December 28th

So I found this burger joint not far from where I live. I thought you would enjoy it. Just a little taste of home…literally.

Ok. So I thought I’d give you all an update on what I have coming up. Starting next Sunday (Jan 3rd) I’ll be heading down to Raglan to WWOOF at a place called Solscape. it’s an eco retreat center. They have camp sites, tipi tents, little cabins, and more. It’s all eco friendly, including solar showers and compost toilets. I may be doing some gardening, cooking, or helping with accommodations. In free time, there is horseback riding, kayaking, laying on the beach, surfing, bike rental, and lots of hiking.

I have had a really great time here in Auckland, but am more then ready to get out and enjoy the rest of the country.

December 26th

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas for me was incredibly different from the usual, but also really nice. On Christmas eve, Sarah, Hugh and I went out to dinner at super fancy, really really delicious French restaurant. We ate way too much food and drank way too much wine. It was prefect.

On Christmas morning we (Sarah, Hugh and I) woke up, made some coffee and had a present opening extravaganza. It didn’t last long. But I got everything I needed, along with some Jif peanut butter from the states- what a treat, thanks mom and Wendy. After we all got to chat with your families, we were off to the beach. We found a beautiful beach about a half hour south in the town of titirangi. The day was maybe the most perfect day we’ve had here so far. It was warm, sunny with not a cloud on the sky, yet a slight breeze. Wonderful. Then we came home and cook an amazing dinner for all of us five flat mates to enjoy. Gotta say I was pretty proud of the apple pie from scratch…yum.

December 22-24th

On Tuesday morning My flat mate Hannah and I took off on out way down the coast to Waiuku, her home town. I got to spend a lovely afternoon with her mum, dad, brother and his fiance and her grandma and grandpa. We had a huge Christmas feast of steak, pork and NZ crayfish, yum!. Then on Wednesday Hannah and I drove out to the coast and went to arua bay, big bay and the Wailuku lighthouse- all incredible sights to see. Sadly it was very overcast and even got down poured on a couple of times. I was also lucky enough to get to go swimming…with all of my clothes on (I feel off a rope swing). Then last night we went out to a fabulous restaurant that over looked the ocean. It was delicious food and an even better view.


This morning we woke up and headed back to the city. It’s a beautiful Christmas eve…even though it doesn’t feel like it at all. You have no idea how nice it was to spend some time with such a wonderful family around Christmas. They were way too kind to me, and I don’t know how I can ever repay them.

Here are lots of photos.
The beach at arua bay:

The beach at Big Bay:

The view from the lighthouse (both pictures):

December 20th

It finally feels like Christmas. It started mid afternoon and only lasted an evening. And is now back feeling like July. Sarah and I ventured to Mission Bay in the morning/afternoon to lay in the sun on the warm sandy beach for a bit. Then spent our evening making gingerbread cookies and listening to Christmas music. We even created a New Zealand beach-ready gingerbread man/woman series. It was lots of fun.

This years Christmas will hopefully consist of relaxing on the beach in the morning (depending on the weather), and a huge flat mate Christmas day feast in the afternoon. Can’t wait. Then on boxing day (day after Christmas) Sarah and Hugh will be moving out for good :( and it’ll be back to the three of us for about another week until I move out of the third.

I’ll be heading south about 2 hours to Raglan, a fun little surf town on the west coast. I’ll be WWOOFing at an eco retreat center called Solscape (www.solscape.co.nz if you wanna check it out) for about 2 weeks. I’m pretty excited to move on and try something new. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

December 14th

It has come time for me to start making plans for my next adventure. It hit me the other day that I’ll be leaving Auckland in about three weeks, give or take. Time has gone by so fast. From here, I’ll be spending some time WWOOF-ing. WWOOF-ing, which stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, is basically an exchange of work for accommodation and food. The work I’ll be doing (depending on the establishment) could include: weeding, picking, cooking, housework, looking after children (if any) or anything else they may happen to need help with. I’ll have weekends off and afternoons to do with as I please. I’ve emailed about working at meditation centers, bed and breakfasts, cheese makers, vineyards and more. Stay tuned to see what happens.

December 13th

I’m gonna go throw on my jandals, togs and a jumper, grab some muesli and red capsicums, head to my bach and it‘ll be sweet as. What! In American English that means, I’m gonna go throw on my flip flops, swim suit and a sweatshirt, grab some granola and red peppers, head to my cabin and it‘ll be good.

