HTMW Recaps: January 2019

I normally add a quote to the beginning of each post that sums up or enhances my writing. However, I’m going to use my monthly recaps as an opportunity to sum up the month – be it the mood, the weather, my feelings… Anything really. This month, on a couple of occasions, I had the absolute joy of meeting groups of new people. They were strangers, but they quickly because friends. In Doubtful Sound, a group of women adopted me for the night and made my birthday extra special. In Wanaka, another group let me join them for dinner, drinks and a walk along the lake front. We spent the next morning at the lavender farm together as well. This month, the quote I’ve chosen sums up these amazing encounters perfectly.

‘There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t met yet.’ – William Butler Yeats.

In January 2017, I announced I was going to start monthly recaps on my blog. If you missed last month’s recap, you can find it here.

January was a month of two halves.

The first half of January was spent in New Zealand, exploring my favourite country in the world once more. I enjoyed time in Wellington and Taranaki before flying to the South Island. Here, I explored Fiordland National Park, enjoyed some peace in Glenorchy and returned to my home from home, Wanaka. It was wonderful.

I came back to London on the 19th January. It was good to be back and see friends and family. However, I did not enjoy coming back to work one bit, and struggled a little to begin with. There had been so many changes while I was away! I came back to reality with a bump, although I did cheer myself up by eating vegan street food, doing Museum Lates and catching up with friends.

The Highlights

Seeing orca in the wild – truly incredible.

What an amazing way to begin the year. We arrived back in Wellington tired after a long drive. We’d planned on having a chilled afternoon, but then C got a call.

‘Oh my God! There are orcas in Oriental Bay! Can you drive? We have to go!’

It was worth it. After driving around the bays, catching tantalising snippets of talk from others who’d seen the orca, we finally caught up with them in Evans Bay. A huge pod, maybe ten to fifteen individuals, following the coastline. There were two huge males and females with their calves. We couldn’t believe our luck as they swam close to shore, so near you almost thought you could reach out and touch them.

It was a wonderful, almost emotional, experience. C and I stood on rocks and let the waves lap over our feet as we spotted the group once more, heading out towards Cook Strait. The male, with an impressively large dorsal fin, slapped the sparkling blue water with his tail. The females and babies surfaced for air, then disappeared. They were gone.

To see a video and marvel at just how close they got, head over to my Instagram feed!

Celebrating my 30th birthday in Doubtful Sound.

Another incredible experience, and one I will write more about in the near future.

A brief overview of the highlights:

• Having ‘Happy Birthday’ sung to me by eighty four people.
• Spotting dolphins swimming past our boat.
• Jumping into the chilly fiord waters.
• All the delicious food!
• Meeting some really wonderful people.

I promise, there’ll be a full post soon. For an introduction, you can check out this practical guide that I’ve already put up on the blog.

A rainy day in Milford Sound.

I nearly didn’t go. The rain was lashing down and the clouds were thick and lying low, obscuring the mountains. I’d been before. It was tempting to stay in my room and read instead.

I’m so glad I pulled myself out of my laziness and went. The rain made the waterfalls and rivers flow with a fury I didn’t experience the last time I went. The clouds lifted to reveal impressive vistas, before slowly veiling and hiding the mountains again.

The rain had gone by the time I reached the sound. Slowly, Mitre Peak revealed herself, and gradually the waters stilled. Reflections caught my attention, in glistening pools and puddles. I snapped endless photos and warded off persistent sand flies, determined to get a drop of my blood.

By the time I drove home, the sky was gloriously blue and the sun was high in the sky. Everything had turned out brilliantly and it had been a perfect day.

An impromptu swim in a glacial waterfall.

Although I’d done it before, I decided to hike the Rob Roy Glacier track in Mt Aspiring National Park while I was in Wanaka. It’s a beautiful walk and this time I determined to go higher. I wanted to see the glacier from above the tree line.

For some reason, it was a tough walk for me. I am the first to admit that I’m not at peak fitness, but to my surprise I came over dizzy and faint halfway up. After resting and eating, I did feel a little better, but I walked slower and the entire hike took longer than I’d anticipated. However, it was a beautiful day, the glacier looked amazing and I was glad I’d done it.

