We have been living here in Nelson for two weeks already. Two weeks! I can't believe it. On the one hand it's gone so fast, it feels like we've only just got here. But at the same time it feels like we've been here for so much longer than that. The streets are beginning to feel familiar, and I'm starting to remember their names. It has already been so much fun to be "based" somewhere. I'm really excited to see what it's like over the next few weeks as well.
I spoke about being here briefly in my last blog post, but a quick summary for those who missed it: Tom and I have jobs as cleaners in a hostel in Nelson, working in exchange for accommodation. I clean the bathrooms and do the hoovering, Tom empties the rubbish and makes the beds. We are both adamant that our role is the hardest of the two, but since Tom can finish work having not once put his hand down the toilet, I'm pretty confident saying mine is the worst.
We are planning to stay here until we fly home. It is both a way to save money, and to be able to properly experience living and working in one place for an extended period of time here in New Zealand.
So far it has been amazing fun. It's not quite winding through the Southern Alps on a train, or sitting on a fishing boat in the idyllic setting of the East Cape, but it is a much quieter, much more relaxed kind of fun. It's discovering new café's, making new friends, and having the chance to explore somewhere for longer than an afternoon.
We are both really enjoying ourselves, and we're looking forward to even more discoveries over the next few weeks. But first, here's what we've been getting up to so far!
Not only do I finally have the chance to visit as many local coffees shops as I can, I now know people who can show me where all the good ones are.
This was taken one afternoon last week, when Julia and I treated ourselves to a coffee and "something sweet" from one of her favourite coffee shops. Cafe Affair is on the street opposite the Cathedral, surrounded by restaurants and bars. I'm not sure I would have stopped there without Julia (I keep forgetting coffee is always the same price here, and keep avoiding places that look expensive) but I'm very very glad we did.
My coffee was wonderful, as was my brownie. The brownie was actually so good I had to save some for Tom just so he could taste it as well. It's lucky there was no way to save the coffee because it was gone in a heartbeat.
I'm sure there is going to be A LOT more photos like this over the next few weeks...
6 people living semi-permanently in a dorm room does not lend itself to order or organisation!
This is me sat on my bed; my home for the next two months! There have been some changes since this photo was taken. Julia (who sleeps above me) and I moved the railing over slightly so my towel hangs slightly more to the right. I have also hung a sheet from the planks under Julia's mattress to give me a kind of "privacy wall" while I sleep. I hang the sheet back up during the day so it acts like a kind of curtain. It is very very handy and just lets you have some privacy in such a cramped space. It also gets rids of the awkwardness of someone having to see your feet or face when they wake up!
Tom's bed is the top bunk of the bed next to me. Without a ladder there was no chance of me getting in and out of that bed without waking up the entire room, so there was no choice but for it to be Tom's. It isn't too bad I don't think but his head does get verrrry close to the fan (that is permanently on because it is SO DAMN HOT HERE) when he climbs into bed. There haven't been any incidents yet (touch wood I can say that when he leaves as well)....
Everyone keeps their things in the white laundry baskets you can see underneath the two beds. My stuff is condensed into my backpack (I keep my clothes bags in there) on the left, and my laundry basket on the right (I have my shoes and my toiletry bag in that). In front of that is my day bag, my little handbag, and usually my flip flops. Just me trying to create an iota of order in such a mountain of mess!
This is a coffee shop that has just opened in town and I can't get over how pretty it looks inside. It's called 7010, and the woman who served me told me her best friend had opened it and now they both work in there, serving customers and coffee. Opening a coffee shop with your best friend sounds like a dream!
I had a wonderful coffee from there as well, although I'm sure my experience was made a lot better by the fact it was a girly afternoon out. I can't even remember the last time I had one of those! It was much needed and a lot of fun. I've lucked out on the whole work colleagues thing!
This may be the biggest crowd of non-tourists I have seen gathered in my whole time here in New Zealand. The South Island buskers festival was held here during our first week and I accidentally caught the very last show when Alisa and I were out looking for ice cream.
We sat to the side of the stage and caught the last act of the show. It was definitely Kiwi humour so a lot of the jokes fell flat for me, but the crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves and even I could laugh at the slapstick humour!
The show ended with a guy LIGHTING A WHIP ON FIRE AND RUBBING IT OVER HIS BODY. When it touched his hair, Alisa and I both gasped. We were fully expecting him to burst into flame, something that could only have put a damper on the whole evening.
He didn't (obviously) and instead we tried to catch our breath while he cracked the whip and sent sparks up into the sunset sky. The poetic feel was ruined slightly by the passive aggressive request for money but it was still a lovely experience!
One thing I am definitely going to miss about New Zealand is how widely available soy milk is. I am yet to go to a coffee shop that doesn't offer soy milk, which is a huge cry from the UK where only the big chain shops offer it. It's going to be heartbreaking to say goodbye to that luxury!
The colours were unbelievable. From dusky oranges to light pinks all the way to a fiery red. I couldn't get enough and I also couldn't get a single picture that did it justice. Such is life!
It was such a wonderful evening. I think Nelson is going to suit us well.
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