Remembering home

Why I moved here. Ahem, or why my parents moved here and dragged me with them.

So, in exactly 6 days, 6 hours and 20 minutes, I shall be bidding farewell to New Zealand and starting my 3 hour journey across the ditch.

It's been roughly 3 and a half weeks since I booked a one way ticket to Sydney, something which I might add, was a rather hasty decision. I knew the four weeks would go incredibly quickly. I also knew I would most likely fritter away the first couple, ever watching the deadline get closer.

Did I do this? Well, yes and no, thankfully I've had the help of two great friends to motivate me when I was lacking it, coupled with the great help of two particularly awesome people who recently made the move across the ditch themselves. I have my 12 month visa, accommodation is all booked up, somewhat organised in the job department and I'm just in the process of completing what I need to take.

One huge thing I knew I wanted to do was sell, sell, sell. I needed to get rid of what I did not need and only be left with the basics. Off went the laptop (a downside of which is the fact I'm stuck here listening to Tina Turner on my Mother's computer, though I did ensure a hefty amount of music was placed on the iPod before departing), bike, shoes (/cut), basically everything besides my bed and chest of drawers.

This does make it all very exciting, however, I am much more excited for what lays beyond this year, the prospect of carrying most of my life around on my back, from Asia to Europe and everywhere in between that I can possibly afford. I want to WOOF, volunteer, explore and immerse myself in as many cultures as possible. I am going to Australia for one reason and one reason only; to save. The sooner I can jump abroad and start this adventure, the better. I've been itching to do it for years, spoken of many grand plans despite none of them ever coming to fruition, this one however, seems to be considerably more promising.

Anywho, it's probably about time I get to the main point of this post.

Although I can't really consider New Zealand my 'true' home, it's been mine for the majority of my life and I know I can often take it for granted, too often of dreaming of being on a junk boat in Ha Long Bay or hiring a bike and cycling along the Appian Way .I want to, and need to savour what New Zealand has to offer, as it really does have a tremendous amount on display. This is something I've been making sure I do in my few last weeks here. Beaches, beaches, beaches.

It had been roughly 5 years since I last went to Piha, yet I'm now about to go twice in the space of four days, not a bad effort for a North Shorian if I do say so myself. Lying on the black sand as the sun goes down? Why thank you, I shall indeed. It makes me realise how beautiful New Zealand really is and it shall remind me of what I can come back to.

I'll be back in a month and a half anyway, so I'm not sure why I'm getting all dramatic, I mean, I get to see some of my favourite artists, in Gisborne, with some of my best mates, on a beach, in Summer. Can't complain really can I? I'm sure it will tide me over for however long I'm eventually away for.

This took way too long, and as a result, I'm now 6 days, 5 hours and 50 minutes away from my flight, but that's all that much more exciting.