New Country: New Zealand

Before I discuss my most recent adventures, my mother wanted me to take a moment to inform my readers of what "passing out" means.  When I use this phrase in relation to an evening of inebriation, I do not mean that I randomly lost consciousness on the street/during conversation/etc.; I am simply implying "falling asleep."

Ok, now that that's out of the way, let's discuss my first week here in New Zealand.  I arrived after what I believe to be about a 14 hour flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina (I fell asleep before the plane doors even shut, so I am not positive of the exact length) and arrived in Auckland at around 8:00 a.m.  My first day in the city was a bit of a waste because I was severely jet lagged;  I attempted to walk around, but I basically just ate lunch in front of the water and then watched hours of Family Guy in the hostel common room.

The next day I went for a run and then walked around the city--central Auckland is small, extremely, clean, and the people are very friendly.  It was a nice change of pace going from being consistently vulgarly heckled in South America, to being completely left alone.  Later that day I saw a familiar face in my hostel.  Josh Koshar, a guy I had met at Boston University a few times through mutual friends, walked by me while I was on my laptop.  I wasn't absolutely positive it was him, so I sent a massage through the ever useful Facebook saying, "This might sound nuts-o, and I'm not even sure if you remember me, but I think I just saw you in my NZ hostel."

He then wrote back saying, "I think I'm looking at you."  A moment later I heard a girl yell my name from across the room and when I looked up he was sitting at a computer near me!  Small world.  He and I then went out for a drink to catch up.  We then met two other Americans from California (Garrett and Bradon) in our hostel and we all decided to drink and hang out in the hot tub on the roof of our hostel before going out.

We first attempted to go to a bar called cowboys and Indians; however, two of the guys we were with weren't dressed properly so we left and went to another bar with live music.  The California boys were making fun of my leisurely drinking pace and told me I had to go to the corner until I finished my drink.  Instead, I saw down with some very attractive locals (for the rest of that story, see my Awkward moment) until it was time to leave.  Next stop, Family, a gay dance club.  SO.  MUCH.  FUN.  We stayed there until around 4 a.m. and then wondered back home.

The next morning, I took a free Auckland day bus tour that showed us parks and volcanoes around the city.  We stopped for some delicious fish and chips (french fries) and when I got back to the hostel it was hot tub time, again!  I hung out with Bradon and two Swedish girls in the pouring rain for a few hours, then went to bed.

The next day, Josh and I left in his car for a surf town a few hours South called Raglan--part of the movie, "Endless Summer" was filmed here.  The first two nights, we slept in his car; one night at a campground and the second, parked on a cliff overlooking the surfing beach.  The view was absolutely stunning;  the sky was perfectly clear of clouds and we had an undisturbed view of the Southern Hemisphere's night sky--I haven't seen that many stars since I lived in the boonies of Minnesota.

We wondered around the first two days; we took some scenic drives, hiked down Bridal falls, and spent way too much time at the local coffee shop, Tongue and Groove.  For the next two nights, we stayed at the Backpacker Hostel--everyone there is very friendly and laid back, "on Raglan time" as they like to call it.  We attempted to go surfing that third day; it was a lot of fun, but I definitely need more practice seeing as how I never stood up for longer than a second.

The next day, I went with another Kelly, from Maine, to visit a local Maori Eco-farm (Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand).  It was very interesting to see how self-sufficient people on these farms are;  I am currently reading Omnivore's Dilemma; the comparison between the American diet and how it's produced with those on Eco-farms is mind-boggling (I highly suggest everyone read this book to understand what you are putting in your body as well as your family's).

The weather wasn't as cheery as one would like it to be in a surf town, so I hung out with Manon (from Canada) and a few others in the hostel drinking wine and chit-chatting.  The next day, I was on a bus back to Auckland where I am currently sitting, preparing for my next international marathon in t-minus 3 days!

AWKWARD MOMENT

I do not have game (read; any smooth ability to hit on a guy).  Seriously.  I just cant.  While at a bar in Auckland, sitting with extremely attractive local guys, I...God this embarrassing...ask for an e-mail address.  Who DOES that????  In my defense, I thought my phone was stolen from the hostel and i was playing the "oh, you're from here:  Do you have any suggestions for what I should do?" game...but still.  An e-mail address??!!!??  That is so...