Golden Bay, NZ - Planning 2016

If you would like to listen to this audio Pats Postcard from Golden Bay then click here

Kia ora I’m Pat  and today I’m in Golden Bay at home planning 2016. 

What happens when the kids have grown up and flown the nest and you’re still itching to work, play travel the world and have adventures?  In 2015  Wendy and I decided on a change – could we work 6 months of the year and do other ‘stuff’ for the rest including not being in New Zealand for the winter – we don’t like the cold.  The simple answer was YES.

Pats Postcards are a snapshot of where we are, what we’re doing and how we manage to do it all - and only work for 6 months!

Here are some key moments from 2015, it’s not boasting rather it’s to whet your appetites and demonstrate what we think is a better life work balance:.       

 Returning from the UK a long weekend in Kuala Lumpur in an upgraded room with magnificent views of the Petronus Towers. 

 Then home for a glorious summer in beautiful Golden Bay running our bed and breakfast business.

Wendy is a midwife and she was offered a short contract in St George outback Queensland – hot and dry, thank goodness for the Olympic size swimming pool.       

Various house and pet sitting in the UK and Australia including looking after a precious white cat on the Gold Coast, a neurotic staffy (intelligent with a penchant for flatulence and the chewing of logs) in 12 acres of Sussex countryside, and a beautiful macadamia orchard in New South Wales with cats, chooks and fish.  A win win situation for both the owners of the house who get their house and pets looked after and the sitter who gets free accommodation.     

Through a strange set of circumstances we also spent 5 months helping to manage a Holiday Park in Toowoomba.  We stayed there for 2 nights and spoke with the owner about relief managers on holiday parks – 2 weeks later he ‘phones us and offers a job.  Through this we learnt about one of Australia's mass migrations, that of grey nomads moving south to north to escape the cold of Victoria and South Australia.        

Winning a free holiday to Bali whilst visiting Byron Bay (we never win raffles).  We’ll be taking this later in the year as it was postponed in 2015 because of the volcanic explosion on Lombok.  Listen out for a Postcard from Bali later in the year       

 An amazing Tikki Tour in Far North Queensland including Port Douglas, the Daintree rainforest, Cooktown and the Atherton Tablelands. 

And the highlight - relocating a camper van  from Darwin to Cairns for free!  12 days of stress free freedom and sweat as we crossed the continent in temperatures up to 45 degrees!   Darwin, Katherine Gorge, Mount Isa, Charter Towers, Townsville, Mission Beach and then Cairns as Wendy would say 'Brilliant'!

So if you want to hear what we get up to in 2016 they'll be regular posts or listen to Pats Postcards on Fresh FM.