Today was an exciting day.  Brendan joined us again!

We hadn’t seen him in a week.  He, Sheena, and I went to the Te Papa Museum to see a really powerful exhibit that I had seen my first time in New Zealand.

Weta Studios, (Peter Jackson’s company) created these ginormous soldiers that are eerily lifelike.  They have hairs that move with the AC, and they are in pitch black rooms with surround-sound narrations from the war.  You can even see the drips of perspiration on their skin.

The exhibit was very heavy, so we decided to cleanse our palette and go to the Dollar Store to look at fun Christmassy things!

Brendan: Do you know what you get if you run milk through these straw glasses?

Me: No…What?

Brendan: Past-Your-Eyes Milk

Welcome home Brendan….

We headed to our venue for our shows tomorrow to get a head’s start and set up.  It’s our first day of shows since our week long vacation and we have 3 of them so it’s going to take all the preplanning that we got in us!

Afterwards we went out to another family dinner at The Flying Burrito Brothers, a Tour-Favorite Mexican restaurant (love you Fernando!).  New Zealand doesn’t do Mexican food very good out here.  So all of you reading this in California, be grateful for your Mexican food!

On the way home we all sung Total Eclipse of the Heart at the top of our lungs.

Wish us luck tomorrow!

Hello!

So today we left beautiful Golden Bay bright and early.  It was a bit rough to get back in the van and on the road again…especially a 4 hour curvy road.

Our stomachs were just barely holding it together when we drove straight onto the ferry to wait for our next 3.5 hour trek.

Sheena and I found two seats facing forward at a cafe to cozy up and (as we kept saying) “survive” the trip.  We both get motion sick…especially sea sick.

About 15 minutes after we left dock (not sure what a boat term for that is…) an announcement came over the loud speaker asking if there was a doctor or a nurse on the ship, would they please come to Deck 7 immediately.  At first we worried that it may have been Chuck, but then we saw him stumbling through the cafe.

Another 15 minutes later a followup message announced that we were turning around back to Picton because there was a passenger that needed medical attention, making our ferry ride 4.5 hours.  I hope the passenger is okay.

The next hour was decent.  Not too rocky.  I went to find a chair with a phone charger next to it.  I was feeling weepy and it must have been noticeable (for a few different reasons but mostly hormones, fatigue, and being on a boat), because a nice young employee came up to me, handing me a chocolate bar and a smile.

Okay so here is another example of the magic that happens on magic tours…

Just earlier that day I was really craving Chocolate (hormones).  And New Zealand has a really great brand called Whittaker’s.  We had stopped at a petrol station and I went inside the mini mart searching for any chocolate bar I could eat.  Unfortunately all 10 of their flavors were Milk Chocolate.

So not only does this young man hand me a free chocolate bar out of the sweetness of his heart, but it happens to be the ONLY kind I could eat. Dark Chocolate! MAGIC.

Needless to say I felt much better and returned to the table where Sheena and Chuck were sitting with a full stomach and full phone battery.

So….because we got delayed an hour, we ended up hitting choppy waters because it was getting later in the day.  And things got bad.  Very bad.

Luckily a Ferry Fairy Godmother named Ellen ( a new employee) showed up just in time and escorted Sheena and I outside to look at the horizon and distract us with her really cute sense of humor and stories about her dog.

She even told us that our boat’s name is Kaitaki which means The Challenger.  And challenging it was…

Two hours later we were docking.  Everyone said it was a really bad ride, even Mark, our Cruise- ship Magician.

The Christmas Tree in the lobby felt it too

We got to Wellington and checked into our new hotel and ended the night with a nice family dinner celebrating Mark’s birthday.

We’re back North Island!

I love when small bits of real magic happen while on this magic tour!

For instance:

Remember yesterday how I shared about the beautiful beach we trekked to?  Wharariki Beach?  Well when we returned to the motel, the receptionist explained to us that this beach was famous for being the wallpaper for Windows 10.

So this morning I looked it up and saw this:

So now rewind a couple months to working at my Dad’s office alongside my sister.  It was my job to set up her desktop computer for her, and after searching through all of the wallpapers offered, I chose this very one because (although I didn’t love the jogger) the scenery was just breathtaking…and I wanted to her to have something pretty to stare at all day.

