Mt. Ruapehu, aka Mt Doom (!); taken from Overlander train to Welly

Im in Auckland for another few days, and then Im off to Wellington … or maybe Christchurch.  I know, where did that come from? Yesterday morning I had a phone call from a company I applied to weeks ago in CC. They want to have a phone interview with me on Thursday, and if it goes well, I will buy a new ticket to Christchurch and try my luck there. I have a friend who lives there, (Barbara), that has said I can stay with her while I interview at this place (if it comes to that), and to try to find other work, so it’s really just the expense of buying a second ticket down.

The thing is, now that I started contemplating Christchurch, Ive begun to second-guess my decision to move to Wellington. I initially chose Welly as I thought there were more web jobs there. And while there are more postings Ive yet to actually land as much as  proper interview with anyone there. This got me asking what was going to make my life in Welly and different than my like in Auckland? If I try and subside on the odd contract to pay the bills for weeks on end, then I am sure to end up holed up in my flat because I cant afford to go out and enjoy the city. I will have to get a McJob to ease the strain, but even then, what is there to do in the city that will be new for me? Yes, I want to learn to surf and dive, but these are things that can be taught pretty much anywhere in NZ.

I think that what I want most of all, of my remaining months in this country, is to SEE THE COUNTRY. Travel. CouchSurf. Hostel it. Of course, these things all cost money, and its always cheaper and more fun to explore in groups… so Ive been checking out the CouchSurfing pages for both CC and Welly, and Ive got to say, the CC group is far more active in terms of trips than the Welly one is. The Welly one is more urban-focused, which is fine, but I want more than to just hang out in a city all of the time. I want to see mountains, lakes and coastlines. I want to see the stars overhead in the middle of nowhere.

I know that I am being heavily influenced by Barbara’s experiences in the South Island, so I want to make sure that if I do decide to change at the last minute and go to CC, that it’s for the right reasons. I dont want to emulate her life, I want to live mine.

My friend Jen left a comment on my Facebook wall today: “stop chasing the things you have always chased. you already have every thing you need”. I doubt she realizes this, but she hit it right on the head. Ive been trying to live the same life I had in Toronto, here, and STRUGGLING.  I dont think Ive given myself any sort of push out of my comfort zone at all!  As for the second bit, I think she meant that I already have all the skills I need to survive, so I can do anything I need. I kind of feel that as I undo the ties that bind me to Auckland, that maybe I shouldnt be so quick to attach new ones. That I should just decide to go to Christchurch and see what happens.

Right now, I can get a flight to CC from Ak for around $100. Since I only have about $500 in my account until the 20th (when another 700 will be deposited), Im really wary of spending that money. Which is silly, now that I say it as I doubt there will be any need to go through 400$ in 4 days in CC, esp since I can stay at Babs’ place. The price goes up daily though, so if Im going to do this, I have to act fast. The phone interview is at 2pm on Thursday, so assuming it goes well, I will try and buy the second ticket ASAP after that.

Anyway, this is just another in a series of long, rambling emails. I have so much going on in my head that it’s helpful to get it all out into pixel, even if it’s not that interesting a read.

But yeah… to sum it up, Im thinking I should go to Christchurch and see where I go from there.

Related posts:

1. Waiting is so not my forte.
2. Long weekend
3. Island Bay
4. Change is the only constant
5. Rainbow dusk