#returntotravel | North Island - Auckland, Rotorua and Matamata | New Zealand

As part of the return to travel, my family and I went on our third family trip to our neighbouring country: New Zealand.

As much as we wanted to do both islands, we only had time to visit the North Island. We took day trips to Hobbiton, Piha Beach and Rotorua.

We had no plans, we just wanted to be anywhere else but home for just a moment.

Auckland

The CBD had a beautiful skyline that you need to capture with your eyes and your camera. Auckland was familiar enough feel like we hadn't left Sydney. One quirk we did enjoy was seeing people driving and parking on the footpath...Auckland locals, is this a thing??? Is that normal?

Hobbiton

This was the only pit stop on my agenda. I'm not a big LOTR fan, but I did enjoy the films. Seeing the sets and hearing the stories about the creation of Middle Earth was just a bonus to my NZ experience.

But driving into Matamata itself was just so beautiful! Seas of green with sheep and cows left and right. The drive to Middle Earth was worth every kilometre.

Rotorua

The town surrounded by volcanic spurs is also home to The Redwood Forest. It was a fun tree-to-tree walk with tree routes that fit all adventure levels. It was a fun immersive track.

The sulfur site of Rotorua did smell, BUT as a budding GeoTeacher, I wanted to see and learn more about what I was teaching my students. It was a really interesting site.

Piha Beach

The North Island is beautiful with great spots to just drive to and enjoy. One spot that the weather didn't dappen was Piha Beach. It's known for it magnificent rock formations:

Overall, New Zealand is worth the visit and I cannot wait to see what the South Island has to offer!

Next: Staycation: Japanese Escape in the Mountains 

#returntotravel | Balikbayan - Homecoming | Baguio City, Philippines

After being stuck in the UK during Covid, your roots start to look for their homeland.

When I moved to the UK temporarily, I didn't think my Filipino heritage would be the biggest element that I would miss.

So, when I moved back to Australia and was allowed to get back onto a plane, I booked with a budget airline (Cebu Pacific) and didn't look back - even if they left my luggage in Sydney and didn't return it to me until a week into my trip! (Alas, you get what you pay for I guess...)

I celebrated Christmas of 2022 in true Filipino style: Midnight Mass, Noche Buena and carol singing for days.

I spent most of my time getting to know my dad's side of the family and waking up to this view:

I was a little confused by the excellent weather, but did not complain after a rainy 2022.

When the rains did come, it brought the nostalgic, yet slightly terrifying, asthmatic cough, that - with Covid still around - kept my on high alert.

Alas as 2023 came through, I was truly thankful for the trip back to good old Baguio City.

Baguio was my city. It's my first home. I love my home away from home.

sL

strictlyleisure | Travel Series Return | Upcoming Blogs

2022 was touch and go with restrictions being non-existent in the northern hemisphere and very heavy in the southern hemisphere.

It's August 2023 and we're still hearing about wearing masks when you're feeling unwell.

Regardless, travel is back and, to make up for the three years of no flights, nomads are feeling the pinch in their pockets.

Three Reasons People Are Travelling Again

1) "Staying Home" was (and is) never an option. Some people are just not home bodies. Being elsewhere - or as far from home as they can get - is always a priority. Whether it's to press 'pause' on their busy schedule, run away from their schedules or just not feeling at home in their home, travel is an investment not an expense.

2) It's now or never. People have re-evaluated the need to travel after being "stuck" in one place for so long. Since many companies are taking a hybrid form, travel has become more accessible than before.

3) To keep "The Gram" alive. Social media has also been a place to display portions of life, with opportunities to travel again, gorgeous scenery and oceanic escapes have become party of people's stories and pictorial updates again. It's a moment, in a place, cemented by a tap; a memory capsule of a simple pleasure of life.

Up Next on sL:

SEP - Philippines (Baguio City)

OCT - New Zealand (Northern Island)

NOV - Staycastions (DELAYED - apologies!)

DEC - THAILAND (Ko Samui)

WELCOME 2022 | It's a NEW YEAR | OM-NI-CRON!

 

It's 2022 and it's ANOTHER variant. 

Did we actually think Covid wold go away? No, it lingered on and evolved a little more. Masks, social distancing and some restrictions are back.

Guys, just stay safe for yet another covid-year.

Regardless, from me to you, I say: WELCOME 2022!

2021 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | APR-OCT 2021 (Post?) Covid World

And we're living in a [covid world] and I am a [double vaxxed] girl.

And here we are...slow easing into full freedom. Masks are optional, bubbles non-existent, all business are opened and fully functioning, hybrid office operations and vaccinations for all.

Variants still exisiting: Delta (Indian), Epsilon (USA), Zeta (Brazil 2.0), Theta (Philippines), Iota (USA 2.0) and Kappa (India 2.0).

But here we are and there are two Hamletian™ questions:

• To mask or not to mask?
• To vax or not to vax?

Being brave is exercising wisdom - i.e. wear a mask even if you don't want to - and protecting everyone even though they don't to protect you.

Welcome to the covid (hopefully soon, post-covid) world!

Next: TBC

2021 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | MAR 2021 Easing

As the 8th March came in, schools and offices reopened.

What's the difference?

The Vaccine Roll Out.

The correlation between vaccination rates and freedoms came about. The more jabs the more easing. But as vaccinations were rolled out more people feared the cure than the virus. New, new, new normal. We now live in a world that's divided between the 'Vaccinated' and the 'Non-vaccinated'.

Not that we haven't before, any parent will tell you how difficult it is to get a placement for their unvaccinated child in any day care centre. But now, it's your: work pass, passport and public access ID. In a world of QR codes and online data, vaccinations are the access to the world.

Let's see what the aftermath will be post-post-Covid.

Next: Post-Covid World

2020 Covid Chronicles | Post-2020 Reflection | NOV20-FEB21 Lockdown 2.0 and 3.0

 

As November rolled around, the Alpha Variant (UK) and Beta Variant (South African) were prominent enough to shut down the hospitality industry again. Eventually, a 'Tier System' was introduced to slow down the shutdown of 'non-essential' trade of good and services. This was Lockdown 2.0. Schools were still operating, but it was clear that the mutation of the virus was now targeting the ages that the initial infection did not previously 'attract'. Eventually, as Christmas came through, everyone was shut in and celebrations did not exist.

As the New Year rolled in, there was nothing 'happy' about 2021. Eventually, the rising numbers in Brazil released a new variant, the Gamma Variant, and drove the world into a new panic. The UK went into Lockdown 3.0, shutting schools and re-enforcing the work-from-home mandate, reverting back to Lockdown 1.0 protocols.

It was a very long and uneventful winter. Lockdown was a reality. Lockdown was normal. 3.0 is the post-Covid way of living.

Next: Slow Easing