Blog- Life

It's coming to my fifth month with Greenpeace and I can't help but think back to all the experiences I have had because of them. I have met and worked with some awesome people since the beginning and have learned so much and gained so much knowledge through the whole journey. I'v now been on the road for over a month and even though this is an incredible experience and I sometimes have to pinch myself, it can all get a bit too much for me.

Since I last blogged a lot has changed. The travel team has changed once again and it's now me, Dory and Braden. Change is so good for me because I'm that person who needs new surroundings quite often ( 7years of travelling shows that I guess) and so this has come at such a good time. What's even better is that we are super close to Queenstown/Wanaka which is where my friends Paula, Marisha and Deanna are, girls I cannot wait to see!

After a crazy night in Christchurch last week which saw me hop into a car with a stranger (stupid I know) and head out to one of the biggest clubs there, I vowed to steer clear of any more crazy nights but that probably won't last! Hitch hiking is stupid and I get that, but to be honest, I'm told that Christchurch is one of the safest places and at the end of the day, life is meant to be lived! In saying that, I have booked and paid for my flight to Sydney and my cruise around the pacific islands which I'm super excited for.

However, Iv had my ups and downs throughout this trip and most of the time I have to wake myself up and focus on the positive aspects of where I am right now at this moment! In frickin New Zealand! Today was a pretty shitty day for me (as some days fundraising can be) but something great came from it. Being in extremely low spirits and on the verge of crying on the side of the street, I manifested a beautiful soul to approach me. It was a woman I had met the day before, who I had talked to about India/yoga/meditation and the power of energies. She felt she had been drawn to me and she was the kind of person I loved chatting to about these things. On that note, you can see why her presence, beside me on the cafe steps made me instantly happy and slightly 'saved'.

She took me for a quick cuppa and a chat at the local coffee shop and pulled out her old map of India to which we chatted about. After a massive discussion about everything we had in common, travels and all, we both left each other's company feeling inspired. She had given me the idea to add Bhutan/Nepal and Tibet to my travel plans and I had given her advice on yoga schools in India and places she should visit during her trip.

Following this, I entered a super calm crystal shop where the positive energy hit me like a tonne of bricks. I chatted to the owner and purchased a woven crystal holder for the rose quartz I have and a fluorite crystal (for knowledge, ridding of negative energy and negative emotions) which seemed super appropriate for me at this moment. Stepping out of the shop I found myself feeling instantly different and I guess it rubbed off on the public because I signed up two new greenpeace members in ten minutes! Not such a bad day after all!

I guess what I'm saying is that the world is constantly testing us. It gives us obstacles, highs, lows and everything in between, while it sits back and watches you try to deal with them. It's super hard to see this all as 'life' at the time and so I'm determined to keep this in my mind along with some of what my friend 'Sue' had said that day, to help me believe in myself and life. Cliche as it is, you only live once and it is so true, don't take it for granted, appreciate everything you have.

Living in a materialistic, western society is super different compared to the time when I was in Rishikesh and it is sometimes hard to live like I did then, at peace with myself and my surroundings, but for now I will do my best until I get the amazing chance to experience that incredible culture one day soon.

Namaste x

So as of right now I am on the South Island and making my way towards Christchurch with my Greenpeace team Afrika and Dory. Oh and did I mention we've picked up our first traveller too, who has come along for the ride!

Time has gone by so quickly and I have been road tripping with Greenpeace for over a month now. The team has changed slightly too, considering Christine and I started together and aquired Braden and Afrika from there. Our first week after leaving Tauranga was spent in Gisborne, Napier, Hastings and Waipukarau during which we caught up with our former team mate Jared! Napier was beautiful and showed me some of the most amazing sunsets iv ever seen.

Our second week was spent in Dannevirke, Palmerston North, Levin and Wanganui where we had our best working week to date :) Yey us! These were all smallish places but my favourite types of places to work! Our third week was spent in Wellington which I loved, and where I got to catch up with my friend Naomi from home.

Windy Welly definitely lived up to it's name and working on the streets there was crazy some days. We met some friends at the YHA and had some good nights out there during our weeks stay. We met Marvin from Germany and Gerard from Ireland on our first day and spent the next few days hanging out with them. On our last night we met Danielle and Alex from the UK and had an awesome night out with them! The next morning we packed up the car for the ferry and prepared ourselves for Nelson :)

After our week in Wellington, we left for Nelson on the South Island where we spent our fourth week was spent. We were minus Braden who had left for Auckland the week before and now out team was down to two due to Christine finishing with Greenpeace. Nevertheless we aquired the lovely Dorothee from Germany who flew down to meet us in Nelson that week. During the long weekend, we spent time on the beautiful beach, went for tattoos in Tahunanai and hiked Abel Tasman National Park which I really wanted to tick off my list. It was amazing!

After Nelson, Richmond and Stoke we headed down towards Kaikoura where we planned to spend the weekend. along the way we had the opportunity to have some drinks with our former Greenpeacer Tal from Israel, and all his buddies in Bleinham.What a funny night! It led us to continue the party in the car all the way to Kaikoura blaring music and swigging on cheap cider (Sorry Afrika).

Kaikoura was beautiful, the first morning I woke up and saw the sun rising through the window and caught a glimpse of the snow capped mountains, my hear skipped a beat! It was like a postcard! We spent most of that day driving around towards the beach/mountains and taking heaps of pics... Such as...

It was a great day :)

The passed few weeks have been full of ups and downs in all ways of life and living/working and socialising together has proven tough at times... Especially spending 6 days in a recluse cabin the forest in Nelson.. But it has given us all so many awesome experiences and memories we would never have had a chance to go through before!

Who knows how long the travel trip will go on for, but until then, I will enjoy every second of it! And I may have to pinch myself occasionally to realise the life I am living right now! What a journey :)

Here's to the rest of the trip being as memorable as the beginning :)

Peace out xx