After living in Australia for a year I decided to hop over the Tasman and see what New Zealand had to offer. I had no concrete plan in my mind when I boarded my flight to Auckland but wanted to work somewhere for a few months and then travel the rest of the country in a campervan. My overall experience turned out very different to what I originally envisioned but was ultimately an amazing experience. I decided to start off my journey in New Zealand in Auckland since it was the largest city and seemed to have a lot in common with Sydney which I had previously fallen in love with. I researched the various suburbs of Auckland and liked the sound of Mount Eden for its proximity to the town centre and the unique volcanic feature in the middle of the suburb. I found a hostel online that had good reviews just off the main street of Mount Eden, Oaklands Lodge. I booked in for a week’s stay here and figured I would either decide what I wanted to do with my time in New Zealand in a week or extend my stay. My first thoughts of Oaklands Lodge were just how cosy it was. The hostel was small and had a lounge which was perfect for socialising and relaxing. It was more like a large house than a hostel, with a nice garden and many common spaces. The couple who ran the hostel were friendly and welcoming, helping me with anything I needed for my stay. In my first week, I took my first tentative steps in Auckland. I slowly made friends with my room mates and others in the hostel. Days were spent applying for jobs in Auckland and exploring the city and evenings were spent playing games, watching movies, or going out with other hostel goers. By the end of the week I had made a few friends and signed up for another week at the hostel. Unlike when I was in Sydney where I found a job within a week of applying, it seemed it would take a little longer in Auckland. I had set my sights on working in the tourism sector and had applied almost exclusively to travel agents and tourist sights. The money I had saved from living in the outback for five months was slowly running low and I was getting worried about how I was going to be able to continue to stay in Auckland without running out of money. As these worries started to surface, I noticed a new sign had appeared on the hostel noticeboard. They were advertising for people to stay on long term to help cleaning and upkeeping the hostel. In exchange we would be given free bed and board which would really help my struggling wallet! I asked if they would accept me staying for only two weeks rather than long term and they agreed although joked that they imagined I would be their double the time than I offered. Little did I know that they were right! I moved rooms to stay in the cleaner’s room. This was a four-bed dorm which was VERY homely. We had wardrobes and chest of drawers to properly unpack our bags and a designated area of the room that was ours. With four girls in this space to begin with, we had a lot of stuff and it quickly spread around the room making it hard to navigate! Our duties meant we were up at 9am to strip the beds and re make them for new guests, tidy and hoover the rooms, clean the kitchen and the bathrooms. We were finished by lunch and the rest of the day was ours to do what we wanted with. I used this time to attend interviews or continue to hand our CVs and apply for jobs online. We were given a day off or two in the week as well which is when I would have a lie in and explore parts of Auckland that were further afield such as Waikeke Island. The job was easy and the other members of the hostel who I worked with were fun company. In my month there we had a lot of turnover of staff so I ended up being one of the longest standing members of the cleaning team. By the end of the month, I was teaching the newbies how to do our tasks! The hostel catered for those who only stayed a few days as well as those who stayed on for a lot longer. A sustainability project used the hostel to base their internees and therefore these guys were great company for my long stay. All the long staying guests became a little family who went on nights out together and just generally made my time at the hostel so memorable. I also enjoyed meeting the short termers from all over the world and we had many a good night leaning about new cultures and ways of life. A memorable moment was Thanksgiving. With quite a few Americans staying at the hostel, my friend Bre and others planned a large hostel Thanksgiving. We each chose a dish to make for the evening, I chose to go for green bean casserole which I had had when I spent Thanksgiving in San Francisco in 2015. Everyone dressed up and turned out for our event and the food was amazing. It was a great example of how our family had grown in such a short time and how we had all become so close to make sure those who weren’t with their families for Thanksgiving weren’t homesick. After a few weeks of working for the hostel, I was asked to also work the front desk from time to time so that the couple who ran the hostel could have a day off! I gladly accepted as I needed the money and did not mind a few hours work in my favourite hostel! I manned the reception, oversaw the cleaning team, and dealt with the overall running of the hostel for a few days. It required quite a bit of work and I respected the managers of the hostel even more when they returned as they really put so much of their time into the hostel being the success it was. After four weeks of searching for jobs I was offered a role at STA Travel as a Travel Expert. Excited that I had managed to secure work for the year in Auckland I had to reassess my plans for the year and