“fresh as”…packaged spices. Here is NZ (N. Z-ed as they would say here) they tend to add the word “as” onto just about any phrase. Sweet, is sweet as. Good, is good as. Nasty, would be nasty as, etc.

Today Sarah and I went across the big harbor bridge to Takapuna Beach. Takapuna is a great little beach town, full of cafes, shops and of course the ocean. It was a beautiful day, perfect for laying in the sun (on December 13th…who knew). I can’t get over the color of the water here, it’s a light aqua blue, unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

December 8th and 9th

Yesterday morning I woke up early and drove through the mountains about 45 minutes south to Piha beach. Piha is a glorious black sand beach set on the coast of a cute little town consisting of a gas station and a café. When I arrived, the waves were jam packed with surfers, who were very entertaining to watch. I spent 4 wonderful hours in the sun. it was so nice to get away- minus the fact that I lost a hubcap on the way down (its ok, they didn‘t match anyway). Here are some pictures for you to drool over and enjoy.

Today I went to the Auckland City Zoo. Its just a short walk from our flat, through Western Springs Park. Its an awesome zoo! It has your standard monkeys, lions and tigers, but it also has elephants, hippos, kangaroos, kiwi birds, red pandas, wallaby’s and a ton of other animals I’ve never seen before. It was a beautiful day, but since I had gotten a bit sun burnt (oops) the day before I didn’t want to over-do it. :)

December 6th

BEACH DAY!! Finally.
The weather has officially started looking up. After five straight days of rain, the last two days have been beautiful. Yesterday morning Steve (my car), Sarah, Briar, and I drove up the coast about 40km to a white sandy beach in Orewa. The wonder lasted about an hour or so before the clouds started rolling in. We packed up our gear and decided all could be righted with a good cappuccino. It felt so great to get out of the city for an afternoon. I had almost forgotten how insanely beautiful this place is.

I happened to stumble upon a last minute babysitting job for the evening, so I gladly spent my night entertaining two really sweet boys (and by entertaining I mean watching a movie…pretty easy). My flat mate’s friend- who works in early childhood education and had more babysitting jobs then she can handle- had offered to hand out my number to anyone she couldn’t cover. Yay for making money! Then came home to an awesome family flat night consisting of cards and too much red wine.

December 4th

Rain rain go away....

Well one things for sure. I've made proper use of my rain jacket here in Auckland. It is yet another rainy day outside...fifth one this week.

Ready for some sunshine!

any day now...

November 30, 2009

I BOUGHT A CAR!! and his name is Steve...

So i bought a car today. it's a Honda Integra hatchback. the back seats fold down and there is loads of room. someone seems to be looking out for me out there, because this seems to be the perfect thing. i bought it from two extremely nice, father figure type mechanics. i bought a different car i was interested in into the garage to have them check it out, and they basically said that car was garbage. so needless to say i didn't buy it. the next day one of the mechanics called me to tell me that they had just bought this car off of a couple of travelers. it needed a new water pump, but other then that it was in extremely good shape. so i went and test drove it. they replaced the water pump, cam belt, changed the oil, looked over the breaks, tires, and everything else on the car and granted it a brand new warrant of fitness (every car in NZ has to pass a new WOF every 6 months, this means that the car is in good running condition and no work needs to be done on it). i should be able to tour the country without any problems, and when i'm done with it i'll hopefully be able to get most if not all of my money back.

The name steve happened to come to me in a dream. i dreamt i was telling someone that i named my car steve because it was incredibly dependable, yet very generic...just like any steve i've ever met. funny huh. so it was inevitable.

all in all a good day. now i can get out of the city and enjoy the countryside. i'll have other things to write about besides the good food i've been eating :)

In this picture i tried to show that the steering column and everything else is on opposite side, but its hard to see...eek!! scary.

November 24th

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! (it's your birthday in the states today...yesterday here)

So today is my dad's birthday, and thanksgiving is in a couple of days, then it's Christmas already!! it's extremely odd seeing Christmas decorations everywhere when it's sunny and warm. i think because they don't have thanksgiving here, Christmas celebrations start about a month earlier. the huge Christmas parade is on November 28th...how crazy is that! In honor of thanksgiving and everything that i am thankful for, my flatmates and i are preparing a feast. my flatties from Canada missed their thanksgiving, which was in late October, so we're joining our efforts tomorrow for one giant celebration. fingers crossed that it'll be edible.