I never thought to look up where this beach was located, but the image stayed in my head…obviously because I manifested going there….and possibly even created the beach myself 😉

Gee Wiz the mind is so powerful! It brought me exactly to this spot and way faster than if I tried to get there without any magic!

If I would’ve known beforehand, I would’ve replicated the Windows wallpaper. But this one is close…

 

 

 

this one is fun too hehe.

I ❤ the internet.

After taking a walk on the beach this morning, I was suddenly inspired to pull out the puzzle that I’ve noticed sitting in our closet next to the spare towels.  It seemed like a great meditative way to relax.

It was perfect timing as the rain started pouring down.  I dumped all the pieces onto our only table and began separating the edge pieces from the rest of the lesser special ones.

After about a half hour of trying to match the pieces to the picture on the box…I see in the corner

The picture on the box is not the picture on the puzzle. It is just a clue.

What the heck? I was told by a Kiwi that they have these puzzles here.  That the picture on the box is just a clue, and the picture of the actual puzzle is what the picture on the box is looking at.  i.e. If you had eyes on the back of your head…that is what the puzzle would be.

Sooooo NOT relaxing.

Luckily the rain let up and our tour manger, Al, came to get Sheena and I announcing we were all going to The Mussel Inn for lunch.  Yes I’m coming!  I said, relieved to have a break from the puzzling puzzle, and remembering The Mussel Inn’s vegan garlic bread from last year.

It was a great lunch and we all played Jenga at the table.  It was Chuck’s first time.  I really thought he was going to tip the stack…especially with the Chardonnay he was sipping, but instead it was our boss, Rosemarie that ended the game.

The cars split up afterwards.  Al and Sofiane were headed to a gorgeous beach, Wharariki Beach, and Sheena and I were keen to join them.  They had said it was a 20 minute drive . Sheena brought a big umbrella because she easily burns (especially with New Zealand’s intense sun) and I packed a bag full of books, journals, and snacks.  Wearing our bathing suits we got in the car with them.

The 20 minute drive turned to 30, then to 40…but we let it slide because we love these guys and because the scenery was so beautiful.

We saw some beautiful horses on the side of the road.  We fed them carrots.  And then a one bit me….

Shocking but my own fault in the end. Wild Horsesssss…….

Another 20 minutes later we pulled up to a parking lot with no beach in sight.  We soon found out that it was “just a little hike” to the beautiful beach.

The hike turned out to be 30 minutes against the strongest wind I’ve ever felt.  Sure it was beautiful, green rolling hills…but I was looking down most of the time to avoid so much wind to my face.

On the path we passed a local woman that yelled out to Sheena… Goodluck with that Umbrella!...and laughed

Then we got to the sand dunes, and the sand storm began.  It looked as if we were on a different planet, like a scene from Planet of the Apes.  It was super cool!

We also came across a bunch of seals that got super close.  One of them charged Al to claim it’s territory.

There were a bunch of caves that we explored in, until they got too dark or too narrow to continue on.

Overall the beach was totally worth it even thought we believe that we were falsely led there!

On our way home we stopped at the grocery store.  Sheena and I waited in the car because we were too fatigued, hungry, and sunburn to possibly move any more.

It started pouring and some crazy tornado alarm went off in the town.  None of the locals seemed to respond so I’m guessing it was just a drill.

A lady knocked on our window yelling that we had a flat tire.  Man we are never getting home.  Luckily we had a spare and two very helpful local men came and took over, fixing it very quickly.

We made it home just as the big storm was hitting.

I know we will all be sleeping very well tonight.

Relax Golden Bay.

Juggle. Sleep. Harry Potter.

Still in my PJs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll be honest.  The drive to Golden Bay today was brutal.  8 + hours in the car with lots of winds, curves, rain, cliffs, and streets falling apart!

But I suppose some of these paradise spots wouldn’t be so special unless it took some effort to get out here!

I don’t have much to say about today.  We did some driving, made a couple of stops, and arrived at our destination.

Now for 3 days without having to get in the car! Woo hoo!

My mantra for this vacation is “Relax.”

It is so against my nature to relax that I’m consciously making an effort to do so this trip…haha see even relaxing requires effort for me.

