The Suitcase Backpacker

Mouse dramas, Matariki, Halfmas, and turning 30

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Aotearoa New Zealand

6 min read

When I first landed in Christchurch, I wholeheartedly welcomed the new sights. The first thing that caught my eye was of course the street art. Beautiful bright splashes of colour gracefully painted across the sides of buildings, some derelict, some shiny new. Fourteen years on from the devastating earthquake, the city has rebuilt itself not just with steel and concrete, but with vibrancy and creativity. Beauty resurrected from the rubble.

Getting Settled

For the first few weeks I would continue with another work exchange. My Kiwi host, Patricia, lived in a brand new, modern little bungalow. It was cold with winter creeping in now, but the entire neighbourhood, as well as the main centre of Christchurch, was as flat as a pancake with barely a hill in sight, lovely! One thing I quickly learned here is that the homes are single-storey, built low to the ground because of the ever-present earthquake risks. 

My duties involved helping Patricia with cleaning, organising, and doing some gardening work. It kept me busy, and in the evenings she’d sometimes cook. Her spicy pumpkin broth was divine in comparison to my simple budget meals she so astutely judged me for, like an overbearing aunt…bless her big heart. She had also been going through a tough period in her life, so I did my best to make things a little easier for her where I was able to.

One afternoon, I popped to the CBD for lunch, and to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with my Canadian friend, Mackenzie, who was passing through Christchurch before heading back to Canada. The film was pretty epic and entertaining, with Marvel’s iconic blend of unique, comical, and vibrant characters bringing the story, and theatre, to life.

Barbados Street Living

I ended up continuing the work exchange at Patricia’s for an extra week, before finally securing a long-term room in the CBD on the iconically named Barbados Street. It was cheap and central…and let’s just say the place definitely came with some character. The kitchen and bathrooms looked like they hadn’t been touched by a sponge in a long while…and the microwave…that monstrosity deserved a horror film of its own I’ll say that. I didn’t notice any of this during the viewing, probably because it was dimly lit and during the evening. I did, however, love the gorgeously decorated front exterior of the house.

I lived with 4 other international housemates, two lovely Filipino siblings, an Indian/Malaysian couple, and a French labourer. The housemates changed periodically as people came and left over the next few months.

So, there turned out to be a bit of a situation with the new place…about 3 weeks in I spotted a mouse as it darted underneath my door and into my room one traumatising evening. I frantically texted the landlord who lived next door, and she reassuringly gave us a mouse cage the following day. Well, I thought, clearly this sort of thing appeared to be the norm here, as one doesn’t just have a mouse cage idly lying about do they. Oh boy.

Phase two of mouse vs. house felt like an episode of The Looney Tunes. With no sign of the critter for a few days since the initial sighting, I was in the kitchen one afternoon humming away preparing a sandwich, and as I waited for my toast to pop out of the toaster, it suddenly started to shake. I froze. Wondering if there was an earthquake. Then out popped the mouse, frazzled, jittery, and seemingly alive. It quickly hobbled off and dropped to the floor as I stood there stunned, and began to contemplate my life choices once again. 

I proceeded to live in a mild state of hyperawareness until the little thing fell for the cheese cage, and we eventually caught it before I set it free outside. Never a dull moment down Barbados Street!

A Queenstown Halfmas

I was happy to leave this mouse-in-the-house situation behind for a couple of days, and escape to Queenstown towards the end of June for Halfmas with my BUNAC friends. We’d planned to have our actual Christmas during the winter in NZ, with Queenstown being the perfect wintery place to do this. 

I enjoyed catching up with my old friends and meeting some new faces, as we enjoyed the celebrations, and delicious Christmas meal orchestrated by Head Chef Lewis. Halfmas day continued with laughter, silly games, and chattering lasting well into the night.

Temp Work and Te Pae

To keep my bank account alive, I swiftly signed up with a recruitment agency, and in July, soon found myself working shifts at Te Pae, Christchurch’s shiny new convention centre. Catering, events, uniform fittings – it was a busy first month. It was hard work (my feet hated me), but I absolutely loved the buzz of meeting new people, having a laugh with the other temps, and feeling part of the bustle.

The clientele at Te Pae was mostly corporate. Chris Hipkins, the new labour prime minister, after Jacinda Ardern had stepped down, spoke at a conference, and I (sort of) saw him, which was pretty cool! Security had saturated the place and he was heavily guarded, CIA style, with black suited individuals everywhere.

Crystals, Connections & Matariki

The crystal shop in the CBD became my little happy place, and I walked out many times with small paper bags of sparkly treasures. My favourite was a piece of Lepidolite, the stone of transitions and hope, which I would wear around my neck like a little talisman, as well as the obsidian, cosmic Galaxite stone, that resembled a glittering starry sky.

