I blinked and two months went by.
Why didn’t time pass like this when I was working?!
We have had one hell of an experience in New Zealand. The scenery was beautiful and pictures don't even do it justice. I lose count of how many times while we were driving that I said, “This looks like a picture.” Between the rolling mountains, beaches, volcanoes, and desert like views- you really can experience and see it all. Since I don’t want to clutter these posts with tons of photos [it’s hard not to do!], Adam captures some incredible moments which you can find on his Instagram here. This awesome shot is from our boat trip through Milford Sound in the South Island of New Zealand on March 11th.
Why didn’t time pass like this when I was working?!
We have had one hell of an experience in New Zealand. The scenery was beautiful and pictures don't even do it justice. I lose count of how many times while we were driving that I said, “This looks like a picture.” Between the rolling mountains, beaches, volcanoes, and desert like views- you really can experience and see it all. Since I don’t want to clutter these posts with tons of photos [it’s hard not to do!], Adam captures some incredible moments which you can find on his Instagram here. This awesome shot is from our boat trip through Milford Sound in the South Island of New Zealand on March 11th.
We will forever remember Little Wing [Elliott] and the treasures he gave us. We were gifted our first pieces of New Zealand Jade [also known as greenstone or Pounamu] and kauri gum from Elliott. For New Zealand’s Māori people, Pounamu is of great cultural and spiritual value, and is considered tapu or sacred. You are also told that you should never buy your first piece of Pounamu, but you should be gifted it. Luck us!! In addition, Adam walked away with a red stag antler carved into what they call Hei Matau [fish hook]. The fish hook signifies abundance and plenty, strength and determination. It is believed to bring peace, prosperity and good health. It is a device for catching good luck and energy, and is believed to provide safe journey over water. It is therefore considered a good luck charm by travellers, boaties, fishermen and surfers.
It’s incredible what friendly conversation can bring you.
Elliott has since wrote us from our website and ended one of his emails with: “Keep the sun on your faces and the wind on your backs.” I love it.
We must always remember to try to see the positive in every situation. I am not as good at this as Adam is, which I am constantly trying to work on. Traveling around is about taking chances which may drive those over-planners like me C-R-A-Z-Y!! Oddly enough, things that we have no plan at all with sometimes seem to work out just as good as those that we plan. SOMETIMES. Having said that, I will always try to plan! I sleep better at night that way...
Adam was inspired to write up a list of tips for traveling the world- almost all of which we have encountered since the start of our journey. You can find his list here on GuyManningham.com- thanks, Shannon!
Some other things that we have come across worth mentioning…
- Airbnb= Yes. Yes. YES!
- Credit Card Fraud
- NZ Rent a Car from Hell
- Early flight? Accommodation a la airport beanbag!
- T’s & C’s will get you every time.
- And on another note, TOUGH MUDDER!!!
- Kangaroo!
Airbnb= Yes. Yes. YES!
Airbnb has proved to be a success while in New Zealand and Australia. HUGE thanks to Anna in Wellington and our newly dear friend John in Wanaka- you made us feel at home while we are so far away. Anna made sure we had enough food and knew our way around while John cooked up and enjoyed an amazing pasta dinner with us and sent us off with some of his INCREDIBLE pumpkin cake. I HIGHLY suggest utilizing AirBnb.com if you are traveling around. We are 3 for 3 with having luck finding great spots to stay. Low cost and you have all the benefits of being in a home- showers, kitchen, internet, etc.
I am currently writing this from an Airbnb location on Frankston South, Australia. There is another couple [Anja from Germany and Antonio from Italy] staying here as well so not only do you have accommodation, but you are meeting people from all around the world- and they are awesome! Adam and I were blown away by the kindness from the couple whose house we are staying at [Chris & Noel]. I posted about it on Facebook, but I have to mention it again. It is amazing the people you meet while traveling. I stated, “We rented a room for before and after the Tough Mudder and the couple that owns the house is incredible. They are both so sweet but they took it to another level. We woke up to get ready for the Mudder this morning and there were over 6 of these signs posted all over the house, and even one was on the windshield of the car. It's the small things that people do that mean the most.”
