"I'm dreaming of a ...wet, dark, cold Christmas"

I'm not really longing to be home in the damp, dark Irish weather that everyone in Ireland keeps reminding me of but at the same time there is definitely a piece of magic missing from Christmas this year and my only theory is that the strange December sun has dried it all up. One would think "ooh, a sunny Christmas, how exotic". Not really! Not in Wellington anyway, even though it is very warm with bright clear skies today, the last week has been wet, warm, cloudy and generally uncomfortable. I had myself believing that the rain was a comforting reminder of home but I don't remember December to be so...sticky. I do hope that the 25th is sunny and HOT and not so flippin confusing! If I am going to be in the southern hemisphere for probably my favourite time of year I would rather do it right and instead of a getting a toothbrush in my stocking, get sun burnt! Thank you.
I am working Christmas eve. For some reason I volunteered to take someone else's shift, don't ask me why, I think it's the humidity making my nerve endings fire causing me to say stupid things without my control or permission. I should finish at about 8 or 9 pm though which isn't so bad.
The packages that Mum sent me are tidily sat underneath our anti tidy Christmas tree. Unfortunately our unfortunate tree isn't the most balanced and will only stand up if its anorexic side is facing the us, the unfortunate public. Our housemate donated the decorations, "girls, it'll be beautiful, they aren't at all tacky.." hmm... Would you like some cheese with your Christmas tree? Apparently yes, yes we would...lots.
I am half very excited and half terrified of what I will find in my two packages from Cobh. I have been told that there are photos of home and many packets of the requested Taytos to look forward to. But there is also legend of an unknown evil wrapped within the innocently disguised brown paper. Every single time I ring home Mum warns me of the nightmarish form the requested box of Barry's tea has taken. "Everyone said that if you are sending things over sea to get them vacuum packed" she explained. As ever mother instantly regretted her actions and reluctantly wrapped the awkward rock of combined opaque paper and tea leaves. I fear the giant solid mass of black leaves and stained paper will put me off tea, even Barry's tea FOREVER!!!! The film could be called Nightmare on Christmas morning!
I expect that I will have to take Christmas this year with a spoonful of sugar or maybe even a shot glass of whiskey. I don't know how it will be. I have no doubt that it will be strange but pleasant none the less. Hold on, strange is right! There is 3 Santa's playing drums and a guitar singing Silent night in the back of a moving pick up in the middle of a busy city street as I write this. Whatever blows your skirt up I suppose.
I think the thing is that it won't actually seem like Christmas at all, to be honest that may be my saving grace. Merry Christmas to ye all at home! Have a good one and enjoy the lousy weather for me!
Nollaig Shona!!!!! Steph xxx

p.s. There they go again. Imagine "Let it snow", rock n' roll style. Again... strange.

So what becomes of a tripod when it loses a leg?

I am very sorry to write that the trio that is myself, Sarah and Dianne has lost it's bubbliest musketeer.
Dianne received the sad news today that her dear Grandma had passed away early this morning. Without a moments hesitation she decided that she needed to go home to Canada. After hours of holding at the end of the phone and scanning the Internet for cheap flights we drove her on her final trip in W.I.C. to Wellington airport. It was a heartbreaking farewell. It was only as she went out of sight through the departure gate doors that I realised that it could have been any of us going home prematurely because of reasons out of our control. The possibility that I would have to go home early because of reasons other than me running out of money is certainly something that I thought about before leaving and something that we have all discussed here. Honestly if something was to happen that would force me to consider returning early I couldn't have predicted what I would do in such an unfortunate situation...until today. Seeing Dianne in that predicament it was hard not to imagine myself in her shoes and I realised that I would probably do exactly the same thing. If not just for my own piece if mind, then for the comfort of others. It's not nice thought but its one that must be considered when you are so far away from family and friends.
I will miss Dianne hugely and I regret that we parted on such sad terms.

Going back to life in slow motion.

