So my brilliant new direction has had one major flaw: me. This weekend has been exceedingly busy so I haven’t had a chance to update my blog until today. But anyway, back to Travellin’ Tuesdays. I have to start with New Zealand, as this was the first place that I truly experienced as a backpacker, and ever since day one I have been head over heels in love with the place.
One of the many art installations that are dotted around Wellington
From The Southern Alps to Coromandel, there’s a whole planet’s worth of ecosystems contained on the two small islands, and in pretty much every encounter with one of the 4million Kiwis you will find out just how small the world can be. On one such occasion, when our rental car had broken down right by Mt. Ngauruhoe (or Mt. Doom to my fellow LOTR enthusiasts), it turned out that the only AA service person within reach was a neighbour of the park ranger who was helping us out. The only downside was that our only hope of salvation was also the Fire Chief for the area, and if he had an emergency call then we’d have to wait. Luckily it was a perpetually soggy day and we were on our way in a matter of hours, onto the next town where our car broke down again – but not before attempting to impersonate Darth Vader after a particularly lengthy jog.
It seems that everything I experienced during my year in the Land of the Long White Cloud was a mixture of character building and sheer beauty, I pushed myself beyond what I thought were my limits and came out the other side with a completely different outlook. I’d like to think that the same would have happened if I’d spent the year somewhere like California, but the truth is that in travelling halfway around the world into the unknown, I think that I unwittingly found my home.
7 Kinds of Mind 