How to humble yourself in one step...

So Xmas was always going to be different this year. Being away from home, away from family, having Xmas day in summer 12,ooomiles from home i had to make it all i could but i never thought i would find such an experience.
Two weeks before leaving the UK i sent an email to the Auckland City Mission asking if i could help out at their Xmas lunch serving the Aucklanders who are not fortunate enough to be able to afford a Xmas day meal. A few weeks later and i got a reply back saying i had been selected as a volunteer to help out on the day. There were a huge array of jobs to do and i signed up for as much as i could, keen to get the most from the experience. I started at 6.30am with decorations which involved laying tables for the 2000 expected guests, assembling the trees, moving all the stage equipment in for the entertainment that was provided, and then getting stuck into the helium balloons which was great fun. We worked in teams of about 8-10 on each task and i had such a good bunch whilst doing the ballons, each person so happy and joyful, all with the same ideals about what Xmas is really about. Once the decorations were set it was time to don my shirt and tie, ready for waiter service for the guests meal. My team and I were operating in the red sector of the hall and covered about 250 guests. As we took the meals out you could see such a mix of people, from a huge array of social, cultural and racial backgrounds all there together, so happy that they had the opportunity to take part in the Xmas of their dreams. With each meal i served, i saw the purest and most sincere gratitude on the faces of those at the tables. It was such a far cry from anything i had ever seen or experienced before in my life, and an action i would be intensely keen to repeat in years to come. Each guest also received a present from Santa, and watching smiles evolve as people young and old unwrapped gifts was beyond comprehension.

The whole experience was a rolloercoaster of emotions. I experienced the highest of highs, so happy that i had chosen to make my Xmas gift one that so many people could appreciate. I also felt incredible lows watching those who were in sheer desperation and clearly on times harder than i could comprehend. At one point, i had served an elderly couple at one table and saw them eat only a couple of mouthfuls before rolling the food into a napkin and putting it into their bag, They looked so frail together, so scared of the world, and worried about what it was dealing them and i thought of the reason why they might be taking the food. Were they taking it home for family who hadn't managed to get a ticket to the event, or were they going to make the food last over the next fews days as they had nothing else? Either way, it hit me heard and i was pretty choked up from it. As the meal finished, i helped them to the door with their bags and made sure hey were on the way to the correct bus stop, and after saying goodbye as i turned back to the arena to see the other guests away and clear up, my eyes were full of tears. It was a completely pivotal moment in my trip here, and my life to this point. To see people with so little really makes you appreciate what you have and what a little thing like giving someone a bit of your time to make them feel both appreciated and important can transform them, and you too. This trip has taught me so much about life, and about me too. I am a different person to that which stepped off the plane two months ago and the way in which i apporach life is altered forever. I have found a deeper part to my character than i was aware was there, waiting to be unearthed. What a trip this has been, and i'm only two months in.......

Trips, Vans, Fun and Sun...

Where do i start?? NZ is both everything i hoped and expected, but also nothing like i imagined. It's been a hugely varied and dynamic experience so far. I've met a huge bunch of people, been on a boat load of trips and seen some amazing sights, yet i have only scratched the surface of a tiny part of the North Island. If this is anything to go by, the rest of the Island and the South will be mind blowing.

So i arrived on a beautiful sunny day into a pristine airport. Such a change from the UK airports i've been through. It had such a feel about it and the arrivals process was seamless. The flight itslef was amazing, i flew from the UK to LA chasing the sunset so i was able to watch the sun go down over the UK, Iceland, Canada, America and the Pacific, absolutely magic. A short stop over in LA i met a Canadian family who live on the Saskatchewan border on a farm. I have an offer of a bed if i am ever over there! The flight to Auckland was a night flight so i dozed till sunrise, then sat mesmerised by the cloud formations, seeing a massive cold front blowing in over the ocean, a amzing sight from 30,000ft having studied them over the last few years with uni. i was collected from the Airport by my friend Clare who i worked with before i left St. Albans for uni. She arrived over here with her husband Tony 2 and a half years ago and have a beatiful boy called charlie who is 14 months old, and another girl on the way, due in january which will be great to be over here for. I stopped with Clare, tony and charlie for the first week which i spent resting, relaxing, looking for van and doing the housekeeping things of sorting my bank account, tax number and generally orientating myself to the city. the public transport is not quite up to the scale of the city, i guess the city grew quicker than the infrastructure could manage but it still is reasonable to get around.