reflect if I wanted to stay in the city for such a long time. Ultimately, I decided the opportunity to work in this role was too good to miss and I could sacrifice my campervan dreams. As I started my two-week orientation to start my new job, I started to pack up my life at Oaklands Lodge and prepare to move to my new home. I had found a room to rent in a town house in the East of Auckland close to my new store and was sad to leave Mount Eden. The area had a quaint high street, lovely suburbs and the highlight was Mount Eden itself which was the perfect setting for a run or walk with stunning views over the rest of Auckland. My time in the hostel was unexpected, I never imagined working or even living in one hostel for over a month, but I grew to love the constant movement of people and company. It felt odd to have so much space when I moved to my own place and I missed the influx of interesting people and others to have a movie marathon with. My friend Bre ended up staying in this hostel and its sister one for over six months and I would head over to hers for my dose of travellers and backpacker interactions. Although it may not sound appealing to share a room with strangers and having to make sure your food is always labelled, I loved the company and variety that came with living in a hostel and I would say it’s a great place to start your move to any country. Not only will you meet like minded people to travel the area or country with, but you will also have a unique experience to treasure or look back on fondly forever.
0 Comments
In 2019, almost a year after my first trip to Fiji, I was offered the opportunity to go again. After winning an incentive at work, I was offered discounted rates for a holiday to Fiji and was happy to accept. I chose to explore more of the Yasawa Islands since I had fallen so in love with them in the past. I spent five nights in Fiji this time, taking along a friend I had made in New Zealand, Nickie. We stayed at a different resort each night and I was lucky enough to see three more of the varied islands of the Yasawas. After a wonderful stay at Barefoot Kuata resort in the middle of the Yasawas, we headed south to our final stop. This was the infamous Beachcomber Resort, known for its party scene and unique location on a remote atoll. This is the resort I was least looking forward to as I was unsure if I would enjoy the change in pace from relaxation to partying. It was certainly a different experience! We landed on our final island and were greeted by a stunning large white beach. I was shown to my room which was a small dorm room but right next to the sea. It was simpler than our previous rooms and less attention was paid to the details. Nickie and I had arranged to meet up a little later for dinner and I had time for a short walk around the island before our allotted time. The island is flat and very small with the resort taking up the entirety of the island. I walked around it in a few minutes but was able to see the variety of accommodation on offer and observed with interest the variety of clientele as well. There were groups of young adults walking around preparing for a party as well as families and older couples enjoying the view from their villa porches. Our dinner that night was slightly different to what we had experienced in our other resorts. The dining area was large with a series of benches lined up. The food was buffet style and served on plastic plates. We were able to order drinks at the resort bar where they did a variety of strong cocktails in fun glasses. The dining area was clearly made to accommodate for a large social scene, but this wasn’t the case with who was on the island in the low season. I imagine on New Years this would a be the spot for an amazing party but with few people on the island wishing to party hard the dining set up felt a little childish and cheap. That evening we drank some more and danced a little although the dance floor was mostly taken up by the young adults I had seen earlier. After a good night sleep, we didn’t have a day on the island. I was quite glad of this as it seemed the main activities were expensive water activities or drinking games. Instead we boarded the ferry again to join a boat cruise called Sea spray Adventure. This departed from another island nearby and took only half an hour or so to get to. The boat fit around 30 people or so and as soon as we left the jetty, we were offered champagne. At 10am! I felt like I was really on holiday then! The boat crew were friendly and played music for us as we set off for the islands around us. We had time to chat to a few others on the boat as we made our way to our first port of call which was Castaway Island. This was made famous by the movie Castaway and is uninhabited. We were offered the chance to snorkel off the island but the waves were quite fierce on this day which made it hard to get in deep enough to see any coral or fish without sand being tossed around in the water. We instead opted to explore the island and found many nods to the movie around the beach. It really felt like a quintessential movie island to be stranded on and we had fun exploring as much as we could; the dense jungle got in the way of exploring much more. After spending the morning here, we got back on the boat where we were greeted with an amazing spread for lunch. More alcohol was offered and at this point we were having a really good time! After lunch we sailed across a bay to the nearest village. We reached dry land once again and were taken through the local village to experience their way of life. This small remote community had a school, sports field, church, and other