November 29

This morning I said goodbye to two of my new friends, Kelly and Jakob. We had spent several days together and I am very sorry to see them go. Kelly is an American hailing from VA and Jakob is a German (go figure, given that more than half the people I meet are German); they met in Rotorua and decided to travel together for a couple weeks. Kelly is cycling throughout the country (here is her blog) and she took part in a huge cycling event in town yesterday, the 160 km ride around Lake Taupo. They are heading to Tongariro to do the Northerm Circuit. We’ve had a blast the past couple of days. In particular an evening jaunt down to the hot pools and a bit of petty theft on Kelly’s part (don’t worry, it was more borrowing than anything else!) so that we had access to a LoTR movie, that cemented our friendship. We have tentative plans to meet up in a couple months on South Island.

I spent the afternoon wandering around and getting caught up with errands. I have decided to start looking for a paid job in town, in addition to my hostel work. My current plan is to stay until February. (Although, of course, plans change all of the time in NZ.)

I relaxed by the lake for a couple of hours and enjoyed the stunning views. (Isn’t my new home beautiful?!)

Also, yesterday I decided on a whim to cut my hair off. It is now much shorter and so easy to deal with! (Please don’t judge my selfie attempt–it’s not getting easier. Although my sister, Lauren, assures me that selfies are nothing to be embarrassed of.)