Tuesday 2 August 2011

Mt. Cook, Lake Tekapo, Chrristchurch, and goodbye NZ!

After a messy old week in Queenstown it was time for me to leave. Unfortunately due to terrific horizontal rain I never left the hostel in Mt. Cook, though I'm told it's very beautiful. Lake Tekapo was a lot more sunny, with an absurdly turqoise lake, an old church, and a random statue of a dog. Then onto Christchurch for the last few nights. On my first nights there were a few aftershocks but after that there was nothing. I walked into the city centre, what was left of it. They were bringing down a big office block using one of them ball chain things, and everyone crowded round taking pictures, analysing the work. You could see Christchurch was a beautiful city and it still is, but it was odd walking around the place with hardly any people when it should be full to the brim of activity and life. Instead, it was a ghost town.

I can't believe my time in NZ is over. As I write this, I'm already in Perth, 2 times zones away. I will go back to NZ, I still have to do the far north, and of course, a cheeky trip to QT!

So I'm sat in Perth in the suburb of Manning. Today the current au pair Lilie took me around the city and we had lunch with her friends. I bought some new boots as I wore mine out in NZ. I opened my bank account and also handed my CV into the little cafe round the corner, fingers crossed for a second job, as I think I might need one.

Tomorrow, I'm going to walk around Manning, get to know the little universe I'll be inhabiting for the next 4 months, perhaps hand a few more CVs out. I'd really like to work in a pub. Why oh why could that be? Then I want to get to know the bus a rail services, as I was completely confused today. Then I might go to Freo the next day, as that's where my audition is and I've heard it's the nicest part of Perth. Plans, plans, plans.

The kids are really lovely, and have taken to me quite well. Tiana the eldest was "unusually friendly" so I hope it bodes well.

Well then, that's that. Perth is very nice, and it's lovely to be warm again, though they all say it's cold at the moment. Think I'm going to need sunblock.

Night x