Living from a Suitcase

It is hard to believe but we are in our final 2 weeks in New Zealand; we have seen a tremendous amount of this country, so much so that parts of it are a bit of a blur as I strain my brain to remember places and scenery from a month ago.  We researched today; NZ has less square kilometers than Alberta so it is somewhat like we have been exploring a province of that size for over 4 weeks.  Only a few days into the North Island and I am happy to report that the rain that escorted us across on Sunday and drenched us as we made our way to our accommodations, completely left us by Monday morning.  We have had sun and heat (mid 20s) with overnight cooling (perfect!) so have been traveling and hiking in good conditions. 

We’ve made our way from Wellington in the south to the east coast.  We are not far from where Cyclone Gabrielle hit a few weeks ago; close enough that we checked with all of our North Island hosts to make sure A: passage was still possible and B: that we would not be in the way of any clean up activities.  We had a slight detour today as one stretch of highway was closed but otherwise getting here was uneventful.  (Oh, and by the way, I am doing a lot of the driving here.  I still am not comfortable in heavy traffic areas, but I will get there!  And occasionally I still turn on the wipers instead of my indicator as they are in reverse sides of the steering wheel but again, with practice I do that less often now too! #olddogsnewtricks)

And “here” is our best home by far.  Nestled on a private estate of three houses, The Tree House is open plan with a well-stocked kitchen (meaning lots of pots and pans, bowls, matching dishes and cutlery….) and sitting so high among the trees so you do feel indeed like you are in a tree house.  And huge bonus, the owners live in one of the other homes and have a pool that we are welcome to use!  It feels like we are 5 star and in a sweet little resort.  A resort where we have to make our own beds, do our own cooking and clean up the kitchen but if you could see the setting you would have to agree.  I will take some photos to post.  Of course we used the pool late this afternoon; we have an oceanside hike planned tomorrow, lunch at the end of it, an explore of the little town and back home for a glorious swim.  And not a skinny dipping kind of swim; it’s not that kind of resort.  Or at least I don’t think it is……  🙂

So what’s it like living out of a carry on sized suitcase for a month?  Well, there is lots of wardrobe repetition but really, taking away options makes life so much simpler.  I have my bed clothes, my hiking clothes (including long pants, mid length and shorts, depending on the weather, all of which do double duty for other activities, my tourist clothes (generally one of two dresses).  Believe it or not I think I may have been able to bring even less with me however, I am on the road for months and months so I have also included items that will come in handy when I am back in Canada.  I bought a linen dress for a wedding I will be going to in Mexico in May and a thin wool sweater; seriously, one could go crazy buying wool in this country but I am practicing restraint…… gulp.  This is made easier by the knowledge that if I pack both my hiking boots and sneakers in my suitcase, opting not to wear either, it is stuffed full and really there isn’t room to add much if anything.  Though if I was tempted beyond resistance, I would resign myself to wearing more layers when I am flying just to get everything to my next destination. 

Toiletries always pose a challenge.  I like my products.  Not so much makeup as really that is pretty bare bones for me (tinted sunscreen, mascara, lipstick and blush, which is sometimes the lipstick).  But even then I brought an eyelash curler that I am not sure I have used once, an eyebrow pencil for fancy getting ready (again, not touched), an eye shadow for the aforementioned wedding and some highlighter and bronzer (a small compact, again, maybe used twice at the beginning of the trip.  Now I just can’t be bothered.  I’m sure when I am back in a life where I am not with the same three people every day I will be happy to have some of those items but really, up until now they have just consumed space.  Not much space but space just the same. 

When I arrived I bought shampoo and conditioner which I am trying to use up.  At a market on the weekend I bought a shampoo bar and a bar conditioner; I hope they work because if they do that would make travel life even easier. 

My skin care products are gradually being used up.  You may recall from prior writings I love my skin care stuff!  Medik8 is my latest brand of choice.  I am hoping to time it right so that when I am in Australia, I can buy some of the brands there that I can’t get in Canada but again, they will have to be less than 100ml so I can take them carry on. 

I feel like I am rambling.  It’s after 11pm here, the house is quiet, it’s a full moon outside with a gazillion stars popping out and I think I will call it a day.

I go to bed full of gratitude; not just for the time and money to have been able to continue adventuring but for the good health that affords me the chance to be here and to really explore.  Yesterday my phone told me I had walked up 107 flights of stairs.  It was a bit of a strenuous walk and although my quads feel it today how fortunate am I that I was able to scramble up and down on a narrow path to see the wonders of that particular trail?

Signing off for now; this retired adventurer needs some sleep!  Send me comments if there is anything in particular you want to know more about and I will do my best to oblige.

xo

PS: of course there will be another dating story!  I just have to find time from all this vacationing stuff to write it!