a little bit of leg work but will be nice to get some more sun and some exercise. I am going to try to go to bed earlier and run in the mornings.

    I heard that Gordie Howe died yesterday and the worse part is that I keep mentioning it to people and how sad it is and they keep asking who he is. It is a clear difference of cultures that I am still trying to wrap my head around.

    By the way the pictures are from the botanical gardens here. Also is included is a picture of our room door, not sure why we have so many shoes on it.

    I'll end with that it was nice talking to my brother recently even if it wasn't for much other than let me know of some bad news back home, which is kind of sad that no one else wanted to mention anything to me. I may be across the world but I would like to know what is going on back home. Hope you guys stay safe, i am thinking of you back home.    Read more

  • Steve WyngaertNew Zealand
    2
    Day 63

    See you later Wellington

    June 23, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    This past week has been a pretty huge range of emotions.

    On Saturday, after a little chat with an amazing kiwi that I have met I decided to give my notice at the hostel that I have been working at for the past 4 amazing weeks. I was planning on heading up North a bit before coming back down to Wellington for my birthday. It was meant to re-energize myself before getting back into the job hunt mindset and really push my CV hard to recruitment agencies and every building in the area with jobs.

    Then my computer broke on Sunday, which was mildly frustrating. After bringing it to a repair shop and then being told it was trash I considered for a while not getting a new one. But in the end after looking at the prices of computers here I decided to put a little money into a new computer. Nothing special, just one that will run internet and will be able to let me send my resume to various places on the go.

    With my new computer in hand I found a job that I am actually qualified for, an ice rink attendant and ice skate tutor. I was so excited and sent them a pretty long email of why they should consider me which worked because about an hour later I got an email back asking which time would work best for an interview! YES!!!!! After the interview, they asked for references and about 24 hours later they offered me the job. Only issue is that I already had a ticket to leave Wellington in the opposite direction on Sunday so I asked if I could start late next week rather than early in order to get my things settled which worked for both sides because they said it might take a little bit for them to find me accommodation.

    The day that I sent out my signed contract, I received a call from a different job that were really interested in me and wanted me to work for six months in Wellington. It would have been an accounting job and I would have been able to stay in Wellington but I feel like it would be similar to something that I would do back home and I wanted to really try something different while I am here.

    The issue is that it is going to be a challenge for a bit leaving my friends that I have spent the better part of one month with. This also means that I won't be in Wellington for my birthday which I was starting to really get excited for. That is until someone mentioned that I could always come back if I can get two days off in a row because it really isn't too far to do a little weekend trip. But if I don't get the chance, I will be back in three short months anyways with a bucket full of new stories and experiences.

    If all goes as planned I am supposed to head out to a rink today to make sure that I didn't forget how to skate in the past couple of months and also try and teach one of the guys here to skate backwards. Hopefully it all goes well!

    I have included a couple of pictures of where I will be heading for those who are curious.    Read more

  • Steve WyngaertNew Zealand
    Day 103

    Very small and quick update

    August 2, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Well it's been a real long time since I have written anything so I decided to out a little note to show that I am still alive and well.

    I have been here in tekapo for well over a month, it will actually be two months in a week, which means one more month before I can go back to Wellington. Here are a few short points of things that have been going on.

    So for the first month that I was here I got a little lazy and decided to not shave. I got a nice little beard going for a while but decided it didn't look super clean so I shaved it off last week. Yay. I took a couple of pictures right before and after I shaved it.

    I went skiing for the first time and didn't die. The owner of the place that I worked paid for lessons and i took beginner lessons which I instantly regretted after he spent abiut 15 minutes explaining how to put on the skis. Oh well, I have a strong base to work from right now.

    When I came to new zealand I expected to lose out on a lot of hockey but for the past two weeks I have been playing hockey three times a week in full equipment. I may not be learning too much or improving but every time I get out there I feel my confidence building. Maybe it's because most of the time I am knocking over 14 year olds but they kind of asked for it when they asked me to join them.

    Other than that the job itself and lessons are fun on most days. The days that you are given more freedom to talk to people are a lot of fun. Last week I was teaching four little boys how to skate and they wanted to see how fast I could skate. I wanted to get away from them for a bit so I decided why not and skated in a circle and when I stopped I gave them a snow shower right in front of their parents. I instantly realized how bad of an idea that was but the kids seems to love it as they wiped the snow off their jackets (a snow shower is when you stop abruptly in front of someone and snow flies in their face....).

    Anyways, I'll just leave this for now.    Read more

  • Steve WyngaertNew Zealand
    Day 134

    Missing society

    September 2, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Well I am in the last month of my contract. The rink will close in two short weeks and the tube park will close shortly after (basically when the snow melts, in this weather it seems like it will be sooner rather than later). This means it's time to start looking ahead to what I will do next.

    This past weekend I took advantage of having a friend down from Wellington so I went a nice little road trip to mount Cook which was outstanding and finally went into the hot pools at my work. It is better late than never.

    I spent the past two days being really proactive. I put my car here for sale, updated my cv, started to run once again and sent a few dozen applications to various positions inside Wellington. I don't know what it is with that city but I am really keen to return. Not sure if it is because of the people I met over there or if it is just that there are people there. I have been finding myself going to work on my days off because I need to see and talk to people. I guess that makes me more of an extrovert than I ever thought I was.

    Anyways, I will try to post semi more regularly for a bit at least to show that I am still alive.

    I miss you guys.    Read more

  • Steve WyngaertNew Zealand
    Day 137

    Just keeping up what I'm doing

    September 5, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Well it has been about a week since my friend left, and that I have been sending my cv to every opening I am remotely qualified for in Wellington. Unfortunately they rarely post real entry level positions online so i know it will be challenging to find something from tekapo but I am keeping my hopes up.

    With only two weeks left of the rink I decided to go to every hockey game that I can while I am here. I played hockey all three days last week even though I had to skip out of work early twice in order to make it. I also decided to make the most of the opportunity while I am here and went to climb mount John before my one late shift a few days ago. It led to some pretty amazing pictures as always. I just wish I had some people to share these amazing sights with. I am starting to realize how much of a people person I really am which goes against what I always used to think about myself. It is incredible how much people can change in a few years. With that being said, there are some things that never change. My terrible knees being one. All this constant activities and hikes are really doing a number on them.

    Today was an interesting day which is partly why I decided to make a post today. First off, after well over two months at my job we finally got name tags! I know it sounds stupid but I find it quite amusing how they bothered to give us some when a few people only have a week left before the end of their contract. Secondly, after having a little too much to drink last weekend I decided to get a little trim (from my flat mate). I woke up the next morning freezing and full of regret. Oh well it will grow back... Today however I had a few comment on how nice it looked. Guess that shows even more how useless my opinion is. And lastly, I got a call back from a job in Wellington but since they wanted me to show up to an in person interview tomorrow, I had to forget about it. I tried to convince them to give me a Skype interview but no luck. I guess I will have to just continue doing what I am doing.... I was going to include a little cheesy quote to end it but decided that it's too much work and I just don't care enough. So yeah, insert your own interesting motivational quote here...

    To next time.    Read more

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