Long story short, we only lasted a week in Dunedin. And, in all honesty, if Zeph didn't have some work obligations (a job), we would have left for Welly after Day 1. In hindsight, our trip to Dunedin was a dark week that brought much needed clarity. We should have known when we didn't want to leave Wellington that we, well, shouldn't have left Wellington. We came to New Zealand for a change, for opportunity, and for a quality of life more fitting for the two of us and our outdoorsy lifestyles. And with that, we went to Dunedin for a job. The logic is that our bank accounts could use some income and which often comes most readily from a job and it was the only offer we had thus far. Zeph had vowed to never work in the retail industry again and while we were optimistic in understanding this job would be different as it was an outdoor store with what sounded like a good atmosphere...it was still retail at the end of the day. Needless to say after the first day the look of discouragement from Zeph was overwhelming. After the last few months of dreaming big and thinking about what we want in our lives, it was if someone had thrown the bird back in the cage and clipped its wings. He decided to go for a second day and it was more of the same and it was at that point we reminded ourselves why we came to New Zealand in the first place. Dunedin was nice, but it was cold in a wet, moldy, bone chilling way. Nothing was ever dry, including the carpet or our clothes or our hair... It was our reality that Dunedin just wasn't us and retail just wasn't Z any more and while we wish we wouldn't have had to drive the 9 hour trip each way (plus 3 hour ferry), we wouldn't have known who we weren't anymore, or who we wanted to become, if we hadn't made that trip. So, after helping out at the shop for the remaining week, we made the trip back to Wellington- in one day. We left at 6am and arrived in Welly at 9p at night. There were many epiphanies along the way and we learned more about ourselves and each other along the way that it made the whole trip worth it. The further north we traveled away from Dunedin and toward Wellington, the better we felt. Granted, it warmed up a bit as well and we began to thaw out which felt wonderful.
Welly looking south and the South Island to the left in the distance...
Lyall Bay in Welly, looking south again...
On the Eastern Walkway behind Seatoun in Welly...
We keep thinking the foliage on the Eastern Walkway would be a perfect place for Kiwis to live...we keep looking (and listening)!
It has now been a little over a week since we have been back in Welly and there is no other way to explain how nice it has been aside from the fact it feels really good. We came back to Welly with new plans and goals and dreams for ourselves and each other. We want those opportunities that are a perfect fit for us and are doing everything in our power to have them find us. We've had many new experiences throughout the week, from exploring the vast Welly library, finding new trails, eating new forms of local seafood, and going to a real estate auction...We are learning new things, meeting new people, and are taking a real estate course to make us more employable as well as to learn more and add another tool to our toolbox- further enabling us ways to contribute to the world in better ways. While we may not know what the exact outcome looks like yet, we continue to add to the list of "knowns" and continue to figure out what truly makes us happy. We know we left some of our happy in California because we left our friends and our family and all our amazing supporters who encouraged us to make this journey...and that we reflect often on (as well as staying in touch as much as possible)!
Zeph took an amazing picture of some wild parsley growing alongside the Eastern Walkway...
Needless to say, we have now added some things back into our lives that is bringing back some much needed normality. We now have a schedule and are looking for "jobs" and a home. We hold onto the things that make us feel at home, whether it is each other, a great Mexican meal (made by Sarah as there is little Mex here), good music, the smell of pine trees...and riding our bikes.
A calm Wellington evening...
We have continued to find more amazing trails around Wellington. After our class gets out every afternoon, we hit the trails in Bellmont Reserve, where we ride endless singletrack, undulating up into the pine groves and over the sheep pastures. Today we were descending back to the car and Zeph came to a screeching halt as a baby hedgehog sat frozen in the middle of the trail. We sneaked by him as he looked a bit confused but oh, so cute...
Had to include a borrowed picture as we didn't have a camera on us, but they are SO cute!