It was hot when I returned to the car park. On the drive in I’d seen a sign for a ten minute walk to see Wishbone Falls. As I approached the lay by for the falls, I made a split second decision and pulled in. Despite feeling hot and tired, I’d do the quick walk and see the waterfall.

When I arrived, the water looked cool and inviting. I hesitated only momentarily, before making the impulsive decision to strip to my underwear and jump in. It was the coldest water I’ve ever swum in – still making me gasp for breath after ten minutes. There were no regrets though. I returned to the car feeling revitalised and thrilled about my unexpected dip.

My family surprising me at Heathrow when I returned to the UK.

Does anyone else do that scan in the arrivals hall when you come through the gates? You know nobody is going to be there, but you look anyway, just on the off chance…

Well, this time, amazingly, my family were there! I spotted E first and wasn’t super surprised. She lives in London and it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility for her to drag herself to Heathrow to greet me off a 6am flight.

Then I saw Dad, and then Mum. And I cried. It turns out E had been in cahoots with P and he’d told her when my flight landed and they’d come to surprise me! Once the shock wore off, they drove me home and cooked me breakfast. It truly was the best welcome back to London!

Exciting developments on HTMW!

I’ve been thinking about doing this for ages, but in January I finally got my act together and started making some changes to this website.

While I begin the painstaking work on the back end of the site, re-formatting posts and improving the SEO rankings on pages, P will be redesigning the front end. We’ve chosen a colour palette that I’m really pleased with and he’s changing my logo up a little. Ultimately, the whole site is going to be a bit more sophisticated and professional looking. I can’t wait for you to see the results!

The Lowlights

Spending a little bit too much time alone at some points.

I love spending time alone. I am very happy in my own company and enjoy peace and quiet. However, on a couple of occasions, I definitely spent a bit too much time on my own while in New Zealand.

Spending too much time alone makes me go right into my head and I start getting a bit anxious. To rectify that after a day feeling weepy and stressed for no real reason, I forced myself to go meet some new people and have a conversation with them. Thankfully, this helped and I was soon feeling happier.

However, it was a learning curve for me. Spend time alone, sure. But maybe not quite so much time alone…

Banging my head in the shower SO HARD!

It made me bawl my eyes out! Honestly, it was so painful and the bump was massive. Don’t even ask me how I managed to hit my head in the shower… Honestly, what an idiot.

Posts This Month

A Short Practical Guide for Doubtful Sound

The title says it all. A guide to visiting Doubtful Sound, including what to take, what to expect and how to have the best trip possible!

My 2018 Reading Challenge: The Review

Looking back over my year of reading, including my favourite book of 2018, the worst book and everything in between!

What I Read This Month – January

Eastern Horizons by Levison Wood.

Although this book was published only recently, it is actually the first that Wood wrote. It recounts his experiences and adventures as he travels along the ancient Silk Roads, through Russia and Central Asia to India.

I like the way that Wood writes. I’ve read several of his books now. This one, on an area of the world I find so fascinating, has been my favourite to date. He is a true explorer. Wood goes beyond the general backpacker routes and isn’t afraid to spend time with locals, immersing himself fully into the cultures of the countries he visits. For this, he is often rewarded with memorable experiences, lasting friendships and occasionally, a little danger…

I would recommend reading this if you want to experience some of Central Asia without leaving the comfort of your own home. Wood does an excellent job of bringing the countries he visits to life – I could almost see them in front of me. And it’s a pleasure to learn more about countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are not frequently travelled to by your average Joe.

On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back by Stacey Dooley.

Firstly, a confession. I have a massive girl crush on Stacey Dooley. Any woman who can go to the front line of the war in Iraq and keep her white trousers pristine in a desert gets my vote. What a gal! Plus, she’s hard hitting, she is current and she has brought stories into my life that would otherwise pass me by. Basically, she’s an all-round winner, in my opinion.

