On the way to Milford Sound

When you gotta go….

Some pictures from Milford Sound

You can see a plane viewing the sound in this one.

Relaxing while waiting for our boat to return.

We also go to visit an underwater observatory in the sound. This gave us an opportunity to see some of the underwater wildlife up close.

Vincent and I went out with a few others, but had a quiet night for Queenstown.

-darran

The next stop was at the Fiordland Paua shell factory in Riverton. Here we got to see how they turn a natural Paua shell into a finished product for jewelry and other items.

New Zealand is full of super sized items that make for tourist stops and picture opportunities. Of course there is a massive Paua shell at the Paua shell factory.

Here are few other things the Kiwis have put out for people to enjoy

New Zealand longhorns

Obligatory McCracken’s Rest pic

A good day in the Southland

We also stopped at a bird sanctuary outside Te Anau

Te Anau is a beautiful town that would be a great place to spend a few weeks to relax and get away from things. It is just outside Fiordland National Park. I would love to get back down here and spend some time tramping and relaxing.

Vincent and I had dinner at The Ranch because we got some free drink tickets from the bus driver. We then went to the grocery store and picked up some snacks and beer. Afterwards, we spent the rest of the evening playing games, eating snacks, and drinking on the back garden patio that was attached to our room.

Tour progress so far:

View New Zealand 2009 in a larger map

The day began with a short ride to the World’s Steepest Street, Baldwin Street.

Next, it was off to a nice bar and restaurant at Kaka Point for some breakfast. A nice fire was going, a friendly dog was mucking about, and some delicious toasted sandwiches were quickly served.

After Kaka Point was Nugget Point. Here we were able to see some rock seals playing in some tide pools and resting on the shore.

Keeping busy because there was lots to see we headed off to Cannibal Bay to hunt for some sea lions. Tired from being out at sea we were able to get up close and amongst them resting on the beach.

A stop for lunch and then we stopped at the Florence Hill Lookout.

We stopped to look for a cave and then went on a short bush walk(OZ)/tramp(NZ)/Hike(US) to a waterfall. Seeing the waterfall wasn’t enough, we had to climb to the top of it.

Not many get to these parts, but if you have the time get down to the Catlins. Next, we were off to hunt for some Hector’s Dolphins. Building upon our previous luck, we were able to spot some Hector’s Dolphins out in the wild!

Still not satisfied, we went down to a local beach and spotted some sea lions fighting over territory or a female maybe.

Next, it was off to find some Yellow-eyed Penguins. Again, we were successful and caught the penguins coming in from the ocean to nest in bushline.

I know the word epic gets thrown around a lot these days, but this truly was an epic day of the tour. A quick recap of the highlights:

World’s Steepest Street
Breakfast at Kaka Point
Seals at Nugget Point
Sea Lions at Cannibal Bay
Waterfall Hike
Hector’s Dolphins and Sea Lions at Porpoise Bay
Yellow Eyed Penguins at Curio Bay
Dinner at Speight’s Ale House
…oh yea, according to what I wrote I also had a milkshake sometime during the day, but I don’t really remember it

Tour progress so far:

View New Zealand 2009 in a larger map

It is a quick stop. Make sure to check the Railway Station out. Next, we dropped our bags off at the hostel, On Top Backpackers. The hostel is on top of a pool hall and a bar. Definitely a place you could spend some time at if you were looking to relax and mingle. The rooms were good and the bathrooms were really nice. The hostel had some backpackers, but seemed to be more inhabited by students.

We got lucky and their happened to be a Rugby game the same day we were visiting Dunedin. Otago vs. Auckland. It was a good game, but the home team, Otago, lost. There is a lot of pride in Dunedin and the local crowd here seemed more vocal than the home game I saw at Moore Park(Sydney) on Australia day. Neither games compare to the Stateside college football experience.

After the game we went back to the hostel and then started a search for some food. We settled on a recommendation by our driver, Noodle Canteen. Well supported by uni kids, Noodle Canteen serves a variety of tasty dishes in a friendly and simple setting. Would definitely go back. I polished off my food and then finished off Vincent’s.

