Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! For Dan and I it does not feel like anything close to turkey day, but we still had a fun day celebrating yesterday. Although we could not find pumpkin pie or turkey we still managed to cook up a delicious Kiwi style Thanksgiving dinner! The funny thing is that one store in NZ is even trying to latch on to Black Friday! New Zealand does not celebrate Thanksgiving so that is making it especially tough to get into the holiday spirit. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays (and not only because it involves pumpkin pie) I have always loved it because it came at a time of year when I needed a break from the daily grind and some quality family time.
This year is different for many reasons but a big one is that I feel like I finally can appreciate Thanksgiving for what it is meant to be. This year I am not stressed about work, countless responsibilities, or upcoming Christmas parties, gifts, decorating, baking, cleaning etc. Don't get me wrong I love all of these things and it is hard to not be a part of them but instead of being sad about it I am taking the opportunity to take a step back from it all. The last nine months have been about experiencing New Zealand but so much more. It has given me time to focus on me, which is something I have never really done before in my life. So I decided for this post I would really get into the true reason behind Thanksgiving and share with you some of my most recent revelations about gratitude and tie in the amazing things we have seen these last few weeks of traveling the Coromandel Peninsula!
1. New Zealand
Okay, so I am starting very broad but I have to include some general but very important things before getting specific about what we have been up to the last few weeks! I am So incredibly grateful for New Zealand! I thank god everyday that he created such a beautiful place, that he put it on Dan and I's heart to travel here, and that I have had the opportunity to go on this adventure. I am thankful to the New Zealand government for allowing such a thing as a working holiday visa which has made this extended holiday even possible. I am thankful for the various free campgrounds we have stayed at, and to the DOC for the amazing trails and huts they have created and maintained.
2. My Husband
I can't tell you enough how lucky I am to call Dan my husband. I am so grateful he took this leap of faith with me. I have always known that we compliment each other well but this has been proven to me so many times and in so many different ways. I know I have found my soul mate and I am so grateful to be able to experience this adventure with him.
3. Family and Friends
They continue to be so incredibly supportive of us and we are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives. We are grateful that they take time out of their schedules to reconnect with us and keep us updated. We are also very grateful that the technology exists that allows us to call, text, and message our family in an instant from around the world :)
4. Running Water
I love running water in many forms. We have seen some spectacular waterfalls while here in Coromandel. New Zealand has also made me appreciate the little things and running water is definitely one of them! Anytime we can turn a faucet and get water (instead of pumping it by hand) we are thrilled. Now if that water happens to be hot then the real party starts!
5. Hot showers
There is nothing quite like a hot shower after a few too many days and tramps without one! While in Coromandel Peninsula we also visited the hot water beach which is a very unique place! At low tide all you need is a shovel and you can create your own thermal hot tub right on the beach!
The water was scalding in some places and the crazy thing was you could go half of a meter away and it would be freezing. This beach draws many people so it was pretty entertaining watching 'kids” of all ages trying there hand at building hot tub sand castles!
6. Coffee
New Zealand has some incredible coffee but one recent cup will stand out from the others. We did a kayaking tour in Cathedral cove. It was an amazing experience! We were out on the water for about 3.5 hours and got to see a lot! We were able to explore the cove which is a natural archway that has been carved out by the ocean. We believe our guide was a kayak guide by day and barista by night because he whipped up some of the best latte's and flat whites we have had yet and we got to enjoy them at the beach!
The most amazing thing that happened on our tour was a school of dolphins came swimming right around and under us! We were within 1 meter of them! They were jumping out of the water and so close we were almost concerned they would capsize our kayak! It was insane and an experience we will never forget.
7. The Hot Sun
We are very grateful for the hot sun and the longer days! It is gradually warming up and feeling more and more like summer which has been awesome! The New Zealand sun makes quite an entrance and leaves a big impression with some of the most amazing sunrises and sunsets we have ever witnessed.
We caught a couple more amazing ones while exploring the peninsula. A new goal of mine is to take in a sunrise or sunset at least a few times per week. We have enjoyed many walks along the beach as well letting the waves and sun melt away any stress!
8. Kiwis
I am grateful for many different kinds of "kiwi's"! I am grateful for kiwifruit because it is delicious and still at a reasonable price! I am grateful for the native New Zealander “Kiwi's” we have met on this journey. They have been so helpful and it has been so fun to learn about their customs and way of life. I am also very grateful for the Kiwi bird which is only native to New Zealand. This is mostly because Dan and I saw two of them!!!!! Kiwi's are very rare and also nocturnal. They are frightened easily and dart around very fast so actually seeing one in the wild is very difficult. However, we did a night tramp with hopes of finding one and at the very end of it we saw two of them! One of them actually came right onto the path and almost ran into Dan! They can't see very well and dart so fast we are not sure if he even realized we were there until it was too late. We also think he was after the Weta that we saw later. These are a very weird insects that are also nocturnal and native to NZ. I have no pictures to show for it but is was so fun to find them in the wild!
9. A good book
Dan and I have done more reading out here then we ever expected and are loving it! Some of the best books we read was the Lord of the Rings series. Before reaching the Coromandel we made a visit to Hobbiton which is where the Shire was filmed. It was truly like entering a new world and it was awesome to see where the hobbits came to life!
10. Yoga
Namaste might be my new favorite word! We came to New Zealand with a plan to learn yoga but I never imagined we would love it as much as we do. If you have never tried it I highly recommend doing it! It allows me to take up space when I am feeling cramped from the van life, recover quicker from our tramps so I can do more, and just makes me feel better all around. It is seriously like medicine and I can't imagine my life without it!
Those are just a few of the things we are very grateful our here in NZ. I have enjoyed reflecting on it and also thinking about how much my perspective has changed on things. As you can see the Coromandel was an awesome time and we truly witnessed some spectacular things! We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you were able to take some time to reflect on the true reason behind the Pumpkin pie, stuffing, and turkey.
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