Aotearoa: The soul's journey

For the last two weeks the kids in Australia have been on school holidays.  What does that mean for CRT (Substitute teachers) like myself....holidays!  I was lucky enough to travel back to New Zealand with Katy for 17 days, which, as usual, was not nearly enough.  For me, going back to New Zealand was a bit of a trial to see if I loved it just as much as I thought I did....well, I do.  Never have I felt so at home in a country so immediately as I do when I am in NZ.  

We spent two weeks travelling around and doing things that I was unable to do the first time round.  Katy and I first headed off to Queenstown where we ate, drank, and played far too much.  Queenstown is exactly how it was a year ago: a city that knows how to do two things well--party, and challenge your comfort zone.  We did both of those things, the latter to the lesser extreme than previously years.  We also got a chance to head to Milfred Sound where we were able to take in the sheer beauty of life that exists within New Zealand.  After days of Kayaking, louging, dancing, skinny dipping, soccer, and fruitless attempts at rope swings, we were ready to head north...next stop, Franz Joseph Glacier.

The glacier offered us a look at nature that we don't quite get in Canada.  Although the Columbia Ice Fields are neat, I wouldn't quite say that they are a vertical spectacular!  Franz Joseph was exactly that.  After crawling through crevasses with cramp-ons, and moving through ice cliffs holding on only to small ropes, the 8 hour vertical hike definitely moved me...both figuratively and literally.  This was perhaps my favourite part of the trip as I can't quite explain the sheer beauty that exists amongst the crystal glaciers of the west coast of NZ.

After freezing for a few days straight we decided to head back to Christchurch where I would have a chance to catch up with old colleagues, friends, and students.  Christchurch amazed me once more with it's English quaintness and amazing atmosphere.  Spending a week with people like Pauline and Nicola was enough to make me want to permanently move myself to this city. Not only was I overwhelming greeted by the students and staff at Banks Avenue School, I was also able to sit back and truly enjoy the essence that exists in their learning environment--it was enough to make me want to pack up and teach there...which I am trying to do, so fingers crossed.

Christchurch also offered Katy and I the chance to spend some more time with Joel and his friends from uni, as well as catch up with friends that we had made along the way.  Spending time in Illam Village made me really miss the opportunities that i had whilst living in residence at The University of Lethbridge.  Here is the part where I must give big shout-outs to Sammy, Whit, Paddy, Benny and Caitlin...thanks for letting us crash with you for the week!

Overall, the trip to New Zealand was so worth while, and really made me fully understand that it is a country of which I will return to.  

Aroha New Zealand.  Thanks for all the great memories.