Rotorua

Sonja & I arrived at our hostel in Rotorua a couple of days ago. We were greeted to the city by the distinct smell of sulfer in the air. Mia sent us a comforting text upon our arrival to say "...and remember it always smells like that in Rotorua; it's not that you need a shower." =) Our hostel looked perfect on paper---huge indoor rock climbing room (not just a wall--an entire massive room), free tea & coffee, $2 per hour internet, pool table, indoor cinema, etc. Well, the only thing particularly enjoyable about this hostel was the $2 per hour internet. The main lounge area that had the pool table, the tea & coffee, the nice couches, a TV and ALL of the computers was also in the same area as reception. So, at 10:00 pm, when they closed reception, they also closed that entire area & kicked everyone out---no more internet, computer time, or pool after 10:00. It was like being 16 again with a curfew haha. Plus, our dorm room was literally right above a bar that (although remaining completely empty all night), played music sooo loud that you would have thought you were above some popular hot night club. Needless to say, we haven't gotten our best nights of sleep in Rotorua.

The first day we arrived in town, we were able to get booked in to go see Hells Gate. A shuttle picked
 us up right down the road from the hostel & drove us out about 20 minutes to our destination. Hells Gate is a massive geothermal hotspot that has tons of boiling mudpools, sulfur pools, steaming cliffs...you get the picture. It was cool---it was just that Sonja & I weren't the most chipper people in the world as of that morning & therefore had a difficult time enjoying it. Plus, once you've seen one boiling pool of mud or one hot sulfer pool , you've seen them all. However, after we had walked around the whole park, we were able to go into a heated mud pool, plus a couple of thermally heated pools. We were only allowed to stay in the mud pool for 20 minutes, then we had to go to the outside showers that were right around the corner to wash off all of the mud. Let me just tell you, those showers were FREEZING. Brrrrrrrr! However, after those incredibly refreshing showers, we were allowed to go into the themally heated pools. The pools were REALLY warm, like hot tub warm. So, we only stayed in the water for a short time before getting changed back into our clothes.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that we had to take off absolutely all jewelry before getting into the pools & the sign they made us read before getting into the pools also said not to put jewelry back on for at least 24 hours after swimming. So, what did I immediately do after swimming? Yeah, I just went ahead & put all of my rings and necklaces right back on. I follow directions so well. Within seconds, all of my silver jewelry had tarnished from the sulfur on my skin. Luckily, our driver overheard me talking about it before we headed back to the hostel, and he went back inside the Hells Gate shop & dipped them in jewelry cleaner for me. Magically, my favorite rings and necklace were back to normal! He put them in this little baggie for me & said with a smile and Kiwi accent, "Now, don't put these back on until you leave Rotorua." =) I am following directions this time.

Yesterday, we went to a place called Te Puia that had an active geyser, plus a large scenic area to walk around and....drum roll please....see MORE mud pools & steaming sulfer pools haha. It was actually really nice though. The park itself was really pretty, set in the mountains. It had some nice walking paths, some Maori culture experiences, plus an exhibit for the Kiwi bird! Now, keep in mind that Sonja & I were really excited to see the Kiwi bird because although we've been in NZ for almost 2 months now & have seen pictures of the bird everywhere, we've never actually seen one. So, when you first walk into the exhibit (before you see the bird or anything), there is a sign that talks about how you can't take any pictures or videos of the Kiwi, that the Kiwi bird is noctural, and that you must keep all noise and talking to a bare minimum once you are inside the exhibit. So, we excitedly walked further inside, around this corner, and into this room that was almost pitch black.

We then followed this barely lit pathway around & came to the Kiwi's actual exhibit....which was also almost pitch black. When we first walked in, we caught a 1/2 second glance of the backside of one Kiwi hopping away into the darkness. Then, after straining our eyes for what seemed like too long trying to spot the stupid thing again, it just looked as though we were intently staring at this dimly-lit exhibit full of nothing but twigs and branches--certainly no Kiwis running all over the place. Sonja & I just looked at each other with the same face as if to say "Are you kidding me??!" Yeah, it was amusing. Luckily, we went back later & the one Kiwi that I think was even in there came back out and showed itself off a bit. Mission accomplished.

