Spending my Children’s Inheritance

There is no question that a trip like this takes money; airfare alone is expensive so getting to and from this part of the world takes a good chunk out of a travel budget.  So how are the active retirees making it work you might be curious to know.  Here are some insights on that topic….

First of all, there are 4 of us sharing in the larger costs like the car rental (a surprisingly roomy Corolla) and our rental homes (where it doesn’t cost much more to get a three bedroom vs a one or two).  We have a kitty that we all equally contribute to which covers common costs like groceries and gas for the car.  Having a home in which to stay makes it easy to have meals in; for the most part we eat at home or pack a picnic though we aren’t opposed to a lunch or dinner out every few days.  Even went out for breakfast to a café recommended to us in one city.  Really depends on where we are and what’s going on.  (A couple of days ago we drove 50km on a twisty, turny road and out of our way to have a mid-afternoon fish lunch at an oceanside stand that came recommended to us; unfortunately, we neglected to notice its hours so arrived just as it had closed.  And then had to drive 50km back to the highway….. But I digress…..)  When we do eat out, we try to make it worth our time and money, with varying degrees of success on that effort.  Some meals have been so worthy of every penny (except there are no pennies in New Zealand) and others, ones we haven’t researched but were conveniently located just as hangry was starting to set in, a little less so but no meal or service has been bad.

Our homes have all been different; for example  our Dunedin one was spacious, probably 2000 square feet, with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and a beautiful view of the City and water down below.  In Franz Josef we had a much smaller home with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath but perfectly located in farm country.  Here, with no light pollution to distract, we saw the most heavenly display of stars I have ever witnessed in my life, which really is something given that I am no longer of tender years.  😊 From one end of the sky to the other, from its very edges where it brushed up against the mountains to where it dropped down to meet the pastures, the dark sky was fully dotted with stars of varying sizes and brightness.  We saw The Milky Way more intensely than we had ever seen it before.  I felt small and insignificant and yet so privileged to be able to witness such a light show.

The parks are free to enter here so that makes hiking a cheap proposition.  We have done some shopping (how could you not, inundated as we are with the beautiful bounties of gorgeous woolen products?) but it’s more an activity trip than a shopping experience.  Brenda and Jo went paragliding- I’m a little iffy on whether I should have done it too so maybe next time.  We went up in the gondola to look down on the pretty lakeside town of Christchurch, and cheered Jo on as she rode down the luge.  But other than those things we really haven’t spent money on doing things; rather we have been satisfied with all of the various hikes that are available to us.

People ask me how I am enjoying my holiday and I have to pause as, nomad that I am, I don’t feel like I am on holidays.  I feel like this is just another chapter in the wandering life I have chosen to live.  At least for now.  Being an active retired person suits me and I love the collection of memories I am adding to the book of my life.

xo

PS: new dating story just emailed.  A short story this time!