Yesterday i went to the Auckland city art museum. it's in a beautiful building, but has a surprisingly small collection. it's was a good experience, and also a free one. being surrounded by art for even just a little bit makes me feel like i could be in a museum back in Minneapolis. and for even more of a taste of home, i went to Starbucks after (every Starbucks looks and feels exactly the same).

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone i love back home. i am so thankful for you and the support i've received.

November 19th

So it seems that we are surrounded by wildlife in our little house on Great North road. these are the neighbors chickens that wander about, and we have bugs/flys galore. the newest addition to our happy family happens to be some mice. they come alive at the most inopportune times, like night. but as long as you keep your door closed, with something stuffed under it starting at about 5pm, they should really bother you....whomp whomp.

nothing much is really new. just enjoying my time here. i'm still focused on the job search, although it's much more difficult then i expected. there aren't many positions available at the moment. oh well, time spent not working isn't the worst thing in the world :) i'm also searching for a car at the moment. it'll be nice to be able to get out of the city and enjoy the country side (especially if i wasn't tied down to a job). i'll keep you posted though.

it's fun to be more familiar with the city these days. i've started discovering some of the lesser known hot spots. like the best sushi in the city, or this woman who frys Korean pancakes that are filled with yummy stuff. she and her husband hardly speak English, and the pancakes are so so bad for you. but they are absolutely to die for! and isn't she cute?

November 12th

This last week has been about learning and appreciating life in the slow lane. i am finding so much enjoyment in waking up and making a healthy homemade breakfast from scratch, reading a bit of my book, playing my (new) guitar, washing clothes and hanging them to dry outside and going for walks around the lake by my house. it feels so relaxing and even productive.


Yesterday i got a new 3/4 guitar, i figured i needed a little extra project while i'm here. and music is never a bad idea. although...i'm more terrible then i thought i would be...lots and lots of practice needed.


The other night a couple of my flat mates and i tried our hands at making homemade sushi. it was a success! take a look for yourself. and it tasted even better then it looked.

November 10th

I have new flat mates!! Along with Briar and Hannah (who are the pre-existing flat mates) I now live with Hugh and Sarah. They are a couple from Novascosha, Canada, who are also here on a working holiday visa. They arrived here in NZ about a month before I did, and have been doing a bit of traveling/camping/hostel living in the mean time. They are both really great and it’s nice to know people who are in a similar situation to my own. It’s extremely easy to relate to one another.

This means that I have moved from my awesome huge room, into a smaller not quite as awesome room. It’s still a great room, but doesn’t exactly have the character that the first room did. On the flip side, I’m saving about $60 per week with the smaller room…I think I got the better deal.

Sarah and Hugh also really enjoy cooking and good food- I knew we’d get along from the start. One of the first nights they moved in we mastered the art of steaming muscles (see picture above) and tonight we will conquer homemade sushi. The fresh seafood here is out of this world, I can’t get enough of it.

Other than that, I’ve been continuing the job search, exploring my surroundings, doing lots of cooking and reading, relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather. I gotta say it’s really strange to see Christmas decorations everywhere when you’re sweating just standing outside.

November 7th

Birthday Breakfast for Briar! Wednesday was Briar's 20th birthday, so we decided to trek up the hill to a really great little cafe in Grey Lynn called Occam. it has amazing coffe and pretty gourmet food. this is a picture of my cinnamon marscapone (sp? you all know i can't spell...) cheese french toast with fresh blackberries and chai....so yummy. i could spend a ridiculous amount of money on food here.

more later.

November 3rd

Chicken flavored potato chips anyone?

Or how about calling granola- muslie, or a sweatshirt- a jumper… those are just a few of the abnormalities that I’ve experienced here. Everyday I’m learning so much more about what it mean to be a kiwi. I’m even sometimes starting to sound like one.

