Living life one adventure at a time...

Keeping all you lovely people updated with my travels, after all life's too short to be lived in one place.

[rach0502]

A few cheeky snaps from my time in Queenstown and Ohakune! 👌☺️

[rach0502]

Life update and PAIHIAAAAAAA LIVING!!

Jesus, I'm so terrible at keeping this thing updated!! 🙈 SOOOOOOO much has happened over the last few months since leaving Christchurch! I don't even know where to start but I'll give it a go... So, I moved to Queenstown in May to basically waste my life savings on booze and hostel accommodation before finding a job at a fancy watch shop as a sales assistant. Life was grand after that for about 2 weeks until I realised that I was spending everything I was earning and had no ability to save anything at all, yay for ridiculously priced Queenstown! 💵💵 Not to mention that I only managed to rent a room for 6 weeks and failed miserably to find a cheap long term room after that for the rest of the season! On top of all that I begun to clash with my room mate and chch pal and felt as though I wanted to get away from it all and travel alone again. So with everything adding up and stressing me out I decided that attempting to spend the winter in Queenstown wasn't going to happen and spontaneously rented a car and headed up to the north island! 🙌 That brings me to the next chapter of the story...Ohakune. I arrived in a small, quiet ski town which didn't look much at all when I arrived, it struck me as one of those places you'd drive through but not stop in...boy am I glad I did though! In my attempt to chase the snow I'd already applied for a job as an 'all rounder' in a motel in Ohakune online, so I popped in and introduced myself when I first arrived and bagged the job straight away which came with my own double room! Such a relief after spending weeks to find a job and room in Queenstown, I was quite shocked that I'd found both within 20 minutes of being in Ohakune, winning at life! 👌 I obviously didn't know anyone at this point so decided I'd be one of those super desperate people and post on the Ohakune local Facebook group about being new in town and keen for a couple beers to see if anyone fancied it! (Sad I know 😂) BUT it worked a treat! I had a couple of people message me and before I knew it I was 10 beers down, dancing on the table in a sweet little place called the Powderkeg with some newly acclaimed pals! ✌️😂 That was just the start, I spent a sweet 4 weeks in Ohakune which isn't a very long but I honestly met so many amazing people in that short amount of time. They made my time there absolutely EPIC and I've got so many happy memories from that place! ☺️ However, despite all the amazing people the job just wasn't working out for me after finding out I was now needed to work 60 hour weeks with one day off...fuck that for a pack of biscuits! 😏 So after trying to negotiate with my manager and it failing miserably I handed my notice in. I attempted to get a new job In a restaurant but after a few shifts I realised I was only going to get about 9 hours a week which even superman wouldn't be able live off! 😬 So it came to a point where I had a good solid 5 days off work and I decided I wanted to go on a roadie somewhere...I'd already met some people from the bay of islands up north and one of the girls was heading back up there and keen to split gas with me if I wanted to go up! So a plan was born, I decided to stop chasing the snow (which is funny because combining my time spent in Queenstown and Ohakune, I only got up the mountain ONCE to snowboard 😂😂) packed my bags and hit the road again! I had an inkling before I left that I wouldn't come back to Ohakune so I took all my belongings with me just Incase and good job I did cause who would have guessed it...I'm loving life in the bay of islands right now. There's just no stopping me! 😂✌️ So here I am...a week in to my time living in Paihia, the bay of islands and my gosh it is AMAZING! it's a small town right on the ocean edge with absolutely stunning views. I love it here. There's such a chilled yet homely vibe to the place and I think it's very different to the vibe of Queenstown and Ohakune, they were more party towns to me...whereas Paihia seems like somewhere I can see myself living for a long time! Thinking wisely about spending money on accommodation I decided to sign up to be a woofer at a backpackers here for 6 weeks which basically means I work for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for free accommodation in a dorm room. It's not great as I like my own space but I'm happy to do it for 6 weeks as it gives me time to sort myself out, hopefully save some money and find a room to rent from there. I also just bagged myself a job at a funky little restaurant called Charlotte's Kitchen which is located right on the wharf with stunning views of the ocean and surrounding bays! I'm super stoked!!! 👌😃 can't wait to start soon! Looks as though I will be more than likely extending my visa for a second year in this beautiful country as I want to be around for summer here in Paihia! It's all exciting stuff but for right now I'm just killing time by enjoying beautiful Paihia, getting stuck into a new book and having some much needed me time until I start working and earning next week, then we'll go from there. Life is great right now and I'm excited for what it's going to throw at me next👌❤️

