It’s impossible to sum up the last few months in New Zealand in any sort of concise way, so we’ll make our best attempt to use less words and more pictures. We know that the further we get away from this sweet season, the more we’ll look back with fondness and sentimentality towards it.

First off, we finished wwoofing!! We loved the time we spent wwoofing, learned so much and have lots to still share, but at the end of 10 months, we were definitely ready for a change of scenery and not sharing homes and meals with strangers or being on the move each week.

But we couldn’t have planned a better finale to our trip. We got to spend 2 months with these two….

…some of our closest friends from Minnesota in a house they snagged for us to house-sit in together…….

….free of rent charges and a block from the ocean.

We planted some veggies in the garden, shared meals most nights, attempted to unicycle, painted some street art, played at the beach and generally lived it up in the best possible way we could – all four of us in the same house, in the same country, on the opposite side of the globe.

Being with Mike and Hil was the best cure for the holiday blues we felt at times being away from friends and family over Christmas and New Year’s. On Christmas we all made a big Mexican feast, played yard games and jumped into the frigid ocean at twilight – a moment we’ll never forget.

Mike and Hilary got us both jobs as part of the housekeeping crew at the hostel where they work. For anyone who has ever lived with Kristin, you’ll likely find that unbelievable, but yes, she did indeed get paid to clean for 6 weeks!! It wasn’t a glamorous job, but we got to work together and spend our afternoons looking at this view from the library:

This truly is the best library in the world. The view was unbeatable and the wifi was free. It was the perfect place to search for jobs and accommodation in Melbourne.

We stumbled upon some really cool, swanky bars and restaurants while in Christchurch. For a city that’s on the mend (it had several serious earthquakes hit a few years ago and much of the city was leveled), it truly has a creative energy pouring out of it. Check out some of our favorite places, tastes and glimpses around town.

One of our best memories is of our road trip with Mike and Hilary to Milford Sound, arguably one of the most beautiful parts of NZ. Here are a few of the highlights, in no particular order:

-Piling four of us in January White to sleep for a night as it poured down rain outside
-Chillin’ and grillin’ at Lake Tekapo

-Lots of frisbee and rock skipping

-Mountaintop breakfast with the most amazing views

-Wine tasting tour in the world capital of Pinot Noir

-Puzzling World in Wanaka (a weird, ecclectic fun-house of optical illusions and a lifesized maze)

-Drive to and boat trip through the Milford Sounds

-Unforgettable sights

And the icing on the cake, Mr. Reuben Haggar himself (a close friend of ours from college) joined us for the last few days in Christchurch while he is on holiday from teaching in China. The 3 of us shared a room at the hostel and got to catch up on all the parts of life we’ve missed in the last 2 years.

As more reflections come about NZ, we’ll make sure to document them. It goes without saying that we feel overwhelmingly blessed by the people we’ve gotten to do life with over the past few months. They feel like home to us and we are sure sad to go.

Retrospectively,
Kristin and Cole