This book is an ode to all of the women around the world who are suffering difficult lives and hardships beyond my imagination. Dooley helps to give these women a powerful voice and a platform to share the events that have happened to them. She has a unique voice and tone, which shines throughout the book. There is no beating around the bush. The stories are told baldly, and she shares her opinions without holding back.

It was a hard-hitting book, with stories that stuck with me for days. Dooley highlights numerous ongoing problems that women face around the world, many of which I was unaware of. I would highly recommend reading this if you have any concerns whatsoever about global issues facing women today. And you should have concerns… Some of what I read was appalling to see in black and white.

The most vulnerable women in the world need a voice. I’m glad that Dooley has helped to give them one.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.

A word of advice: don’t read this on the same day as reading Stacey Dooley’s book. It’s a bit much…

I read this book in one go, on a rainy day in Wanaka. It’s a tough read, especially because although it’s told in a fictional style, it’s based on true events as told to the author by Lale Sokolov. Even if Lale hadn’t recounted his story to Morris, any book written about Auschwitz is always going to be a difficult one.

Lale’s story is a harrowing one. He volunteers to go to Auschwitz to save his brothers, not knowing, of course, what lies ahead. From thousands, he is chosen to be the tattooist – the person who tattoos the numbers onto people’s arms when they arrive. Because of his work, and through sheer determination, grit and a little luck, he manages to survive the camp and even fall in love.

Like I said, it’s a tough read. But you should pick it up. We must remember what happened and face the truth, as told by the survivors. It’s a highly emotive, compassionate and truly thought-provoking book. I couldn’t put it down.

Instagram Pictures of the Month

My photos this month are largely from New Zealand, with a few from London upon my return to the UK.

I choose these three images based on which got the most likes on Instagram and then tell the story behind the picture. Disclaimer: They are not necessarily my favourite photos!

A Sparkling Blue Day, Mt Aspiring National Park, New Zealand.

The day I chose to hike the Rob Roy Glacier track was beautiful. All shiny blues and glistening greens. This turned out to be one of my most popular Instagram posts I’ve ever put up. Personally, I feel pretty joyful when I look at it. It was a wonderful day in pristine, beautiful surroundings. The best day!

That One Ray of Light, Doubtful Sound, New Zealand.

The light was incredible during our second morning in Doubtful Sound. The clouds were in constant motion, shifting endlessly to reveal brilliant shafts of light for seconds before closing rapidly around the mountains once more. I went all over the boat trying to capture the show, and this is one image I got as a result. Doubtful Sound truly is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited, and it felt a privilege to be there.

Mighty Mitre Reflections, Milford Sound, New Zealand.

By the time I reached the end of the road into Milford Sound, the rain had stopped and the clouds were lifting. I spent an hour or so exploring the shore front, and took this photo not long before I left to head back to Te Anau. It’s difficult to capture the majesty of Milford Sound, but I think this photo comes closer than any others I’ve ever taken!

My Favourite Image: January 2019.

For 2019, I’ve introduced something new and am now adding my personal favourite image of the month in these recap posts. This means that you’ll now get to find out even more about my life in London or my travels!

In Full Flow, Milford Sound, New Zealand.

All the rain in Milford did make for some pretty epic rivers and waterfalls. The water fell in sheets off the sheer mountain sides and the rivers were in torrents. This is The Chasm – near the end of the road. I took the image on my iPhone8 with the ‘Live’ feature switched on, and then edited the image afterwards to make it look like a slow shutter speed.

Coming Up in February

I’m having my 30th birthday gathering with my sisters and friends on the first weekend of the month. I’ll also be heading to Brighton in February, as J has bought us tickets to see Dolly Alderton there, which I’m super excited for.

Work will be continuing on this blog. I’ll be re-formatting old posts, boosting the SEO and doing some edits and re-writes along the way. Plus, I’m super excited to see how the redesign goes!

Aside from that, it’s a fairly quiet month. I’m deep into money-saving mode and am not drinking. Living frugally now during the winter months means that I’ll hopefully be able to have some fun over the summer… Once my debts from New Zealand and Australia are paid off, anyway!

Be sure to follow my Instagram feed and stories for all the latest on my life!