essential amenities. It was so interesting to say hello to the children of this small village and interact even slightly with their daily routine. We were taken to the towns hall where we met the chief of the village. Here we performed a cava ceremony, my first on this trip to Fiji. I happily took part in this traditional ceremony where the chief welcomes newcomers to the island by offering a cup of the national drink. After this we were offered the chance to support the local community by buying gifts and other souvenirs from them. I bought a new anklet here which sadly did not last long as I went skiing a few weeks later and had to be cut off! We made our way back to the boats and had to cross seaweed to get to the boat which was stuck far out due to low tide. This was a fun round off to the day! Back on the boat we made the long way back to the jetty and simply relaxed with a drink as the sailing was easy. Safely back on the jetty we boarded the large ferry to make our way back to the mainland of Fiji. This was such a memorable day and a lovely activity to round off our short trip to Fiji. Although Beachcombers was not to my liking, for those wanting a party atmosphere, come here in high season as I am sure it is amazing. I really enjoyed the vibe of the other two resorts we stayed at however, as they embraced the local culture and climate more organically. Fiji is such a special country filled with amazing people and lots of things to do and see. The Yasawa islands are a must for anyone seeking that perfect island getaway and I guarantee you will fall in love with the lifestyle and people with one visit. In 2019, almost a year after my first trip to Fiji, I was offered the opportunity to go again. After winning an incentive at work, I was offered discounted rates for a holiday to Fiji and was happy to accept. I chose to explore more of the Yasawa Islands since I had fallen so in love with them in the past. I spent five nights in Fiji this time, taking along a friend I had made in New Zealand, Nickie. We stayed at a different resort each night and I was lucky enough to see three more of the varied islands of the Yasawas. After leaving our previous resort, Mantaray Island, we had a short ferry journey to our next destination. As we stepped off the main ferry onto a small local boat, we noticed a local Fijian in traditional dress performing a warrior dance to welcome us to the island. This was done every morning and evening as the ferry passed and required the performer to cross the water to a rock in the sea. This was an impressive entrance and as we touched our feet in the sand of this island for the first time we knew we would like this place. The resort was a lot more rustic than our previous accommodation and I would be staying in a tent on the beach whilst Nickie had a beach front bure. After a welcome cocktail, our first point of call was for a walk to the sunset spot. This was a track leading us around the island to a perfect lookout to watch the sun go down. We were already falling head over heels for this rustic and welcoming resort and we excited for a full day the next to explore the island. Barefoot Kuata spreads out along a beach, with accommodation all to the left and dining and social areas to the right. In the middle of the resort is the reception and dive shop. Walking between the areas with sand between your toes was amazing and it really felt like you had landed on an island retreat. After the sun went down, we washed up and headed for dinner. At the sunset spot we had met a couple who had arrived on the island a few days before and sat with them for dinner which was a delicious three course meal yet again. This resort only had a few people staying and therefore everything talked to each other. The bar was social and featured a circular bar where I spoke to a variety of guests who had come from all over the world to be in this special island. My night in the tent was surprisingly comfortable. There was only one other girl in the six-bed tent and therefore we had lots of space. I woke up in the morning to the sparkling ocean and sat out the front of the tent admiring the view which felt a million miles away from Auckland. That morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and fuelled up we decide to hike to the summit of the island. This gave us amazing views of the island and its neighbour, Wayalailai which I had spent two nights on in my previous trip to Fiji. The area is well known for the reef sharks living nearby and we were excited to go see them. I had done this on my last trip but had been a little nervous so was ready to be braver this time around! The boat ride out to the reef is around 20 minutes long but luckily wasn’t too bumpy. When we got to the reef it was perfect conditions and we could see the sharks clearly from the boats. White-tipped reef sharks are small friendly sharks who will do no harm to humans. Therefore, it is perfectly safe to swim with them! Ready to get up close and personal with them, I jumped in and spent an enjoyable hour watching these amazing creatures. I think both me and Nickie were really impressed with our encounter and had been amazed at how close they got to us. We made our way back to the island and were joined by some day trippers from the main port of Nadi who were amazed of the colour of the water in the outer islands and the coral. I felt very lucky that we had been able to stay here. Before lunch we had a quick sunbathe a swim in the two swimming pools on site and caught up with some other visitors who had been Bull Shark diving that morning. Their tales were thrilling and made me add this activity to my bucket list.