Besides Hells Gate and Te Puia, we just spent our time in Rotorua walking around town, went into some shops & ate at a couple places. It was a bigger town than most of the others we have been to in NZ. Last night, we went back to the hostel & found everyone crowded around the only lounge area still available (since you know..it was after 10:00 & the good lounge was already closed). They were sitting on the couches & on the floor intently focused on whatever was playing on the TV. Sonja & I sat down on the floor to join in as well, only to realize that the film they were so intent on watching was "A Bee Movie." Yeahhh...not exactly our idea of a rockin night in NZ. Soo, we got back up & went out for a beer instead. We went to one of the only bars still open in town & it turned out to be a perfect end to our stay in Rotorua...live music, familiar songs, and a good atmosphere. Our trip to Rotorua was also a success because Sonja & I finally found the traditional NZ necklaces we have been wanting. Although the four main shapes are the same wherever you go in NZ, the specific designs vary from shop to shop & from city to city. So, we both found our perfectly designed necklaces yesterday & bought them for each other. It was quite fitting since tomorrow we will be separating for the first time in 2 months & part of the meaning behind our chosen shapes is for a safe journey. It will be a bit strange not being with my little Sontsa, but I will see her again in a couple of weeks =)

Cheers,
Ash

Homesick for Napier



I wrote this blog yesterday, but due to a retarded internet connection, I had to post it today:

I came to New Zealand knowing that this experience would be special---seeing amazing sights, doing some crazy things like skydiving & bungee jumping, and meeting other backpackers from around the world. I did not come here, however, with the slightest clue of just how much of an impact I would make on the people I'd be meeting or the impact that they would make on me. It's incredible. It is a strange feeling to know that I have made more of an impact on & been truly loved by some people here that I have only known for a short number of weeks than people from America who I knew for months or years, had long friendships with, or even people I had been in relationships with. (Of couse, I am lucky enough to know some amazing people in America too & I have some absolutely fantastic friends!) It just seems though that the majority of people here are just different. The people I have met in New Zealand, particularly in Napier, will always hold a huge place in my heart.

Carl, Dylan, and Mia woke up extra early this morning for the sole reason of going to the bus station to see Sonja & I off; they all just asked when our bus left & informed us that they would be there. Sonja, Mia & I all cried when we had to say goodbye; Carl & Dylan's eyes were on the verge of welling up with tears but they held it together much better than us gals. Carl said that over the 2 years he has worked at the restaurant and seen 40+ waitresses come and go, we were two of the special few who have made a deep impression on him. Dylan, who has also worked there 2 years, agreed. Yesterday, we also had to say goodbye to Megan (which also involved some tears), Beau, Greg, Rory, and Neil. There were some others from work & from the hostel as well that I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to & wish I had. Leaving Napier today was like leaving home...and I honestly felt sick to my stomach.

On a lighter note, the past few days leading up to this morning were good, although slightly emotional as well. My last shift at work was Sunday morning---I trained two new girls, got talked down to by an old miserable rich couple who were eating breakfast at the restaurant, and then had a little cry with Carl because it was our last time working together. However, the day got better because on Sunday afternoon, Sonja & I went with Mia to Cape Kidnappers, an awesome spot right outside of Napier. To get there, Mia drove us in the Archie's Backpackers van (the hostel van) to a nearby town about 20 minutes away called Clive. From there, a man on a big tractor came and picked us up, along with about 18 other people. The tractor had a trailer attached to it that had seats built in all the way around the edges, with the seats facing outward. So, we all hopped on & away we went toward Cape Kidnappers.

The tractor took us along the beach, in the ocean, and around all of these huge rocks in the water and in the sand, while on the other side of us stood these huge cliffs. It was quite picturesque. Along the way, the driver stopped & pointed out places in the cliffs where you could see evidence of past earthquakes that had hit the area...one place in particular showed a shift in the earth of 21 feet! The tractor ride over to Cape Kidnappers lasted about an hour; once we reached our destination, we climbed up a 'path' on these beautiful green hills. At the top was a huge colony of birds called Gannets--kind of like huge seagulls & of course a wonderful view of Cape Kidnappers. After wandering around for a while & taking pictures, we all headed back down the hills & onto the tractor again. The ride back was so beautiful--gorgeous sunset over the ocean!