[rach0502]

Queenstown Living

So here I am in Queenstown...still jobless. Been here for two weeks now and really struggling to find something due to the shoulder season! It's really getting me down and I hope something comes up within the next two weeks otherwise I'll be stuffed both financially and mentally. 😩 I hate not working, sitting around all day I just feel like a waste of space. So to get me off the sofa (when I'm not job hunting) I've started up my running again. I want to try to cut a few pounds so im going to go for a run everyday/every other day! Next worry is finding a new house to live in after our 6 weeks in the flat is up! I'm sure that will roll around super quickly and add to my worries, but I'm more focused on getting an actual job first! Apart from all my job, money, housing and social worries, Queenstown is pretty great! So beautiful and I can't quite believe I am actually living here tbh. Just not sure how long I'll be here for at this rate! Worrying sucks big time. I'm freaking out inside my head all day long about everything, I just really need to find a job ASAP. At least that will cut my worries in half! 😞 eughhhhh I'm done for today. 😴

[rach0502]

'We are torn between a nostalgia for the familiar and the urge for the foreign and strange.' - Carson McCullers

So I've been feeling a little homesick lately...It comes and goes quite often and leaves me thinking intently about my life. The strange thing is as much as I miss and sometimes crave the small familiar things about being home; my bed, having access to all my belongings in my room, chocolate gateaux cake (because nothing in NZ even compares), just lounging around on the sofa watching an entire tv series for days on end with the cosy blanket, eating a delicious Sunday roast and HAVING A BATH to name a few; I still can't see myself going back home for good. Obviously there are much bigger and more important things that I miss about home too; family and friends...just walking downstairs and being able to join my mum and stepdad for some banter, a glass of wine (or 10 😂) and a chinwag, driving over to dad and wends for a delicious dinner and weekly catch up, acting a complete silly twat with my brother 😂, parties at the Harry with all the crew, classic Chinese and wine with Samarah, drinks with Nat and Sheena, going to watch my brother play live...the list could go on. Being away from home has proven that it's the people you miss the most, not things. Even reflecting on my time in Uganda, I miss the beautiful country and their simplistic eye-opening way of life but it's the amazing people I met and made memories with that I miss the most. I think thats my problem...the more I travel, the more amazing places I see, the more people I meet, the more memories I make, the more I don't want to go home...not because I don't miss my family and friends terribly but because I don't want to miss out on all the amazing opportunities travel opens up for me. It allows me to meet people I would never have crossed paths with otherwise, to learn about different cultures and ways of life, to see truly incredible places and to grow and learn so much about myself as a person. I crave normality and the familiar things in life sometimes, but it only lasts a short while. My urge to travel allows me to live a life where I can enter the strange and unknown which I crave because it challenges me everyday. I have found myself to love the unfamiliar. I also think this is what scares me the most about going home for good, the fact that home would be too familiar and comfortable. I need to feel challenged, free and happy and travelling fulfils this for me. I know some people may think I'm talking rubbish but I guess I'm just trying to justify my way of life and help others to understand why I choose to travel. I know that I'll continue to travel after my time in NZ, travelling to a new country, experiencing the unfamiliar and seeing new places is all I feel passionate about for now. Who knows where I'll end up next 🤔 #travel #wanderlust #lifestyle #homesickness

[rach0502]

