Coffee? Yes, Please.

Growing up I never understood why my mother loved coffee so much. It looked, smelled and tasted not so great to me, yet she almost always had a cup in hand. Even up until last year I wasn't really into it. I'd get it when someone would do a Starbucks run at work, but I wasn't at all a daily devotee of the liquid poison.

Shortly after arriving in Wellington I realized that I truly am my mothers child. Wellington is THE place when it comes to perfectly roasted, perfectly ground, perfectly pressed, perfectly frothed, perfectly made coffee. They are serious about their coffee & it's amazing. I've crossed the line & now feel a bit off when I don't get my cup. I'm a grown up. I'm the grown up I looked at when I was a kid and wondered why or how they could drink so much of that no good stuff. Funny.

Not only is the coffee here quite grand, but the cafe's are also very much a staple to the culture in this city. Cafe's are to Wellington what Pizza spots are to Chicago. You don't go to Chicago and not get a famous slice of chicago style pizza. Just the same, you wouldn't come to Wellington and not indulge in the coffee. Unlike back home where there's a Starbucks nearly every 10 steps...there are only 3 (that I know of or have seen) in this entire city. They just aren't up to par and I'm pretty sure that most of their customers are school kids getting Frapp's and tourists who don't know any better.

The menu's are simple...notice in one of the shots below a list of most popular coffee's. Flat White's are my favorite. Sometimes they come in glasses, and sometimes in bowls (for the American visitors...ha). But the standard is just a regular little mug with a moderate portion. Just right. They also roast most of their coffee beans right in the city and a lot of the cafe's are fair trade friendly. Major plus.

I've started my coffee addiction at the top and I think I may have, by default, become a bit of a coffee snob. In a nice way, of course.

Love,

Rach

Saw this in the bathroom at one of my fave

cafe's. I just love it so I wanted to share...

Road Trip!

Two of my cool kiwi friends & decided to take a wee road trip a few weekends ago. It was fun to say the least & unforgettable to say the most. I'm sure this has come across in previous posts, but Wellington is (in my opinion based on my short time & travels here...) in it's own little bubble. It's just different than any other place in New Zealand. The weather is different, the culture is different, the layout is different, it's different. I love it and in fact every time I leave to do a bit of traveling I miss it. But unlike anywhere in the States, in New Zealand you can drive a few short hours in one direction or another and literally be in a completely different climate. This makes getting away for a few days all the more fun. So...one of my flatmates, Abi, grew up in a small-ish town about 5 hours drive Northwest of Wellington called New Plymouth which is part of a region known as Taranaki. Abi, our friend Emma and I decided to take a trip up to hang on the beach & pay a visit to Abi's cool Nana. In the 'Naki' as they say, you'll find the Surf Highway which is just that, miles of black sand beaches with some of the best surf in NZ. There is also a lone Mountain called Mt. Taranaki that can easily be summitted and back in a day. The weather was amazingly warm and there wasn't a sun-less day. The whole weekend was just plain fun. One night we decided to overindulge on many levels and hit up a schnazzy 'All You Can Eat' Buffet. Not such a novelty in America, but here it kind of is. We definitely went in hungry, definitely spent over 2 hours there, definitely got our money's worth, and definitely didn't regret it. Well, Emma might've a wee bit. Abi showed us all of the good spots around town, including an amazing park where they did some of the filming for 'The Last Samurai' and it also hosts big outdoor concerts during the summer (the photos of the bridge & flower were taken there...). Nana proved to be great company and a lovely host as well.

I loved New Plymouth and of all the places I've been this definitely ranks high on my list of favorites.

Love Love Love,

Rachel

Limited Edition.

Ok guys. I'm very sorry for my lack of consistent posting as of late. I'm sooo grateful to all of you who check in and read my blog, it's really cool to have this place to share the happs of life over here where it's not as easy (time difference) or cheap to connect in real life. I've got a number of ideas for new posts and no shortage of pictures so please persevere, keep checking in and I promise to be more diligent at setting aside time to write.

