Bye Wanaka Hello Adventure!

Hey there all my loves! Man it’s been a whirlwind the past couple of weeks! We finished up at Treble Cone on the 3^rd of October. It was a bright sunny day and we had a blast with the staff and some of our customers all dressed up in some crazy stuff. I had a chance before the season ended to shadow ski patrol for a day, which was pretty rad except for the fact that it was kind of a crappy day and nobody was really there even. Oh well it was worth a try.

Ok so after last day we all packed up and Ben and I went down to Queenstown to pick up our new ride for the next 2 weeks. That’s right, road trip! We had this huge 6 person camper van, which was crazy! This thing was quite sizeable and just happened to be a stick shift (when we picked it up I was technically the only person who really knew how to drive stick). It was gonna be quite the adventure! The next day the plan was head south to Te Anau and then on to check out Milford Sound the following day.

DAY 1: The first real day of our roadie (those kiwis love to shorten words and add y or ie to everything) the 5 of us (Ben, Kate, Ian, Joel and myself) left around 1 o’clock and drove through Queenstown on our way to Te Anau where we would spend the night. About an hour south of Queenstown the adventure really began…

We were all very much taken by surprise when we realized that we were hardly moving and had our hazard lights on in the middle of the road. Our driver was able to pull to the side and we decided to look under the hood, for what exactly we had no clue… The stick was not moving correctly and we couldn’t get the van into any of the gears. We were able to get the car moving once more for a moment before it gave out completely beside (shocker) an incredibly green sheep paddock.

We called the van company and they decided that the clutch was done and that we would have to wait for the maintenance guy to come out with a tow truck to bring us back to Queenstown. We drank a few beers on the side of the road with some friendly sheep while we decided what we would do next so that we could still see Milford Sound and make our ferry crossing date later in the week without missing anything we wanted to see/do. The company put us up in a camper park for the night while they figured out where they could get a van for us the following day. We booked a bus day tour to Milford Sound for the following day and hoped it wouldn’t be too expensive.

DAY 2: The next morning we hopped on the bus to Milford Sound at 7am. Lucky for the camper company (with whom we were still pretty frustrated) we were able to get on the luxury bus, which even had a skylight and included lunch. The road to Te Anau we had already seen most of the previous day and for that reason most of us slept through this part of the drive. We stopped for tea in Te Anau and walked through the town briefly while trying to get into contact with the camper company to make sure we would have a new camper waiting when we returned that evening.

We continued on toward Milford with the bus driver filling our brains with fascinating facts about the history and significance of the area. He did all this while maneuvering the winding roads of a New Zealand National Park (if you haven’t driven on New Zealand roads this is a feat of extraordinary skill). We were one of the lucky groups too because the day turned out to be amazing with blue skies as far as the eye could see. This was not usually the case apparently so we were pretty pumped about that.

We stopped at several view points along the way to take pictures and such. One spot had what the Maoris called “healing waters” and it was the freshest water I have ever tasted. Another of the spots was used in the filming of The Lord of the Rings, which was pretty neat. I could almost see Strider riding across the plains. The mountains towered over us and the plains spread out for kilometers. Glaciers were lodged in the upper parts of some of the mountains while waterfalls sprang from all directions. We finally made it to the water, which is an inlet of the Tasman Sea that is fairly narrow.

This place is truly majestic with green mountains over 1500 meters (that’s 4,500 feet) high that plunge directly into the water. Since it’s an inlet of the sea, the majority of the water is salt water. But because it rains about 8 meters a year (one of the wettest places on the planet) there is a large amount of fresh water running into the fjord through rain and the majestic waterfalls that line the walls. For this reason there are a few meters of fresh water that lie on top of that salt water creating two completely separate ecosystems one on top of the other. Ummm ya, I’m pretty sure this is something that doesn’t just happen everywhere.

We got on a little cruise ship deal and were taken all the way out to the Tasman Sea. It was about an hour and a half and we ate lunch, took copious amounts of pictures and just enjoyed staring, slack jawed, at God’s incredible creation. Because the sides of these mountains are so incredibly steep they have a problem known as tree avalanches. This is exactly what it sounds like. The rain causes the soil to loosen and there are places where you can see the turmoil of fallen trees and loose soil like a landslide with trees. Because of these steep walls our cruise driver was able to get the entire front of the boat under one of the waterfalls completely drenching the unsuspecting tourists up front. This place truly is magical and it left me with feelings of awe and fascination when we left. We got back on the bus and they turned on The Lord of the Rings as we made the trek back to Queenstown.

We got back to Queenstown and moved all our stuff into the new camper that was parked next to our old immobile camper. We drove back to Wanaka that night because we hadn’t exactly finished cleaning the house a few days prior. We found out on our way that our road trip would consist of the 5 of us because we had someone bail on us last minute. We would have one of Joel’s friends fill that spot for a few days. We slept at home that night and the trip would continue the following day.

