Wednesday, May 20, 2015

NEW BLOG!

I HAVE SWITCHED MY BLOG OVER TO WORDPRESS... SO...

CHECK OUT:


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for the latest updates in brookenatures travels.brookenature.wordpress.com

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

On the Road .. Again?

Queenstown, it's been real, but it's time to peace out.... again.

Friday night, I had my pole performance in a burlesque show at Blue Kanu, Saturday morning, I was off and hitting the road, yet again. A friend brought me to Frankton and then I started hitching from there. I was picked up by a group of travelers heading to Dunedin to get some "medicine" and then dropped off in a terrible spot for hitching. I spent about an hour there, hanging out, walking a bit to try to find a better spot and was picked up by a guy in a truck who was able to bring me to a better spot. Once I got that far, I waited again and I got picked up by a group of 4 guys in there late 30's/early 40's who were drunk... so drunk and they had toilet paper hanging outside of the car as they were driving... a lot of it. All of them were drunk, except for the driver #safetyfirst. Although this hitchhike offer seemed skeptical, because, believe me, it definitely was, I decided to go for it and accept the ride. I was lucky enough to ride in the back middle seat, in the center of all the testosterone... #luckyme. 

Anyways, I caught a ride with these guys #goodsouls and since they were already drinking, they had to pee. I sat in the middle seat with the driver in the car and watched as the guys stepped 3 meters from the car and peed in all different directions and thought to myself "Pole dancing in a burlesque show to hitch hiking with 4 middle aged dudes who are all peeing in different directions in my "Brooke bubble (extends to 3 meters of don't touch me)" alright #weird #butfunny." Anyways I made it safe and sound to Wanaka and then caught a ride with a guy from France who I met the day before when I hitched to Frankton. In our 10 minute conversation to Frankton it came up that I was headed up the west coast the next day and it was looking like he was too, so he offered me a ride and I said, possibly and then decided to take him up on that offer because --  hey, if a ride is offered and they don't seem #toocreepy then you should take it. He passed the #notcreepytest.

So... on to the next hitch. I get to Wanaka, meet up with my hitch from the day before and his friend (also from france) and we began our journey onward to the west coast of NZ. They wanted to work on there english so I became an english teacher as we drove and in return I learned french. Only, I don't remember much of the french... I should have written my french lesson down #fail. On a side note... French is so sexy, I mean, really. I thought pole dancing made me feel sexy, but I was wrong, speaking french makes me feel sexy. Imagine if I learn to speak french and continue to pole dance -- then I will feel really sexy - hahahaha - #ithinkimfunny #itsgoingtohappen. 

Long story short, I was only going to hitch with them, camp a night, then move on, but when you find good company and you really have no where to be, why not chill a little. eh?

We went camping at the start of the copeland track, just before franz joseph where we got attacked by sandflies, stargazed and ate mystery food in the dark. Let me tell you about the mystery food real quick -- I believe it was noodles, cream of mushroom and chopped mushrooms (I chopped the mushrooms, so I know there was that). I don't really like mushrooms much, but I have learned to not be as picky of an eater since my diet is... shit. Yes it's shit. I eat terribly, I budget eat, I buy food on a budget and I try to eat oats with a smile on my face. They were good once, now, oats are just mush, I hate mush, but I eat mush, alot. Anyways on a side note, eating the mushrooms, pasta and cream of mushroom mystery surprise in the dark was such a foodgasm. My tastebuds were having an orgasm every bite which has led me to decide that... I really like mushrooms now. #foodiestatus #eatinthedark. I just wanted to inform everyone about that.
DISLAIMER: I WILL NEVER EAT BEANS -- I'm still claiming I'm allergic, unless I go to South America, which I will.

Later that night, it was dark, we were star gazing and we heard a helicopter. Our first reaction was to hide because we thought we had been caught. (We were camping in an area that was maybe okay for camping, but maybe not). So we attempted to hide for some reason before realizing we were being silly. The helicopter came down and stopped on the heli pad that was 30 meters from us and we watched it land and drop off a girl. We went over and chatted for a while and it appeared she had torn a tendon, the helicopter was going to get her family and then they were headed off in the helicopter to a hospital in Christchurch.  So that was interesting... it was like I was in the hunger games or something cool like that. It's pitch black and you think you are alone and then bam, helicopter in the pitch blackness lands right by you. 

Next day we headed into Franz Joseph and met up with a friend of mine from "Instameet." We all hung out and went on a hike that was suppose to lead to hot springs, and we saw the hot springs, across the river, but decided to turn back because it may be a little too risky, it was getting dark, etc. We got back and cooked indian food at my friends house before heading into town for a drink and then taking the boys to see glow worms. GLOW WORMS. Glow worms. That is probably one of the hardest things that these french guys learned in english because they had no idea what they were. Anyways, glow worms are cool, you should go see them if you get the chance. They are worms and they glow a nice green light on there bums. They hide in dark places and it's like a starry sky on the wall. #ooohyeah #glowwormlife.