During that week of general sorting i went for a trip off shore. Just off the harbour downtown is an amazing set of Islands formed out in the gulf as volcanic islands. I took a boat trip to Rangitoto, the youngest of the them on a scorching day. It was incredible to be only 35mins from downtown but to be on an island with no permant inhabitants, no shops, no lights, no real signs of human influence, just a dense mass of mangrove and forest. The island has some incredible formations of lava caves, formed when the island exploded from the ocean. i took an exlpore in these caves without the aid of the recommended torch as i had left it at home but sat for a while, letting my eyes become accustomed to the darkness. The light bagan to filter in to my eyes and the most immense shapes were revealed before me. i am sure that if had taken a torch i would not have seen these shapes, shadows, lumps and bumps as i would only be focussed oon what was in the torch beam. As i sat there, i thought back to Stanley Head, my job i had left in Stoke, and wondered whether or not any of the guys there were out in caves underground at the same time as me... Leaving the caves i headed for the summit, which welcomed me with a fantastic 360 panorama view, the sun was shining and the wind felt so fresh against my face. The summit was shared by a few other visitors and we all sat smiling and appreciating the majestic view. Unfortunately i could not spend as long on the summit as i would have liked as the ferry was departing back to downtown so it was back to the jetty for the ride home.

I also met up that week with a family friend from St. Albans who is out here visiting her Aunt. we have not seen each other for about 6years so to turn up here on the other side of the world is bizarre. even more bizarre is that Emma met a guy called Luke just the week before she left the UK, and he was also coming out here for ayear. Luke and I went to High School together, with Luke the year below me. Immediately on meeting, all three of us hit it off and got on so well, almost as though we were meant to meet out here.

Over the last few weeks i have spent a lot of time with these guys, away on trips or just hanging out in Auckland.After staying at Clare and Tony's i decided to take off to downtown to check into a backpackers hostel to meet some likeminded folk who might be up for a trip, or a few nights out. Checking into "The Camel" hostel i found a great bunch of guys in there with a really relaxed atmosphere. A few nights out with the guys there really settled me in to the nomadic lifestyle of travelling and taking each day as it comes. Checking out of the hostel i spent a few nights staying with Luke and Emma at Emma's Aunt's house before being invited to a trip down to lake Taupo to stay in a newly built Bach (lake house) with Tree, Ian, Sam, and Josh, as well as Emma and Luke. It was a fantastic weekend, heading down on friday night, relaxing with a few beers and a log fire to awake on saturday morning with my first views of the lake. It was immense... The lake is a volcanic caldera, measuring 160km around it's circumference. It is so big that the curvature of the earth means you cannot see the opposite shore clearly. Saturday was spent walking the dog along the shore and playing games with the boys, with the afternoon spent out on the lake, knee boarding and rifing biscuits behind the speedboat. Amazng!A fantastic meal on saturday night with some friends of Tree and Ian's who also have a Bach down in Whareroa was a great way to seal the day. Sunday was relaxed too, taking our time to sget out in the boat again for more action riding the wake on various items towed at pretty high speeds! Tree, Ian and the boys headed back to Auckland on Sunday evening whilst myself, Luke and Emma stopped another night at the Bach before being collected by Kate, a girl who i've met out here whose family own a farm in Taihape, about 1 hour South of the Bach and where Kate was to be spending a week.

