In My Tourist Era

 Flowers, Birds and a Bank Account

What up party people!!! 

Today is an exciting blog post because: BIRDS! Prepare yourselves!

I'll first start off with the little hike Ian and I did on Monday afternoon. We went up to Huntsbury and wound up doing the Bowenvale Reserve Track. I didn't expect it to feel so familiar, but it felt so much like Missoula's great Waterworks Hill. Missoula folk: do you see the resemblance? With the wind whipping through my hair, I was right at home. 



But, sheep seem to be the difference and I'm still getting used to it! It is lambing season here, so all the ewes have the cutest little guys. Peep the baaaaaaaa. After the hike, I celebrated my three new bird species (Australian Magpie, Swamp Harrier and Eurasian Skylark) with some samosas from the Eastgate mall. 

19/09/23

BOTANIC GARDENS DAY/ART MUSEUM

Before I begin, I LOVE gardens. I am not the most talented plant person (ask Jay Arzate) but I do love looking at plants...especially pretty plants that bring in the birds. There's just something about some good old fashioned landscaping that just speaks to a birder like me! Now, the Christchurch Botanic Gardens (Te Māra Huaota o Waipapa) are a sight of true landscaping excellence. In September, rhododendrons, magnolias and cherry blossoms are all in bloom. It was fabulous to see these flowers on such a beautiful day. I didn't get a ton of photos of the gardens because I got way too excited about the birds, but here is one I thought captured a fraction of the beauty. 


In addition, the garden hosts a gorgeous section of the Avon river that serves as a riparian zone (perfect for the birdies). In my two hour perusal through the gardens, not only did I run into a colony of Little Pied Cormorants, but I also saw my first New Zealand Fantail, Silvereye, New Zealand Scaup, Muscovy Duck, Gray Teal, Black-billed Gull, AND Song Thrush. This brings up my New Zealand species count to 24. Needless to say, I will be going back and have reached out for job inquiries. 




 In order of appearance: New Zealand Scaup, Song Thrush, Little Pied Cormorants with nestlings (aren't they ugly?) 

After the jaw-dropping experience at the gardens, I took a quick fudge break (raspberry white chocolate!) and made my way to the art museum. Again. Breathtaking. Over the last few months, I have become more appreciative of the physical arts and found myself especially inspired by this museum. The building itself was gorgeous, but the String Games exhibit by Maureen Lander was particularly cool. If you'd like to learn more about it and see some of the piece, this article is quite informative: https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/bulletin/212/string-games. And that was my Tuesday!



20/09/23
Yesterday was the day of my bank appointment! Since arriving in New Zealand, I have only had an American bank account. If I were just traveling for a bit this would be alright, but in order to secure a real job with my visa I need to have a NZ bank account and tax number. At the bank they successfully verified my identity and address. You are now looking at a proud KiwiBank customer! I still can't figure out how to transfer from my American bank to KiwiBank but we are rocking with the withdrawal-deposit method! After my bank appointment, I got myself a celebratory chai and bussed back home. Quite a thrilling day of being an adult!


Well that's all I got for now! As of today, I am job hunting and looking for a yoga studio/hiking group. It's crazy to think I've already been here a week. Thanks for tuning into my New Zealand adventures and I will see you next time :)








Comments

  1. dave coonSeptember 23, 2023 at 2:28 AM

    So Christchurch is at almost the same lattitude as missoula, but on the opposite side of the planet. That's wild!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2023 at 1:25 PM

    samosas ????please explain Pastry or Drink? (asking for a friend)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Taylor (the traveler)September 26, 2023 at 8:34 PM

      Samosas are a pastry that contain a savory filling of spiced peas and potatoes. They can have meat or fish in them as well but I have been absolutely obsessed with the potato and pea version.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2023 at 11:46 AM

      THANK YOU

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I Only Went on the Wrong Interstate Twice!

Image
THE BEGINNING Hey party people! I can't wait to keep you all updated on this travel blog thing! I am suspending my US phone number today, but  I will be available on here, whatsapp , and instagram  if you would like to contact me during these next few transition days. I am working on getting an international phone number once I arrive, but these options will probably be best to avoid incurring those vicious international charges.  I am leaving for New Zealand today at midnight from LAX! I had to repack my bag six different times; the first time it was 90lbs. I finally paired it down to a healthy 62lbs so fingers crossed it's not too heavy! But, I am sure you are wondering... how did you get to LA?? Here's the travel rundown.  31 st  of August - Jasmyn and I drove down to Bozeman to take a gander at the great dinos in the Museum of the Rockies! If you get the chance to check out the cool Da Vinci exhibit over there, that guy was an interesting dude (and also very obsessed wi
Read more

Cruisin' : Arthur's Pass, Dunedin, and the Sounds

Image
 05/04/24 So Here is Where it Gets Interesting... Arthur's Pass Since I arrived in New Zealand, I have been told "you need to go to Arthur's Pass, that's where the kea are"! As this was going to be my last shot at seeing a kea in the wild, I really wanted to make it happen. Plus, that would mean mom could see the world's only alpine parrot with me! How special is that? Needless to say, it was a bit of a whirlwind. Still, we saw the beautiful parrot!  Here is the story:  I was so so so so so so so so so so so excited for this day! Out of all of the things I had planned for my mom's visit, this was definitely the most ambitious. I rented a car, planned for us to hike one of the most beautiful falls in New Zealand and I reloaded my Christchurch bus card for us. The plan was pretty solid, but we ended up not actually porting until an hour past our original port time. This was a minor delay as we were only going to stay at Arthur's Pass Village for a couple
Read more

Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, A Hedgehog and The Bay of Islands

Image
 05/01/24 The North Island Last days in Hamilton I am once again writing from the Auckland airport. After an incredible holiday season with my wwoofing family, I am very excited to move on to my next place: Makarora. For the next week, I will be working with Aspiring Biodiversity and Birds NZ to deliver an awesome birding camp for ages 14-18. This was the age range that I really discovered birds, so I am so excited to hopefully help some other youths discover the wonders of the bird world. And, I'll finally get to spend some time in Queenstown and Wanaka :) I have grown to love the North Island and the people in it. It has been so interesting to learn from New Zealanders and actually be immersed in its rich culture. I got so so lucky finding Nina as she really encouraged me to explore and experience what the North Island had to offer. I'll start with the Waitomo Glowworms.   I wish wish wish I could have photos of the glowworms to share, but it was too dark for anything to show
Read more