18. South Island (Part 5) Decision

I left Franz Josef by bus as usual. I remember staying overnight somewhere on the way north on the South Island. There was a YHA hostel there in the forest. It felt like staying in a cabin in the woods. This place had walking loops around the forest and a rocky coastline nearby. If this had been one of the first places I visited when I first came to New Zealand, I would have fallen head over heels in love with it. But after spending some time in this country, I started to feel that no matter where I went in New Zealand, I could easily feel good about nature and the surrounding scenery. So, I'll skip the time I spent here.

 

The next night I stayed in a town called Greymouth. It's a quiet town, and especially with the cool breeze blowing like this, I didn't see many people walking on the streets, even though it's considered summer here right now.

 

For me, just changing locations isn't the only exciting thing. Meeting strangers and having conversations is sometimes more interesting than new places. Hearing each person talk about what they're about to do and why they want to do it is, for me, much more exciting than taking photos to show where we've been. Because everyone's stories are truly unique, and the decision to do something different from the group they came from, in my personal view, is a form of courage and is admirable.

At the hostel here, I met a Swiss girl who had just quitted her job and decided to travel to New Zealand to find some meaning in life. She even helped me find accommodation for the next night in Nelson, as she seemed to be more skilled than me at finding accommodation online. We parted ways the next morning at the bus station, with her heading south and me going north.

 

And so, late that afternoon, I arrived in Nelson, a city famous for its wine, history, and romantic scenery – at least from my perspective. I did what I always do: stroll around the city, sometimes just sitting and looking at things. When I got hungry, I found something to eat and decided to try an Arab restaurant for dinner tonight.

 

In the early evening, I went for a walk in the nearby park to digest my food. Even though the weather made me feel a little cold, this was the warmest atmosphere of the year here. By chance, I met two Germans. I shared the snacks I bought from the Arab restaurant with them to try. After chatting for a while, I found out that they both had Working Holiday Visas just like me. I asked them all sorts of random questions, but one thing that caught my attention was interesting: they both slept in a van. They didn't have to book a room every night like I did. I asked them about showering, and I got an answer I didn't expect: beside showering at their various accommodations, they sometimes bathed in natural streams. At that moment, I was even more amazed and confused, wondering if this was even possible. I didn't suspect at all that they were joking. However, it was an amazing and possible idea.

 

The ship ride back didn't feel as exciting as the one coming. For most of the three-plus hours on the ship, I spent my time watching offline videos about agriculture that I had saved from YouTube, replaying them over and over from one clip to another. I kept thinking to myself, "I came here so I could travel and save money to invest in the agricultural project I wanted to do, didn't I? You've gotten to travel to your heart's content now (at least to some extent), but what about saving money?" I asked myself internally, "It's almost the end of January now. If you really think about it, you only have seven months left before your visa expires (I arrived here on August 5th). And if everything goes as planned and you can get a visa extension for another three months, the total time you can stay here will be about ten months. Ten months with the opportunity to earn money here, where the currency is more expensive than the Thai baht. This is a good opportunity for you. What are you going to do with it?"

 

Of course, the answer is that from now on, the main goal is to save money to invest in building a house and garden, after having postponed it for a while asking for a grace period.

Knowing what to do with my money is very important to me because it significantly impacts my daily energy levels for work. It helps me maintain a positive attitude on days when work and mood seem unpleasant. At least it allows me to get through the day without getting frustrated first. For me, clarity and a sense of purpose are very important.