6 - Summer in the Bay of Islands ...

December - February 2012


Summer in Paihia :) <3

View from my house...

I spent my summer in Paihia, in a beach house up a huge hill which overlooks the bay.  I managed to get a room in the house that Toni rented, the $115 a week is worth it for that view every morning!  From a mountain to a beach - insane :)

I lived in 'the white house' with Adam, Toni, Emily, Abra, Isabel, Therese, Richie, Amanda, Cate, Jess and Natasha (not all at once, people moved on and new ones moved in etc). 

I found a job easily when I got to Paihia, I worked in a restaurant called Titos (Tito is a mexican word for uncle, and the owner - Mike - married a woman with lots of kids who call him Tito Mike).  I loved working there.  It was a new place that had only been open for 3 months when I started, I learnt how to make AWESOME coffee, and got to meet some cool people :)

It came up in conversation with Mike that I love pancakes, and I told him I could eat them till the cows came home (an expression he did not get!) so he made a heap of pancakes, I think I ate 13 ... I earnt a new level of respect from him for that :D

I worked a lot (pushing 60 hours a week sometimes), but I did't mind that - by the time I left I was rich enough to not have to work for a while!)

Christmas was a weird one! We had decorated the house, with snowflakes made of cut up leaflets, and beermats with hand drawn pictures on, and Isabel made an advent calender.  I had my Christmas dinner at work, then went for a swim in the sea, and then had Hash Browns for my 2nd Christmas dinner ... It was strange and I missed home, but I had a nice time :)  Carl and Phil (BUNACers) came for Christmas, which was nice.

New Years I spent on Waiheke Island which was beautiful! I went with Claire, Carl, Claire and Phil (all BUNACers)... I had SO much fun!   Phil and I had the most fun I think, we had far too much Gin.

The circus came to town, we had parties at the house, I went on a Dolphin boat trip and snorkelling with Therese, I went over to Russell, spent Waitangi day in Waitangi, went to the Cinema, Skydived ... This was the best summer of my life, I didn't want to leave!

Oh, and a summer romance? Check!

Christmas :)

Dolphins

Long Beach, Russell

Adam and I :)

Me and Toni

My Skydive!

New Year - Phil and I