Photo Diary May 25, 2016

Hot Water Beach // Photo Diary

I came to Hot Water Beach to work. When I first arrived in New Zealand on March 17, I spent a couple of weeks roaming around, mostly within the vicinity of Auckland. I was only just beginning to look for work, mostly to see what was available. I came across exactly two job listings that caught my interest, and I sent my resumes just to see. I was offered both jobs almost immediately—one on Waiheke Island and the other on Hot Water Beach.

I spent a few days deciding between the two but ultimately chose to work at Hot Water Beach. The major deciding factor: I only needed to commit to two months of work. But I’ve been here for two months now, so I’m about to move on to my next destination (TBD).

I’m glad I chose to come and work at Hot Water Beach. Sure, if I had chosen to go work on Waiheke, I would have had access to public transportation, I could have explored the entire island and even gone back and forth to Auckland any time I wanted. I would have had plenty of beaches and hikes to choose from, cafes to frequent, and I generally would have just been able to like…do things.

But here at Hot Water Beach I feel at ease. I may have spent the majority of my time at the campground, and I didn’t have an easy way to get to town or go food shopping. I didn’t have much opportunity to meet people or go explore…This place is beautiful though. Here and in Hahei, life has felt simple. I saved most of my money because I had nothing to spend it on, I was welcomed by some very kind people, and I got to spend ample time at the beach before winter hits.

While I am more than ready to move on, I really appreciate the time I spent here at Hot Water Beach.