Next we drove onward and split ways, they went onto Christchurch and I am now in Arthurs Pass National Park, sick with a cold, drinking tea, living off oats and eggs, wishing I had more groceries (no grocery store here really, but there is hiking) and that I wasn't sick. I was only going to stay one night, but when I woke up this morning I felt sick with a cold and it has conquered me. I have no motivation to move and decided I need to stop and take care of myself for a second. 

Thursday, April 16, 2015

First Snow - Wintumn?

The first snow has fallen here in Queenstown and so I rolled out of bed, put on my boots and ran up into the mountains to pick up some fresh snow. Woot! I watched another snow storm come in stood at a viewpoint and then suddenly, it was snowing, so hard, big chunky, fluffy flakes of white - my favorite. So, that was magical, obviously. Now it's okay that it is absolutely freezing here because there is snow.

Yesterday I visited Arrowtown with a friend and we took some photos, with cameras and our brains. So many pretty colors, nature is currently in a rainbow frenzy here #hellocolors. Check out some of these shots, we even saw the sun for a second, that was nice.

 

#InstameetWanaka


As some of you may know, I'm kind of a social media geek. It facinates me and I use to work in marketing and public relations for 3 years once upon a dream. So when I saw an instameet was happening in Wanaka (about an hour drive from Queenstown) I figured I had to go to it. I had nothing stopping me, since I'm unemployed and such, so I packed a bag, and started my trip over. I've been on a budget as you may have read in one of my recent posts "No money, no problem." So my option was to hitchhike to Wanaka. It took me 3 hitches to get over there, but I made it. I even got to cuddle with an 8 week old puppy for my last hitch and she was so adorable. #myheartmelted #ilovepuppies #imissmyanimalbabies

Meet Ginga:

Anyways once I got to Wanaka I went straight to the venue for the first "workshop" with Liz Carlson and then continued onto the the opening barbecue and met some other social media nerds. I loved it, it was great to meet some like minded people trying to follow there dreams, share there passion, etc. #biglove 

I got some great pictures of #thatwanakatree when some of the people wanted to do an #inceptiontrain taking a picture of it. I love this picture...
The next day I went to two more workshops. The first was with Matt V about Hyperlapse and the second was with Chris Burkard. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation. So, now here I am, sitting here with all these new instagram accounts to look at and I'm drooling over these photos. I think I'm in for a big project soon and you want to know what it is?? 


I'm going to learn how to surf. 

So goodbye Queenstown, I'm leaving you this weekend after I perform at the Burlesque show at Blue Kanu on Friday. 






Thursday, April 9, 2015

Pole Dance Diaries - Dunedin

When I went to Dunedin, I had two goals, go to the beach and go to a pole dance studio. I looked up studios before I left and came across Vertical Aerial and Pole Dance, so I decided to stop by a practice time and work on my routine that I'm performing next week at the Burlesque show here in Queenstown.

I showed up and found a beautiful and artistic space. It had some of the highest poles I have ever seen, red drapes, black floors, and seats that would sit a small audience. It had a set up like a small theater, so I assume that is what it used to be. I think the best way to describe the studio space was spacious and artistic. It had the starving artist kind of feel, which I loved because as of late, I've felt like quite the "starving artist."
Wow! Right? It is interesting to see other pole and aerial studios while I travel and feel out the different vibes I get. I generally just use the space during practice times because of traveling on a small budget and I'm very happy with that. I have more self motivation here in New Zealand than I had in Utah, probably because I know if I don't push myself, no one will here. In Utah I had great and supportive circus monkey friends to help make me push myself - Miss you guys!

I found the vibe here to be a bit intense and I had mixed feelings about how I felt as a newcomer at the studio - it's always scary to go to a pole studio for the first time, even if you have poled before. This studio seems to focus strongly on strength and core moves, which is awesome -- that's what I'm better at. They had a grading criteria where you have to pass off moves to go to the next level. I don't know what the classes themselves are like, this is just what I got from talking to two instructors that were at the studio. Anyways, I just loved the studio space itself, it made me feel like a princess trapped in a tower. I mean, it's not often you get to play on poles this tall!!

"Dance is a way to find yourself and lose yourself ... at the same time."

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Oh, Hello Dunedin

"Sometimes I get the urge to run to the ocean and dive into the waves like a mermaid... and so I do."

A couple days ago, I thought to myself, "I should go to Dunedin, I need a break from this beautiful black hole of Queenstown." So I decided I was going to attempt it on Friday last week, mentioned it to a couple friends and then it all magically worked out. I got a ride to Dunedin with a friends husband, stayed at my old roommates place in Dunedin and rode back with my old roommate to Queenstown because as it turned out, she needed a study break and was going to make a day trip. #thankyoulee #thankyouemily

I arrived in Dunedin on late and slowly fell into a slumber, the next day I was off to explore during the day while Emily studied for University. My first stop was the museum, I walked in and walked out because it was closed, next stop was the cadbury chocolate factory, I walked in and walked out without chocolate #healthychoice. I strolled on down to the center of town known as "the octagon" and then caught a bus to St. Claire for some beach time.

