Fortuna Major!

Ok. Sorry. So far, I've only done four blogposts and one single, measly post was actually made from New Zealand (regardless of a ton of things happening). And I've been here more than a month! I'm going to try better about this.

Following my stay in Christchurch, I took a bus down South to Dunedin. It's a really amazing place reminiscent of a mix between Seattle and San Fransisco (with heaps of New Zealand charm mixed in, of course). It is home to the University of Otago, the oldest university in New Zealand, dating back to 1869. It's still a university town and, as such, has a plethora of amazing coffee shops, dive bars, and plenty of music, art, and outdoor activities.

Port Chalmers outside of Dunedin

Being a university town, there's also a substantial population of younger Kiwis (and internationals). Not necessarily good or bad, but this is in obvious contrast to the predominantly working age (30s-40s) people in CHCH.

I started off my time in Dunedin Couchsurfing with an awesome host named Emma. Their house was at the top of Signal Hill (think Chilcoot St x20, for my Stillwater readers), so I had to make a pretty strenuous climb a few times a day. But the views were amazing, the house was cozy and wonderful, and all the housemates were incredibly kind-hearted and a complete blast to be around.  (plus I got some cardio in any time I needed to go into town).

The view from just above Emma's house

My absolute favorite part of the whole city (so far) has been the Dunedin Botanic Gardens. They were one of the first in all of New Zealand and an amazing place to while away the day. My first few days in Dunedin were the perfect time because everything was in bloom. There was every color imaginable on display and everywhere smelled intoxicatingly saccharine. Even now that most of the flowers have fallen of branch and stem, the Botanic Gardens are the most tranquil and lovely place to take a book and feel the earth breathe.

Rock Garden aka favorite place in my favorite place

My German friend, Anton, running up Baldwin St

Dunedin is home to a bunch of interesting sights, but one caught the notice of my friends and myself. Baldwin Street is very lovingly called the "Steepest Street in the World" by locals and backed up by Guinness World Records (though I have my reservations about the claim's validity). A 19º incline at its steepest, it's a cool place to take some pictures (and a b*tch to walk up).

Gravity wasn't working right that day

Carsten + me pointing to the stage

One thing I never thought I would say: I got to see Fleetwood Mac perform from on top of a bus stop. I heard they were playing at a rugby stadium in town, and a few people I talked to told me you could hear it pretty well even outside. So I took a blanket, bottle of wine, and a friend from the hostel and we found our way to the stadium. We found a place right outside the entrance and sat down, but couldn't see the stage... so we climbed the bus stop and had a perfect view of Stevie Nicks, the McVie brothers, Mick Fleetwood, et al.


Then we made some more friends after people saw up up there and they did the same #trendsetters. Some people even came out saying our spot on the bus stop sounded better than inside (rugby stadiums aren't really known for their acoustics). We even got a thumbs up from a passing police officer (who we thought would actually tell us to get down). All in all, it was a great evening that gave me some memories I will not soon forget (as a promise to FM, thinking about tomorrow won't soon stop either).

Making friends and destroying our vocal chords

The best part of my life right now, though, is that I'm in Middle Earth and I live at Hogwarts (!) School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Hostel. No, it's not quite home to the great magical beings of tomorrow, but it is still very much an awesome place to be staying! I've been working here for accommodation for a bit, and it's just too much fun. I work 2-3 hours a day cleaning in exchange for a bed and some really cool experiences (plus, how many people can put on their resumé that they worked at Hogwarts?). It used to be the Catholic Bishop's house, so it's a really old stone building across from a cathedral which makes it even cooler.

The view from my bedside window

Harry's room

There's a room 9 3/4 and even a cupboard under the stairs where Harry (one of the vacuums) lives.

It's a magical place and I'm happy I found it. Now I just have to figure out how long I'm going to stay here, where I want to go if I leave, and what I want to do in either case. No pressure.

There we go! My second blogpost from NZ and first in more than a month. I left a bunch out, but I figure I'd leave the rest for a different time since this one was getting pretty long in the tooth. I know anyone who reads this probably doesn't care about how frequently I post, but this blog was more for my own sake than anyone else's. When I started I meant to do it bi-weekly to keep a sort of digital journal, so I'm going to at least attempt to make this more frequent (so I don't end up with just 12 posts at the end). Anyway, I'm doing well. I'm in Middle Earth and living at Hogwarts. And I'm still not dead. Cool.