Best of 2019
I saw in 2019 in Queenstown, by Lake Wakatipu, watching the fireworks. I had family visiting for Christmas and New Year and I was enjoying being thoroughly spoiled with good food, accommodation that wasn't the back of my car and good company. What a way to start the year. And then reality kicked in. I'd crossed over to the South Island, jobless, homeless (aside from my car) and I needed a plan. The school year starts in Jan/Feb over in NZ so it was time to start looking for a new job.
I was sitting on the top of Grandview Mountain, near Hawea, when I sent off my application to be a Y8 Homeroom teacher. It was basically the one and only job application I sent because I was having too much fun bouncing around the island. I'd taken a helicopter flight over Mt. Cook, booked to cycle the Rail Trail in a few day's time and was looking at adventuring down to Stewart Island. There was a lot to do before I could start work! Not getting the job wasn't an option, neither was missing out on any of the exciting things I wanted to do.
I was somewhere on the Otago Central Rail Trail when the call for an interview came and I don't even remember where I was when I was offered the job but I snapped it up and spent my way frivolously through the rest of the holidays!
The rest of the year was spent taking weekend trips to various places all over the South Island. My colleague, housemate and very best buddy - Kacy - became my travel partner and we ventured all over together. 
Highlights from the year included the Catlins, Doubtful Sound, Tekapo, Wanaka, Waiting Day in Okains Bay, Y8 Camp at Lake Middleton, the Waimate Rodeo, the Christchurch Lantern Festival, Silver Peaks outside Dunedin, seeing the Aurora (several times), reaching the summit of Ben Lomond, the Taieri Gorge Railway, popping back to the UK for my niece's first birthday, hopping over to Belgium whilst there and visiting Fiji on my way back to the UK. A bittersweet ending to my time in NZ but I'm looking ahead to 2020 with excitement.