As far as birthday presents go, this year I bought myself the best one ever: a plane ticket to New Zealand.

I wish that this ticket was for this week and I was heading off for a quick visit, but unfortunately it’s not. It is however the plane ticket for my big move to New Zealand. And I bought it on my birthday! It wasn’t planned that way, that just happened to be the day that the particular savings account hit the amount to purchase the ticket. The date was just a cool side benefit. But a plane ticket for a move across the world is a pretty nice gift for yourself I think.

So I’m officially going! Now that I’ve bought the plane ticket it’s a real event that is going to happen in just a few months.

On August 13 I’m moving to New Zealand.

That’s the date that I settled on, which happens to also be Friday the 13th. I found that funny so I went a step further and reserved seats on row 13. You know, just because. I’ve never been the superstitious type and once even used the number 13 for softball. If anything it’s more of a lucky number than an unlucky one. Hopefully my flight/row will be empty. ;)

I could have waited to get the ticket but I like to do things in advance so I know there won’t be any problems later on. I didn’t want to wait and let prices jump or possibly use the money on something else so that I then couldn’t purchase a ticket. No, I like to be prepared way in advance for something like this. Because something like this is pretty huge.

So that’s why this particular plane ticket is THE plane ticket. It’s the one that is taking me to a new country for a year. It’s the one taking me to some new adventures. It’s the one taking me back to my love. It’s a pretty special plane ticket. Plus it’s only one stop this time.  Awesome.

I’ve made a decision.  As it is, it’s kind of a big one.

I’m moving to New Zealand this year.

I loved New Zealand and the person I love lives there.  Additionally, I’ve always wanted to live there.  Don’t ask me why, but it’s just always been one of the countries on my list of places I wanted to live (also including England, any European country, and Mexico).  And I want to move there by the end of the year, sooner if possible.

I’ve already chosen the path I want to take and now I’m just trying to figure out how to make it happen. Before going I want to finish paying off my credit cards and bank the money needed to go there on a working holiday visa.  Plus I need a plane ticket, insurance, and other miscellaneous expenses.  So now I’m at a place where I’m trying to figure out how to make it happen.

The past few months my online income has been rising dramatically each month.  It’s been encouraging to see more success, but it is still not a full time income.  It is more like pay equivalent to a part time gig.  With living at home it is currently paying all my expenses.   But it’s not getting me to New Zealand anytime fast at this rate.

I suppose one problem is that it’s not a full time job.  I don’t work on it full time.  I could but as of yet I’ve either had other jobs or been traveling.  So now that I’m in one place and settled I have a decision to make: do I go full speed ahead trying to create an income online or do I start searching for a job?

The correct answer is probably both.  But job searches can last months.  In months I’m hoping to be getting ready to move to New Zealand.  So perhaps instead I should look for short term freelance projects once again (anyone need a writer/blogger?) and even contemplate a waitressing job.  Plus, searching for a full time job when I don’t intend on staying longer than a year seems unfair to whoever hires me.

Or maybe I should continue with the online biz action. I’ve got an info product I’m working on that will be released next month and maybe I should focus hardcore on that launch before making a decision.  I know long term that this is what I want to be doing, I’m just not sure if now is the right time to make that jump.

If you want to share your thoughts, feel free.  But keep them positive, since this is a positive thing.

I’m excited to be moving abroad again!  And this time I will understand everyone for the most part!  It’s going to be awesome!

Yesterday we went ZooMusic at the Auckland Zoo, knocking out two of the things I wanted to do while in New Zealand: go to a zoo and attend a concert of Kiwi music.

I forgot to eat a kiwi while looking at the kiwi birds, which for some strange reason is a goal of mine.  Oh well, I’m just saving something for next time.  We did wander around looking at the animals before the concert and saw many of the normal characters, like birds, rhinos, and hippos.

At 5:30 they closed the zoo and we lined up outside to get back in at 6 for the concert.

Lisa Crawley opened up the show

and the main acts were Anika Moa

and Sola Rosa with some singers whose names I don’t know.

Sola Rosa was the only one I had any previous knowledge of before ZooMusic.  I love this song from them and Iva Lamkum.