The next two days, I spent a lot of time with Mia when Sonja was working during the evenings. Yesterday afternoon, Carl & Megan picked Sonja & I up from the hostel, and we all went to a fish and chips shop. We got our food to-go & took it to the beach for a little going-away picnic. It was really lovely. Sonja got off of work early on Tues evening, so we decided to walk to Pizza Hut (about a 20-minute walk) for a nice, healthy meal. A few minutes into our walk, we heard a familiar voice & saw that Beau had come to pick us up in his car and take us there instead, so that was a nice surprise. After getting our pizza, Sonja, Mia & I spent the evening together at the hostel eating & then watching a movie until 1:30 am. It was so strange to pack all of our stuff & have to put those darn backpacks on again.

Sonja & I are now in Rotorua...but I will update about that later.

Missing Napier,
Ash

Bringing Napier to a Conclusion

Well, tomorrow is my last day of work here in Napier; the feeling is bittersweet. I'm really anxious to do some more traveling around New Zealand, but at the same time, it is going to be very sad to leave all of the wonderful people who we have met here. I was soooo lucky to get this job with absolutely no waitressing, barista, or housekeeping experience. Now, I can gladly put on my resume that I have all of the above from a 5-star hotel! Plus, my boss told me that he can guarantee me a job almost anywhere in NZ & that all I need to do is call him before I head somewhere and he'll get things moving. So, next time I need to save up some extra money to have more NZ adventures, I should be covered =)

Napier is actually a really nice town---verrry pretty. Beautiful, tall palm trees are everywhere! I'm positive that this little town has more palm trees in it than most cities in Florida. Plus, Napier has wonderful green mountains, a couple of gorgeous parks, flowers everywhere, christmas tree lights year round by the beach, a lovely fountain that changes colors in the evening, and just a really nice, clean spotless feel to it. The only thing this town is missing is a nightlife. Oh, and another thing I love about Napier is that Sonja & I always see people we know when we are walking around town. It's such a strange feeling to be walking down the road in a country practically as far away from the United States as it gets & run into people I know. Napier is so small though & we know so many people here now, that it happens all the time. I will miss that =)

One other sidenote about Napier: it is known for this 'amazing' Art Deco architecture. Shortly after we arrived here, we noticed that we always saw these random groups consisting of about 10-20 people walking around the city with cameras and awestruck looks on their faces staring at the surrounding shops, hotels, and cafes. It was the strangest thing. Sonja & I kept thinking, "What the hell are they all staring at??" It was later that we realized all of these crazy people were actually on guided Art Deco tours of the city. Okay, I realize I haven't been to a ton of places around the world, but I HAVE been enough places to know that the architecture here is far from amazing. Nonetheless, without fail, you always see numerous groups of these people all over Napier walking around on guided tours just in complete awe of the buildings. I can't imagine what their faces would look like if they saw architecture that was actually worth a guided tour...they would need a hell of a lot more film for all of their picture-taking! Every time we walk by those groups, I give Sonja my own dubbed version of the Art Deco tour that is going on--"And here, you can see a cafe that has a slightly curved top and some intricate squiggle lines over the entrance..." Haha. I think, as much as I hate to admit it, I will actually miss seeing those ridiculous tours as well =).

Sonja's last day of work is Tuesday, so we will be headed out of Napier on the bus early Wednesday morning! We will go to Rotorua for a couple of days, then off to Waitomo for a day or two. Rotorua has a lot of geothermal activity & the whole city actually smells of sulfur. Ignoring the not-so-pleasant smell, however, there are some really cool things to do. We will check out some huge geysers, hang out in the mud pools & thermal springs, and check out a volcanic valley. In Waitomo, we will explore the glow worm caves, which will involve repelling down into the caves on harnesses, crawling around a bit, then blackwater rafting inside the caves while surrounded by all of the lights of the glow worms! Awesome? I think so. After Waitomo, I will head up to Waiheke Island for a couple of weeks while Sonja goes to Taupo to try & get a temporary job there. The plan is for her to save enough money so that when I come back down from Waiheke Island, she & I can SKYDIVE in Taupo!! That's right...little shy Ashley is going to jump out of a plane at about 12,000 feet above the ground. What can I say...NZ makes sane people lose their mind =)

