Picturesque Sheep

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It's been a busy couple of weeks of working and preparing for Christmas.  The time has just flown by and it doesn't help that it is summer so for me it really did not feel like Christmas. Maybe that's why I didn't do my shopping until the 23rd... Christmas just snuck up on me. However now that some of the festivities have stopped I have some free time to relax and edit away.  Plus I think I'm still in a food coma from all the amazing food I ate..... so editing pictures is just about all I have the energy for :)

I am really grateful to all my friends who have spent time with me over the Christmas season ya'll have definitely made it a really great Kiwi Christmas. It was also neat to experience how a different culture celebrates Christmas. I am definitely going to take away some of the food traditions :)

Anywho the drive back was breathtaking, naturally.  This time we pulled over to see the sheep.  Sheep and New Zealand are just synonymous. And man oh man the backdrop could not be more picturesque :) I also manage to get some out of the window shots.... yeah I do that a lot here.

On a side note lamb is really amazing, I have eaten it way more here than ever before.  Oh and lamb on Christmas is especially yum!!!

I hope ya'll enjoyed!

Diamond Lake

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The South Island scenery continues! My lovely host family took another boarder and myself for a drive out to Glenorchy.  In order to get there you travel along this winding road that parallels Lake Wakatipu and I cannot say it enough how absolutely stunning the scenery is! Thankfully there are safe places to pull over and snap some photographs, like this first one :)

We actually went past Glenorchy to Otago first and took in the views from Diamond Lake.  It was pretty amazing, the sand flies are not so amazing so have spray on you.  Another tip, when driving out there the road is not exactly "finished" so you go through some creeks.  So watch the water level and maybe don't go after a big rain.  For the record we did great and had no issues. Anywho I loved taking in this view! And get this we were the only people there #score! Yeah I really enjoyed that part, especially not having to fight for a view :) 

Searching for skipping stones

Perfecting the art of skipping rocks/I made them keep going till I got a picture :)

So thankful I was able to get some pictures of myself amongst this beautiful creation! Hope ya'll enjoyed more to come :)

Milford Sounds

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Well it has been quite the busy week for me. My computer charger died earlier this week so I had to live without it for a bit.  That was quite tuff!! Although in hind sight it was really good for me to unplug because I was able to catch up on some reading I had been neglecting. Anywho the weather here has been a bit wonky, which I do not appreciate! Over the past couple weeks there have been beautifully warm days then it suddenly drops to cold a rainy days.... the joys of spring!  I am looking forward to a nice warm/hot summer! On the warmer days I try to get out more and over the weekend I went on a little walk through some wetlands. Gotta soak in that Hawke's Bay Sunshine. I also spent some time in the mornings after a run outside cleaning the windows, it was lovely. My friends know how much I love to clean :) So I'm finally bunkering down to write a post since you know it's cold and rainy today.

Today's cold and rainy weather reminds me of my Milford Sounds excursion (but I think it was colder then). Apparently it's quite the challenge to see the sounds when it's sunny, contrary to all the pictures. The nice part about going after a good rain is that there are heaps of gushing waterfalls.

It was quite the experience trying to capture all the landscape. I was on the top deck of the boat with no cover wiping my lens every few clicks of the shutter. At the same time trying to keep my camera as dry as possible and trying to not to fall over onto the wet deck. After a bit the rain stopped which was really great. Then everyone else came up top which was not so great.  Very thankful I already had my spot :) It definitely paid to stand out in the rain!!

Part of the excursion included getting really personal with this waterfall. The captain steered the boat right up to this waterfall. It was pretty cool. I snapped away for as long as I could, but there comes a point where my camera could become drenched so I stopped. Then I brought out the iPhone with the life proof case and got a few more shots #score :) 

I cannot tell you enough how breath taking this landscape is.  I just kept staring at all of the rugged cliffs, the gushing water, seals, and the open seas. I wish I could have kayaked around Milford Sounds, but that will have to be for another time. 

It's pretty spectacular scenery if I do say so. I cannot wait to share the rest of my South Island adventures with ya'll.  Well I hope ya'll enjoy the rest of the week! It's Friday here so my weekend has begun :)

Te Anau

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Blogging has not exactly been in the forefront of my mind recently, lots has been going on here on this side of the world.  As some of you may know I recently lost my Grandma to brain cancer.  So I have been trying to occupy my time with adventuring, spending time with friends, and knitting amongst other things.  Still all of those pre occupations do not stop the grief from coming.  Even though I thought I had mentally prepared myself for it, I am still surprised by the waves of grief that hit. I am definitely grateful for the amazing support system and friends God has provided.  They have been a great help over the past few weeks.  But I know I have the ultimate support in Christ and that I am never alone.

I am going to try to get back to blogging on a more regular schedule soon. For now I wanted to share these pictures of Te Anau. It is a cute little town on the way to Milford Sounds.  I especially enjoyed the views from the lake.  The South Island landscape still takes my breath away. The whole drive was stunning.  One of these days I am going to have to drive it myself so I can stop wherever I want and take pictures :)

I hope ya'll enjoyed these! I am going to try to get some more posts up in the next few weeks so stay tuned.  

