The Real World Can Be Good For You

Thirty. Broke. Unemployed. Single... it's not quite what I pictured... but man was I loving life!

It was a big step, but after three years of flightlessly travelling towards Spain, I decided to take a break and jumped on a plane headed back to where I'd started - back to Australia - with only a large smelly bear to my name.

Fortunately I knew exactly where I was headed

And even more fortunatelyer, Port Stephens is one of the most beautifulest places in the world!

While almost the whole staff and the uniform had changed, it was good to return to life as an outdoor instructor... even if they were a bit of a crazy group.

  

I became the proud haver of my own bedroom for the first time in years 

(Since this picture was taken I have even saved up enough money to buy sheets and pillows)

Having a home base I got to make friends who I'd know for more than just a few days...

Friends who didn't mind spending a night in a cave

Or going camping

And friends are important too...

Sometimes you need people around to stop you from making bad life decisions

It gets better too,

In the real world there's life jackets

And if you do get shipwrecked at sea you don't have to swim for your life or drift for 50 days, there's rescue boats

The real world has paved roads

And beautiful walkways

And when you have a home, your friends of old can come visit you for a change.

Even if you do force them to go free camping without a toilet.

The real world has toilets.

And while it's an adjustment staying in one place and having to be places at set times and having responsibilities... it's good to be out of your comfort zone!

It's good to be challenged to find new exciting local things to lick.

It's good to have to find new ways to challenge yourself.

It's good to be able to find your favouritest local hangouts and return to them

Mount Yacabba

Sea Rocks

Nelson Bay

Aldi

And despite schedules and times and responsibilities, you can still find trees to hang your hammock in...

You can still watch the sunrise/ sunset

You can still lick, live and be awesome.

No, even with all it's predators and routines, you can still enjoy the real world; in fact it might even be good for you!

New Zealand - Held Captive Against my Will

New Zealand, the picturesque setting of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit... a land of beautiful mountains, picturesque waters, crazy adventures and prison....

A 3 year reunion with former yacht-sinking desert-island marooning legend Helena
http://barefootedgypsy.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/shipwrecked-marooned-destined-for.html 

New Zealand kicked off brilliantly - there were amazing people to catch up with and phenomenal things to see.

Karl's face upon seeing his first ever live hippo

There were places to explore:

But after ten days of patiently waiting for our Australian visas  to come through (aside from the two weeks wait in Tonga) we knew we needed to get out of Auckland.

We hitched North.
To anywhere.

And wound up at Nghawha Springs Hot Pools (and campsite and hotel)

We were just going to stay for a night but help was needed and new challenges were to be overcome

Look how good that mowed lawn looks...

I seemed to be getting the hang of house keeping and cobweb candy-flossing when an unidentified flying creature attacked me

And made me swell up like Shrek.
When my fingers stopped bending I was forced to become a leftie.

Eight days of intense labour (and Christmas) in the beautiful Northlands later, Karl finally got his visa.

And so it was that we bid dear Carole farewell 

Sadly we didn't get to keep the vests

And we hitched back to Auckland with Pat, an incredible Kiwi who took us to the beach

And to spectacular viewpoints

And dropped us right on the doorstep of the house we'd be staying at.

Hitching doesn't get better than that!

After an unplanned catch up with sailing friends we hadn't seen since Panama (April)

Karl wondered his way to the airport and flew off to the distant magical land of Aus leaving me a somewhat lonely traveler for the first time in... um... a flipping long time.

At least the fireworks were pretty

It was 2015.

Already.

Flip!

I had slight plans. I had no visa.

I had no idea what to do next.

So I defaulted and went hitching...again.

Four hitches later, a lovely family took me in and told me to stay with them and sort my life out.

They put me on the internet and made me plan my route. 

Apparently you can't just hitch hike to anywhere...

And so it was that I headed for Napier - a land of winyards and art deco;

a land of opportunities...

...And prison.

Prison gave the whole being kept in New Zealand against my will a whole new meaning.

But at least they believed in justice and equality for all

Three hours of random "community service" a day got me a roof over my head - in my own ghost-infested cell. 

And allowed me to roam and explore Napier freely.

I got to catch up with more awesome and inspiring friends of yonder years 

Missing the water, I even tried to get involved in the sailing club

And I was even put in charge of flag raising... but I'm not sure racing is for me 

all the flags are crazy confusing and you get in trouble when you raise them upside down.

But still, it felt a bit like home - I think this whole sailing thing takes a while to get out of your system.

Tomorrow ends my prison sentence which is good - I don't want to end up like the hundreds who died here before me.

But after two weeks, it's sad to leave my awesome fellow inmates behind. 

Tomorrow I hitch North.

I hitch to blokarts and driftkarts (http://www.blokartheaven.co.nz/ )

and Auckland and a flight

Actually now that I look at it, New Zealand hasn't been all that bad... I suppose it's the awesome people around you that make life brilliant. 

And there sure have been a lot of awesome people about.

Thank you all!

And finally - now that my visa has come through - after six weeks of patiently waiting.

I head back to Aus.