I LOVE ROADTRIPS!! 👍😍 They really are the best...so I just got back from a week long roadie exploring more of the beautiful South Island. We did a loop through Arthur's pass over to the west coast, up through Abel Tasman, Nelson, picton etc and back down to Christchurch through kaikoura! Super sweet 👌saw so so much, didn't do an awful lot due to lack of money (story of my life 😂) but still managed to see some awesome spots like golden bay, pancake rocks, numerous lakes etc and make some sweet memories along the way! ☺️ So I should probably mention 'willy' who was our beloved shitty car who got us the whole way through the roadie, despite many many doubts 😂 so 'willy' is an old red Honda who has been sat on stephs host families driveway for god knows how long, so we decided he needed a good trip out and boy he got that for sure! 😂 We got to know 'willy' a little better before setting off as Mike (stephs host dad) showed us around the car and gave us some tips for example...having to use a piece of wood to keep the car boot from falling down, and having to start the car and pump the gas a couple times in order for 'willy' to start, ohh and the fact that the car seats didn't move down...so we were abit stuffed if it rained and we wanted to sleep in the car 😂 but apart from all that we took willy under our wing and he did well for the first couple of days give or take a few failed attempts to start the car 🙈 However shit got real when I was driving down the steepest, windiest hill ever and willy decided he didn't want his brakes to work, so there I am down gearing poor willy to slow him down, luckily there wasn't anything in front of us or I'd be dead right now! 😂 oh it's all a giggle hey. Somehow he decided he wanted his brakes to work again so all was good but then he threw us off with randomly cutting out on us every now and then which was great when I was going 100mph down the highway! 😂 he's a little bugger that willy! 😂😂 Camping was a giggle too! The first night it was raining pretty heavy so we decided we'd stay in a luxury cabin instead of setting up a tent in the rain 😂 look at us fancy backpackers a 😂 go us! 👌 Then the second night we actually did set up camp, blew the air beds up and about 5 mins of lying on them they both were flat as a pancake! So we had a super uncomfortable sleep the whole week on rock hard floor 😂 always check your equipment before going camping...lesson learnt! 🙈 Anyways it's back to the old nannying malarkey for the next few weeks then hopefully I'll have decided on what to do next, I reckon I'll be going to queenstown on a whim, trying to get a job and rent a flat...should be fun hopefully, either that or I'll end up wasting all my money on trying to set something up and be home within 6 weeks...hmm hopefully not! 😂 I'll keep y'all updated! 👍☺️

[rach0502]

Weekend Adventures and upcoming plans! 👌

So it's Monday again...it seems to roll around far to quickly each week!! However, I had a seriously epic weekend enjoying the last of the sunshine before winter officially hits! So I spent Saturday chilling and having a few beers down Rapaki bay before having to go to work at the Lab gahhh 😩 way to ruin a Saturday! I actually really enjoy my job at the lab though so it's all good! Then Sunday I went on a day mission with a few pals and hiked up mount Sunday which was the filming location for Edoras (Rohan) in LOTR!! Wahhh it was incredible! So so stunning! I'm so glad I got out and about and explored this weekend, it was much needed! It also has gotten me super excited for my upcoming trips! So this weekend I'm gonna be hitting up Auckland, super excited to finally get up to the north island do some exploring and enjoy myself! Then I got the A.OK to time off work today for a sweet roadie me and Steph are going to do in the first week of April! We're going to be heading north of the South Island and checking out kaikoura, Abel Tasman, Nelsinho lakes national park, picton and loads more hopefully! ITS GONNA BE AMAZING!! So so so excited for it! A whole week of shenanigans, camping, wine, good times and making memories! 😀👌 hopefully the weather holds out for us haha! I'm officially getting stuck into finding my next job, as its kind of hit me that it's only 6 weeks until I want to leave and move onto something new! So the search for a job and a flat begins! I reckon queenstown is where it's at, but I may end up going north...we shall see! Queenstown seems super duper busy and quite hard to get jobs/houses in the centre so we may be forced to find something on the outskirts or even somewhere else! Ahh well it's still exciting times ahead!!! 😀