Yesterday I journeyed over to Pt. Chev.- the next neighborhood over-on my way to the coast. but the time I got through the town it started to rain. I decided that the coast would be no fun in the rain. So I found my new favorite (granted I haven’t frequented too many) coffee shop/deli. It was called The Muddy Pie. And if you don’t know what I pie from NZ is, well it’s gross. But lots of people love them and grew up on them. They are like meat or cheese filled croissants type things filled with jelly like goop. Yuck.

Today I will begin (casually of course) my great job search. And where it ends? Nobody knows. I’m pretty much willing to do just about anything. My largest struggle at the moment would be the allocation of my time. I came from a life where I was always busy running around. Now I have nothing that I have to do, no one that I have to see, and nowhere that I have to go. On one hand it’s nice, on the other I don’t quite know how to handle it. My head is screaming, “get a job! Bring in income!” but the rest of me is saying, “enjoy your time, you can work for the rest of your life.”

So we shall see. Also, here’s a picture of me, just so you know I’m alive and well.

October 30th.

So… this whole blog posting everyday thing just isn’t going to happen. I currently don’t have internet at home, so I have to head into the city to use it. I can get free wireless (you have to pay everywhere here) at the public library, but it’s extremely slow. It works though.

So here’s an update. I am all moved in a settle into my little house in Grey Lynn (I‘ll post some pictures). It’s about a 15 minute bus ride into downtown Auckland. It’s nice to not live right in the city. Here in Grey Lynn we have our own little main street with everything on it you would ever need, and it’s just up the road from my house (maybe 3 blocks). There’s a food town (a pretty main grocery store), a post office, lots of little convenience stores, a kebab stand (yum!), butchers, fresh seafood, a subway (I think they’re everywhere), a really cute café, sushi, chinese food and oh so much more. I have also discovered that we live about a block away from a place called Western Springs Lakeside Park. It’s by far one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It’s full of walking paths, big open grassy areas, tons of wildlife and a short walk to the zoo (which I haven’t visited yet). I’ll post some pictures below (took then when it was overcast and they don't do it justice...the water is usually aqua blue and beautiful).

I am also really enjoying my flat mates. Their names are Briar, Hannah and Sophie, but Sophie is moving out in a week. Hannah and Briar are the two girls that work at the backpackers downtown. Turns out that they haven’t technically posted that job position yet, so it may be a bit before I hear back about it. that’s not a bad thing though, I’m still waiting for my tax id number to come in the mail. You can’t work without it. But back to my roommates…we immediately hit it off, which is so nice because I already feel like I have a connection here. Two days ago I went with briar to her hometown called orewa. It was about a 45 minute bus ride north of Auckland. It is a gorgeous place! The beaches are breath taking. Last night we had a girls night and sat under the stars and drank wine. You wouldn’t believe the stars here.

also my phone number including country code is +0064 21 151 8483...i think it was wrong before. ok. all for now.

October 27th.

So yesterday I set out in the rain to find me a place to live. I had talked to a few people who had ads running on trademe (like the NZ version of Craig list). The first place I went to was a no go. It was a travel lodge so it has people from all over staying for all different periods of time. When I walked in the door, I suddenly felt about 10 pairs of eyes, all males, that seemed to say “A GIRL?!” needless to say, I didn’t stay long.

House number two was great and the one that I ultimately decided on. The two flatties (or roommates) are girls that are my age and seem super nice. Should be a fun place. I’ll have a large room with a curved window seat and an attached bathroom (even if it is over my price range). There is only one downfall. no internet. I’ll be moving in tomorrow, a day later then expected, but oh well. I’m spending the night in a bunk room at my hostel with a very nice woman from Scotland.

Also, these two girls that I’ll be living with work at a hostel downtown Auckland that is looking for a receptionist…which I would be terrible at because I’m so shy and hate meeting new people. So it would be great if I got a place to live and a job out of the deal! I dropped off my CV (or resume) this morning. Fingers crossed.

Other than that, I opened a bank account today and had some really good sushi. Wells Fargo sucks. And the jetlag is starting to set in… sorry no pics today, forgot my zip drive.

October 25th.

Whew…made it. I arrived in Auckland yesterday at about 8:30 am, collected my baggage and flew through customs. Apparently its quite easy to obtain a visa here. My friend krill met me at the gate, and wee set off in search of coffee and the big city.

