A Kiwi and A Cali Take Flight!

We're Back!! With a new and improved blog and replenished enthusiasm, A Kiwi and A Cali are set to take flight again. Travelling the world, visiting family, international cuisine, living amongst different cultures, jumping on a train and seeing where it would take you.. we were spoilt for a long time living carefree in a well-connected world. Our lives were global, and the knowledge we could jump on an easy 12-hour direct flight to SFO for a wedding, holidays with family or in case of an emergency was reassuring.

Over the past 2 years, New Zealand couldn’t feel further away from California and the world. We have a lot of empathy for those separated from families and missing big life events, and know that this will continue for some time. While no country has quite nailed it in their response to this global crisis, we feel very fortunate to have been riding out the pandemic in an island nation where a virus can be halted by closed borders, and life can continue in utopia, almost normal in many ways (unless you work in the travel & tourism industry, in which case your ‘normal’ will be thrown upside down as you question your journey & purpose).

NZ is now home for us, but the USA will remain a super close second with Luke’s family, and Jelley's host family, along with countless special friends spread across this diverse and wonderful nation. As the classic saying goes, life is short. Loved ones continue to grow old and there’s never been a more important time to spend quality time together and create memories while we can.

An amazing opportunity working in Japan in July with the NZ Team for Jelley made us realise what may seem impossible, could well be possible, as the world is still out there and starting to reopen (with careful navigation). This experience sparked a fire within our adventurous minds, and reaffirmed our dreams to continue exploring the world.

After considered decisions and soul searching, the time is now right for us to spread our wings again and reconnect with family abroad. The pandemic is far from over, but we feel privileged with access to an effective vaccine, and confidence in our abilities to adapt along the way. While the opportunity to re-enter NZ easily without restriction remains far from guaranteed in the immediate future, and not wanting to take a coveted MIQ (quarantine hotel) spot from those who desperately need it in early 2022, what may have been a Christmas holiday has evolved into an intention for a greater adventure as we look to travel for an extended period of time. Depending who you ask between us, the length of time varies significantly, and with 2 different passports, it may involve taking turns with work opportunities.

It certainly won’t be easy (with 3 rescheduled flights, and multiple changes to paperwork and testing just to leave NZ!), but we’re ready for the challenges ahead and prepared to be nimble.

An exercise mid-way through the pandemic which was helpful in trying to navigate these challenging times was identifying our core values, who we are as people and what is ultimately most important to us. A shared core value for both of us is Adventure. (The other core values are quite different and complement each other).

The hole left in nourishing our Adventure cups with closed borders has been filled in the past 2 years by a deeper exploration of our love for the outdoors here in the South Island. With reduced work hours for Jelley, an investment in a hiking pack and decent pair of boots lead to a long summer of great walks, multi-day adventures and a lot of fun discovering incredible corners of the South Island. Nothing beats putting your phone on flight mode, walking rain or shine, being amongst the mountains, kea and weka, waterfalls and pure nature, and the people you share these experiences with.

It has been an epic time exploring NZ in greater depth in the past year, and we remain so grateful to our family and friends who make life here so special (especially the Jelley parents!!).

All around us, our closest friends are entering new stages of their life journeys - marriage, houses, and kids. For now, we’re going with option 4 and following our hearts while we’re commitment-free and healthy - to continue travelling and exploring this incredible world, reconnecting with loved ones, and continuing our growth together.

After our 7 months abroad in 2017, we’re bringing back ‘A Kiwi and A Cali’ to stay connected with our friends & family around the world. It brings so much joy looking back on these memories, thinking how crazy it is in hindsight to hop between SE Asia, Europe and North America with such ease, with the safety cushion of multiple airline options to return home if needed. We look forward to sharing the new adventures with you, and hopefully meeting up with some familiar faces along the way.

We can’t wait to see what challenges and growth this next journey brings, and where these travels will take us. With open minds and boundless enthusiasm, we pack up our lives and say our farewells here in New Zealand, and fly to California for Christmas with the Webers.

- A Kiwi & A Cali