I guess part of the reason I haven't been writing is because I've been busy. Not the kind of busy I was before I moved here, the kind I needed so badly to get away from, but good busy. Busy getting to know the people around me, busy reading, busy playing my guitar, busy learning how to live and love, forgive and forget, dwell in good, in God, not in the past or in worry, doubt and fear. It's not all a walk in the park, as they say, but boy has this season been a huge breath of fresh air.

Randomly the other day the phrase "Limited Edition" came to mind and hasn't left. I don't really know where it came from, but it came. It got me to thinking about my time here in New Zealand. I'm only allowed to be here for a certain amount of time before I will be required to politely go back to where I came from. New Zealand is to me & I am to it similar to what one might consider Limited Edition. I, of course, knew from the beginning how long I would be here. I knew when the beginning would begin and when the ending would end (thanks to my e-visa!)...but I didn't consider the middle. I didn't know what would happen in the middle. Turns out it's amazing & as time unfolds is proving to be one of the most defining years of my life. So much provision and preparation for time to come, depth and meaning, awareness and understanding. It's not overwhelming. It's consistent and freeing. My foundation, which is my Faith in God, is solidifying. It's stronger. When you have a strong foundation you can build upon it with quality, sturdy, lasting materials. While my heart will undoubtedly break when it's time to say goodbye to my limited bit of time in New Zealand, with what I've received I pray I'll be able to walk humbly forward & GIVE.

Words.

A couple of weeks ago I was wandering around Wellington and as I strolled along one of my favorite parts of town, Oriental Parade, there out of nowhere stood a giant, white, magnetic cube. On each side of this cube were hundreds of tiny magnetic words. We've all seen them. Quite frankly they aren't that interesting & can actually, in my opinion, be a bit tacky when scattered about on one's personal fridge. But this is the perfect example of how something can be ordinary in one setting and extraordinary in another. When you place something like this out in public, for anyone and everyone to use freely to 'express' him or herself, it would be nearly impossible for it not to be interesting. As I stood there examining all of the words & reading what people who had visited earlier put together, more came to do the same. The words were constantly moving, sentences or phrases were changing, some were serious, others were funny, and no two were the same. I love that we are all different. That no two people can bring to the table in the same exact way. Definitely a cool aspect of life & the big white cube with the tiny magnetic words reminded me how much I appreciate it. Here are a few shots...

Love, Rachel

Just want to say...

I love you.

I recently moved into a new flat out in a suburb of Wellington called Petone. The house I was living in prior to this went on the market, so we (me & the 4 other flatties) all ventured out to find a new place to call home. I really liked it at 21a Treasure Grove...lovely flatmates, nice house, beautiful ocean view. If we wouldn't have had to move out I'd still be there. I'm a total 'bright sider'...completely optimistic, glass half full person & will find the happy bits of any situation. But I authentically believe that everything happens for a reason. Here's the story...about a week before I was informed of the flat being put up for sale, I was at dinner with some friends when one of them casually said "Rachel, you should move into our flat!" I laughed. Great as it sounded, Petone is actually clear across the entire city from Seatoun, where I work. I brushed it off. Even when found out I had to move, I still didn't consider Petone because of the distance & started searching flat closer to work. As my friends gradually heard about my need for a place to rent, one by one they encouraged me to consider cute little, wonderful little, crazy little Petone. So I did just that. I considered it.

Living in the other flat I hadn't realized that I was missing something. We all had different schedules, and essentially different lives. It was rare to all be there & it often times felt like I was living alone. I thought I liked it, but I didn't. It made me less social, less productive, and for the first time ever, ever, ever did I catch a glimpse of loneliness. Laying everything out on the table...Cost, distance, work, friends. It was my friend Emma who said to me "For your time here what's more important to you, being a convenient distance from work or living where you can actually be in community with your friends??" that helped me put it in perspective and I decided to go for it. In the end, it's not even an inconvenient distance from work. What is convenience anyway? When it's all said and done I really don't care if I took the long way, I'll take whatever way it is that brings fulfillment, fun and LIFE.