Driving down from Auckland to her farm, she was heading right past the Bach so she picked us up and showed us the sights, including a marvellous view of Mount Ruapehu from the desert road before arriving at the farm. magic is the only word i can find to describe it. It is set amongst the hills of the Central North island, perched on the hill above a magnificent river that cuts deep in to the gorge, sweeping its way through the landscape and making for some breath taking views. The gorge at the farm is over 40metres deep, and the river was perfect for swimming in. The weather was intense sunshine for almost the entire time we were there. As well as swimming in the rivers, jumping from the cliffs, we also took off to see the farm operating and got involved in drafting the sheep (there were hundreds) into the pens, ready for the final draft where they were sorted into two seperate pens, one for lambs, the other for Ewe's. Occasionally a lamb made it into the Ewe pen so Tim (Kate's father) asked me to go in, dleve through the huge herd of sheep and come out victorious with the lamb in my hands, and deposit him or her into the correct pen. It was great fun, and a real taste of new Zealand. Later that evening we got an ever better tats eof new Zealand in the form of the most beatuifully cooked lamb shank evers, fresh as you like and cooked to perfection by Tim and Gabriel (Kate's parents). After eating we took off down to the river again for a fire and to spend the night out, chatting with Kate's friends who had come to join us, and watching the stars as they glowed so brightly all night long. Waking early doors with a slightly dull head, i made for the sheep shed again at the top of the farm where Tim had told us the sheep shearing would be happening first thing. The guys were amazing, shearing a sheep in less that a minute and straight onto the next without stopping. They had over 600 sheep to get through and had been on it since 6am. arriving at 8.30am, they were still going strong, and after watching them for a while i took my leave to allow them to continue with their task. The day was again spent down by the river, but this time we took a more extreme approach, driving to a place called Gravity Canyon where an 80m bungee swing was on the cards. I went tandem with Kate, and it was literally heart stopping. You are strapped into a harness, then dangled out over the 100m drop into the canyon where a guy pulls a rip cord without any warning and you plummet 80m untill the bungee catches you, taking you into a mental swing down the canyon, so close that you swear you are going to take a dive into the water!! Returning to the farm, we were all buzzing, and after another stunning meal of lamb, Tim offered me and Luke the chance to take the Quad bike out for razz around the farm. Dissapearing off all over the hills, we were mesmerised by the landscape as the sun went down, it seemed to be changing every minute as the hills caught the last of the sun. It was a perfect way to end the days down on the farm as we caught the Overlander train the following morning back to Auckland.

The 8hour journey passes through some really amazing countryside and scenery. Stopping off in some very random towns and settlements along the way, we got off to stretch our legs and have a look around. Okehune was a memorable stop. It is a tiny little ski town, that during the summer months doesnt seem to operate. All the shops and bars were shut, yet music was playing inside and the lights were on. Bizarre indeed...

Arriving back in Auckland, it was time to re-invigorate my hunt for a van! Ther hunt for the van paid off and i picked up a Hyundai H100 which is fairly well decked out for living in, a bed built in the back, camping stove included so happy with that. Sorted out insurance and breakdown the following morning and then headed off on the first trip in the van! Me and Luke nipped off to the Northlands for a pretty hectic 36 hours before having to be back in Auckland for potential work appointment. The trip wasn't planned in the slightest, we just filled the tank and headed North. Stopping off where we fancied, we saw some really cool sights, swimming in a waterfall, chilling out on a beach and catching some body surfing, rolling into Whangerai, a really odd deserted town up North where the only thing open seemed to be the Subway sandwich shop so dinner was sorted out there! The Kai Iwi Lakes are on the West Coast of Northlands so we decided to make the 50km drive over to camp there for the night. It was such a still night that when we arrived at the lake, it was like looking into a huge mirror, with the stars, moon, clouds, everything was reflecting back at us. The van was pretty comfy to crash out in for the night, and taking a swim first thing in the morning was an awesome way to wake up. We had ended up only about 40km from the huge Kauri Trees that grow on the Island, so a trip up to them was really good. We stopped off at a couple of points, seeing the 4 sisters which is a set of 4 kauri's that grow intensly close together, something quite unusual for such big trees. We also took a wander up to Tane Mahuta, the God of the Forest, who stands at over 50m tall with a trunk 13m round! It was pretty impressive to stand next to, it made you feel very small in comparison. Time began to press on so we hopped back in the van to Auckland, making one more short stop at a really impressive Cafe called Eutopia, a real labour of love, hand-crafted building which had a really relaxed atmosphere. A pot of green tea and reading a few books had us back on track after a pretty full on sensory trip.

Back to Auckland, we headed out that evening for a few drinks and to look at the Xmas lights turned on for December. Today we headed to the boys school to see them at their prize givnig ceremony for the end of term (bizzare that the school year should end in early December). Josh won the Principal prize for Year 5 and Sam had had a really impressive year also, but did not receive a prize itself, but had been awarded the most year 3 certificates throughout the year.

well that just about brings us up to date with what has been on since i arrived. Next week is planned for more trips around the North Island, and a casual job interview tomorrow mornig to hopefully top up the bank balance should be the catalyst to bigger and better things coming up! This weekend, i'm off to Ti Point for climbing weekend with the NZ Alpine club for some sea cliffs.

It's been pretty mind blowing so far, and i guess there is only more to come...