Just a note

I know it's been a while since I've last updated the blog and I have no excuses really. With the holiday season upon us I will have more time for updates and I will post photographs of recent adventures.

In the mean time, here is a link to an article I wrote for newsdurhamregion.com. It's about Christmas in New Zealand. I am heading back to Wellington later this afternoon to celebrate the holidays with a friend and her family. I look forward to all the Kiwi traditions!

Love and Merry Christmas to all!

A Capital Adventure

Since I've been in New Zealand I've been encouraged to visit many places within the country. Well, last week I completed excursion number one and took a trip to Wellington, New Zealand's capital city, known for its museum, windy weather, and compactness.

My mini-holiday in Windy Welly was a great success, despite the two days of bad weather. I arrived Wednesday afternoon and made the long walk from the train station to Base Backpackers through a mist that, because of the wind, successfully dodged my umbrella and managed to soak everything that was not covered by my raincoat. I was immediately surprised (and pleased) to discover that my roommate was also Canadian, we were instantly friends, ate our meals together (pizza pigout for one night), and even had a few drinks together.

Thursday was spent at the Canadian High Commission writing tests which are required for applications to government jobs (snore). Friday I enjoyed a day of lovely sunshine and warmth and spent the day wandering through the city, seeing the sights, and doing some Christmas shopping (I have to have my presents mailed by next week to ensure they arrive on time, ok?).

Saturday was another rainy day with winds reaching 1 000 000 000 km/hour (at least it felt like that) so I spent the day at Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand. Te Papa was huge. I particularly enjoyed the Maori exhibits, including the incredibly detailed and beautiful Marae, an important ceremonial, cultural, and familial building. I became interested in Maori myth and religion.

Finally, on Sunday I woke up early to visit and tour New Zealand Parliament before catching an England-Nigeria match for the Women's Under-17 World Cup (England 1- 0 Nigeria). New Zealand Parliament was quite interesting and the three buildings which make up the centre of government were very distinct. The tour was interesting but I longed for Ottawa's spacious and dominent Parliament Hill. New Zealand's government complex just didn't seem to demand the same attention as it does our Parliament Hill and I found myself, for the first time since I've been in New Zealand, wanting to plaster a big Canadian flag on my backpack. Thankfully, the High Commission provided me with a poppy and a flag pin.

A Canadian in New Zealand

So I've been in New Zealand for just over a month now and I think it's safe to say I have settled in. I've explored some of New Plymouth, visited the botanical gardens, walked on the coastal walkway, and even climbed Paritutu rock, a 153m portion of an old volcano. I also experienced my first international birthday, celebrating my 24th with new friends, new drinks, and a Kiwi style Octoberfest.

I've felt many different emotions during my first month; it's been an array of happiness, excitement, loneliness, and homesickness. The strongest emotion, however, has been the overwhelming feeling of being alive. The other day I walked along the Foreshore Coastal Walkway, sat for a rest and watched the sea and its waves lapping the rocky shore. I thought how lucky I am to be experiencing New Zealand and how great it is to be alive, despite being so far away from family and friends. I'm just a little speck in the universe but my time in New Zealand will forever remain in my memories and will undoubtedly affect my future in ways to be determined.

I suppose I've always had emotions and thoughts like these: driving with the windows down on warm, sunny fall days, sitting by a fireplace while watching the sparkly snowflakes pile up, and eating apple cider doughnauts are all things that make me stop and remember how lucky we are to be Canadian and, more importantly, to make the best of the simple things in life. The natural things.

A Birdsong Afternoon

Today I visited New Plymouth's Pukekura Park, a botanical garden that spans 128 acres and includes various floral collections (rhododendrons, azaleas), a fernery, many beautiful birds, and a zoo. I spent 2 hours walking around the park, discovering woodland dells, smelling the flowers, thinking, and enjoying the scenery.

There were different kinds of birds all throughout the park but the Tui was the most common bird that I saw and heard! Tui are unique to New Zealand and are quite agressive. After a little research, I discovered the Spring (September and October) is the mating period, during which the Tui is particularly vocal and active. Indeed! These birds were flapping all over the place at speeds of who KNOWS how fast. Not only could I hear their beautiful song, I could also hear their characteristic rapid flapping wings!

It was nice to spend the afternoon in such a serene setting. I enjoyed being a visitor in the homes of birds, other creatures, and trees. I made sure to take a few moments to show my appreciation to Mother Earth and thanked her for the afternoon's scenery and entertainment.

For a larger collection of photographs please visit my Photostream on Flickr!

See you soon!

Zach and I spent some quality time at his cottage this Labour Day weekend before he returned to Ottawa for work. It was extra special because I am leaving for New Zealand for 6 months!

Here are some pictures from the weekend. We had beautiful weather and I even went swimming, despite the fishies!









I will be a Canadian Museums Association intern at Puke Ariki and District Libraries, a museum that triples as a library and visitor information centre. My position is that of Heritage Pictorial Technician and I will be cleaning, archiving, and preparing photographs for a future exhibit. Thank goodness for my archives internship this summer!

I am looking forward to the internship but I am nervous for the flight and sad to be leaving Zach and my mom for so long. New Zealand is so far away! I will update this blog with pictures and tales of my Kiwi adventures (hopefully Zach updates too!).

Summer's favourite pasttime

Congratulations to Jess and Ryan Lou-Hing!


The wedding was 19 July and I had the pleasure of being one of Jess's bridesmaids. Everyone had a great time and we danced the night away and bid farewell to the bride and groom as they
left for a 2 week trip to Greece.

Here are some pictures from the big day!