From the day I moved into my new place I've felt so at home. It's been a breath of fresh air & I am once again amazed at how God really does know what we need, when we need it & provides it. Even when we're completely oblivious.

Which brings me back to the beginning. When I say I love you, I mean it in a seriously big way. I've said it before, I'll probably say it again & again...but I just cannot get over how many amazing people I have in my life. I can't for the life of me figure out how I could possibly deserve such a blessing. It blows me away to think that I moved clear across the world not knowing even a handful of people, yet I've found a family in the friendships I've made & the home I work in each week. And that I get emails & phone calls from friends, previous co-workers & patients & family back home filled with encouragement and love and plans for when I get back. I am well aware that there are a lot of people in this world that don't or have never experienced love in any capacity. Breaks my heart more than I can say. But it also gives me hope...those of us that have extra can certainly share.

Please do.

To Nelson and back again....

Alright guys...I'm back! It's been almost a month since my last post but I have a good excuse & now lots of pictures to show you! I've been doing some traveling in both the North and South Islands...over New Years & my birthday I spent about 5 days with a few friends in a region of the North Island called Hawkes Bay. Then this past weekend I went down South and spent 4 days in the Northwestern city of Nelson. I'll break this up into two posts and will start with my most recent trip to the South Island.

When I first moved to New Zealand I spend almost 2 weeks down in the South Island. The first night I had dinner with some new found friends who I met through one of my random connections back home, and was told Nelson was a 'definite' place to visit during the summer. So, one day I came across some very cheap flights and booked a weekend trip. Best decision. I had a really great time and would love to make it back there again before I leave. The first day I arrived in the afternoon so before dinner I hiked up a fairly short trail to a lookout that claims to be the very center of New Zealand. Once at the top I met a fellow American, also traveling solo, so we went on and did a bit more hiking and then he and I grabbed dinner. This is one thing I love about traveling alone, it's really easy to meet new people and just simply enjoy a meal or a drink & conversation. The next day would end up being my favorite of the trip and one of the best I've had traveling in NZ. I booked a day trip to the Abel Tasman National Park, spending half the day kayaking and the other half hiking. The Abel Tasman is NZ's smallest National Park, but is a really good mix of bush walking and beaches. I was in charge of steering the kayak I was in and have to give big props to the poor guy paired up with me. I mean, I did ok...it was actually quite comical & in the end we made it back safely and managed to stay pretty dry! It's beautiful as you'll see...

Later that night I met up with a friend from Wellington who was in Nelson for the weekend as well. His parents actually let me stay with them for the rest of my time there which was great! We went out to Lake Rotoiti, I hiked around it during the first trip, but this time is was late at night & pitch black. I was blown away by the stars. I have never seen a more beautiful night sky in my life...there were so many more stars than I ever remember seeing back home. One of the highlights of the trip for sure. The next day my friend, Tim, and I drove over the hill to Golden Bay. I thought it would be long beaches, which apparently there are if you drive a few hours. But we mostly saw NZ farmland and did a couple of bush walks. My favorite walk was called Harwood Hole, it was about a 30 minute walk through tall trees and over boulders to an overlook of a deep cave. It was cool because the forest was really quiet and it felt like we were in a completely different place. We also went to Te Waikoropupu Springs to see the "Cleanest water in the world". I would love to head back to Golden Bay at some point and make it to the beaches.

The rest of my time was spent in Nelson City checking out the shops, cafes, museum, gardens, oh and I went to a coffee shop that had a pond with tame eels (???) I definitely touched one and have a picture to prove it. My Sunday night flight was cancelled due to poor weather in Wellington. Let me tell you, the weather here is unbelievable...you can literally be in one part of the country soaking up the sun while just a few hundred kilometers away there's rain & fog. Coastal living? Overall it was a brilliant weekend... :)

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