Sarah WallockI can never find the words to describe living in a new place/city/country. I always freeze up. Rather than saying living in NZ is “good and I’m having a great time!” to everyone who asks and wants to hear more, I have crafted a few specific and relevant bullet points that explain the aspects of New Zealand I’m loving and the parts I didn’t expect.
- Loving the incredible natural areas, well-maintained trails, awesome beaches, and looming mountains
- Loving the diversity of the country with an abundance of Pacific Islander / Asian cultural influences (interesting people, cool museums, and wonderful food!)
- Didn’t expect it to be so quiet (which can be nice somedays, but too quiet on others), rural (you can drive miles and miles through farmland, and this is in the urban part of the country), and easily navigable (hooray to mastering driving on the right-side!)
- Didn’t expect such a smooth and seamless transition moving to a new country
When I told Aucklanders I was going to be based in New Plymouth, that same ghastly expression, disdain, and confusion, appeared on their faces that I could instantly pinpoint. The same look pissed-off look a New Yorker would give you if you chose to live in Jersey. Or the look an LA-native would give if you chose to live in Long Beach. Or the look a Santa Barbarian would give if you chose to live in Ventura. What horror! How could they do such a thing! The Aucklanders have a superiority complex that all city-dwellers possess. Their reactions to and descriptions of New Plymouth definitely put us off from our initial excitement, even if we did take it with a grain of salt. We even reconsidered being based here, just because of what people said! But this was a watershed moment.
Although at certain times local knowledge can save you from bad traffic or provide the best restaurants recommendations, at other times, tourist’s exploratory spirits, not crippled with traditional views of a place, can uncover new truths. Being based in New Plymouth for six weeks was a great start to our year. Although certain aspects of life did match the Aucklanders’ unsavory views, many facets of life did not. And ultimately, places change faster than reputation.
The view from the sunroom in the hostel
We were living and working at a hostel, where other travelers and Kiwis were living short-term. At certain times, I was working three jobs: at the hostel, at a cafe, and on a farm. Nick was also working three jobs: at the hostel, on the farm, and at a kid’s camp. We wanted to make ourselves as busy as possible during the winter so that we can save money to enjoy the summer. It was really fun to have three different workplaces and interact with locals. Taranaki, the region in which New Plymouth is located, has a reputation for attracting just a small number of working holiday travelers and tourists because it remains off-the-beaten-path. This made the experience really comfortable because it felt for this last month just like our regular life and we weren’t tempted by tons of activities and nights-out. I especially enjoyed meeting locals in the cafe who would always chat with me about what brought me to New Zealand. But my favorite job of all was working on the farm.
Tuesdays at the farm were always upbeat and exhausting. We met LeAnne through Workaway and arranged to provide her with some help with weekly planting, chores, and tasks she needed to be completed. Our first day we planted 250 plants to create riparian buffers around her property. Being in the fresh air was incredible. On sunnier days we could even see Mt. Taranaki.
Overall, it has been a really tranquil and comforting lifestyle we’ve cultivated and adapted to here. I look forward to the changes that our new job will bring.
