So here they are, my two favorite kiwis. My boyfriend Sam (on the left) and the first New Zealander i’ve ever known, Steve (on the right). Steve [KiwiSteve/Holloway] is my soccer friend from Monmouth and it was so nice to catch up after not seeing him for 7 years and to see how well he’s doing now. I think it’s crazy where life takes us and it’s really nice thinking about how far we’ve all come. So many of our old teammates have good jobs, are getting married, are traveling or are starting families. It’s nice to known that no matter where we go, we can all always call each other up and be there for each other.

It helps coming halfway around the world and seeing familiar faces. I met Greg and Adan in Long Beach (Greg is originally from this area and Adan is from Wales) when they came to play rugby/get the Cabana experience. Now here we all are, back in the same place. Greg gave us both a tour of Matakana and his hometown of Leigh, where we got to meet his friend and parents. After Leigh, we took a drive to Goat Island and some other beautiful points (including the deck of his childhood home where the picture below was taken) of New Zealand where you can see the most beautiful turquoise colored water. It helps that my new job is on beautiful water like that everyday too. The company I work for (Matakana Beach Outfitter’s) is run by a really wonderful family. Natasha is from the states and Matt is a Kiwi and after living a few years in the US, then Costa Rica, they landed their business in the Matakana area (close to where I live now) where they are raising their two boys. They are great examples of what entrepreneurs should be like and their enthusiasm for what they do and their love of the water is addicting. After a few days of getting back into it and doing some boot camps and classes, I am doing my first adventure paddle today. Should be fun, wish me luck!

The first two weeks went so quick. And I promise to post more pictures soon and show you all the really cool things i’ve seen and done. Auckland Nines was crazy and we had such a blast with all the boys, Dena/Cass and Sandra. And even just the days and nights at the house with everyone, making dinner and watching movies have been so nice. I guess what I realized as i’m writing this even is that it’s not about where you are, but who you’re with. It’s kind of obvious, I know, but being in a new place is really making me see how important having and keeping good relationships can be… over money and a lot of other things. It’s not easy without family here. I miss them and my friends everyday. But Sam, his flatmates, Trina and so many other people i’ve met since i’ve been here make me so much less afraid and so much more excited for what’s ahead.