It's only now that I've begun to settle down in Wellington that I realise how relatively fast I was going over the last two months. Even though the last eight weeks travelling were by no means strenuous or particularly high paced, looking back now except for a day here or there, none of it was boring. However, now that I've put the brakes on , I feel that life is going to reacquaint me with my old friend boredom any day now.
I hadn't much or in fact any choice about settling down for a few months. The pot of money has run dry and it was this or go home. As miserable as this sounds I didn't exactly have to be dragged from the van, kicking and screaming with the road map gripped in my white knuckled hands. I am actually quite happy to just live somewhere for a while. To have somewhere to call home for a bit, to empty the bain of my life, a.k.a. my rucksack. I've never had so much joy in hanging up my clothes before, and then quickly tearing them down again and hiding the carpet with them. Now it really feels like home. It'll be nice to get to know a place, find a local....cinema! I'm not an alco people! I've also heard that the local sailing clubs are looking for crew. Maybe a bit of Wednesday night racing? You never know. Some things will however never ever change wherever I go in the world. I still HATE work! I hate the thought of work, I hate actually doing work, I even hate leaving work because the second you do you start thinking about work the next day. I am starting to wonder how in the world I am going to do it for the rest of my life?! So, on my travels around the north island I had lost count of all the "Molly Malones" Irish pubs there were littered around the place. One time I ventured into one and was unsure about which country they were trying to imitate. It could have been Argentina!!!! Really genuine. I quickly developed a loathing for franchise Irish pubs. A real patriotic loathing!....I am now a proud member of staff at the original "Molly Malones" in Wellington. "Well, hey there bonny lass, how are ya today?! Top o' the mornin to ya! Li di diddilly li di...."Please shoot me!!!" Unfortunately beggars can't be choosers and I need employment. It's not that bad, it's quite a nice bar and restaurant actually. The only thing is that about 70% of the staff there are Irish and I was getting quite used to being the only Irish person around. After all one loud, rude, cocky, alcoholic Irish person is enough for anyone to put up with, even if it is myself. Wow, being around my own crowd again made me realise that I had forgotten what rubbish we can speak sometimes! Well, we'll see how the job goes.
I'm house sharing a sweet place across the road from the beach. It's about a 10 minute drive from town but knowing that the sea is so close, just outside my window makes the commute worth while. It's my first home away from home, hopefully I won't miss the real thing this 25th too much.

On the road again....

Wo hoo!!! I am the proud owner of a third of a van. After leaving Paihia and the bay of Islands, myself and my friends headed back down to the big shmoke in search of the dream van. It didn't take long to realise that cars, even absolutely rubbish cars can be pretty pricey around here at this time of year. Apparently had we been looking during the winter time we could pick up a car for over half the price that people charge for one come Summer time. So with our tails between our legs and broken hearts the horrible thought of travelling around in a bus started to enter my head and I could have cried. From the day I started thinking about coming to New Zealand I had always envisioned myself seeing the country from behind the wheel of a wee camper van. I am absolutely landed that that has happened now. I still can't believe it to be honest. We ended up coming back up to Paihia to buy a van that Dianne had heard about. What a steal! Only $500! It is a rust bucket and one probably couldn't give the thing away at home, but for here, the land of the bangers, a place that makes the cars on Cape Clear look posh, it's a relatively good price and one that we were happy to pay.
We were a sight today, scrubbing and hoovering every inch of it. We started with such eagerness but of course this quickly wore off. However some parts of the former plumbers work van will have to settle for being permanently covered with a blanket or stuffed with tissue and never looked at again. eg. the patch of carpet by the door absolutely caked in dirt, or the many holes home to even more spiders and various creatures. It all adds character. Or so we keep telling ourselves. No, seriously it isn't the nightmare I'm making it out to be. After the cleaning earlier it looks a damn sight better. The fun is in the driving though. I know many of you posh people at home won't remember or may never even have experienced it before but having absolutely zero power steering makes for an interesting trip. Wo, you have to be strong. I tell you now, I'll have some guns at the end of this tour. I feel like we should devise some system for the tricky corners in which we each have a rope to pull just cause some bends are too much for one human. It's all good fun.
So, we went to the N.Z. version of Lidl today to pick up some basics, including dirt cheap sleeping bags, fleecy blankets, curtains and of course the all important spray paint!! Don't worry, much thought will be put into the designs for the exterior of our new home and each country will be properly represented. Needless to say, the shamrock will feature many times, along with other flora and signs of peace, after all what is the point of having a van if it isn't spreading the message of love.....? And spreading the smell of another certain flower (just kidding folkes). We will stay one more night in The Bay and move on tomorrow. We're gonna treat ourselves to a final night of hostel luxury and dive head first into the probably very smelly, often uncomfortable but wonderfully liberating world of campervaners tomorrow. We will head to Cape Reinge, the tip top of the country, and on the way take a few wrong turns, meander down a few intriguing looking dirt roads and definitely get lost a few times, just because we can.

I'm so excited. Please check out my photos of the last few days in Auckland. You can access them through a link here on my blog now. I will put up pics of the van soon. Bye for now.

The luck of the Irish....

Hello home, here's a thought....

