l arrived in Te Anau on December 19… just in time to start work as a housekeeper at a luxury lodge, Fiordland Lodge, the following day. Oofta.

It’s been a few months, but I’ll try to fill ya’ll in.

I spend most of my weeks working, but I’ve definitely gotten to venture out a few times, I even met up with a fellow coworker from Three Rivers Park District. It was a little Christmas present for me- some Christmas cheer from back home.

Here is some photos to get my blog going again.

December 21

I had only been at in Te Anau for two days and who was to be my first visitor??  None other than THE Mr. Tom McDowell and his daughter, Emily.  Tom and I both worked at Three Rivers Park District.  We both knew we would be in New Zealand at the same time, but unsure whether we would be able to get together or not.  You know how it is… Things get busy, plans change… Yada yada yada.  Not for us.

It was genuinely nice and refreshing to see a familiar face, especially around the holidays.  I wish I had been more lively that evening, but my body was just getting used to housekeeping whic quite the workout!

Christmas

As expected, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without my family.  Fortunately, technology makes things a little easier to see the faces you miss most.  Pictured below are my sweet nieces Brenyn and Bea (and my dorky brother, Travy).

December 28: Circle Track

Chantal, Laura, and I drove to Manapouri which is about twenty minutes south of where we live.  We took on the gorgeous day with a convertible ride, a hike on the Circle Track, and I can’t remember, but I can guarantee we ended the day with some wine and dinner.  I shared so many laughs on this day that it was a relief to know that I indeed made some new friends.

We decided to rent a rowboat to cross the river instead of taking the ferry- save some money and enjoy some team bonding.  I’m pretty sure we all thought that it was going to be an easy feat.  Turns out the movies make rowing look really easy- just think of the Little Mermaid when Eric is rowing Ariel around.  We each took turns rowing thinking the other didn’t know how to properly row.  Not one of us, or two of us, could row in a straight line.  Instead we found ourselves rowing in circles.  The ferry past us three times before we reached our destination.

Simon and Chantal leading the way

December 29: Lake Marian

On this day, Simon, Laura, Marco, and I were to head up to Lake Marian which is about an hour north of where we live.  Unfortunately Simon and Laura were not up for it so it was up to Marco to keep me company (and drive) to Lake Marian.

The hike was difficult at times, especially when you’re trying to keep up with a power-hiker.  The hike takes a little more than hour while climbing up boulders and walking over rocks.  Once you plateau, you’re greeted with several huge boulders and a gorgeous view of the infamous Lake Marian.

December 30

I miss my brother’s goofy sense of humor.  Oh how he can make me laugh… even miles away.

January 3

January 4

I know when I look back at this experience, I’ll think of one of my favorite pastimes which was watching and learning how to cook from scratch.  What do you mean pizza dough doesn’t come out of a box??

January 6: Queenstown

On this day, I met Marco in Queenstown with his car.  The Canyon Swing was calling our names!

The day started off a little rocky.  First, I lost Marco’s keys for about an hour. So typical.  I started to panic which is when I started to look in every random spot I could think of… the freezer, the dryer, in the garden, the garbage, etc. Then I went to my shoes in the closet.  I lifted up one of my work shoes and out came the key.  I flew out the door and off to the gas station I went.

This was the first time I was to drive by myself in New Zealand so I was getting used to sitting on the right side of the car and driving on the left side of the road.  I was also getting used to my new depth perception needed to avoid crashing into things.  I pulled into the gas station hot!  As I drove towards one of the pumps, the car suddenly jolted in a way that I thought was going to be unforgiving. That concrete slab (the pump) came out of nowhere! To make matters worse, the jolt caused me to honk the horn which announced my arrival.  Of course the gas station was packed at this time.  Instantly I shut the car off hoping to stop embarrassing myself.  Not sure how, but I managed to honk the horn with my elbow one last time before exiting the vehicle.  I hadn’t even gotten out of Te Anau yet!  What was the rest of  the trip going to be like?  Luckily there was no exterior damage to the vehicle.  Just a minor scratch in the interior of a Jenny.

I got the car filled up and off I went.  Queenstown here I come!  I met Marco at the lake about an hour before we were to take “the leap”.  I had the grand idea of taking a shot before doing the Canyon Swing, but I was talked out of it because I was told I should face my fears soberly.  Blah blah blah.  He was right.

The Canyon Swing was intense.  The actual falling part wasn’t scary, it’s the second before the leap that’s scariest.  Every cell in your body wants you to curl up into fetal position and anchor itself to anything stable.  It’s an unforgettable feeling and I still get butterflies thinking about it.

