Lately: One Month in Auckland

Auckland, New Zealand

Things have been a bit quiet around here lately. Mac & I have been working on getting settled in Auckland and our day-to-day domestic activities just didn’t seem “blog worthy”.. or whatever. But I figured the blog was due for an update, so here we go!

Working Life

Mac & I both agreed that one big part of this journey we’re on this year would be to try new things and hopefully find a way to embrace our passions in whatever way possible. Since becoming vegan 2 years ago, I’ve developed a huge interest in cooking (and food in general). Knowing that we were going to be working in New Zealand at some point I thought it would be cool to see if I could get a job as a cook or something.. bonus points if it was vegan cooking. I had seen a post on Facebook about a daycare centre in Auckland that was looking for a vegan cook, so I sent them an email and I had an interview set up for the day after we arrived in New Zealand! I was offered the job and was able to start as soon as my visa was approved. I work 5 hours a day, Monday to Friday. I prepare lunch and an afternoon snack for anywhere from 20-40 kids from the age of 4 months to 4 years old. All the recipes I make are fully vegan, and the kids actually get super into the food I make/they eat. I made sushi the other day and they couldn’t get enough of it!!

I’m honestly couldn’t be happier with how this job opportunity worked out. I get to work with food all day, and I get to introduce the kids to healthy plant-based foods. All the food we serve at the daycare tastes good, and it provides the kids with an opportunity to develop a healthy relationship with good, wholesome food. Right now I’m making recipes from a pre-made 3 week menu plan. I’m hoping to work on some recipes of my own to implement a 4th week in the future!

Enough blabber about me, Mac has also landed a job! He was a CV handing-out MACHINE for a solid week. He decided he wanted to try his hand at bartending and in the span of one week he had 4 interviews which resulted in 4 trials and later, 4 job offers! With an abundance of options he was able to pick the restaurant that is literally at the end of our street! (I should also mention that my work is just a 13ish minute walk from our flat. I think we win for the shortest commutes ever!) He mainly works at the bar, but now and then he’s a server for the restaurant. Our hours are pretty opposite, but we know that this situation is only temporary.

It’s weird being back in ‘working mode’ after having traveled for the past 9 months! It was a bit hard to get used to at first – waking up at the same time every day, making a lunch to take to work, anticipating the weekends etc. What wasn’t hard to get used to was the pay checks! To finally be making money instead of always spending money is awesome!

Non-Hostel Life

That flat that we’re living in is a huge house with 7 rooms. There’s 8 of us in total (a mix of Kiwis, and non-Kiwis) and so far it’s been awesome! The living/dining/cooking area is spacious, so there’s more than enough room for all of us! The flat came fully furnished too which was great considering all of Mac’s & my possessions fit into a total of 4 backpacks. The kitchen has a GIANT pantry and I’ve slowly been stocking up on staples like flours & spices that weren’t part of our regular rotation of rice & lentils when we were traveling. We have a mailbox where we actually get mail (It’s the small things!), and a bed in a room that we can call our own.

Living Life

Because most of our free time this past month was spent firming up the logistics of living & working here, we haven’t had the chance to get out and explore (also, not having a car complicates things a bit). Luckily, Auckland is pretty rad and we’ve been having fun seeking out new parts of the city on weekends. One such adventure included a wine tasting! Mac & I discovered that we know approximately nothing about wine, so the ‘tasting notes’ got a little interesting towards the end of the night!

Also, our neighbourhood is really close to a huge greenspace called Cornwall Park. One Tree Hill sits in the middle of this park (though the hill is lacking a tree…).

One Sunday morning we ventured out there to find out that there was an open archery club event! For a small donation Mac & I each got to try our hands at hitting the bulls eye!

There are TONNES of trails around the park which have made up the basis for my morning walks. Some sections of the park are actually part of a working farm, so it’s not unheard of to cross paths with a lamb (or five)! On that note, Mac keeps telling me to stop taking pictures of sheep, because: New Zealand. But I can’t help it! They’re so cute!!

Auckland has a lot of parks, but Cornwall Park is definitely one of my favourites. We’re hoping to get out to Waiheke Island soon – it’s easy to get there via ferry and the island is home to a bunch of wineries and is apparently very beautiful. This weather is giving me a bit of a mind meld – it hasn’t really sunk in yet that we’re on the verge of spring here in the southern hemisphere. Bring on the warm temperatures!!