Some people argue that writer’s block isn’t real. They believe that it’s just a convenient excuse used by lazy writers who don’t want to do the work. They assume that if you just sit down and word vomit on the page enough, you’ll get something worth reading. But I disagree.

Sure, there are people that say they have “writer’s block” and are either too lazy or too afraid of failing to do the work, but that’s not always the case. You see, I’ve tried to write Chapter 13 of this story for a while (unlucky #13 I guess?). I started trying to write a blog about what and how I was doing, and it always ended up sounding like a melodramatic teenager’s Facebook post. I’ve tried turning it into stories where I can put my reality aside and talk about the differences between the US and New Zealand, and it still ended up sounding depressing as fuck. You see, it’s really hard to write when you’re feeling down…at least it is for me.

These last months have been both great and heartbreaking. I had a decent job making burritos until a new manager arrived and decided to hire new staff and cut the old staff’s hours drastically (while being a jerk the whole time about it and making false promises). I had some decent flatmates until I didn’t. And I had hopes of finding a real job here, until my 40-50 applications yielded zero leads. So yeah, I was feeling pretty down about my whole situation. ..

Anyway, I eventually made the decision that I should stop banging on locked doors and come home at the end of November (well, for now at least). It’s been tough, to think about leaving the life I had just started to build here to rebuild yet again, but it is time. But instead of wallowing in self-pity about all this, I’m going to reminisce about some of the amazing experiences I’ve had here in this beautiful country (and make no mistake, I will definitely be back for more). So here’s some of the things I haven’t blogged about, but probably should have…

Taking an Onzo bike out to the Auckland Harbour Bridge

To rent an Onzo bike, all you have to do is download the app, top up your account, find one of the many bikes around town, and scan the barcode. Biking out to the Auckland harbour bridge and watching the daylight disappear as the bridge lit up with golden light was one of my favorite outings.

Drinking all the coffee in Auckland

If you know me, you know I love coffee. In my spare time, I like to scope out the cutest and best coffee shops in Auckland and I even went to the Chocolate & Coffee Show both days it was in town (yes, I know, I have a problem…)

Being touristy and drinking wine with my mom

When my mom came to town, we did lots of touristy stuff, including going to a Thermal pools “spa”, checking out the Redwoods in Whakarewarewa Forest (don’t ask me how to pronounce that one), shopping in Taupo, riding bikes to wineries in Napier, and more. But the best part was hanging out at the condo in Taupo and drinking too much wine. Another highlight was…

Finally Making it to Hobbiton

I’m a pretty casual Lord of the Rings fan- and by that I mean I read the books but still haven’t watched all the movies. Still, the set is truly amazing (even in the rain) and makes you feel like you’re in another world.

Baches, Beaches, and New Friends in Whangamata

When my boyfriend invited me to come with him to his friend’s birthday weekend in Whangamata I jumped at the chance- and I’m really glad I did. We stayed at a New Zealand style bach (prounouced “batch” and from what I’m told this is basically just a tiny place to crash at by the beach), made it to Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove, and got to check out the giant and kinda-cheesy-in-a-good-way L&P bottle in Paeroa on the way. It was a good weekend.

Piha Beach Adventure

It was kind of a gloomy day, but Piha beach was still pretty majestic. The tour we went on also took us back to Karekare falls and on a beautiful hike amid dramatic cliff drops and crashing waves.

Going on a mission to Mission Bay

By far my favorite day trip I’ve taken in New Zealand. While I took an Onzo bike, my boyfriend rode his longboard and we made our way out to Mission Bay. It was perfect weather and a perfect day. We then rode over to Kohimarama beach before coming back to Mission Bay to grab some Burgerfuel to eat under the shade of a giant tree. I then found a Lime scooter (same idea as the Onzo bikes but with electric scooters) and we headed back to the city.

Wandering around Auckland’s Less Frequented Attractions

Since I have already explored most of Auckland’s main attractions, I’ve been looking for and going to some of the city’s less frequented attractions, including the Auckland Botanic Gardens, and some of the city’s notable old buildings. I’ve also gotten into the habit of walking around aimlessly and looking for nice places to read.

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Falling in Love

When I first came to New Zealand, I had no idea what I was getting into. But as I’ve traveled around this insanely blue and green country, I’ve fallen in love in more ways than one. It’s hard to think about leaving when I feel like there’s so much more to learn about this place and so much more of my story to be told here, but as I said, I will be back.

#NewZealand #Chapter13