Cheers,
Ash

Work & Play in Napier

It finally happened...this past weekend, I began to feel a bit sad and homesick for the first time in 7 weeks. It was my first birthday away from my family and closest friends, and it turned out to be a bit more difficult than I had expected. I'm so glad Sonja was here with me though--she gave me a big birthday hug first thing in the morning & kept trying to cheer me up. The homesick feeling only lasted for a couple of days, and now I am back to being quite chipper. Sonja's birthday is in May, so we have decided that for each other's birthday gifts, we are going to buy each other these traditional New Zealand necklaces that are really popular all over the country. The pendants are normally carved out of bone & have different meanings depending on their shapes--it is bad luck to buy one for yourself, so it works out perfectly that we can buy them for each other.

I haven't spoken much about work, and since that is a big part of my life in Napier, I thought I would elaborate. Work has been interesting. I have been waitressing the breakfast shifts, and then running the laundry room after breakfast. It's strange but I have actually been enjoying the laundry room--I'm in there by myself for the most part, constantly moving, managing the washers and dryers, folding everything to "5-star perfection," using the pressing machine that gets over 150 degrees celcius & jamming out to the radio...kind of relaxing. The funny thing is that at home (or at the hostel), I HATE laundry. I have always been one of those people that procrastinates doing laundry sooo long that it gets to the point that I literally can't fit another sock into my laundry bag. And ironing...forget it; if I own a shirt that requires ironing, it is guaranteed to stay wrinkled. Sonja & I have also done some more housekeeping work since my last blog. Let me just say that I would die if I had to do that for a living. After 3 days of helping in housekeeping, Sonja & I came back to the hostel feeling like we had aged 50 years--our backs hurt, our feet were killing us, and all we wanted to do was lay down & sleep haha.

Our boss, the hotel owner, is quite a character. He is very wealthy & owns properties all over New Zealand. A few days ago, he came into the kitchen and asked if Sonja, Beau or I had a drivers license. I answered yes first, so he told me to follow him. (You can drive in NZ on a non-NZ license for up to 1 year). We went outside to the parking area across from work, and I saw that he had somehow accumulated all three of his cars there. He handed me the keys to his $380,000 convertible, reminded me multiple times that it was a $380,000 vehicle, and told me to just follow him up the hill so he could drop one of his cars off at his house. Ha! I got in the convertible, started the car with this crazy looking key & immediately knew that this was a very bad idea haha. The driver's seat is on the right side of the car, the gearshift is on the left, and you drive on the left side of the road in NZ. After a short moment, I told my boss in so many words that it wasn't a good idea for me to drive his incredibly valuable vehicle 'just up the hill' haha. Luckily, he got someone else to do it =)

Last night, Sonja & I had our long-awaited dinner with Carl and his fiance Megan! Carl came & picked us up from the hostel, drove us around the corner & up this scenic hill, then took a left turn up this incredibly steep driveway to their house. It was awesome--the house is set on the hill overlooking part of Napier and the ocean, plus you could see the mountains in the distance. Oh, and inside, it is kind of a loft setup & to get to the bathroom, you have to open this hatch in the floorboard, and go down this ladder! (You can also go downstairs, out the front door, and then go around to the bathroom through a proper door, but that is just not nearly as fun). I used the hatch & it was awesome haha. To add to the excitement, they have pets!! It had been so long since Sonja & I had been able to interact with animals, so we were thrilled. They have a long-haired pug, a pomeranian, a beautiful persian Himalayan cat, another sweet cat, two goats, chickens, and birds! The goats were hilarious--they acted like dogs when we were petting them in their grass area. Our dinner was delicious (of course), and we had such a great evening with Carl & Megan. It will be soo hard to say goodbye to them when we leave Napier. Sonja also cooked a traditional Finnish meal for Hayley & Mark from work this week, as per their request. Hayley lived in Finland for a short time before, and both she A& Mark love visiting there--so, needless to say, they were thrilled when they found out Sonja was from
Finland.

