#NYNZ: People, Places & Things
PEOPLE: KIWIS. The people of New Zealand are a kind kiwi bunch. Warming and welcoming, even the house's details give off a sense of "hey, welcome to New Zealand". The lack of tall gates and security systems are also responsible for such. Quick to help a stranger out. I always had a wondering about who lived in New Zealand, as the names always made me think of Hawaii, yet there seems to be a fair mix of people on the Northern Island. As a person who is a fan of music, I found their mix and matching accents to be such a delight to be around. The different ways kiwis pronounce their words, riddled my sense of hearing with excitement. More importantly, the three people I spent my days with, (Rachel, Shawn, Tash) are amongst the coolest people I've met in my lifetime. They welcomed me and took time out of their schedule to show me around. I only wish I had been able to match their generosity and hospitality towards me during my stay. It amazes me that Shawn welcomed me into his home, so I can spend my last hours in New Zealand to just hang out, while his mom made me food. This reminded me all too much of back home, how my mom would make food for my friends when they would come over. It just blows my mind that this simple act of kindness, and sincerity can translate over international date lines. It really just makes me grateful for people like these.
PLACES: QUEENSTOWN, such a mountainous and spread out place. Despite cold temperatures and a rainy overhead, it maintained a certain mystique around it. Just asking out of the airport, the first thing you are invited to experience is a panorama of snow capped mountains that almost look like they've been handpainted on the sky. Photographs could easily be mistaken for oil based drawings. That's how cool it looked from my point of view.
THINGS: MACE. My last hours in New Zealand were spent making a makeshift weapon, that will eventually be used as part of a non-digital game based off digital properties. My new friend "Shawn" had welcomed me and let me help out in the process with his UNIVERSITY buddies, in building these props for a semester project that they were working on. We chilled, had some hot dogs, tried out some Biltong, chugged chocolate milk, hacksawed through a foam mattress, stuck some PVC pipes up pool noodles and had a blast doing so. This doesn't even detail the adventure we had searching for these products, from warehouses to a KMART, which ironically, had everything we were meant to be looking for in the first place. It's crazy because this is the absolute LAST thing I was expecting to do in my last hours of being in New Zealand. It really amazes you what the imagination, and a little bit of luck can do.