Ok this has taken so much to write. I guess I'll have to tell you about our incredible road trip in several installments. Hope you enjoy the first! Love you guys and see you all soon!! Muah!

HELLOOOOOO WORLD!

Okey dokey. Sooo it's been just about forever since I last updated you all on my status here in NZ. Oops! So here goes...
Hi! Man time is just flying by these days! So I'm living in this sweet house a little ways out of town with 5 other people. 2 kids from Colorado, 1 from Canada, and 2 from Australia. They're all super cool and I am really enjoying living with all of them! We've formed our little family and have made a nice little home here for ourselves. We try to keep the house relatively clean and as far as 6 people in a house are concerned I say we are succeeding. Trying to keep the utility bills down since it's super expensive and have been good on that side too which is rad. Sometimes we even come home to some home made cookies in the oven! Hmmm what else...
Work. Working as a lifty definitely has it's ups and downs. Ups include paid ride breaks, cheap rentals, free pass, discounts in town and to other ski fields, getting to know some rad people from all over the world, beautiful views (sunrises), becoming acquainted with the ski industry, and making great connections for the future. Downsides include waking up early, long days, and waking up early. We definitely have a worldly crew on lifts this year which has been sweet. I've been getting to know the patrollers too because I'm pretty sure I'm gonna come home and get started on becoming a ski patrol lady! You know what that means?? Yup SKIS! Very few ski areas hire snowboard ski patrol and if they do it's super hard to do some of the stuff that is required. I've been wanting to get back on skis for a few years now and have just been given the opportunity and some incentive to do so. I've been skiing at work for the past couple of days and it's SO FUN! Man it's crazy how quick that stuff comes back to you! I got fitted for ski boots the other day and have been demoing some skis out here. Who knew skiing could be tons o fun too!?!? I'm thinking a big purchase is coming my way :/
On my days off my friend Ian and I head up to Snow Park for some fun on the jumps! They have a sick set up including a ridiculous number of rails and boxes, smaller jumps (30ft), fun stuff to bonk, a gigantasaurus pipe, and a triple set (35ft, 45ft, 60ft). They are currently working on some other crazy jump thing but I have no clue what it is going to be. The snow here is still pretty scarce but we're just praying for more of it. Doesn't really matter all that much for Snow Park though, they have just about enough for their purposes. We just had a storm roll through and all the ski fields were closed for at least a day or two. It ended up being about 15 cm at Treble Cone topped with a nice warm layer of rain... boo. There's some light fluffy snow and some cold weather to come I hope!
Other than that I've just been hangin out, going to church, chillin in town with friends, oh and the other day some family came and met me down here! My friend drove me down to Queenstown and I got to spend the day with Joy, Dave, Tara, Grant, Zach, Guy, Peggy, Pill and Jim! It was super cool seeing those guys especially since I hadn't seen some of them in as many as 10 years! We went up the gondola above the lake and we enjoyed a buffet, some incredible views, each others company and got to luge! It was an awesome day just finding out what everyone has been up to and sharing my limited kiwi knowledge with all of them!
So I think that's about all I have to say at this point. That is just about my life in a nutshell for the moment. It's crazy when you wake up one day and realize you are living your dream life!!! I miss you all and hope you are all enjoying your summer!
LOVELOVELOVE
~Kaits