The concert turned out to be pretty cool. We grabbed some grass front and center to sit and enjoy the show then danced during Sola Rosa’s performance. Luckily the rain held off until we were leaving! I never thought it would rain, or threaten to rain so much here.

Despite being a lot of fun, the concert was a Concert for Conservation. Part of ticket price and all the additional money raised that night will go toward conservation of the Sumatran tiger. From the Zoo:

“Worldwide, there are fewer than 160 Sumatran tigers in zoos and less than 400 in the wild. Along with captive breeding, zoos are increasingly working together to support conservation projects in the wild. Through our Conservation Fund, the zoo has joined with Australasian and European zoo partners to assist the 21st Century Tiger project’s Kerinci Seblat National Park. A World Heritage Site, Kerinci Seblat’s 14,000km is one of the most important conservation areas in South East Asia, and has tiger protection and conservation units working hard to halt the poaching and trafficking of tigers. Funds raised from Anika Moa and Sola Rosa’s ZooMusic concert will support tiger protection and conservation units in this national park.”

Listening to music and saving the tigers…. good times. ;)

I’m enjoying posting pictures lately, more than blogging, since I’ve got so much other writing to do with my other blog and the ebook I’m working on. Here is one of my favorite places, right in the middle of Auckland.  I love the trees and how they grow out searching for the light wherever they can find it.

Haven’t seen a sunset in New Zealand yet that hasn’t been beautiful.

We took a ferry ride over to Waiheke Island the other day, after spending a few minutes on the wharf trying to decide on the best destination. The ride itself was quite nice; it takes about 40 minutes to get to the island and there is plenty to look at leaving Auckland.

Once we got to the island we had to decide what to do. Our choices were between sea kayaking, riding a scooter, or riding bikes around the island. We chose the bikes because it would be a fun way to see the island and provide a little bit of exercise.

It was a lot of exercise as the island is hilly, so we were going up a pretty steep hill ever five minutes or so.  We biked over to this beach and took a little water break underneath a tree.

In the end we cut across the traditional loop they had for bike riders.  We shortened the route due to sunburn and fatigue on my part, and missing the first turn we needed to keep going the marked route.  Instead of back tracking to get back to the normal loop we just picks a street and cut across… missing another turn, but in the end reconnecting with the correct streets.  Might not have gone the right way but we still had a fun time on the roads we did decide to take.

Since we cut it short it turned out to be a fun time. I did end up with a decent sunburn and super tired muscles, but all in all the next day I feel fine. I’m glad we did it! And next time? Next time we will do more and I won’t be so tired/unprepared.

One of my favorite things to do when traveling is go kayaking. In Memphis I’m a bit limited in where I can, or would want, to go kayaking so generally I just don’t do it. I wait until I have opportunities when traveling and then take advantage of whatever beautiful river or lake I’ve happened upon.

In New Zealand, Lake Taupo offered the almost perfect kayaking opportunity. I say almost perfect because the weather didn’t cooperate with us. We set off in our kayaks in mid afternoon after having clear skies all morning. There were a few clouds in the sky but nothing to indicate what was coming. We were so blissfully unaware.

We kayaked a while, maybe around a mile down the coast. And then we saw the clouds darken and the rain begin to fall across the lake. We had not gone as far as I wanted, so I didn’t want to turn back yet. I thought the rain might stay where it was and we could continue. As we kept paddling the rain crept closer and closer. Soon it was raining on us and we started paddling toward shore as the rain fell harder.

Sitting on shore we waited until the rain let up… or at least that was the plan. Once it seemed like there was a break we got back in the kayaks and started to head back to the hotel. But then we saw the lightning and heard the thunder and decided that wasn’t the best plan of action. As we searched the shore for a place to hang out until the storm passed we realized we were out of luck and had nowhere to hide.

Then the woman who had been swimming with her family and got out of the water when the lightning started like we did came down to ask us if we wanted to wait out the storm with her family. We put the kayaks in her shed and then went up and had coffee and tea with the family while their four year old son entertained us. We tried to wait out the storm but it never got much better and after an hour we decided to try to get back before the sun went down and made the situation worse.