For a quiet day we sure did keep busy. After dinner we ventured out again and took a tour of the Speight’s brewery. The tour is quite lengthy and takes you not only through the history of Speight’s, but also through the history of beer. There is plenty of detail in the Speights brewery tour and the guide was very knowledgeable. Like the Monteiths brewery tour, the Speight’s brewery tour has all you can drink/pour beer at the end. If beer isn’t your thing, Speight’s provides a free tap outside their building serving deep spring water to the public free of charge. It is very good.

A great day already, Vincent talked me into a few games of pool and then we crashed.

Tour progress so far:

View New Zealand 2009 in a larger map

Unfortunately, a plan for the 2010 goals at the bottom of the page is not complete yet, but I have already failed on a few goals already…oopsy. I got pretty lit Friday night to send off a few backpacker friends and I have still been getting some caffeine intake (reckon ~95% decrease based on 2009 intake). I am a little over 1/3 complete reading CCNA prep books, 1/3 through ISTQB(software testing) book, and making progress on a python programming tutorial and a Spanish language book I scooped up at the local library. Lastly, professional employment opportunities keep arising and I am still staying active.

Future (why planning isn’t complete)

The magnitude of difference between the decisions I seem to be presently confronted with is novel to me. Just for fun I made a flowchart displaying the current options as I see them. Options not taken into account and that can be pursued regardless of the path chosen include PHD, MBA, and being a bum. Jan. 31st deadline of deciding to fully pursue one of these options.

Why I don’t want to drink alcohol or caffeine.

Some people(pretty much all society) think it is awkward to have such goals. Here is my motivation:
Alcohol seems to make me stupid both during consumption and after consumption. I do not want to be stupid.
Caffeine seems to make me compulsive. I seem to see less of the big picture and be less open when under the influence of caffeine. I desire to see more of the big picture and be more open.

Next day on tour

I am looking to post the next day of the Kiwi Experience tour tonight. Looking to finally finish getting a post for each day documented online.

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Tier 1 Goals

Daily discipline – This is mainly directed at developing a solid sleep schedule and not getting caught up in fruitless activities
Professional Employment
International Ironman – Options listed in chronological order – South Afica, Japan, Nice, Regensberg, UK ~ 900 NZD just for entry (the amount of resources I have dedicated towards physical activity is )
CCNA – about 1/3 through the first book out of two – each test is 125 USD
ISTQB – ordered book – test is ~ 300 NZD
Develop idea of ideal living environment – current factors include current and future ideals and plans of government, society, air quality, disposition to cyclists, environmental stance, public transport, and standard quality of life metrics
Save Some Money
No Alcohol – self explanatory
No Caffeine – looking to limit psychoactive intakes
Expand diet in healthy ways and expand variety of meals – simplicity is good, but I eat pretty much the same thing every week. Not really tired of it, but something new might not hurt

Tier 2 Goals

Develop 5 Year Vision
Develop 3 Year Plan
Programming languages – Python, Perl, Shell, C, and PHP – studying Python/django now and have previously studied PHP and some Shell
Fluent in Spanish – Reading a refresher book on Spanish
Conversational in German or Mandarin

Tier 3 Goals

Get into Adventure Racing – still in Research phase
3:30 Marathon – Current best is 3:40 – End goal is to get 3:15 for Boston
Travel Southeast Asia, Japan, China, and/or Central Europe/UK
Get into sailing

As a side note, I have previously considered pursuing a PHD. Recently, I have been doing some more research into the idea. Who knows.

Yesterday, I got three contacts considering work. The first was from Sammy the Support Manager at NetQoS (now CA) considering a support position in Sydney. The second contact was a call from Telecom NZ with an interview on next Tuesday for a Test Analyst position. Finally, the third contact was a call from a Welshie friend named Gaz who said he put in a weeks notice and I could come and take his job at a rental car company cleaning cars, picking up customers, and transferring cars between branches. With these options, there is more to consider and I am doing due diligence on these scenarios while flushing out v2. Looking to make a decision on final direction by Jan. 31st and then attack with full force.

Simultaneously I am reading documentation on programming in Python and am about 60% through reading the first book to get a CCNA certification. Also, getting some good time in the local parks, pools, and roadways.