We gathered all the signs and put them in the car for luck and support!! We had a blast at the Tough Mudder and I truly think the little extra motivation from the signs helped! They sent us off with a donation to Legacy Australia and upon our return back from the Mudder, Chris wrapped my sprained ankle and provided me with some wonderful herbal cream to help with the swelling and bruising. I may be bruised and sprained, but I still finished!! Thank you, Chris!!
Oh, and another plus- unlimited WIFI which means I can Skype home!! Love you, mom, dad, Chloe, & Joey! :)
Credit Card Fraud
Watch your accounts!!! I am 2/2 with fraud since we have left. I booked a rental car and room in Australia, next thing I know I have $1700 in charges on my card from some random place in Australia. I contacted my bank immediately and they notified me that someone physically swiped a card for those charges… which is even scarier since I had it in my possession, and I was still in New Zealand at the time. This being the only card I had that doesn’t have an “international fee” for purchases [which is also something to look out for when traveling], I was stuck waiting for a new card to be sent to me in another country...somewhere. Twice. Watch for fraud!
NZ Rent a Car from Hell
We had a wicked experience with car rentals in the South Island so it’s not always worth going toward the cheaper option with things. Our vehicle broke down and turned out the alternator went. The rental car company [New Zealand Rent a Car= NEVER USE THEM!] gave us a few ridiculous suggestions to fix the situation: 1- Since it was Saturday, wait until Monday and make an appointment at the nearest shop to get the alternator fixed. We would also have to deal with getting it towed. 2- We would have to separate. They would pay for only one of us to take a bus to one of their locations to get a new vehicle. They would not bring one to us. At some point, they would come and retrieve the dead vehicle. 3- End the hire. GREAT OPTIONS. Needless to say, we were stuck for 2 days at a motel dealing with this and another branch finally brought us a vehicle. They are not compensating us for anything but one day of the rental. The car broke down at 10pm and apparently they wanted us to sleep in the vehicle in a random parking lot until they decided to help us out. What an awful company. Never again.
Early flight? Accommodation a la airport beanbag!
Our flight from Christchurch [South Island] to Auckland [North Island] was at 6:30am. Paying to stay somewhere and having to be at the airport by 4:30 wasn’t worth it…so we headed to the airport the night prior. Not even 10 minutes at the airport and we were approached by a security guard asking if we planned to spend the night- the packs must have given it away. She gave us wrist bands and told us to go to the Air Lounge- you pay $5 and can stay the night. First come first serve bean bags to sleep on are available as well. Guess who were the two first people in line? Beanbags- success!!
T’s & C’s will get you every time.
Read the Terms & Conditions!! It’s usually a bunch of tiny print that you don’t want to get into... but you’ll regret it if you don’t. We booked our flights from NZ to Australia IN the airport when they told us we couldn’t board the flight unless we had a flight out. We didn’t really have time to read the T’s & C’s but the flights were CHEAP so it was perfect! Priceline.com is great until you arrive at the airport. Our flights were $130 which was lovely. We arrive at the counter to check in and get our tickets and the airline worker sated we did not note we were checking bags [as Priceline didn’t give the option [that we could see] when booking on mobile]. “No problem!” she said. “It will be $110 a person to check your bag” WHAT?! How could it possible cost that much to check a bag. Their max for carry-on luggage was 7kg [about 15lbs] and our packs weighed way more than that. Lesson learned. Again, don’t always trust the cheap.
And on another note, TOUGH MUDDER!!!
We earned our x2 Tough Mudder bright green headbands that will now travel with us for the rest of our journey. We are beat up. Bruised. Achy. Chaffed. Bandaged and Sprained. But would I trade it? Not a chance.
There’s just nothing like a Tough Mudder.
One final thing that makes me smile from ear to ear… we saw kangaroos on our way out of the Mudder!!
We really ARE in Australia! :)