I’m looking forward to diving back into some reading.  I’m reading Harry Potter for my first time!

Today marks the first of 7 days sans show.

What an amazing opportunity to have a whole week off in New Zealand and still be getting paid! MAGIC!

We are slowly making our way to Golden Bay, a beautiful “untouched” part of the island where we will be vacationing for a few days.

We stopped at Oamaru on our way back to Christchurch.

Oamaru is a very cute steampunk town.  It smells strongly of seawater.  And the trip wouldn’t be complete without the background noise of squawking seagulls.  We had a long relaxing lunch and shopped a bit.

We continued on to Christchurch.

Chuck bought us tickets months ago for the Court Theatre in Christchurch– which he has been raving about for years.  But it hasn’t worked out to see a production there the last couple years.  This time our schedule allowed us a free night to see Jesus Christ Superstar.  The musical has become dear to my heart since I choreographed it for a middle school last year which won first place.  But I had never seen a full-length professional live production of it, so it was a real treat.  And Wow, it was amazing!

I’m a believer!

I told Chuck I am quitting the magic show and joining this theatre 🙂

We all went out for Indian food afterwards in good spirits…. inspired, relaxed, and excited about our upcoming holiday.

JESUS CHRISTCHURCH, SUPERSTAR.  DO YOU THINK YOU’RE WHAT YOU SAY YOU AREEEEEEE

It’s super windy here in Dunedin and I think it’s making my internet very spotty…so I’m going to make this short and sweet!

Today was a creatively fulfilling day.  We had two awesome shows at the Regent Theatre in the heart of Dunedin, and in-between we worked on another project to be announced soon!

I love how well our cast and crew works together.  It really feels like a family I get to see every year.

On top of the great day..it was our last show for the next 7 days…which means we are on Vacation for a week!

We head back to Christchurch tomorrow to see Jesus Christ Superstar! and then we are on our way to Golden Bay…YAY!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE performing! But my body is hurting for some rest!

 

So one thing I’m noticing about myself on this trip, and in life in general, is that I have stubborn expectations.  As a third-timer on this tour, I’m expecting things to go just as they have in the past.  And although we are logistically doing the same tour, things (of course) are always shifting.

It’s a great opportunity to practice staying open and relaxing  into new experiences.  Tonight for example.  I was excited to get to Dunedin because I’ve always loved the place we’ve stayed at (perhaps because it’s the following act to the vintage feel of Invercargill). So when we pulled up to a new hotel, I had a moment of tightness in my chest.  The rooms are nice but there were no kitchens to cook the big pasta dinner I was looking so forward to cooking tonight.

Oh and I found this in my nightstand drawer.

But I decided to go with it.  Not the lube, but the new hotel experience.  And I even got excited to try some new tips on cooking food in the tea kettle like Mark had taught me.

And then something really sweet and unexpected happened.  The kind man who owns the hotel invited me into his family’s apartment (attached to the hotel) to use their kitchen.

Not only was I able to use a stove like I would’ve at the other hotel, but he offered me real kitchen knives, pots, spices, and fresh herbs from his garden.  He also gave me some really great tips on cooking with olive oil.

I often rush and try to control situations in my life, and if I would’ve done so, I would’ve missed out on this simple and profound expression of New Zealand manaakitanga (hospitality, care for others).

My meal was delicious.  And I’m done-eatin’ in Dunedin 🙂

It was sad to leave beautiful Queenstown this morning.  And especially at the early hour that we did.

It was supposed to be a 3 hour drive to Invercargill, but luckily with Mark driving we seem to get there a lot quicker.

I had been dreading Invercargill the whole year.  I associate it with cold, rainy, and having a terrible flu. But today the sun is shining and I am in good health. Thank you essential oils and supplements!
Suddenly Invercargill doesn’t look that bad.  In fact we are at an amazingly beautiful theater that I’ve never fully appreciated before.

It was awesome to see all the other awesome shows that had performed there.  Including Chuck Jones himself!

Our two shows went great. And I’m leaving with a new opinion of the city.

 

Also this is the furthest south I’ve ever been in the world!

Maybe that’s why I’m so tired.  I’ve been standing on my head for over 2 weeks now!

Good night all of you up there!