After a lovely lunch we headed to the beach to read and swim as the tide got higher. There were loads to do on this island, from hikes, to diving and kayaking that we felt spoilt for choice. It was such a special resort and was the one that impressed us the most. The dining and facilities were all simple yet beautiful and made me feel right at home. Features such as the sunset spot and the warrior dances all made for a more memorable stay and we were very sad to leave this island. Our ferry eventually came to take us to our last resort in the late afternoon and we boarded with a sense of sadness wishing we could stay just a little longer. This part of the Yasawas is my favourite. The island themselves are varied and beautiful with lots of things to do, the people was welcoming and interesting and the views are to die for. The water is clear, the life is simple and life’s worries will simply fall away on these amazing islands. Written by George ThomsonThere are many things that can often feel quintessentially ‘American’, for me, summer camps are one of them. The idea of an entire industry built around providing a space for children of all ages for them to spend an entire summer seemed so strange to me as a British counterpart. I was used to spending my summer holidays mainly with my family, either in my hometown or abroad but never in one place for a whole two month period. However, now as an adult, with three summer seasons under my belt and a fourth snubbed by the Coronavirus Pandemic, that mysterious fragment of North American society that alluded me when I was younger, I miss more than ever. But this lifestyle and industry is not simply locked to America as I once believed, for my experience lies North of the border, above The Great Lakes of Ontario and into the splendid rural setting of Lake Manitou-Wabbing. This small location, seemingly insignificant to so many, became a source of respite for me during my three years at university and continues to do so into my post graduate, adult life. For such a place to make me want to travel across the Atlantic and to fully commit myself to as an international staff member is testament to the people I have met, the experiences we’ve shared and the sense of fulfilment that working with young people from all backgrounds can give you. I started my commitment to this journey in the summer of 2016, while I was still anxiously weighing the decision of enrolling into university that coming first semester. Attempting to piece together a naïve and ultimately flawed plan for a gap year after I’d left school drew me to the idea of working towards being at a camp for the following summer. However, having just returned from America, I felt slightly burnt out by the land of the free. Yet during that trip, our short two-day jaunt across the border to Niagara Falls and seeing the CN Tower glow across the waters of Lake Ontario inspired me to explore more of the country. If there was some way of experiencing Canada, a country I’d always been interested in seeing in a similar ‘Camp America’ format, I wanted to find it. Of course, this equivalent does indeed exist and there are multiple ways of getting on board. While you can easily go out there and contact these camps independently, companies such as CCUSA and NyQuest can do that job for you. I chose the latter, and after setting up an account I was instructed to fill out a form, highlighting what role of camp work I was interested in from councillor to cook and in-between. This process will result in becoming your camp CV, detailing your interests, whether you wished to work on specific activities and any skills in those field that can aid you. Before long I was contacted to arrange an interview with a NyQuest representative where I was explained the full process, got my questions answered and allowed me to show my sincerity to partake in the program. Upon landing in Person Airport, Toronto, I spent a weekend in Ontario’s capital, aided by NyQuest, who paid for your board as well as getting us orientated to the city and allowing us to set up Canadian bank accounts for our wages. In doing so, an entire hostel was filled with budding camp workers from across the world and acted as the perfect way to meet other people, find would-be co-workers and get to know stories of other camps in the area. I remember this brief moment fondly with nightly parties and quickly feeling that Manitou co-workers were hard to come by among a sea of Tamakwa, Winnebago and Olympia. I’ll admit it felt somewhat daunting to wonder if I would be somewhat a minority once I’d finally arrived at the camp and those nights had me knowing that these friendly people were not coming with me to my final destination. This first summer put me out of my comfort zone more than ever, not only heading abroad by myself but also putting me in a unique position of responsibility as a councillor on the shores of Camp Manitou. One of the largest staff positions and often the ‘go to’ for many international staff, my job as a councillor placed me with two other Canadian staff members We worked not only