The Old Tale of a Journey: Working Holiday Visa New Zealand 2015-2016

  Preface and Conclusion The form of travel is a personal story. No journey is more extraordinary than another, as they all represent a form of travel. This writing was created solely for the purpose of conveying a travel experience in one particular form. Whether it is beneficial or not, and to what extent, depends on how each individual applies it. The author merely feels that the benefit of a certain experience stored in their memory might be more useful than at a personal level once it is conveyed. Although my descriptions of tourist attractions in New Zealand are filled with various feelings, by nature, anywhere can always be beautiful. I am grateful for the experience that allowed me to visit NZ that time. However, what is more important than the scenery of this country is having a perspective that understands the beauty of nature around us, regardless of where we are. This includes understanding the changes and seasons of things that must transform according to the cycle...

  The Old Tale of a Journey: Working Holiday Visa New Zealand 2015-2016 1. The prolog of the journey The story I am about to tell is something that happened to me while I had the opportunity to live in New Zealand on a Working Holiday visa for a total of 15 months, including the period during which I applied for the visa. Throughout this time, there were smooth periods, exciting moments, and times that required patience. The purpose of writing this is to entertain those who are interested, and I hope that the information or experiences I have encountered may be useful to those who are about to travel to this nature-friendly land, especially those who enjoy adventure and understand that the ups and downs of various events that occur all add color to the experience. Even though there were times when I wasn't in the best mood, looking back doesn't make me want to change anything because everything that happened was the best at those given circumstances. What is truly impor...

  2. Items to prepare when traveling abroad In the long run, what I am about to recommend comes from experience, and I think it might be something simple that could be very useful. 1.        power strip and adapter compatible with the electrical system of the country you are going to. A power strip with multiple sockets can be found in regular stores. I highly recommend this item because whether you are at the airport or need to share a room in any backpacker hostel, this item will be very helpful. Make sure you have the opportunity to plug your devices into a socket somewhere (don't forget to bring an adapter or converter for the type of plug used in that country. How do you know what type of plug they use there? (On the internet has plenty of information). You will have a personal plug to charge multiple electronic devices at the same time. And since the extension cord is long, you can expand the range of use even further.   2.  ...

  3. The First Night in NZ I booked my flight three months in advance thinking the price would be cheaper. However, I later found out that booking two months or a month and a half in advance would have still gotten me this price. I arrived at Auckland Airport in New Zealand around 10 PM. While I was answering questions from the immigration officer and walking out, a female officer with a large dog walked up to me. I thought the dog might want to greet a foreigner, or maybe I looked like a good transporter. After that, I walked out of the airport alone, feeling confused. Everything seemed strange and unfamiliar. The weather outside was cold enough to be called chilly, but I felt sluggish since I was still confused. So, what should I do next? Before the trip, I had booked a backpacker hostel online in the city center and learned that there was a bus service at the airport to transport passengers into the city, available 24 hours. I walked to buy a ticket and received a city map. ...

  4. What I Did in the First Week in NZ And then the first night passed after I opened my eyes in NZ. On the first morning, I saw the sunlight streaming through the window along with the unfamiliar cold. The room I got (wait a minute) should probably be called my bed because in a room of about 15 square meters, there were four beds for guests. There were 2 bunk beds opposite each other, and there was only one window that allowed me to see the view and breathe in the outside air. It sounds compact, right? But it was not that bad. I meant, if it's winter weather like in NZ right now, where the temperature at noon is about 15 degrees and at night about 8 degrees, only one window was more than enough. Because in reality, we rarely opened the window fully. But then again, when I was alone in the room during the day, I did like to open it fully. I like the airy and spacious atmosphere. Alright, let's continue with what I did after I woke up. I started contemplating while I was st...

  5. Work at a Thai Restaurant The next day, I started working, which involved being a kitchen assistant. My duties included scooping rice, cooking rice, chopping vegetables, fetching plates from the dishwashing room, and washing kitchen utensils after closing. The restaurant hired me for five hours a day, from five in the evening until eleven at night, and it was a cash payment arrangement, meaning neither party paid taxes (you know what I meant, don't you?). They paid me ten dollars an hour and provided two meals: one during my shift and another prepared by the chef to take home. When I thought about it, the minimum wage according to the law was fifteen dollars, but considering the two free meals, which, if you think about it, I usually spend about 10-12 dollars on a meal. Even if I earned fifteen dollars an hour according to the legal minimum wage, I would still have to spend money on meals. Importantly, I needed to adjust to living in this country and needed more cash. So, I ...