[rach0502]

So I've had a pretty tough week this week, I've been sick a couple days...followed by a couple days of the kids being little terrors, and I mean bloody terrors! 😳😡 They drive me bloody mental sometimes, safe to say I'm never having four kids 😂 On top of all that I've not been to the gym as much as I'd have liked too, which has led to me feeling abit shitty and eating crap food which I feel terrible for! 👎 So today I decided was a good day for a solo 'climb a mountain and feel better' mission! I'd been eyeing up this bridle path walk near Lyttelton for a while and thought bugger it lets do it today! So off I went, rather unprepared, no water, somehow forgot my sunglasses but managed to bring my book!? but I still mosied on! About 30 minutes into the climb I was dripping with sweat and much to my disappointment there was no breeze at all to cool me down, but I carried on up to the top where I threw myself down onto the nearest rock to admire the view! And boy what a view!!! (Check the pics for proof! 🏔) I seriously will never ever get tired of the port hill views, they're just incredible and I still can't believe it is pretty much right on my doorstep. I think just going for a walk in the port hills or chilling out at one of the amazing bays is going to be the thing I will miss the most about Christchurch when I leave in May. So after a short rest I decided to get abit cocky and went off roading down the other side of the mountain, my path took me down a steeper side than that of the bridle path with huge rocks hanging above, which made me think that if there was to be an earthquake at any second and those rocks would tumble down then I would instantly die 😂 (this is often one of my worries now if I find myself in an uncompromising situation I often think about what would happen if an earthquake hit at any moment...especially as we seem to be getting loads of mini earthquakes now. Oh we had another one last night at work, all the lampshades were shaking away! 😬😂) Anyway...I made it to the bottom to then find my way back onto the bridle path to walk back up and over to the car again. It was a great hike and made me feel loads better, I think sometimes all you need is some fresh air, some alone time, some exercise and some bloody great views. I do love going on a solo mission and exploring here there and everywhere, I hope I get to do it more before I leave here too! Well that's the plan anyways, to explore as much of chch as I can over my last few weekends👌☺️ oh including my trip to Auckland over Easter, super excited I got that booked yesterday! Bring it on! ✌️

[rach0502]

A few from NZ so far!

[rach0502]

Kiwi Living

So I completely forgot I had started a blog on here nearly 2 years ago now just after my love for travel was discovered when I visited Uganda for 4 weeks! Jeezzz I can't believe how long ago that was and how much has changed since then! 😳 If you'd have asked me 2 years ago before I went to Uganda where I would be now, I probably would have said that I would be living in the same old town in a 9-5 professional job as a teacher, in a serious relationship ready to commit to a house, marriage and all the rest! 😴 Instead (as much to my mums dismay I reckon) I'm on the other side of the world craving new adventures each day, not earning a lot of money at all but living life to the full 👌 It's crazy how those 4 weeks changed my life entirely, and boy I'm so glad it did! Anyways, I think a short update is in order even though it is going to be super difficult to sum up my adventures over the past 2 years! 😂 Well I'll get the boring bit out the way first...upon returning from my first stint in Uganda I finished my final year of university which was super hard work but worth it as I came out with a first class honours degree, yussss! 👍🍾 Then literally the day after finishing my degree I headed straight back to Uganda for my second stint working with EAP as their Arts and Play Intern for 6 months. Gosh it was incredible! Absolutely loved working with the kids in all the schools and met some seriously incredible people that summer, not to mention how much I fell deeper in love with Jinja, the town I was working in. I miss that place so much and I'm quite adamant I will return in the future either to work or for a short holiday! 👌So during my stay in Uganda I decided to plan my next adventure to New Zealand and skyped with numerous families to become an au pair. I found a fitting family after so many Skype sessions with them and got the ball rolling by booking my flights, sorting my visa, you know all that boring stuff you have to deal with when travelling! 😂 so I guess that short summary brings me to where I am now... Ive been living in Christchurch NZ for 4 months now living with and working for the Baxter family. They have four children who are all little devils but I'm not going to lie, they've all definitely stole a piece of my heart, despite the never ending tantrums, arguments and fights with each other, winding up and teasing one another, trying to stab each other to death with scissors ending in a hospital visit...oh I've seen it all trust me! 😂 They're a funny bunch but I can't believe how fast time has flown by, I'll be leaving in under 2 months for my next kiwi adventure! I'm not entirely sure what that is yet but it will either see me move to Queenstown or Auckland and searching for a different line of work. I love kids but I feel as though I need to experience a different type of job in the hope I may actually figure out what I want to do in life! I might realise that working with kids is the way forward for me or just realise that it's really not! Who knows, only time will tell I guess. 🤔 This dilemma is something that really bothers me and takes up most my thoughts at the minute, which I hate! But no matter what happens I just tell myself as long as I'm making money to get by and more importantly being truly happy then that's all that matters. ☺️ I'll post a few pictures from my time in NZ so far seeing as I missed out a lot of details in this brief summary. I swear I'll try to write a blog once a week at least from now on, besides I've kind of missed noting down all my thoughts and sounding like a knobhead when I read it back 👌😂