This was an excellent day to say the least.  Canyon Swing, cider and pizza with new Canyon Swing friend. Hannah, Fear Factory,  blackjack, eating a huge ice cream cone while sitting at the lake, and last but not least, we came across a sheep that had gotten out of its pen on the way back home.  I had no idea sheep could run so fast.

January 8: Slope Point and Curio Bay

Laura, Simon, Chantal and I had a couple days off together so we took a drive down to Slope Point, the southern most part of the South Island, and Curio Bay to see some yellow-eyed penguins.

We couldn’t have asked for a more gorgeous day.  We started the day with lunch in Invercargill, then stopped at Slope Point to take some photos,  and headed for our final destination, Curio Bay.  Laura was especially excited for the last adventure of the day as she was looking forward to seeing the yellow-eyed penguins.  We thought the penguins would arrive out of the water by 7:00p, but they actually didn’t arrive until it was darker, around 9:30p.  To be honest, I didn’t think they were going to show up at all.  We were told that if the penguins see people on the beach, they wont get out of the water to avoid harm.  There were probably thirty others waiting for this special event.  Simon and I left Chantal and Laura so we could set up our tents and prepare camp.  Just ten minutes into setup, Laura sprinted over to tell us the penguins had arrived.  It was wonderful to see Laura’s expression, as neat as it was to see the cute penguins waddling around.

 

 

January 14

My housekeeping coworker, Jess, left the lodge on the 14 of January to start work as a teacher.  She’s got a great sense of humor so laughs were always part of the housekeeping routine. She was certainly missed after her departure!

January 18/19: Lake Tekapo Stargazing and Tasman Glacier Heli-Hike

Chantal, Marco, and I took a five hour road trip to Lake Tekapo which is in the center of the South Island.

First we stopped at the Aoraki Mount Cook Airport so we could book a Tasman Glacier heli-hike for the following day.  The day was young and it was a bit rainy so we decided to get some lunch and take cover at a nearby cafe, Old Mountaineers’ Cafe.  I’ll never forget how much I laughed there.  My cheekbones hurt just thinking about it.  Who knew the Swiss were so funny?  After some lunch we stopped in Twizel for a look around, then headed towards Lake Tekapo to prepare for our evening.

We booked a stargazing activity in Lake Tekapo which started at 12:00a.  We couldn’t have been more lucky as the night sky was clear as day :).   After viewing stars on the observatory deck we changed into our swimsuits and were guided to the Tekapo Springs fed hot pools (my favorite part). Once comfortable, we laid in the pool, looking up into the starry sky, as the guide softly offered even more interesting facts.  We saw so many shooting stars AND so many twinkles.   I’ll  never forget that.  Such shimmering stars!  What a night.  I was unable to take photos,  but their website has some photos that show the hot pool and observatory deck http://tekapostargazing.co.nz/.

The next day was just as amazing.  We lucked out once again and were able to board a helicopter that flew us to Tasman Glacier. The weather is constantly changing hour by hour in New Zealand so it’s not unusual for heli-hikes to get postponed or canceled.  This would be my very first helicopter ride!  Such a neat feeling… It feels like you’re levitating.  Once we landed, we met with our guide who taught us how to walk with crampons (spikes fixed on the boot) and how to avoid getting injured or falling through a crevasse.  As we walked along the glacier, we saw an avalanche in the distance.  From where we were standing, it looked like snow falling off a roof of a rambler.  Not a big deal… But then he said it would kill us.  At that moment, I think we all realized how small we really were.  The rest of tour consisted of history, facts, and ice cave exploration!

About to get on the helicopter!  Woop woop!

January 20

Te Anau rainbows are amazing.  Enough said.

January 25: Operation Resetting PRS Traps and my brothers birthday!

Gotta shout out to my brother since it was his birthday on this day.  Miss you Travy and I’m sorry I missed your special day.  I look forward to celebrating your next year of life next year!

Every month, the maintenance manager, Dave, along with other staff volunteers head into the bush via helicopter to reset rat, stoat, and possum traps.   On this day, Chantal and I were the chosen ones.

We were dropped off in the middle of “the bush” and reset seventy traps that are evenly spread out along the track (7k).  Dave reset the rat and stoat traps with a new egg and a fresh piece of meat.  The old egg was given to Chantal or I to toss into the bush.  I reset the possum traps which was an easy task to do… Actually, none of them needed to be reset, but they were reset so I could reapply some blue peanut butter.  During the walk, we took a memorable break on some really comfy moss and enjoyed the sounds of the swaying trees and singing birds (and took a mini nap).

January 26

January 29: Simon’s Dirty 30

This was a fun night celebrating Simon’s 30th birthday.  We had a couple guest visitors at the house which made for extra fun conversation as we each shared some of our favorite times with Simon.