New Zealand sabbatical

My employer has an amazing benefit – after 5 years of employment with them, they offer a 4-week sabbatical (and after 10 years, 5 weeks; 15 years, 6 weeks!). I have to say looking forward to my sabbatical definitely kept me going during rough times over the past 7 years (I’m overdue taking mine) – I wonder how much it affects retention for them. And now I’ve only got 3 & 1/2 years til my next one!

Most people seem to use their sabbatical to travel, and I was no exception. I opted to spent three weeks in New Zealand with my grandmother (my dad’s mom). She’s very special to me, not only because she’s a connection to my father, who died in a car accident when I was 13, but also because she’s a truly exceptional woman. She’s intelligent, keeps up with current events, has opinions about everything and loves to discuss them with you. She’s insightful and strong and beautiful, and cares deeply about her family and friends. She also has some pretty amazing stories from her past – like something out of an amazing novel.

 

Grandma’s passion was (and still is) dancing – she became a show dancer in her 30s after she had 4 kids! Her days of dancing in cages are over, but she still does Tai Chi, and occasionally dances in her kitchen when I play music for her.

This trip was my fourth to NZ (fifth if you count the trip I was a stowaway on when my mom was pregnant with me!), and I’ve seen a great deal of the sights, so the purpose of this trip was really to spend time with my grandmother, read a bunch of books, go for a few hikes, and just relax. It was a real retreat for me. I learned a lot about myself, and when I came back to work, even though my boss had actually quit while I was off, felt very calm and in control. Now that it’s a month later, I would say that feeling has somewhat left me, but all I have to do is think back to NZ and I feel a little more peaceful.

Here are a few of my favourite shots from NZ:

Grandma’s Kitchen


Oamaru Opera house nightly light show.

Finger guitarist Richard Gilewitz putting on an awesome show at the Penguin Club in Oamaru.

Oamaru harbour from a scenic lookout.

Walking through the woods in Oamaru. See the tiny orange triangle on the tree in the distance? That’s the trail marker – felt like I was exploring the woods of Narnia or something.

Selfie by the Pacific Ocean on a hike.

Tide is in!

Cliffside path by the sea. This reminded me a lot of California actually.

Paua shells on the beach – I collected about 30 for Grandma’s garden.

Whisky tasting at the NZ Whisky Co in Oamaru!

Golden hour on a hike.

The Moeraki Boulders – we always go here for a walk on the beach and a coffee.

Cheese tasting at the Whitestone Cheese Factory.

Whitestone Cheese with the girls – Norma, Grandma, and Me.

All of a sudden it’s June

Aaand…we’re back! From Jamaica, New Zealand, and many other local adventures…

The last time I posted on here was March 30, which was about a week before we left for Jamaica for a wedding. Jamaica was incredibly fun – it was our first experience together at an all-inclusive resort (Nick had been a few times with family, I had never been to one) and it’s going to become a yearly thing for us. Being in the Caribbean where the only thing you have to worry about is if your drink cup is empty or what was the last time you applied sunscreen was totally the most relaxing vacation we’ve ever been on. We only had to worry about what time of day it was twice – once, the day of the wedding – and the second time, when we had an appointment for beachside massages. So amazing!

We stayed at the Grand Palladium, which is run by a Spanish company, so all the architecture is very Spanish. The food at the a la carte restaurants was AMAZING, especially because I had low expectations for an all inclusive. However, you did have to wait a long time (no worries…we just had a drink or two). The beaches were gorgeous, if a bit rocky, and there were tons of pools including one huge party pool in the middle with a swim-up bar. It was totally beautiful there and the only reason that we wouldn’t go back, is because we want to try a ton of other resorts.

After we came back from Jamaica, we had a few days to get ready, and then three family members arrived to stay with us for a couple of weeks. We had a great time showing them around – we went all over San Jose, and took them to Santa Cruz boardwalk, breakfast in Sausalito and wine tasting in Sonoma, Pebble Beach & Monterey Bay, and San Francisco.

It was wonderful to have them all here – can’t wait to see them again!!

That all brings us to the end of April, and to when I left work for a 4-week sabbatical (everyone gets one after 5 years of employment – amazing benefit) to hang out with my grandmother in New Zealand. More details on that next time, but first, here’s what the first few days of sabbatical looked like…