I never really understood or believed in the phrase "the luck of the Irish" because I thought I wasn't an exceptionally lucky person. I'm not talking about having ones health luck or having a normal, pleasant childhood luck. I mean silver spoon luck. Always winning raffles and picking up the huge bingo jackpot on that one annual excursion to the Goleen community hall. I can still remember that one girl in primary school who always won the Easter egg or over sized teddy in the raffle at the end of each term. Every year, the same old thing, never giving anyone else a chance. Always that one girl, Ashling. Lucky cow. Then I'd hear that phrase again..."the luck of the Irish.." A bit general really eh? I mean I know a couple of "lucky" people but certainly not a nation of them, not 4 million of them. Not even that relatively small group of Irish rugby men have been very lucky recently, rather bloody unfortunate actually. And where did the saying originate from? Maybe it started flying around during those 800 years of slavery and persecution. Yeah, sometimes you just have to thank your lucky stars, don't you?....right....bullshit.

That's what I used to think when I thought of that phrase. Now, being an Irish person in a very foreign land I think I've figured out what it really means. In New Zealand, a country full of tourists, kiwi's seem to have it programmed into their heads to ask everyone where they have come from, whether they want to or not. "Where are you from?....Canada?...oh lovely.....Germany?..that's interesting.....England?...hmmm.... IRELAND??? I love Ireland? What part are you from? I love your accent. I'm part Irish you know, my grandfathers grandfathers, cousin once removed was from there....." They actually light up and are mad to talk to a genuine article. Their eyes dancing to the rhythm of my Cork tune. I've actually been picked up off my feet when I told someone (not a mental patient) that I was Irish. I love it. And these memories give me strength when someone mistakes me for an English person, or says"but I thought Ireland is part of the U.K..." Breath.

I know that it is simply a figure of speech, not to be taken literally, but I like to think now maybe there is something to it. When you can travel to the other side of the world and being Irish allows you to feel as welcome and as at home as you do in your own country then you have to feel pretty damn lucky....

Now if we could just win some rugby matches then I'll surely burst with good auld country pride.

So, the plans have changed......again.

Yeah, so we've done the Russell thing and we're going slightly grey from the boredom and randomness. I came to New Zealand for the awe inspiring scenery and extreme fun, not for the yawn inspiring wee local tourist towns. The weekend was very busy but from our side of the bar it wasn't exactly fun. We tried to make up for our lousy weekend shift by going out two nights ago, but unfortunately a lot of the boats had left and had apparently left the weirdo's after them. Another random night in Russell.
To my shock and dismay, New Zealand yachties do in fact JUST drink rum and coke. What are ye? women?....have a beer!!!! I think it's definitely an elitist thing though...ooh I drink rum, I'm a sailor, ooh. Also, they are actually animals. Smashing tables etc. I have a new found tolerance for the people who shop in my beloved Matthews. They're just rude. At least they know how to have a proper drink and not make a fricken show of themselves. That said the boats did look fantastic and I do hope to get out sailing soon.
Before we hit the road I do want to make the most of the good weather and beautiful scenery here, so the plan for our 2nd day off tomorrow is to pick up a disposable bbq and head to the stunning white sands of Long Beach about a 15 minute walk from here. As for tonight we're gonna live it up in Paihia, the life and soul of The Bay of Islands. We are gonna try something new though just to mix it up a little. We're gonna try out this thing called a "budget"??? I'm being unbelievably the opposite of tight...which would be loose I guess. I'm Eddie Hobb's wet dream. Sorry for the vulgarity but I think that sums up my fiduciary problems best. So penny pinching to the extreme from now on.
So that's about it for now. Hopefully when I check in again we'll be our way to get a car and do some proper exploring (getting very lost). I'll write again soon. I'm trying to upload some photos. There's not many, well not many relative to the amount of photos I have taken. I'm just going to put up enough for you all to get a taste of life out here. As you would imagine the main star of most of these pictures is my friend, Mr. Beer. Bye for now, Steph.x

The many wonders of teeny tiny Russell...