We made it back without incident and ended the Lake Taupo Kayaking Adventure that had started out as an easy paddle down to the city center. Was the first time I’ve ever gone kayaking in the rain or had any kind of storm show up. It turned out to be really nice meeting and spending some time with a family from Auckland vacationing at Taupo. But next time we will check the weather before we head out.

At least the day ended well with a beautiful sunset, even with the clouds. Every sunset I’ve seen since being in New Zealand has been gorgeous.

Check another item off my life list, because I FREAKING BUNGY JUMPED!

Need proof?

Even though it was on my list of things to do, I never really thought I would get around to doing it.  But I did!!

I was super nervous about it when we got there, because it’s something I’ve never done and it’s jumping off something HIGH with only a cord attached to your ankles. In the video you can see that I was slightly freaking out in the beginning. That was partly because I must have looked nervous so the guys working started joking about being drunk and accidents and how nervous they were. Ah! But really the worst part is slowly waddling your way to the edge of the platform so you can jump. The cord is hanging off the platform and pulling at your feet like it is going to pull you off – it’s scarier than actually jumping. But once I got in place and they told me you just fall forward I knew I could do it… and I did!! I screamed for like a second and then realized it was fun and laughed during most of the jump. If you have three-ish minutes you should totally check out the video because it is freaking awesome.

Yeah. That’s how it is.

We also went to The Honey Hive where I bought some honey, took a little excursion to see Huka falls, and we went kayaking, then got caught in a storm, camped out for a bit with a super nice family from Auckland, and then hauled ass back so as not to get electrocuted. Maybe not the best kayaking adventure, but definitely a unique one.

Just another reason why Taupo, and New Zealand in general, is awesome.

I’ve been in New Zealand for three days now.

I LOVE it here.

What’s not to love?

It’s a really great city.  Clean and green, that’s the New Zealand slogan, right?  Totally fits.  Even in the city there is so much green space it’s amazing.  And you are just minutes from water and beaches in every direction.  In my book that constitutes a beautiful place.

I’m enjoying visiting a place with a built in tour guide.  Traveling for the sake of seeing new places and having new experiences is fun and all, but I think I enjoy the experience of having friends show me the city from their perspective.  I like seeing someone else’s favorite spots and seeing what makes them appreciate the city they live in.  And since I’m staying here a month it’s much more like I’m living here than just visiting.

Next week I’ll be going to Taupo and Rotorua, so there will be a little touristy goodness during my stay here.  And on Saturday I’m hosting a health/fitness blogger meetup in Auckland.  That’s the niche of my other blog and I’m quite excited to meet some other bloggers and discuss things.   Meeting other bloggers is one of my favorite things to do because I enjoy blogging yet have few friends who do it, or at least do it consistently.  So this weekend’s meetup should be fun.

Alright, I’m off to enjoy another beautiful day in New Zealand. ;)

A couple posts ago I mentioned a super awesome trip abroad I was going to be taking soon. For some reason I didn’t want to just list that trip in with all the other odds and ends I was talking about, because this particular bit of travel is special and it really is going to be amazing.

So where am I traveling?

I AM GOING TO NEW ZEALAND!!!!

I’ve wanted to visit New Zealand for years.  I had almost saved up enough to move there a few years ago but those plans fell through as did my plans to visit the country.  But now I’ve got the plane tickets purchased, a place to stay, a few friends to meet up with and a whole lot of excitement.

But I don’t leave for another month.  Darn it.

So I’m going to use my month to plan a little bit more.  What do I want to see?  What do I want to do?  What are the best things in New Zealand to experience? I’m planning on making some lists and figuring out exactly what I can’t miss on this first trip to New Zealand.

I will be staying in Auckland and mostly hanging out on the North Island.  I’m staying with my boyfriend (for more on that, read a little weight loss blogging love story) and we are going to Taupo and a few other cool North Island places.  I have two or three people I will be meeting up with for sure in the Auckland area and maybe even someone from Australia.  I’m excited to meet all of these people that I’ve befriended online.  It’s going to be an awesome travel adventure!

Have any of you been to New Zealand?  Do you have any suggestions for things to do/see/eat/experience while I am there?