And so after my four month sabbatical, I am once again here to grace you with my presence (/words). As I write this, I am two days into my new Australian adventure, but before I embellish, I’d like to recap on my final few months in New Zealand, my home for the last year and a half.
I left you at the end of my cycling tour and since enjoyed a wonderful few weeks in Tairua where I lived with a local family, wwoofing in their Organic food store in exchange for my food and board. Such a rewarding experience, during my time I learnt so much more about health and vegan foods; created strong and lasting bonds with Gina, the mother of the family and Emily, another wwoofer from America; felt a wild sense of accomplishment as I swam in the freezing ocean (on several occasions); and explored the amazing landscapes the Coromandel has to offer.
From here I made my way south (this time by bus) to another winter at Mt Ruapehu. I saw a marked improvement in my skiing over the season, thanks largely to a friend who devoted a good couple of hours of his time to my cause. It was a wholly different experience from last year, with a much shorter period of good snow up the mountain and a huge number of South Americans introducing a cultural change to the way we socialised after work. Needless to say, different does not mean bad and the memories from this season will be treasured as much the last.
So suddenly there I was, leaving the country I have come to love, leaving the familiar to begin an entirely new adventure. And as though the country knew the time had come to say farewell, grey skies became blue and a rainbow arched in the distance, instilling one final picture perfect view.
Buen viajes Nickie