Tier 1 Goals

Daily discipline – This is mainly directed at developing a solid sleep schedule and not getting caught up in fruitless activities
Professional Employment
International Ironman – Options listed in chronological order – South Afica, Japan, Nice, Regensberg, UK ~ 900 NZD just for entry (the amount of resources I have dedicated towards physical activity is )
CCNA – about 1/3 through the first book out of two – each test is 125 USD
ISTQB – ordered book – test is ~ 300 NZD
Develop idea of ideal living environment – current factors include current and future ideals and plans of government, society, air quality, disposition to cyclists, environmental stance, public transport, and standard quality of life metrics
Save Some Money
No Alcohol – self explanatory
No Caffeine – looking to limit psychoactive intakes
Expand diet in healthy ways and expand variety of meals – simplicity is good, but I eat pretty much the same thing every week. Not really tired of it, but something new might not hurt

Tier 2 Goals

Develop 5 Year Vision
Develop 3 Year Plan
Programming languages – Python, Perl, Shell, C, and PHP – studying Python/django now and have previously studied PHP and some Shell
Fluent in Spanish – Reading a refresher book on Spanish
Conversational in German or Mandarin

Tier 3 Goals

Get into Adventure Racing – still in Research phase
3:30 Marathon – Current best is 3:40 – End goal is to get 3:15 for Boston
Travel Southeast Asia, Japan, China, and/or Central Europe/UK
Get into sailing

As a side note, I have previously considered pursuing a PHD. Recently, I have been doing some more research into the idea. Who knows.

Looking back:

A quick review of highlights from the past five years:

May 2005: Graduate UT Austin

June or July 2005: Travel Mid-West US solo

July 2005: Begin work with MAXIMUS

November 2005: First Running Event

February 2006: First Marathon

May 2006: First Triathlon

September 2006: Visit Europe

November 2006: Begin work with NetQoS

February 2007: Second Marathon

May 2007: Complete first Ironman

December 2007: Visit Antarctica

February 2008: Third Marathon

March 2008: Visit India

April 2008: Complete second Ironman

May 2008: Graduate St. Edward’s

July 2008: Leave NetQoS – Travel Africa

August 2008: Land in Australia

October 2008: First job in Australia, Mail Call

November 2008: Second job in Australia, Staff it

November 2008: Get lifeguard certified, third job, Lifeguard

March 2009: Finish first off-road marathon

April 2009: Complete third Ironman

May 2009: Fifth job in Australia, Global Asset Systems

August 2009: Land in New Zealand

September 2009: Complete touring New Zealand

December 2009: Get first job in New Zealand, Allied Work Force

I feel peak output was just prior to graduating from St. Edward’s. During this time I was taking 9 hours of graduate level courses and training for a second Ironman in 2008….and working full time. While things have slowed down since they peaked in 2008, the moves have become bigger and I believe the quality and sanity of my life has increased. Some of my priorities have remained the same, some have changed, and some have been translated to new outcomes. Additionally, in 2009 I have made progress in continuing to modify some previous behaviours that I felt and still feel were undesirable, inefficient, and inappropriate for future plans. As an individual, I like to travel light, streamline, and optimise. If it is not adding value, it doesn’t belong. Well, at least that is what I’d like to think.

Some less than ideal performances from last year:

I did not get permanent residence in New Zealand. I was offered Work to Residence. This seems to be the norm now that NZ unemployment is around 6.5%. They are making people get jobs before giving them permanent residence. Not a fan of carrots, but would like the permanent residence visa.

I did not complete the GMAT. I did not apply to business school. I didn’t make any progress on learning Chinese.

I wanted to complete a sub 3:30 marathon and a sub 5 hour Half Ironman. I did not do either of these or make much progress towards either one. Based on current training, I am still at previous levels.

It took me way too long to get a place in New Zealand. I didn’t move into a private residence for over 3 months. I did have some good times and definitely took it easy, but this was not was what was planned or prepared for. An obvious indicator of a breakdown in discipline and focus. Unfortunately, this was costly physically, mentally, and financially.

