Changing times: Ready For The Next Adventure

In very few weeks, we will be making the hop from Copenhagen to Christchurch, New Zealand. A PHENOMENAL distance. The furthest I have ever moved before. I’ve done Australia to UK. UK to Lanzarote. UK to the US (Colorado), and most recently, the US to Denmark. The extreme distance between NZ and Europe doesn’t bother me so much in the sense of feeling isolated from Europe, which it really would have done some years ago. I’ve explored some incredible and beautiful parts of Europe. But that’s OK for now. This huge distance bothers me because it means I’m extremely far away from an incredibly important person to me, my mum.

My family is used to being spread out. Wildly so. Sisters in Pennsylvania and California, parents in UK and Australia.  Without the wonders of modern technology, keeping as in touch in each others lives as we are, would be challenging.  But the beauty of being able to share as many moments as we like through texts, pictures and videos is essentially, priceless.  More often that not I am chatting to my dad whilst cruising on my sit-up-and-beg pink bike to work in Copenhagen, whilst 10 hours ahead, he sips on a whisky before drifting off to sleep in Australia. I’ve grown to understand that our family functions extremely well from afar, however much we sometimes crave to be together. Despite all of this, mascara blurred eyes are still a very frequent occurrence during our goodbyes, where the heart suddenly takes over in a heavy and unwelcome manner, and reminds the mind that these precious moments are about to end.

Why on earth New Zealand? There are fabulous mountains near you in Denmark! Definitely no mountains ‘in’ Denmark, but a short and sometimes expensive flight + drive away.  New Zealand is an immensely seductive place. Anyone who has ever seen a brief picture of any place in New Zealand will recognise the emotion of becoming rapidly ‘woweeeeed‘. A huge attraction for us lies in being able to throw our tent and hiking boots in the back of the car on a Friday after work and cruise towards the mounatins for a weekend of soaking in nature. You can read more about my thoughts after our first flirtation with the South Island here.

Although only having visited the South Island for a brief three weeks, we were overwhelmed with the immense and intense form of nature. The lakes weren’t just a regular ‘bluey’ colour. They were the most intense form of turquoise I have ever been seen. The Southern Alps in NZ remind me of the massive Himalayan beasts I have been lucky enough to wander amongst, somewhat different to the Rockies and the Swiss Alps. Though I can’t quite identify why.  The chilled Kiwi attitude to pretty much everything is endearing. The sweet and slightly twisted Australian/ hint of South African accent the Kiwis have give me a mellow, smiley feeling in my belly as soon as I hear it. The more spontaneous mode of ‘being’, downunder.  Their deep love of the land and pride in the fact they produce so much off their own backs.

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore

Next time you meet me, I may be answering your questions with ‘yi’ instead of ‘yes’ and rounding off sentences with ‘ey?’ instead of ‘right?’.

An immense adventure awaits.