Friday, 22 November 2013
Homesickness and how to battle it
In my opinion, travelling is one of the best things a person can do. To try something new. To experience something completely different. Trying out a new spicy dish in India, staying in a monistary in Thailand, pet a kangoroo in Australia, hiking in "Middle Earth", posing next to Big Ben and meeting new people from all over the world; that's living.
Saturday, 16 November 2013
The road so far
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Sweet potatoes planted |
Monday, 11 November 2013
Moving to Auckland
First I'd like to give a huge thank you to my friends in Tauranga who have supported me this week. Giving me a place to stay, food and support. I am forever in your debt and promise I will make it up to you in the future.
Also thanks to my friends and family back home in Europe, who've given me comforting words over Skype.
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One 90 litre hiking backpack, a 25 litre daypack and one bag containing my lunch and jacket. That's all my possessions (here in NZ). Backpacking and travelling on a limited budget makes you really think WHAT to pack and HOW to pack it.
As a result of quitting my job on Friday, two things happened; one, I became unemployed (obviously). Two, I became homeless. But you know what? It didn't scare me.
There's ALWAYS a job. It could be working as a cleaner at night in a supermarket or as a bartender in the trendiest part of town. My point is, there's always a job out there. And this year is also teaching me to let go and just take a leap of faith that everything will be fine.
I'm now waiting for the Intercity coach to take me up to Auckland, where I've managed to get some work on a farm, planting potatoes, for the next 1-2 weeks. It's not paid, but I work for food and accommodation (I will do a post about WWOOFing sometime later this week). It will allow me to take the train in to the city on days off and apply for jobs.
Any job. Pub, club, shop, kindergarten...everything.
I have really enjoyed my time in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui. It's a beautiful place with amazing beaches and a laid back and relaxed lifestyle. So if all goes after plan, I'll come back to Tauranga for Christmas to see my friends.
But for now, I'm off to the big city of Auckland. See ya!
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(This post was published through a mobile device, so please excuse any spelling mistakes, basic photo editing or the general layout of the post.)
Saturday, 9 November 2013
TOP TRAVEL APPS FOR YOUR TRIP
I use it to take pictures (lots of pictures), update social media, check emails, manage my bank accounts, make notes, communicate with people back home, organize my travels, send postcards and GPS guide, on the numerous occasions when I find myself in a new city with absolutely no idea where I am.
My top travel apps 2013
Pro Capture (media)
Photo Grid (media)
News 360 (news/media)

One of the worlds top messinging apps. No username. No password. All you need is your phone number and you're good to go. When they add support to add several numbers, I'll praise it even more.

Opera Mini (communication)

PayPal (money)
In addition to day to day bank apps, like Natwest, Westpac or DNB, PayPal is great tool to transfer money across borders. Unlike traditional bank transfers, which often cost a lot of money, PayPal offers a cheap way to receive/send money around the world.
Triposo (travel guide)

Trip Advisor (travel guide)
Trip Advisor is probably my favourite travel app, because it's so comprehensive. It shows you restaurants, clubs, hotels, sights, attractions and more. On each listing you'll be able to read any reviews people have written. It's a great alternative to the standard "touristy" guidebooks.
Couchsurfing (community)

Juicedefender (lifesaver...)
Touchnote postcards (communication)

Bobs World Clock (tools)
Got friends all over the world? Or like to keep track when your favourite show is out in NY? This app will do just that. It's simple, it's easy to use and it takes hardly any space. You can add it to your home screen as a widget, showing up to five different locations.
Trip It
This app will organize and sort out all your bookings in an easy to access system. All you have to do is forward your travel itineraries to plans@tripit.com and it will build a custom itinerary for you (PS. Make sure you create an account first). You can also share it with friends and family, so they can easily see your route.

Sunday, 3 November 2013
VIKING ACTIVITY: The OGO
Located about 5 minutes outside Rotorua city centre (and next to the Skyline and Luge), it's perfect if you don't have a car or only have a day to do activities.
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We got the 99$ deal, which gives you three rides + we paid $40 ($5 each) to have the photos on a DVD. So all in all not bad. I say, if you've got $99 and you want to do something different and that's guarantied to make you laugh, then I say OGO is your thing.
(Conversion: 10$NZ = £5 / 8.30$USD / €6, 03/11/13)
Firstly the ball is filled with warm water and then you do a Superman and jump, or rather dive, into the ball. Then you, and possibly your partner(s), start rolling down the hill. At first you might do a feeble attempt of standing up straight and running, but I can assure you that will last mere seconds. After that it's arse over tit down the hill, often accompanied by an absurd amount of laughter. You can't help it. Is the thrill of rolling down a hill? Is it the dizzy sensation you get? Or is it that you just realised you've paid to roll down a hill in a piece of plastic? The latter being definitely worth it.
My friend Perine and I |
If you're in Rotorua and want to try something new, cool and absolutely bonkers, then I suggest you do an OGO.