Analysis:

I could have submitted a better application for permanent residence, but it is up to the Immigration Officer to make the final call on which visa to grant. I know for certain that if I had been more focused I could have completed the GMAT and submitted an application for business school. I could have also been close to and possibly have completed a sub 3:30 marathon. The last shortcoming listed above could have easily have been avoided. In 2009 I lived day by day, something I hadn’t done in years. 2010 is looking to bring back more rigidity, but still maintain sanity and quality of life achieved in 2009.

Looking forward:

I have developed a list of goals for 2010. They are not ranked by priority.

Professional Employment

CCNA

ISTQB

Fourth Ironman – International

Fluent in Spanish

Conversational in German or Mandarin (both would be nice)

Adventure Racing

Programming languages

3:30 Marathon – Current best is 3:40 – End goal is to get 3:15 for Boston

Sobriety – no alcohol – Failed on this one in 2009 – Made it to April 5^th.

No Caffeine

Expand diet in healthy ways and expand variety of meals I cook

Travel Southeast Asia, Japan, China, and/or Central Europe/UK

Three/Five year plans

Develop idea of ideal living environment – make progress towards getting it

Daily discipline

The previous goals are a first draft and I will be coming up with a GANTT chart or some kind of diagram to aid in organizing efforts to achieving these goals. I know for certain that some of my goals have not been achieved because of lack of sufficient detail in estimating and planning for achieving goals.

Below are some random ramblings I have made on the idea of goals, immigrating to New Zealand and Australia, and the future. Please excuse this lazy post. The rest is literally ramblings. Organized post on 2010 will come shortly.

Main ideas are growing technological capabilities (more competitive in job market and for personal projects) – I still want to focus on managerial skills through the attainment of an MBA (but this has taken back seat(guess it is not really highest priority))

I am switching focus to running instead of triathlon. Looking forward to growing into Adventure Racing.

Thinking of coming up with cut off date for New Zealand (probably mid April) – I have some things I would like to accomplish in the next 3-5 years and as much as I like New Zealand and strongly desire obtaining permanent residence here, I need to get some professional work with professional level resources to obtain these goals. Furthermore, with more experience I will be more able to get permanent residence if I try again (whether in New Zealand or Australia or somewhere else) I think if I try again I will try Australia. If I knew things would have turned out the way they are now, I probably would have pursued a position with Global Asset Systems or headed back Stateside after Ironman Australia. Regardless the time spent in OZ and the time spent here in NZ has been invaluable in terms of lessons learned and experience.

Finally. with the unfortunate realization that I might not be able to make NZ work the first time around I will develop a list of items I value in a living environment and then search for a suitable place to relocate. It might end up being Austin due to strength of network there, but probably Portland. I am thinking Boston, Seattle, California, or somewhere in Colorado is also a possibility. The IT job market looks decently strong, but US unemployment is at 10% and NZ is at ~ 6% so it might be the same story in the States. I believe I am better suited to compete in the US right now though. New Zealand is a completely different ball game than Australia. They are very similar in many ways, but the ways they differ economically and culturally make it a huge challenge for a newcomer. I have been reading forums on the Internet about immigrating to NZ and they are full of bitter people with horror stories from trying to make it here. I won’t be bitter, but it is definitely a testament to the challenges. Finally on the subject, I do not think I have been fully applying myself to this initiative. I think that this is because of the size and nature of the initiative I am still analyzing the implications of it and this is detracting from identifiable forward progress in getting professional work, the first step in the New Zealand scenario. New Zealand seems right, but unfortunately might be premature at this time.

New Wheels

After 6500 kilometers on the Trek 1200, she has a gnarly break in the frame. Two weeks without a bike was unbearable, but two days ago I scooped almost the same exact bike as the first bike I bought in The States, a 2006 Trek 4300. I think I rolled a 2005 in Austin and it was definitely some of the best money I have ever spent(paintball gun was probably the best money ever spent). I spent many many many early morning hours and evening hours putting in sessions in the Greenbelt, downtown, on the UT campus, and at Walnut Creek giving it all the hell it would take. Eventually, I killed it in a regrettable mishap. In honor, I have purchased its younger brother in almost mind condition for a measly 225 NZD. Like the Trek 1200, someone had purchased a bike with the intention of undertaking a new hobby and after a few rides had let it gather dust in their garage. This thing will get more than the love it deserves with me. On a side note: Put in about 5000 Miles since leaving The States. Who knows how many on foot and in the water? Ridiculous.