  6. The first city move About two weeks before leaving the restaurant, I bought a bus ticket to another city. The city is called Hastings. You might wonder why I chose this city, right? The reason was that during my stay in room 701 at the first backpackers, I met many different roommates from various nationalities who came and went. Some stayed for 2-3 nights, some for just one night, and some for a week. I enjoyed meeting people from different countries and cultures. I like diversity, and I almost invited everyone who stayed to chat and exchange perspectives, which was beneficial for me as a newcomer to this country. If I met people who were staying to wait for their flight back home, I often asked questions like, "Where have you been for the past year? Is there anywhere you particularly liked? Are there any good jobs in any city that you can recommend?" And Hastings was one of the cities that a Japanese surfer who once stayed in the same room as me recommended. He sai...

  7. The city of Hastings The next city the bus took me to was Hastings. To be honest, the reason I chose this city was because of the feeling I got when I talked to that Japanese windsurfer. I felt that this city would be good for saving money. As for accommodation in this city, I also got a recommendation from that Japanese person. He told me that I would definitely like it here. He recommended a Facebook page for the accommodation to me, which I used to message the owner about booking for my travel dates, as well as the location of the accommodation in case I needed to travel from the bus stop in the city center to the place. I still remember the first day I walked into Hastings Backpacker with my heavy bags and belongings. Ms. Kaye, a middle-aged woman who owns and manages this accommodation, greeted me warmly. She took me to my room, which I had to share with a large Hungarian man who always looked very polite, because I often saw him in a suit. He had been in this room al...

  8. A kind Thai aunt When I found out that I didn't have a job at the moment, she invited me to get in the car and said she would take me to her house. This aunt lives with her teenage daughter and son. Personally, knowing that I didn't have a job made me free, and I like changing my surroundings. So, I agreed and got in the car with her without much hesitation. Part of the reason might be that I didn't feel she was dangerous, and she had kindly invited me. Besides, I wanted to see something new in this city. The reason was as simple as that. When I arrived at her house, I met her son. The woman asked me this and that, interviewing me all the while. I enjoyed talking to Thais, as I'm also someone who likes to ask questions. There was a vacant room in the house at that time, and since the town where she lived was about half an hour from the shop where we met, and it was already quite late, she offered if I was interested in staying overnight in that vacant room. Aft...

  9. Move accommodation So, it was decided that I would move in with this aunt on the condition that I would start paying rent once I started working and earning an income. For me, that was a very good offer. That afternoon, the aunt took me to pick up my belongings from the backpackers in Hastings to move to her house in Napier.           To repay the aunt's kindness for letting me stay for free while I was waiting for work, and even feeding me, I took the opportunity to clean the house. Actually, it's a task I do regularly and don't feel bad about at all, because I feel good being in a clean and pleasant place. I'll digress a little on this point.           If I find myself in an unfamiliar new place and feel that cleaning and tidying it up a bit would make it more livable, I usually do it right away if I have the opportunity. Personally, I think it's well worth the time to spend half ...

  10. Gardening Weeding the pumpkin patch isn't very complicated. The work is exactly what the name implies: removing grass and other weeds from the young pumpkin plants, which are about 20 cm tall. The equipment used is similar to the head of a vacuum cleaner with a handle. The user has to push the head along the ground, which is a flat piece of iron like a hoe. The worker has to walk holding the stick and push away the weeds around the young pumpkin plants. The rows of pumpkins are long, averaging about 150-200 meters. The spacing between plants is about two feet, and between rows is about 1 meter. That's all there is to the complexity of the work, but the challenge is the long working hours, which are 8-10 hours per day. For example, you might start around 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning and finish at 5:00 PM, or even as late as 7:00 PM. When I say 7:00 PM, don't be alarmed, because the pumpkin weeding season is during the summer here. New Zealand's summer is special b...