Wednesday 5th January – after chilling for a few days in Hamilton, i’m getting ready for my next big adventure in Samoa…

Kayla picked me up from the bus station just after 17:30pm on Monday 3rd, and we headed to her friends house where we would be house sitting for the next few days. We were going to be looking after an energetic puppy called Arthur, and I was going to be getting as much sleep as possible in preparation for Samoa.

I met Kayla in late 2016 online, and we had met up a few times since. We got on well, and I was grateful to have another friend in NZ who was willing to let me stay with her while I needed a roof over my head. For the next couple of days I watched over the puppy while Kayla worked, and we visited some cool places around the area. Apart from a slight hiccup that involved me locking us out the house with no shoes, phone, wallet, or coat, in the rain, leading to me effectively breaking into the house through the bathroom window, the couple of days went well and I was able to rest up. We visited a cool spa in Ta Aroha on the last day, and only then did I realised how much I would miss the north island.

I’m started to think I will fly down to Queenstown when I get back from Samoa, and spend the rest of my time in NZ on the south island. I want to travel the entire country, and what better place to visit than the number 1 rated place in NZ. That coupled with the fact Joe and Ryan are now living and working just outside of Queenstown, has really swayed my decision and I have applied for a number of jobs in the area. I will miss Ash and Kayla and everyone I’ve met in the north, and also the amazing places like The Mount and Rotorua, but I want to fully complete the country.

On my last night in Hamilton, Ash and I were dropped off by Ash’s parents at one of his friends places, where we were staying the night. They lived 15 minutes from the airport in Manakau City, and as our flight was at 06:00am, we were getting up at 03:45am to get to the airport in good time. After a few hours sleep we jumped in the car, and before I knew it I was boarding a plane set for Samoa. I’ve got 5 weeks of volunteering ahead of me, in one of the most remote and poverty stricken counties in the world. This should be interesting!