Back by popular demand

Okay, I’m just going to preface this whole post by saying that this entry is basically my food diary from the past weekend. I’m not ashamed, because it was all delicious and you will all be very jealous. However, please know that horrible, painful gym time is in my future. I regret nothing.

So I found out at about 4:36pm on Friday that this weekend is a long weekend in NZ and that I would have Monday off. At the time, I was actually kind of dreading it. The weekends have been the loneliest time here because I’ve gone from always having a plan with friends, to wondering what the hell I’m going to do to fill my time.

And that sounds sad and pathetic, but it actually hasn’t been so bad. I’ve been sleeping in until 11am, taking my time with breakfast and puttering around the house. I’ve also become kind of a regular at this little cafe called the Big Fig – I’ll go in for a couple of hours and spend time working on my laptop until the guilt from wifi thievery overcomes me, then I’ll move along.

But this weekend actually turned out to be awesome, thanks in part to my housemate, Alice. (Oh yeah, they say housemate here, not roommate. The distinction being that a roommate literally shares a room with you and a housemate shares the house). I digress.

Alice has been a complete godsend during this whole move. Much like Karin was to me in Whistler, Alice has introduced me to all her friends and invited me along on a lot of outings – so much so that I’m beginning to wonder if I’m a bother to her. But she never makes me feel unwanted or awkward or weird. I’m really going to have to find a good way to thank her.

On Thursday night, Alice had set me up with her friend Phoebe to go on a trail ride. First off, Phoebe is an amazing rider. Like, will probably compete professionally. But she was such a great riding buddy because she went at a solid pace and was so nice to show me around and explain where we were in relation to town. We also had some great chats and I didn’t realize how bad my legs were aching until the next morning when I got out of bed and was hobbling around like I was eighty years old. So I’m definitely hoping to get out with her again soon – it’s so beneficial to bike with people who are much better than me.

Moving along, I was stoked when I got home on Friday to find that I had an Amazon package. Seriously, Amazon is becoming my new favourite thing over here and although the shipping costs are murderous, the stuff I’ve been getting has all been great.

Anyway this particular package had new bedding in it! I’ve had my current bedding for about two years and after I stuffed it into a bike box (it’s white by the way, and it was alongside my greasy bike) it was definitely well past time to get some new stuff.

Mazy always used to joke that the guest room at Dad’s house was called the “Walmart Room” because everything in there was bought almost exclusively at Walmart. Well, after getting my new bedding, Alice and I did a trip on Saturday to Queenstown to go to K-Mart. It just opened there and on this side of the world, it’s akin to an Ikea coming to town (just to put it in perspective for you, Mom).

So, move over Walmart Room, because I now present to you… THE K-MART ROOM.

After visiting K-Mart, Alice and I went into Queenstown town centre and for a hot minute, I was worried. Because Queenstown is awesome.

It reminds me of a weird mix of Halifax and Whistler. It’s similar to Halifax in that it has a boardwalk along the lakeside (which is a tidal lake by the way – I’ve never heard of that). It also has the old stone buildings and cobblestone alleyways.

However, it’s very much like Whistler because it’s super tourist-y. There were so many people wandering the streets and crowding. I didn’t hear one person speak in a Kiwi accent. Similarly, it’s shockingly occasional to run into a Canadian in Whistler.

I really loved it there though, it felt like a real tiny city with lots of shops and brands that I recognized. And while I know that living there would’ve just been like living in another Whistler and probably would’ve inhibited me from truly experiencing the “real” New Zealand, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would’ve liked it better there.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Wanaka. But sometimes it does feel very small and quiet.

While I mulled over these thoughts, we stopped at taco shack down by the water and got what was probably the best fish taco I’ve ever had.

We then wandered the alleyways of Queenstown, popping into different stores and galleries before slowly making our way back to the car.

On the way home, I continued to think about my inner Queenstown vs. Wanaka battle. And I began to realize that I don’t need to pick one. I am deadset on buying a car and I realized that I need to not limit myself in NZ like I did in Whistler.

I’ll explain. When I lived in Whistler, I was deep in the “bubble”. I didn’t want to be anywhere else, because I figured I was already in the best place on earth. So I didn’t explore. I never visited Vancouver Island, I didn’t get to Haida Gwaii, I barely visited any of the interior resorts. And as a result, I sometimes feel that I robbed myself of a true West Coast experience. And while I know that I’ll be back on the West Coast, I have no intention of repeating that mistake here in NZ. Hence, the car. And while I can hear Dad’s voice in the back of my head droning on about how “a car is the worst investment you could ever make”. It’s not about the car per se this time around, it’s about the freedom.

Anyway, after we got back from Queenstown, some of Alice’s friends came round (came round = came over) and we had some wine on the back patio and watched the dogs play (a daschund and a french bulldog – you can imagine how I lost my shit).

The next day, Sunday, I was honestly relieved that I wouldn’t have to work on Monday. I had barely gotten any “adulting” done and I was hoping get to the lake – it’s now feeling like summer here; it’s 20 degrees everyday.

Luckily, Alice and her friend Rachel were headed down to the lake, so I tagged along. But first, ice cream.

We then hopped in the car and drove to Lake Hawea, which is about twenty minutes from Wanaka. It’s a much quieter lake with a lot of wakeboard boats moored along the beach. We sat on the sand and tanned, occasionally entertaining the idea of getting in the water, but ultimately being deterred by the frigid temperature.

I really wish my iPhone photos did this lake justice, because it was so beautiful. The water was this turquoise colour and the mountains in the background just made it look heavenly. I keep forgetting to take my camera on these outings and even when I do, it’s more of nuisance because it’s so big. I’m really eyeing a Sony A7 because it’s small and it’ll fit my lenses, but it’s on the wishlist along with my car. It’ll come.

When we decided that we had baked in the sun for long enough, we got back in the car and went to get fish and chips. Being that the Kiwis and Aussies are historic transplants of the English, they have a passion for their fish and chips. We stopped at this cool little roadside vendor and ordered the “Fish of the Day” special, which happened to be elephant fish on this day. I had no idea what that was, but it tasted pretty good. The meal was served in a paper bag – the “proper” way to eat fish and chips, I’m told. I thought it was awesome. We took our paper bags down to the riverside and ate at a picnic table while watching mountain bikers pedal across the ridgeline above us. Real life.

And that brings us to today. Holiday Monday. I slept in again today until 11am and then got up, cleaned and vacuumed my room and did some laundry. Then came down to Big Fig to start writing this post. I’m back at work again tomorrow for Week 3. Whew, time flies.

Alright, so that’s the rundown of my week. I’m thinking I’m going to try to do these little updates once a week on the weekends, because the work days just seem too busy to keep up. But that’s kind of a good thing, right?

• JB