So I'm gonna try out Russell for a while. Russell is the much quieter, much emptier, slightly peculiar town across the bay from Paihia. In an effort to save a bit of money by not having expensive temptations (ie. surf shops, tours, bars, pubs, bars, pubs, more pubs....) myself and my friend have moved here and begun work in the local fawlty towers like hotel. I don't mean that in bad way, the people are lovely and I for one look forward to the bazil like antics. We've realised that word travels fast in a small town like Russell and are beginning to feel like a certain "yank" who once arrived in Ireland with hopes of buying a field. Hopefully we won't share the same fate as it didn't work out too well for him.
Once a year an unlikely Russell becomes the sailing centre of the country when it welcomes sailors from Auckland who finish here after a coastal race to the bay of Islands. An expected 250 boats are due to arrive here at about 10 pm here tonight. This large regatta is without doubt the biggest thing to happen in this area all year, though as you may have guessed that would not be hard. Despite being offered a place crewing or helming a boat in the dinghy regatta nearby I'll be surprised if I get a glimpse of a yacht as my soul belongs to the very busy hotel this weekend. I start work this afternoon at 4 pm and finish at 2 am. Sarah begins at 2 am when I finish and will work through the night until midday tomorrow. According to our boss the rowdy sailors will only be drinking only rum by the gallon and may become frisky when they see the pretty waitresses, "they've been at sea and will get excited when they get on land in search of girls and rum". Maybe the pacific sea air does different things to the mind than the Atlantic, or maybe my boss has never actually met a sailor (rich, sometimes rude, but generally not an animal) but I'm gonna take his word for it and prepare myself for the worst. I'm ready for a combination of Captain Jack Sparrow and Fr. Jack to walk through those hotel doors. Hehe, comedy at it's best.
Anyway, that's about it. I'll let you know how the weekend goes and try and have a rough estimate of how many innocent women were impregnated. Scoundrels of the sea. Bye for now.

I could watch the rain back home...thanks

I didn't spend 2k on a plane ticket to the southern hemisphere to watch the rain, but unfortunately today it seems like I did. And according to the forecast tomorrow won't be very different. It is torrential outside right now!!! I have yet to get a job. I'm allergic to the idea of it. Yuck, work. But I am becoming worried about the lack of budgeting I've been doing and at least when I start getting a pay cheque I can put that concern to the back of my mind. I'm getting annoyed with myself now that I haven't yet done any of the touristy stuff. After all I am a tourist. I haven't even gone swimming yet!!! That's so embarrassing!!! In fact I promise now to shake off the hangover that I know I'll have tomorrow, wriggle into my wetsuit which I dragged across the world and run down the street into the pacific. I've applied for a couple of sailing jobs here but nothing has come from them yet. I really have found it difficult to get an instructing job here, or any job on the water, tours and day sails for example. Despite my experience on the water and teaching I just can't get a look in. In my experience it's a lot easier to get coaching work back home. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I hate job searching!
I'm being ambitious and planning on waking up at 7.30 am tomorrow morning(Sunday) to watch the England v France match. If France insist on knocking every other deserving country out of the tournament (and other continental competitions) then the least they can do is take out England. I'm going to leave it there for now. When I post next time I'll fill you in on how the water was, what occupation has called to me and what is the best touristy thing to do in Northland. Bye for now, Steph.

Over a week now....

Right so, I'm here over a week now and am stilll very much alive. Mind you it was touch and go there for a while, turns out New Zealand hangovers are unfortunately just as bad as Irish hangovers. I'm now in Paihia after travelling up here from Auckland. The city was awesome, a fantastic harbour littered with sailing boats but I got itchy feet for the countryside and the beach. So, Paihia is a small little tourist town. I think maybe a little too touristy for my liking. It's pretty, nice scenery and wot not but I can't help feeling it's just not as special as I was hoping for. I'm sure that untouched, special town/village is just around the corner waiting for me and until I find it I think I'll keep wandering around a bit. I'm anxious to start working but I've decided not to sacrifice the dream by settling down somewhere only semi special. I want New Zealands version of Crookaven. It's not that much to ask is it? I don't think I'm setting my sights too high. This place is renowned for some of the most spectacular places in the world. I'm sure I'll find somewhere that the second I get there i'll feel it immedately.
However, I'm not made of money unfortunately. So if I don't find that perfect place soon I will head down to Wellington with a friend, where we hear there will be work available in a few weeks.
So that's about it for the moment. For now I am still alive, flaking through the money( which is not as enjoyable as it was at home where I have two parents to keep me fed and sheltered) and pretty much happy to be here. I'm dying to see a proper beach with a sweet surf (and a couple of sweet surfers on it) , then I think I'll know I'm here!!!!

Gonna head north...

Well, I arrived safe and sound in Auckland after a long and tiring journey. I've been here now two days, I think, still trying to wrap my head around the time. The original plan was to stay in Auckland and work for a good few months but I have had a slight change of heart. The updated plan now is to head north to the sun which seems to have abondoned Auckland for the most part. This place is plagued with sudden torrential downpours. Luckily I am used to this annoyance and remain unfazed. I have my mind focused on the upcoming Summer and so my new destination is the beach!
I think I have secured a job in the bay of Islands, specifically Paihia. The beaches are rumoured to be spectacular. Hopefully I'll be there soon and will post again from new home. Later.

Well, here I go...I must be mad!!!

Just a few hours before "take off". My tummy is doing summersaults of course, but in a goodish way I think. Don't really know what I think. All I do know is that it's too late now to back out, not that I ever really considered it. So, farewell Ireland....The land I love so much. x