Today, I had the day off of work--my first day to sleep late in a long time! However, when I woke up around 10:00, a girl Sarah that had been working at the hostel, informed me that my boss had popped over to the hostel & asked for them to tell me that he needed me to do some laundry. My response was "Seriously?" Yeahhh...there are obviously both pros and cons to literally living next door to where you work (and your boss knowing about it) haha. Work went well though, so no worries. After work, I had a nice meal waiting for me, freshly prepared by Sonja =)  Then, I went out with Marion & Mia to a cafe down the road & had some chocolate cake and some tea! It was a good day.  Oh, and Sonja colored my hair and  trimmed it earlier this week. I decided I didn't want to pay $35 for a haircut, so I asked Sonja if she could cut it. She said she could, and I figured "Hey, I'm a backpacker...my hair doesn't have to be perfect anyway" hehe. So, we borrowed scissors from work (didn't mention what we needed them for) & set up salon in one of the hostel bathrooms downstairs. I must say she did a fine job! More in a few days!

Cheers,
Ash

 

St. Patricks Day & My Birthday

Well, according to New Zealand time, it is my birthday today. However, I think I would just like to scratch this day out & celebrate my birthday tomorrow according to American time instead haha. Let me just describe my birthday for you-- I was scheduled to work today at 7:00 am to open the restaurant up for the breakfast shift. That is all fine & good (kind of), except I woke up this morning with pink eye. I know...awesome. Well, the hotel couldn't get a hold of any of the other waitresses to cover my shift & although Sonja was also scheduled to go in, she has only worked breakfast once or twice. So, I went in to help her open up & ended up staying for about 3 hours.

Then, the receptionist Steph said they needed some help with the laundry because the laundry lady who is normally there (Bobbie) was out of town. So, I went straight into laundry for about an hour--folding towels and robes & iron pressing napkins, pillowcase covers, and tablecloths. As I was just finishing in the laundry, Fiona from housekeeping came in & said she needed mine & Sonja's help because her other housekeeper had gone home sick. Sooo, Sonja & I did housekeeping work for an additional 4 hours. Today was our second day helping out in housekeeping & let me just say, I have a newfound respect for housekeepers. That crap is hard work!

After work, I tried to go to a pharmacy to get medicine for my eyes, but everything in Napier closes ridiculously early. Moving on from unsuccessful pharmacy trips and with nothing to eat all day but a couple of muffins made fresh by Beau from work and a bit of butter and jam on bread, Sonja & I decided to go to Pizza Hut for a nice hearty meal. Our new friend Mia from our hostel came with us for dinner, and the pizza, garlic bread, fries & Pepsi were exactly what the doctor ordered. Mmmmm. Sonja was scheduled to go back to work tonight for the evening shift from 6:00 pm to whenever needed (usually until about 11:00 pm). I am on call tonight to potentially go in for the evening shift as well, depending on how many reservations come in. The kicker is that Lionel Richie is actually in Napier tonight doing a concert & some backpackers dropped off two Lionel Richie tickets at a nearby hostel for the owners to just give them away to whoever wanted them. Mia, who has connections with other hostel workers, got the go ahead to take the two tickets for herself & out of all the people in the hostel, she invited me to go with her as a birthday present. Unfortunately, work has no idea if they will need me later or not & I have to be available in case I am called in for work. Soo, no free Lionel Richie concert for me. =( What a day!

On a brighter note, I have had some cheerful birthday moments today as well. Mia (the sweet gal who I already mentioned) & Greg from England are a young couple who are currently running our hostel. They have befriended Sonja and I & were sweet enough to buy me a birthday card and some delicious birthday chocolate. Word traveled around the hostel that it was my birthday, so I got some happy birthday wishes from some of the other backpackers as well. It is also Cedric's birthday today, so a group of us from the hostel had previously talked about going out & doing a double-birthday celebration. However, now that I am all pink-eyed, on call for work, and bloody tired, I believe those plans will be postponed.