The Job Situation

I still have not secured a proper job. New Zealand takes approximately a two-week holiday from Christmas Eve to around January 13th. With this, there is not much opportunity of landing a job or undertaking job seeking activities until around mid January. Plenty of time during this period to polish the resume/C.V. and review job search processes and previous cover letters. It has been over 4 months since landing in New Zealand and in this time I have not been in a structured working environment. To get back into the swing of things and also attempt to get back into positive cash flow I have spent a few days working casually for a labor company, Allied Work Force. Quite a few backpackers/students work here and there are some good laughs and good times to go along with the hard work. Received the pay stub for the first weeks work today. We movin’ on up.

Some Advice about Moving to a New Country

If you can hold out, before migrating to another country get at least 5 years of professional experience. This will make your job search activities go much smoother. Even better, secure a job offer before moving to another country. Another option is to work for a multinational corporation and request to be transferred to an international office. If you decide on my plan of action, know that moving to a new country without a job and less than five years professional experience is going to be a challenge in the job department. Finally, save as much and bring as much CA$H as you can. I sort of winged it and while I have made it this far it could have been easier and less stressful with some more money in the bank. Additionally, without some lucky breaks I would be back Stateside right now. On the flipside, people tend to(I like to believe) live within their means. From what I’ve seen, if you bring a lot of cash, you will probably spend a lot of cash. If you bring a little cash, you will probably spend a little cash. An American expatriate has written some more solid suggestions here:12 Tips For Moving to a Foreign Country.

Decisions

While less stressful than prior periods of life, trying to keep everything going forward in New Zealand has caused me to neglect some of my compulsive planning activities I typically undertake. While most everyone here and around the world will be getting blitzed out of their gourd, I will most likely be flushing out goals and an outline for 2010. Easier said than done. I will probably come up with a threshold date that will determine whether or not I will return to The States if not professionally employed. There are a few contributing factors for coming to this decision. I am thinking this will be sometime around April, but have not decided yet. If I can, I will ride out summer here and then get summer in the Northern Hemisphere. If able to snag something over here, I have some great plans in the mix for Auckland and regardless of wherever I end up, I am making progress on polishing Spanish, obtaining a CCNA, learning some more programming languages, and STILL practicing GMAT(Without a doubt, GMAT is the most annoying thing I have ever done). Got quite a few objectives piling up and need to make a time estimate for each of them and get each of them scheduled.

Back to the Beginning and some New Ideas

With the death of the roadie and the rebirth of the mountain bike, I have postponed undertaking Ironman New Zealand in March. I am still keen on completing an Ironman in 2010, but am looking at ones later in the year in Asia, Europe, or Africa. I am returning my focus to running. Running is how I got into triathlon and I have let my love of running wane a little while focusing on triathlon. I love triathlon, but running is my first love. Auckland is a great place for both triathlon and running, but I especially love running here. Additionally, I have lost some of the original fire and desire I used to bring to training and without this putting in the hours is getting harder and harder. I have the discipline, but am lacking the passion right now. Finally, I would like to utilize the resources required to properly complete an Ironman to focus on integrating in New Zealand and employment. Once establishing this base, it will be easier and more appropriate to focus on Ironman distance events. I still plan on keeping up my endurance through long distance swimming, biking, and running, but will sacrifice some of the intensity and regiment that I normally dedicate to IM training. Adventure Racing might be on the horizon. Ironman is A LOT of road action. Adventure Racing brings some of the Ironman type action out into the bush and adds more arts like kayaking, orienteering, teamwork, and critical thinking. Doing some research and I think we will see some Adventure Racing in 2010.

Goals and Plan to Come

Have a few peeps trying to get me back on the bottle, but think I will have the discipline this evening to maintain focus. Think I have been sober for a month to a month and a half now. Had quite a few big New Years and heaps of big nights this year. No worries sitting this one out. Will get goals and a plan for 2010 up shortly.