[rach0502]

A few pics to sum up my time in Uganda...

[rach0502]

EAP 2014!

So, I’ve not long been back from Uganda when I came across tumblr and decided that it would be a great idea to keep a blog of all my adventures! Only problem is I’m a little bit late in writing a blog and remembering all the little things! Dang! So I’ll just do a basic summary…

I spent 4 weeks volunteering with an awesome little charity called East African Playgrounds in jinja, Uganda. The project was building a playground for a local discovery centre and also teaching arts and play sessions in a local school. The building was gruelling at times especially in the heat but all the hard work was worth it to see the children’s faces light up when they attended the open day of the playground! The arts and play sessions were really interesting as they allowed the children to use their imagination and encourage them to think for themselves which is rare in the way they are taught over there. It allowed me to see a huge difference in teaching methods and curriculum compared to the UK education system. It wasn’t all work of course, we made sure we played hard on the weekends ;) We took part in numerous activities such as kayaking, rafting, quad biking, horse riding, safari etc which were all insanely amazing! And of course a few cheeky nights on the lash ;)

I loved Uganda that much that I wasn’t ready to leave so I decided to stay an extra week to travel with a few other girls, possibly the best decision I’ve ever made. This last week was the best week of my life, exploring sipi falls, a series of 3 waterfalls, the most beautiful and lush green place I’ve ever seen in my life! We then ventured to hairy lemon island on the river Nile and chilled out there for a few days before returning to jinja to spend our last few days where it all started!

All in all volunteering with East African Playgrounds has completely changed my life! I feel that I’ve developed as a person and that the experience has given me a small sense of freedom and the realisation that I can do whatever I want to do in life! It’s made me think about the reality of my life back home and how I’ve always been driven to getting good grades at uni to get a desirable job in education near home, to then buy a house, get married have kids (you know the drill), when really Ive come to the realisation that that’s not what I want at all. I’ve always dreamed of having a spontaneous life travelling and living in another country, yet I seem to have got carried away in the expectations of others regarding what my life will be, a 9-5pm well paid day job with the odd holiday a year to typical tourist places like Greece! No thanks! I’d rather be exploring the rest of the world, meeting new faces, making sweet memories and earning some dosh to get by!

My plans for the future have completely changed. I’m going to dream big and try my damn hardest to make those dreams happen, my life is for me to live no one else and I’m going to make sure it fucking rules! :) In the meantime I’m going to be planning my next trip whilst finishing my final year of uni and working my butt off at the pub to save all the money I can ready for my next adventure in the summer!

BRING IT ON! :)