I wandered around the boardwalk for a second and then changed into my togs (swimsuit) and headed for the beach. I spent some time playing with my camera and doing some time lapse videos and then went and dove into the water, exactly like a mermaid, but with legs. I love the ocean... it was cold though, like, alot, but you got used to it. I then started walking down the beach and someone mentioned there was a sea lion sleeping on the beach where the dunes ended. So I walked over and hung out there for... a while, possibly two or three hours. I ate my lunch and relaxed and then watched the sea lion waddle back into the ocean. I loved every second of it!

You find when you travel that a lot of times things seem to work out. Don't get me wrong, you run into struggles, stress, and feeling like things are not working out, but you also run into good people, good luck, and great experiences too. The good things outweigh the bad with travel, unless you die, then maybe they don't. #rulenumber1dontdie

Anyways, Dunedin was awesome. I went, I hung out with my old roommate, I swam in the ocean, hung out with a sea lion, ate pizza, and pole danced. Stay tuned for my post about the pole dance studio :)


Sunday, April 5, 2015

No Money? No Problem.

I've been a bit stressed out lately because...
My money has been going, going... nearly gone
$200... pay rent for the week $110 left
Bank takes monthly fee... $105 left
I buy grocery essentials (milk, bread, eggs, carrots, apples)... $90 left...
I buy easter treats for my flatmates and I because I wanted to celebrate easter...$85 left...
Rent money is due... and I have $85 left.... Rent cost $90 a week... Ooops. #worthit.

CROSSROADS
So I'm at a point in my life, where I can't seem to find a job that I want. The picture and illusion I had in my head of me arriving in New Zealand and getting a job with a tour operator... is just not working out. Busking has been working out for the past 4 weeks and it's the only reason I didn't have to dig into my emergency money sooner, but busking is taking a toll on my body... it's very physically demanding. I'm at a crossroad of a sort and it's time to figure out what to do. New game plan... I have to dig into my emergency money (money from selling my car). It's not much, but it's enough to get me by. I'll start with a small segment of it and go from there. Then.. if I don't have a job after April 17th, I will be heading to the west coast of NZ to WWOOF at a hostel for a month until hits. WWOOFing refers to working on organic farms, but it is also loosely used as a term meaning work for accomodation which is what I will be doing if I don't have a job by April 17th. I do pole 4 times a week because I have a performance that I'm doing on April 17th. Stay tuned for a video of the performance or you can buy tickets to it and watch it in real life by contacting me via here.

 The show is April 17th at Blue Kanu at 10 PM and it's $65 -- be there or be a square. Watch me be #creepysexy #dreamscometrue.

GOODBYE CAR MONEY... HELLO LICENSE?
I really really did not want to have to start digging into my spare funds (the money I got from selling my car in the USA). I was hoping to get a car for winter with that money once my NZ license gets approved and here -- which should be next week, but it's looking like that may not work out either #ohwell. I have not had a license for 3 months because I misplaced mine on a camping trip in Alexandra and it has been one...hell... of a process to get a physical license back. I have had to do an exemption form here in NZ, but I had to work with the USA to get it as well, but despite the stress and big pain the ass that it was, it will all worth it because soon I will finally have a driving license again. So that's that, hello driving license... goodbye emergency money....goodbye car money. #walkingworks

BACK TO CROSSROADS
Okay Okay... So I'm at a point in my life where I can't find a job with a tour operator like I hoped and planned, my camelback is leaking water and will no longer hold any water and it has a rip in the backpack, my duffel bag zipper is broken, my money has nearly ran out in my NZ bank account and I just want to curl up in a ball and eat gummy jet planes and drink milo. #pityparty #rantover. So I have assigned myself a #CheerUpTrip and I'm going to hitchhike to Dunedin this week on an extreme budget.

I'm unemployed, extremely low on money, and its time to step away from all the rejection letters for jobs I've gotten here in Queenstown. I want a changed of scenery for a second and it's time. I have all the free time in the world and if I stay in this beautiful black hole another second, I may scream and wither away into a fallen leaf in Lake Luna. I need to remind myself why I'm here. I love New Zealand and I mean I LOVE LOVE NEW ZEALAND, but it's been hard lately. I've been hard on myself, I've been sad, and I've been frustrated and this is not me. I'm not normally so bitter... and boring. I'm Brooke and I'm weird, I like to tell cat jokes and talk to strangers, I like to see new things and walk into the unknown sometimes. So this week I'm going to Dunedin, I'm the only person who can get me out of this rut and so I shall. Here I go... HEY. HO.
#overandout #timetowanderabout #brookeinwanderland

That being said, I'm not going to be a mooch, although I am on a tight budget, I also pride myself with being independant ... to an extent. It's kind of fun to put your trust in the greater good of people and if it works out great and if it doesn't then... bummer. On that note.. time to fly and maybe I can even find a pole dance studio? Yes? #findyourhappy