I also spent time with BUNAC friends old and new – Nina, Stacey, Corrie, and Chloë, in New Brighton (bonus points for cat cuddles as they were temporarily house sitting in Christchurch). I even joined a Tai Chi class, and rediscovered the balance and harmony of Yin and Yang, and Eastern movement meditation. Nearly every class left me feeling calmer, lighter, and better able to cope with future mouse in the house situations.

During Matariki I wandered down the streets and around the parks of the CBD. Matariki, the Māori New Year, takes place during the winter months, timing varies each year due to changes in the lunar calendar, it refers to the seven sisters star cluster (or Pleiades). It’s an important time to honour those that have passed, to celebrate the present, and plan for the future. I had a gorgeous evening exploring all the colourful light displays, enjoying the celebrations and lively night bustle.

Finding Quiet in the Gardens

Whenever city life got too noisy, I escaped to Christchurch’s Botanical Gardens. Lush, calm, and dotted with hidden benches perfect for reading, it quickly became one of my little havens here. 

One afternoon, much to my absolute delight, I was given a copy of the National Geographic: Queens of Egypt magazine from an op shop simply because it had no price on it. Ancient Egypt is one of my ultimate nerd topics, so I happily wandered the gardens, half lost in history, half lost in the flowers.

As the weather became warmer and spring sprung into action, hiking around the famed Port Hills of Christchurch, and on another occasion, Lytellton, turned out to be quite the challenge. Every view was worth it though, the South Island was just so beautiful.

Speaking Up & Extending My Visa

A cool highlight was being asked by BUNAC to speak at a Q&A at the BYATA (Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association) conference, right here in Christchurch. Public speaking somewhat terrifies me, but my friend Corrie would be speaking as well, so I decided to give it a go, I had experiences and insights I figured would be worth sharing (no I didn’t bring up the mouse situation…too much trauma), and part of my reason for being in NZ was to try new things I wouldn’t ordinarily do.

Between my nervous jokes, and haphazard storytelling, it turned out to be a lot of fun, and I got a few freebies to take home. It was also around this time that I decided to extend my visa for a maximum of two more years. Aotearoa had absolutely won me over, and I wanted this journey to continue.

A New Chapter

A week later I turned 30. Unfortunately this coincided with the end of a long-distance relationship I had been in upon leaving the UK. A complicated, but beautiful chapter had duly reached its end, and new pages were on the horizon. Moving into this new life and travel chapter wasn’t all glitter and rainbows, at least not initially. It can take a little while for an ending to resurface as the new beginning it is supposed to be. We live in a world, and ultimately, universe, where nothing ever truly ends, it simply changes form. Ourselves included.

A few days later, since shifts at Te Pae had gone quiet, I made the most of the sunny weather and free time on my birthday, and headed to the gorgeous Sumner Beach.

I wandered into a small cave where I discovered a tiny birthday cupcake perched on a rock. Very fitting, and such a sweet surprise. As much as I love a miniature birthday cupcake, I left the little thing where it was for the next person to find.

The sun was shining, and despite the chilly wind, I really liked this beach, the reflections across the watery sand were absolutely beautiful. I felt very grateful, and as I meandered along the shore, I thought of my Sicilian grandmother, Nonna Emilia, who had passed away on my birthday in 2017. It took time for me over the years to transform grief into gratitude for her life, alongside the great privilege I’ve had of knowing all four of my Italian, migrant grandparents. I could go on and on about the lives they’ve lived, but that’s another story altogether…perhaps several books.

About a week later, my BUNAC travel friends that were still in NZ came to Christchurch for some belated birthday celebrations I had organised. It was so nice to see them, and we had a laugh in the escape room I booked, navigating the wordy riddles and mind boggling puzzles, making it out in good time. Afterwards we went to an Asian fusion restaurant for delicious food, and I was later surprised by a cute chocolate birthday cake. I’d had the loveliest time, and it felt surreal to be in my 30s now.

Looking back, my time in Christchurch was both grounding and transitional. I appreciated the city’s calm atmosphere, its colourful murals, gorgeous walks, beautiful beaches, the end of the Looney Tunes mouse saga (thank god), halfmas with my friends, Matariki, Thai Chi classes, and turning 30. I continued to wear the Lepidolite crystal, the stone of hope and transitions, as I eased into the next phase of my story.

With the visa extension now in tow, I planned to pop back to the UK for Christmas and be with my slightly dysfunctional, yet fondly missed family. With plans to leave Christchurch, I ended my room lease in the mouse house, and my next stop before the UK would be stunning Singapore. The garden city, and a long-awaited bucket list dream. I absolutely could not wait.