I'm happy to say that my St. Patricks Day was a heck of a lot better than today. Napier goes wild for St. Patricks Day...it's the craziest thing since EVERY other night except for Saturdays, it is completely dead. So, for the big event, a large group from the hostel put on some green and went out to a pub nearby & got drinks. Then, to make the evening even better, part of our work crew came out as well! It was wonderful =) After the pub, Sonja & I ended up going on a food run with Hayley & Karl from work, while chef Carl & Marc from work went to the beach to build us a little bonfire. We met them on the beach with the food & we all sat there next to our nice cozy bonfire until 3:00 am talking & sharing some laughs. Awesome evening! I love love love our co-workers.

The next exciting evening on the agenda is this upcoming Tuesday when Carl, one of our amazing head chefs from work, and his fiance Megan are having Sonja & I over for dinner! I can't even describe how excited we are...the food is going to be amazing & the company will be some of the best. We are soooooooo looking forward to a gourmet meal...Carl definitely found his calling when he became a chef. Leaving Napier is going to be so bittersweet. Sonja & I have already become so attached to the people from work---we are all like one big family & it feels as though we have known them for ages. Well, I will write more in a couple of days.


Cheers,
Ash

Hostel living

I haven't really described living in hostels in much detail, so I will do that now. It is an interesting experience to say the least. The hostel in Auckland was pretty much awful--it was huge, with multiple floors & tons of backpackers. The showers were horrendous...the tile floors were so dirty & the shower space was so small. Even worse, to save on water, the showers were set up so that you had to push in a button for the water to start and it would only run for about 10 seconds with each push. Plus, the shower curtains were so thin & not weighted down with anything on the bottom. So, a shower experience consisted of pushing this stupid button every 10 seconds while also fighting off a shower curtain that kept coming in toward the water haha. Luckily, our hostel experiences since then have been MUCH better--clean showers with water that runs as long as you want & no attacking curtains.

The hostel in Whangarei was more of a small lodge in the mountains..really great feel to it. Our Bay of Islands hostel in Paihia was definitely the best--very spacious, 3 kitchens, outdoor seating areas, balcony, big dorm rooms, and really pretty scenery. The Whitianga hostel in the Coramandel Peninsula was really neat--brightly colored little houses instead of just one big building with dorm rooms. The Mount Maunganui hostel was not so good--3 shower stalls, 2 ridiculously tiny sinks and 2 toilets for a total of over 20 people. Oh, and they charged $2.00 for the use of a comforter during your stay there. I, being my stubborn & cheap self, opted NOT to pay for the use of something that should be included in my stay. Therefore, out of pure principle, I slept with my beach towel over my body & pants over my arms haha.

Our current home in Napier is quite nice. The upstairs lounge area is huge with 7 comfortable couches, a pool table, nice TV, and a dining area. There is a second lounge area downstairs with 3 couches, a TV, and 6 computers for internet access (for $4.00 per hour of course). We can also rent out DVDs for free from reception, so all of us backpackers have been taking full advantage of that. Everyone in this hostel for the most part is here long-term, so everyone works during the day & chills at the hostel at night. It has been such a growing experience to live in the different hostels, with different roommates, surrounded by people with so many different cultural backgrounds.

Before now, I never experienced dorm living, so this has been all new for me. I have shared rooms with anywhere between 2-8 other people since I've been living in New Zealand--mixed dorms and all-girls dorms. It is so funny because the guys are always SOO clean in comparison to the gals. You can walk into a mixed dorm room & know exactly how many guys and how many girls are in the room just by looking at how messy each area is haha. People all go to bed at different times and get up at different times, so it takes some getting used to. I finally invested in some good ear plugs a few weeks ago & the difference is amazing. Now, I have no problem sleeping as long as I want...roommates can go in & out of the room all morning and I sleep like a baby.