as part of a larger team but also were responsible for a cabin of a dozen 12-13 year old boys. This meant holding a special sense of responsibility, caring for and mentoring these boys in a way that was more akin to an older brother archetype over a parental role. Alongside this, during the day, I would also work with a team of staff as a climbing instructor, running sessions for the many campers who chose the activity through a school period type format. While at times challenging, I came away from the experience enlightened, not only from growing more confident in myself, but from experiencing a glimpse into the world of a Jewish community. Moreover, I’d collected a group of amazing friends from across the globe and formed a wonderful relationship with my cabin of campers that lasted well beyond that summer. With all this in mind, I applied for summer 2018. The second time around, I decided to explore the other opportunities at camp and applied as an activity specialist, working alongside an activity head to assist the running of the different programmes at camp. I also moved away from my previous role with the ropes staff to a new challenge, engaging in a multi layered activity that included archery, fishing and horticulture as part of the ‘Eco-Adventure’ program.
Armed with less prior experience in all three areas of the activity, I quickly learnt on the job, assisted by two other specialists and was able to contribute these skills to the team. This summer combined fishing trips on the lake and coaching for archery competitions with a more relaxed cabin life, living with two other staff members by the lake. Combined with an impromptu canoe trip on the Spanish River, I still refer to my second summer as the best yet, with some amazing campers as well as some great trips to private lakeside cottages on my days off. Going into my third summer, I had risen to the role of the activity head for the Eco-Adventure program and was looking forward to the new challenges leading a team had in store for me. Having had prior experience with both the activity, campers and staff allowed for the programme to run more cohesively, built up on the successes of the previous summer as well as many of the ideas that we had been unable to accomplish in 2018. One of the biggest challenges that came out of this experience was learning to know when to stand my ground and when to be flexible and embrace external ideas. As such, one project for an event we were working on clashed with another activities plans to use the same equipment. After trying to insist that we needed said equipment, I had to learn to compromise and work with my team of staff to find an alternative while still delivering a quality experience for the campers. By the time the event came, it was a massive success due to how the team came together to overcome challenges, embrace new ideas and became one of my proudest memories from that summer. Reflecting on the news that I wasn’t going to be having this experience again in 2020, I remember one of the camp directors saying that the mission statement of this camp was to “take any entitlement out of the entitled”. This is a bold goal but I do believe from my experience that I have met some of the most incredible down to earth people, both campers and staff from my three years at camp. This includes people who don’t want their privilege to define who they are and those from humbler backgrounds who can become idols for others to follow. Another surety that I have from this experience is that the friends I have made from camp will be friends for life. There is an intimacy from living so closely with one another that brings out the real side of people that results in a unified connection that doesn’t fade no matter the distance. As life races forwards and new opportunities emerge, I hope that I will still have the ability to return to camp and experience all the challenges and delights that it brings for so many people around the world. In 2019, almost a year after my first trip to Fiji, I was offered the opportunity to go again. After winning an incentive at work, I was offered discounted rates for a holiday to Fiji and was happy to accept. I chose to explore more of the Yasawa Islands since I had fallen so in love with them in the past. I spent five nights in Fiji this time, taking along a friend I had made in New Zealand, Nickie. We stayed at a different resort each night and I was lucky enough to see three more of the varied islands of the Yasawas. Our first island port of call was Mantaray Island Resort. I had been to their neighbouring resort in my previous trip and was keen to experience the differences between the two. We were greeted with a warm welcome off the boat and offered a drink as we checked in. We had a sight mishap regarding our food for the stay which we had to resolve but after this, we collected our bags and made our way to our rooms. The resort is set in the trees and had a jungle vibe to it. With a long beach coming out of this jungle it was very picturesque and unlike other resorts I had been to before. The restaurant