HI HI HI!!
Sooooo ya. Sorry it took so long to get up another post. I've been just chillin here in Wanaka for almost 2 weeks now. Met a bunch of real rad kids in the hostel here "The Purple Cow" and we've just been taking our time enjoying each day and taking it slow. We went down to the park by the lake the other day. They have a super duper Dino slide!!! Ya so that took up a good half of that day hahaha! We've also been going on a few hikes around the lake here which has provided for some pretty sweet photo opportunities (I'll post those once we get wi fi).
It's been pretty nice weather, sunny and usually around 7-10 degrees Celsius (you figure it out). Handed my CV (resume) in to a bunch of shops and restaurants around town but few are hiring at this point in the season and there are about a bajillion people out looking for jobs too at the moment. Also been running all around Wanaka looking at houses for rent. Luckily there are lots because so many people rent seasonally. But ya a couple of days ago it got a lot busier.
My aussie friend Laura and I had to figure out if we wanted to move into this house with some people and just didn't feel super great about it. So we had to decide on Sunday. Sunday evening rolled around and Laura went and looked at yet another house and still didn't really want to move in to that other house. We found out later that same night that we had been approved to rent this nice house up on the hill and were crazy relieved to hear it! We move in tomorrow with some traveling friends from the hostel and I'm so stoked to finally be able to unpack and settle into a routine, as well as not having to pay nightly for a place to sleep!
That night I went to church and was just so happy to have a place to live and was just praying for a job next. We split into small groups and all got to know each other and I had them pray for me about my job situation.
The next day I received a call from a house rental company for a job as a housekeeper. So I had an interview the next day! They pretty much just said that if I wanted to work with them I could and that I could decide the following week after looking at a house and what our responsibilities would be. Later that evening I went to the internet place to check my email and had received an email from one of the big guns (Ross) up at Treble Cone ski field to call him. It was about 5pm so I gave him a ring and he told me that if I was still interested in working up there that I should meet at the bus stop at 7am. HECK YES!! For a time that was not known for being a hiring time in Wanaka I was crazy lucky! 2 job offers in 1 day?? The big man really is listening!!
What to choose... what to choose... So I am now a lift operator at Treble Cone ski field!!! I've worked 7-4 for the past 3 days just training and getting introduced to the equipment. Got to climb around on the big machines and push all those official looking buttons which was pretty rad! Today we had to get to the bottom of the quad which is situated on the back of the mountain. They cannot download people on the chair so guess what I got to do... I got my first couple runs of the season on June 18th!! It was not groomed so real lumpy and inconsistent but whatever. Snowboarding is snowboarding. And coming down the front side at the end of the day was nice and groomed :D The view from the top is incredible as well as the fact that we get up the mountain before the sun even rises. Got some pics to show you all soon! It snowed a little at the top today but we're looking at a rainy forecast and are supposed to open on Thursday so it might be a little sketchy!
But I love you all soooo much and hope you feel I have you all up to date. Stay warm in that summer weather of yours and pray for snow for me!!

L.O.V.E.
~Kaits

N Zed #1

Hey Guys!
I know you have all been waiting with baited breath to hear what I've been up to in New Zealand... Not really I know but I like to think so :) So I arrived some days ago to a rainy Christchurch.
Christchurch is a city of about 350,000 people and I stayed in a women-only hostel there. I explored the city there for 2 days but it was fairly small and only really needed one. I checked out the cathedral that was in the middle of town and built in the mid 1800s which was pretty rad. Also checked out some of the art galleries, which were free, and the botanical gardens and such. I was actually really surprised by the huge British influence that has hold there. Oh and they drive on the left side of the street too which has taken some getting used to. I still have to remind myself to walk on the left side of the sidewalk from time to time. From there I took the naked bus, that's right that's the name, down to Queenstown which took about 8 hours by bus. The scenery was gorgeous though and reminded me of why I'm here. I'll get pics up soon I just have to use a different computer for the internet here and internet is pretty expensive.
On the bus we stopped at a few pretty sweet landmarks like Lake Tekapo which was breathtaking and Wanaka was on the way as well. Started to see the mountains and all of the new snow that has just arrived! Met a couple of girls on the bus so that was cool and ended up in a hostel near the lake in Queenstown after dusk.
Queenstown is pretty sweet. It's a city of about 15,000 people that is set up right on the lake which was beautiful as well of course. I ended up in a room with 5 other girls and spent a day and two nights with them. Most people I have met have been from the UK, Germany, or Australia. Not too many Americans backpack around as I expected. The girls were pretty cool and were off finding jobs and a place to live during the day so I explored a little on my own. Walked around the lake a bit and saw the Remarkables, which is a huge rocky mountain range like the Tetons, that raises straight out of the lake. It was so funny to me that something so far away and so foreign can seem so familiar. The town is bustling with young backpackers looking for a thrill. Queenstown was the site of the very first bungee jump ever and people go there for an adrenaline rush basically. You can go up the Gondola and do some luge type stuff, bungee jump, skydive, jet boat, pretty much anything that will scare the pants off of you. I think I'll come back once I've made some friends in Wanaka to do all of that. But left for Wanaka this morning. Arrived around 11 and checked into the Purple Cow hostel which just has a park and skate park between itself and the lake.
You wouldn't believe how amazing this place is. A lot like Tahoe with the small town and the main strip right across from the lake. Huge mountains that rise out of the lake across the lake which I could just stare at for hours. Set up a banking account here and next couple of steps are getting a phone, a job, and a place to live. Looks like I've come about the right time for a job, I hope. They said they will probably start hiring in the next couple of weeks for the winter season so cross your fingers for me!
Mostly I've been just hanging out with God. Spending a couple hours in the Word every day and praying a lot. I've put this trip in his hands and know that if I'm supposed to get a job and a place to live it'll all happen in his time and not mine. It's been so cool though learning about him and me and our relationship just growing and blossoming. Looking around it's easy to see that He just had a blast making New Zealand because I just look around me and marvel everywhere I look. Hope everyone is well. Miss you guys! And will try to keep you guys updated as life continues in NZed!
Love love love,
Kaits