Some other things I have learned while living in hostels--many things I took for granted back in America are now luxuries! For instance, hairdryers are rare, baths are out of the question, non-backpacker food is expensive, and being able to shave with soap and water in the shower is no longer a common option. I have learned the art of dry shaving & have lost at least 2 pants sizes since living in New Zealand. I blame the weight loss on primarily living off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches & ramen noodles for the first month or so of my trip, along with doing a lot of walking and very little sitting. Now that Sonja & I have settled in one spot for a longer period of time, we are eating actual meals & cooking. Hopefully my pants will start fitting again! Well, until next time!

Cheers,

Ash

Calling Napier home

In comparison to our previous weeks traveling, it has been a relatively low-key last couple of weeks since I last wrote. Sonja & I have been living in Napier at a hostel & working at the restaurant next door. We were lucky enough to meet a great group from France that has also been staying at our hostel--Gregoire (Greg), Paul Auguste (Paulo), Cedric & Marion. So, for the past two weeks, we have been spending almost all of our time with them when we're not at work. Although they already knew quite a bit of English when we met them, we were also able to teach them some more while they were here. Sadly, Greg & Paulo left yesterday morning to head up north for vineyard work. Today was our first day without our Frenchmen & it was quite depressing. I'll be seeing them again in a few weeks though. Marion is still here to keep us company though, so that's good. She is in our hostel room, along with Kayla from Singapore and Nana from Japan. They are all sooo wonderful & sweet. Nana has been learning English by reptitively listening to & watching Lilo and Stich on her computer..absolutely adorable. However, Nana & Kayla are both leaving tomorrow for Wellington. So, once again, after getting so used to having the same people around all the time, we have to say goodbye. It will be really hard tomorrow when both they & the Frenchmen aren't here.

On a lighter note, we have had some good times with our work crew and the French group over the last couple of weeks. With the guys, we went to a spot called Bluff Hill Lookout where we walked up quite a hill and got a really great view of Napier from the top. On our way to the bluff, we came across this waterfall that was just around the corner from the hostel in the middle of some beautiful botanical gardens. I climbed up one smaller part of the mountain with the guys to get a closer look at the waterfall. It was gorgeous =) Then, I opted to go back down, while the guys decided to continue their way up the mountainside. Sonja & I just watched from below while they literally looked like monkeys climbing along the huge grass mountain--quite amusing/nerveracking to watch them. Another day, I went to the spa down the road with the guys & we swam in the nice heated pools and relaxed in the jacuzzis overlooking the beach.

In the evenings, we've primarily just been staying at the hostel, playing pool, watching movies, playing games, and just chilling out, laughing and having a good time. Oh, and we experienced our first time getting hit with water balloons one evening when Sonja, Greg, Paulo and I were walking back from the grocery store haha. I could NOT believe it! The local Kiwi or Maori kids apparently have to find things to entertain themselves with since Napier is pretty dull in the evenings otherwise. One night last week, our Frenchmen cooked us a nice meal with some wine & dessert. Mmm..so good! Sonja & I decorated a going-away cake for the guys a couple of days ago with a little French flag and a message saying "Bon Voyage."

The night life around Napier is..well..pretty much nonexistent. Sonja & I tried to take one of our previous roommates out for her last night in town. It was a Friday night around 10:30 pm, we got all dressed up, did our makeup, and walked out to the center of town to find that we were LITERALLY the only people on the streets. It was crazzzy....felt like we were in I Am Legend or something. But, we have now learned that Saturday is the only night that people go out. So, a large group from the hostel went out this past Saturday for the guys' last night in town. Let's just say it was an evening to remember! I had a 7:00 am breakfast shift at work the following morning, which I went to on absolutely no sleep whatsoever haha.

Work has been really good. Whitney, the main girl who trained us, left last week to go traveling
 down south. So, about 8 or 9 of us from work went out one night before she left to the only place in town that ever has anyone there, a pub called The Rose. It was quite fun--the pub actually has a small gambling room attached to it with a decent number of slot machines. The next night, Carl from work and his fiance Megan picked Sonja & I up from the hostel, and we all rode together to Whitneys' house for a going away party for her. The house was literally right next door to Napier's historical prison, so that was pretty interesting. It was such a fun evening with a crew from work that we absolutely adore.

Well, now that I know that the free wi-fi at McDonalds works nowadays, I will try to write more often.

Cheers,
Ash