I checked into my hostel (which is very nice compared to others I’ve stayed in), then headed down to have a celebratory beer down by the water. It was an absolute beautiful day, sunny and warm. We bummed around queens street all day which is the main street in the central business district (cbd or downtown). It seems to be such I diverse city. Every sign has at least 4 languages on it: English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. And everywhere I go I experience a new accent. I had some really delicious kimchi at a Korean restaurant pretty close to my hostel, followed by some gelato- yummy. So far I’m really enjoying things here.

I got to shower this morning, and it felt so so good. I grabbed a long black coffee (which is espresso and water…they don’t really have drip coffee here) on my way down to the water. A very nice man pointed me in the direction of a balcony overlooking the ocean that isn’t “technically” open to the public, but has an incredible view (see picture). This may just have to become a morning ritual. I also did some much needed shopping this morning for a few needed necessities.

I got a cell phone! The number is 021 151 8483. Hopefully this will help in looking for a place to live. Feel free to call.

Well, more later I suppose. here's a couple of photos to enjoy.

October 22nd/23rd...i may have skipped a day in there somewhere

One flight down. Two to go. It’s gonna be a long day… I started out with a flight from Minneapolis to Houston, where I have about a 2 hour lay over. Then from Houston to LA where I am stationed for about 6 hours before my 11pm flight to Auckland. At the moment I am sitting in a food court in the Houston airport peeling off layers because it’s 75 degrees and sunny here (and my feet are absolutely roasting in my smart wools- should have thought that one through better). And I have never seen so many men with higher heals then me.

Since the last time I posted, life has been more then a little intense. Last Monday my mom had unexpected surgery to remove a mass in her abdomen. It turned out to be a borderline malignant tumor (meaning it was in the beginning stages of cancer). By the time they went to operate, the tumor had ruptured, therefore making things a bit more complicated. Luckily the cancer cells were confined to the tumor and hadn’t spread. She spent 5 days in the hospital and is now home and doing well. She’ll have to have a low dose of radiation in about a week or so.
Saying goodbye to everyone I love was one of the harder things I’ve ever had to do. I am truly the most fortunate girl in the entire world because I have the BEST family and friends you could ask for. Everyone has been so supportive and positive about this whole experience, and I own all of them a big THANK YOU! I wouldn’t be able to set out on this adventure without your love and faith in me.

Along with all if this worry and sadness, there’s a lot of excitement too. I can’t wait to meet new people, experience new things. I’m already finding postcards with supercharged inspirational quotes printed on the back that have been snuck into my suitcases (thanks wendy). This was the first one I found:

“The finest inheritance you can give to a child is to allow it to make its own way completely on it’s own two feet” - Isadore Duncan.

And I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for the support everyone!

Here we go...

As you all know, in 16 days (eek!) i will be making the 18 or so hour flight to Auckland, New Zealand for a one year adventure.

Many people have asked me "why?" why now, why for so long, and why New Zealand. My response to all of those people who have so many questions has most likely been one of the following: I'd rather travel then look for a job, because i can, New Zealand is one of the very few places that I've visited that i think could feel like home, and why not.

So as it sits right now, i will be landing in Auckland, NZ around 6am on Saturday the 24th. After gathering my loads of luggage, I'll head into downtown to start exploring. I've booked a hostel for the first few night, and will hopefully find a welcoming flat to rent in no time. I'm also hoping to find a job in either the service/tourism industry or a temp position to help pay the bills. beyond that, I'll be doing some traveling, volunteering with WWOOF New Zealand (http://www.wwoof.co.nz/), and generally enjoying anything that comes my way (this may include buying a station wagon and a dog and going on tour, who know).

Along with the many new tasks that i will be taking on, one will be participating in Project 365. it is a blog based project focused around slowing down and enjoying life as it happens each day. it involves taking and posting one picture each day (or in my case, whenever internet is available) for an entire year. The purpose is to be able to look back at any day of your year and recall what you did, who you met, and what you learned. I think it will be an important way to keep me connected to my blog, motivated to post, and serve as a great way to document my travels.


Well, thats all for now. More posts will be coming soon. if you're looking for other ways to keep in contact- here are all the ways:


Skipe: gretchen.egeberg
MSN: gretchen6858
Email: gretchen.egeberg@gmail.com
Facebook: Gretchen Egeberg
Blog (obviously): www.gretcheninnz.blogspot.com

and a phone number and address is hopefully soon to come.