"What Great Adventure Ever Plays Out Just the Way You've Planned It"

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This is a pretty special blog post for me to write.  Six months ago I started this incredible unexpected  journey to New Zealand.  It still feels so surreal that I have been living in New Zealand for that long; I cannot quite believe it!  Today I wanted to take the time to share how this whole amazing adventure unfolded, what I have done and what I cannot wait to do. As well as share some of my favourite photographs so far :)

It all started back when I first found out my friends parents were going to New Zealand for three months to fill the pulpit at a church. When I heard the news, me being me, I jokingly asked, "can I go too?" That simple joking question has changed my life. I was told it couldn't hurt to ask and soon began the process of inquiring if it was even possible for me to accompany them. When all was said and done and I found out I was able to go I was thrilled! The kids in my life were not so thrilled, but I think they kinda came around to me being gone for a three month adventure.  I never even imagined I would get to travel to New Zealand and explore it for three days let alone three months! It was always one of those countries that would be really great to see, but probably not feasible for the foreseeable future.  So I was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to go. God's timing is perfect :) And so began the process of preparing for a grand adventure: there was thrift shopping to do, gadgets to buy, mapping out of places to see in NZ, and spending heaps of time with people before I left.

 

The journey was long, but after a full 24 hours of travel I stepped foot on NZ ground and took in the warm morning summer sun.  Once I was able to feel human again I could not wait to get out and see this beautiful country. I started out in Hastings exploring the local areas, and being able to borrow a bike really helped me see even more of Hawke's Bay.  During this time I began shoring up what exactly I was going to see and when. I was able to go to Christchurch, Queenstown, Kaikura, Milford Sounds, Wellington, and many other little stops along the way.  I loved every bit of the adventure. As time passed in those initial three months, God was opening my eyes to staying a bit longer. So I began contemplating extending my stay something completely against my Type A planner personality.  In the end I  took a giant leap of faith, I  cancelled my airline tickets home, and providentially started my job the very day I was supposed to leave to go back to the States.

I know for my loved ones back home there was some sadness about me staying since that was most definitely not part of the (my) plan. While making the decision to stay was not an easy one to make, I have not for one second I regretted staying. I will admit to moments of sadness and homesickness. Due in part to feeling like I left so many loose ends back home: like not packing up my things for the upcoming move (thanks Mom and Dad for doing that :)), to not feeling like I had a proper goodbye.  Since I was only supposed to be gone for three months the goodbyes where a more like a  "hey have fun! We will see you soon three months, it will fly by!" So when a family emergency brought me home, I made sure to say my goodbyes to everyone because I knew it would be a long time before I would see them again.  And this time I had to make the hugs and cuddles last so they had to be plentiful, long and sweet.

During my time here so far I have been blessed to see more of New Zealand than some Kiwi's see in there lifetime here.  I have soaked in the summer sun, swam in the Pacific Ocean, been in awe of the majestic mountains, enjoyed views from scenic peaks, drank NZ wine, put a few K's on my converse, felt the warm sun on a beautiful autumn day, gotten lost in the blue waters of rivers, walked where Stryder walked, and been surprised by how nature blossoms even in the dead of winter.  I have been stretched, I have stood on my own two feet, I have stood firm in my beliefs and convictions,  I have adopted some Kiwi speak, ate amazing food, and made some really great friends.

Now begins the second part of the journey here. It begins with me having a car, opening up so many places for me to explore. And yes I am planning my adventures. The first one is learning to drive a manual :) Really though I am enjoying this unexpected journey to this country.  Words cannot describe how grateful I am to be here.  God knew that I needed this journey.  I needed to get out and stand on my faith, to trust in Him, to worry less, to slow down, to stand firm, and to love people more. I don't know how long I will be here, I am hoping for longer.  But while I would love that I want to go where God is going to take me.

There is so much more to see of this beautiful country. It is a grand adventure here on the other side of the world and I would not have it any other way.  #NotAllWhoWanderAreLost #LiveWholeHearted

The Lake Hayes Walk

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Here is the grand finale to my "walk" :) It was such a scenic trip! Pretty much the whole time I had views of mountains. I should note that what I call mountains are most likely technically hills, but I will carry on calling them mountains :) Anywho I took heaps of pictures it was pretty hard to narrow it down to a few, but I managed. One of my favourite experiences was getting to the top of a hill and seeing the view of the mountains.  Then I looked over and saw the butterfly bush with the mountain in the background.  I thought it would be too good to be true that any butterflies would actually be on it, but lo and behold there were! Needless to say I was pretty pumped and snapped away :) Enjoy!

So this is the view I walked all that way for and it was well worth it! Although naturally once I got there I was only able to get a few shots before the wind picked up.  However, I am very grateful that I was able to get some!! I hope ya'll enjoyed this little excursion!

Queenstown

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Well I finally have the chance to share some more South Island pictures with ya'll! This was from my first visit to Queenstown.  I was able to wander around the town for a few hours, it was pretty spectacular.  I spent a bit of time just taking in the magnificent beauty of Lake Wakatipu. Then I came across the Queenstown Gardens and took a stroll through them :) I really loved that I was just able to take it all in with my camera in hand and let the beauty of Queenstown speak for itself. 

Redwood tree in Queenstown Gardens

All in all I really loved exploring around Queenstown #NotAllWhoWanderAreLost What do ya'll think of Queenstown so far?