I left the UK in April 2014, to commence what I though would only be a year spent backpacking around New Zealand.
Little did I know that a year was never going to be enough and that, even after the two years I’ve spent here, I’m still not ready to leave this gorgeous country, which I’ve had the pleasure of calling home since I found my way to Wellington in June 2014.
We’re fast approaching March 25th, 2016, the date my second year visa expires and the day I have to leave the country by. I’m heartbroken. I’m not ready. There’s still so much left to see and do. I have a job I can’t bare to leave. And friends I’m not ready to say goodbye to.
Two years is too short a time.
When I left the UK, I packed pretty light. Everyone was impressed I’d managed to condense my life into a 55l combo backpack and a shoulder bag. I was impressed with myself, and I’d always been pretty awesome at packing a lot into a small amount of space.
My original packing list looked a little like this:
| Clothing | Other |
| 16 x Tops (vests, t-shirts, etc) 5 x Bottoms (jeans, shorts, joggies, PJs) 5 x Outerwear (cardigans, hoodie, jackets) 27 x Underwear (socks, pants, bras, swimsets) 4 x Shoes (hiking boots, converse, slops, flats) 3 x Winter Pieces (hat, scarf, gloves) — 1 x 55l Farpoint Backpack w/day bag 1 x Shoulder Bag | Washbag Make-Up Bag First Aid Kit Jewelry Sunglasses Phone & Camera Tablet w/bluetooth keyboard Chargers & Rechargable Battery Travel Journal Writing Pad |
Which is pretty good for a year, right? And it all fitted quite nicely into my backpack.
Of course, living out of a backpack is hard! And after the first two months of being in New Zealand I pretty much hated everything I owned. So I added and removed a few pieces, nothing too extreme. I also picked up a sleeping bag and food bag (incl. microwavable bowl & utensils). And it all still mostly fitted into my backpack (okay, I may have gained an additional bag but it was only a small one! …to start with :S).
Then I got to Wellington. And. Well!
Aside from the two months I spent travelling between Auckland and the Bay of Islands, and give or take the four months I spent travelling around the rest of the North and South islands and visiting the UK and Australia, I’ve pretty much spent the majority of my two years living in Wellington itself.
And when you’re living in one place for any length of time you… tend to acquire a few things, right? /nervous laughter/
So as we’re steadily approaching the end of my visa and I’m having to pack up my life again- this time to relocate to Australia for the next year- I decided I should start going through my stuff in preperation for packing it all up, and… um…
I have a lot of stuff? :/
![20160316_134348[1]](https://i0.wp.com/carmenshea.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/20160316_1343481.jpg?w=391&h=391&crop=1&ssl=1 "20160316_134348[1]")
![20160316_134544[1]](https://i0.wp.com/carmenshea.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/20160316_1345441.jpg?w=391&h=391&crop=1&ssl=1 "20160316_134544[1]")
At the moment I have…
| Clothing | Other |
| 42 x Tops (vests, t-shirts, etc) 9 x (skirts, dresses) 16 x Bottoms (jeans, shorts, joggies, leggings, PJs) 10 x Outerwear (cardigans, hoodies, jackets) 46 x Underwear (socks, pants, tights, bras, swimsets) 7 x Shoes (boots, trainers, converse, slops, flats) 5 x Winter Pieces (hat, scarf, gloves) 3 x Summer Hats — LotR Tauriel Cosplay Outfit and Prop Weaponry — 1 x 55l Farpoint Backpack w/day bag 1 x 80l Kathmandu Hybrid Backpack 1 x Shoulder Bag 1 x Handbag | Washbag Make-Up Bag First Aid Kit Travel Sewing Kit Jewelry Kit Sunglasses & Case Phone & Camera Tablet w/bluetooth keyboard Laptop Kindle Portable Harddrive Chargers & Rechargable Battery Travel Journal Writing Pad Towels Sleeping Bag & Fleece Blanket Food Bag (incl. Microwave Bowl, Utensils & Water Bottle) |
/facepalm/ So here I am looking at all this stuff and wondering where the hell I’m supposed to pack it all! It’s worth mentioning that I’ve already packed up a bag of clothes I no longer want (which I didn’t include in the above list). I’m either going to have to get really picky with what I’m taking overseas, or I’m going to have to brush off my Mary Poppins magic and make it happen. Somehow.
Did I mention the Weta Workshop are having a sale this week and that I really-really want the Legolas figurine I’ve been eyeing up since last year? Yeah, alright, Hepburn, where the hell are you planning to put that!? XD
So wish me luck guys as I try to wrangle my worldly possessions and try to rediscover what packing like a backpacker actually looks like!