Around the World and Back: Leaving home again

We're in Melbourne! So far, so good; there are obviously a lot of logistical things to deal with that are a little stressful at the moment, but we're slowly but surely crossing items off our to-do list. I'll write a post all about this amazing city soon, but first I want to tie up the end of our year in New Zealand.

A few weeks before we left Brian and I managed to both get a weekend off of work (first time that had ever happened since we'd been employed), so we decided to get out of town. We rented a bach (pronounced like the first part of "bachelor;"which is what New Zealanders call a holiday home) in Opunake, which is about a 4.5 hour drive from Wellington on the west coast. Mark, Caitlin, and Sean joined us and we had a fun little roadtrip for the weekend! The bach was really nice and had a front and back patio, yard, fireplace, and nice big kitchen. We planned to do some day hikes around Mt. Taranaki, but honestly, when we got there I think we all just wanted to relax, so the hiking never really happened... the sun came out and it felt HOT and amazing (we were all feeling a little starved for warmth & sun), so ambition turned into lazing about in the sun with mimosas, snacks, and card games. On Saturday night Caitlin and I cooked up a big Mexican-style dinner (the San Diegans are forever missing their beloved Mexican food) and it was such a delicious feast after the sun had zapped away all our energy. On Sunday we wanted to take our sweet time getting back to Welly, so we headed over to check out New Plymouth. Along the way we stopped at a gorgeous beach and relaxed in the warm black sand (one of the finest pleasures in life; warm sand between your toes). In New Plymouth we walked around an artisans market, got some lunch, and walked along part of the coastal walkway. New Plymouth is so cute! It had such a relaxed skate/surf culture (amazing surfing there, I'm told) and lots of character. We made it back to Wellington late that evening, really pleased with how lucky we were weather-wise. All in all, a great trip; it was too bad we didn't get to do things like that more often while we were living in Wellington. It's so easy to get caught up in the drudgery of the work week and routines; sometimes you just have to take a weekend away!

The rest of our last few weeks in Wellington were spent enjoying time with friends, saying goodbyes, and being stressed out about various things. Advertising for and hoping to fill our rooms in our beloved, mold-filled house was kind of nerve-racking, but ended up very well after all was said and done. There was lots of deep cleaning, scrubbing, and toxic chemical-use in our house for awhile there... but it came out looking pretty shiny and new in the end. It's almost as if the mold was never there... ;) Mark found an amazing house to move into and was able to fill his room quickly (kind of shocking considering the size; we really lucked out in that regard!), a couple moved into our room, and Jemma decided to stay for awhile. The only downside to the whole situation was that Brian and I had to pay an extra week's rent because the couple taking our room couldn't move in until after we left, but that was a small price to pay to get rid of the stress of filling the room.

nice 'n' moldy

cute little kitchen

Then there's the car issue. OHHHHHH THE CAR.... Guess what? We couldn't sell it! Anyone surprised?! This was a stressful situation that is continuing to be stressful for us and also for our wonderful friends in Wellington who are still trying to tie up that loose end for us. After an ongoing classified ad as well as 2 consecutive auctions on TradeMe, we had no luck getting rid of that cursed thing. We dropped the price to a laughable amount and still no one seems to want it. The worst part is that our friends are stuck in Wellington with a car to sell that now has an expired warrant of fitness and registration, which you will all probably remember is not just pocket change to take care of. Sigh. I go through waves of guilt and horror about that car and how awful we feel living it in the care of our friends... if any of you are reading this I am so sorry! Feel free to push the car right off a bridge or drive it into the bush and blow it up. I wish now that we had abandoned it, but I think we would have had to take off the license plates. Not to mention I am still not convinced the car is worth as little as everyone else seems to think it is, but anyway. Let's just say I won't be investing in a car anytime soon.

I hate you.

But! Those stressful things were definitely overshadowed by lots of fun and good times before we left. It's kind of crazy to look back on the last year and think of all we did and all the people we met... It was a very exciting and action-packed year. We made such wonderful friends and found "homes" all over the country. Saying goodbye to our friends in Wellington was especially hard; our time there was the longest stretch of time we spent in one location all year. It was so nice to feel comfortable and know the ins and outs of a city! It's comforting to know our life in Wellington is only a 3ish hour plane ride away. And I hope our Welly friends will come visit us in Australia!

As for life after New Zealand, well, we'll have to see what happens. There's no plan. We're bouncing back and forth between societal (and self-inflicted) pressures to move home, get serious jobs/go back to school/become responsible adults and just wanting to keep the quasi-nomadic lifestyle up for years and years. You only get one life, so you better live it, right? But then again, there are pros to settling down too. Honestly, I'm trying not to think about it right now. It's time for Melbourne now, that's all I know. After awhile, Melbourne time will be up and something else will happen... we'll just have to wait and see!

Anyway, thanks, New Zealand, for one of the greatest, most memorable years of my life. And now that we're in Oz you all have another chance to start a collection jar on your dresser to buy a plane ticket to visit us! You're welcome anytime. :)