was high up in the jungle and had a view over the trees out onto the ocean. I was staying in the large dorm whilst Nickie was in a private room. We were on opposite ends of the island, but it was never a long walk. That afternoon we sunbathed and hired some snorkelling gear in preparation to hopefully see some mantarays. Last time I had come to this part of the world, it was the end of mantaray season and therefore the likelihood of seeing them was very low. This time around we were in staying in the height of the season and therefore were hoping to get lucky. Mantray Island Resort sits on a small estuary which many mantarays flock to as a haven to mate and give birth. With no sign of them on this day, I went for a snorkel off the shore and found not many fish, but a lot of jellyfish so I made a hasty retreat to the beach! That evening we had dinner in the upper restaurant and enjoyed a three-course meal. We spotted a lone traveller eating by himself so invited him to join us for dinner. Our dinner guest turned out to be Australian and we ate the rest of our meal enjoying getting to know him better. Later than evening we made our way down the bar which is known for its party atmosphere. Mantaray Island Resort is one of the ‘party’ resorts in the Yasawa Chain and I was curious to see how they lived up to their name. There were few backpackers staying at the resort during our time, but it seemed most were in the bar playing games with the staff. Each game resulted in a prize cocktail for the winner and Nickie did very well winning two cocktails that night! We played crab racing, musical chairs, and a variety of other fun games. After this died down, we headed to the beach on the invitation of the staff and set up a fire. Sitting with a new group of strangers whilst the staff members played soft reggae versions of popular songs, I felt at ease and happy to be back in this special country. The staff members shared interesting stories of their life and how many had moved from the capital, Suva and other large cities to come to the island in search of employment. We ended our evening when the fire started to die down and I went to bed excited to be back on Fiji time. The next morning, I was woken to the sound of a horn blaring through the resort. It was 6am and we all realised in the dorm that this horn meant that mantarays had been spotted. Everyone scurried around trying to find their belongings as we made our way down to the beach still blurry eyed. One by one we were given snorkelling gear and boarded small boats to make it over to where the sighting was. The morning was a cold one and the wind was blowing with signs of rain showing. Undeterred, we jumped into the water when given the signal and everyone kept their eyes down into the depths hoping for a sighting of a manta.
It turns out these majestic animals are fast swimmers and at the first flash of a tail, the group was off swimming frantically to keep up. I learnt in Tonga that I was not the strongest swimmer and attempted to keep up with the fast pack as the mantaray got further and further away. I did see a flash of one though, so I pleased that I at least got to see one. At this point the wind picked up and the rain started, making it harder to swim against the current and cresting waves. I was picked up by a boat and was satisfied that I had seen enough. I took in the other members of my boat crew and realised I had jumped in a neighbouring resorts boat when I didn’t recognise anyone! It took a while until I could explain this to the driver but eventually was passed over to my resorts team. After this exciting early morning activity, we made our way back to our rooms and dorms to freshen up and get ready for the day. Our ferry to the next destination was not due to arrive until mid-afternoon, so we had breakfast and me and Nickie discussed what we wanted to do that day. Others joined in on this conversation and after talking to the diving master, Nickie was convinced to join him on a dive. With no diving experience I chose to decline the offer and instead cheered Nickie along as she got ready. Instead I relaxed on the beach and in a hammock and got to know our other travellers more. Nickie came back just before our final lunch on the island and told us all about the fish she has seen and various coral. I think she had even spotted a reef shark! Our time on Mantaray Island Resort was short but I really liked the layout of the resort. It was unique and almost had a south-Asian influence to the décor and style. The beachfront staff were friendly, and the bar was a great social hangout in the evening. The beach was not the most versatile since it became hard to swim at low tide and lost its picturesque beauty but overall, I enjoyed my time here and think it is a great island for a solo traveller. |
Hi! I'm Holly, a twenty something traveller from the UK. Over the years I've been lucky enough to live and travel in many countries. I've studied in America and working holidayed in Australia and New Zealand! I currently live in South Korea. Learn more about me below!
Read More >> |