On the Go - From New Zealand to Canada

Canada has been on the top of my travel bucket list for a while now. Don't ask me why, because I couldn't even tell you. It's a whole new place I've never been so, why not? 
And of course when going to Canada, it's so far away, might as well make the most of the journey. So in the last few months, I've been on the go a bit. 

South Island, New Zealand 

Despite living in New Zealand for almost 4 years, I have only been to the South Island once. Back when I was a teeny ten year old. That was definitely a long time ago, so we went to the South Island for a week as a family. We split the week between Dunedin and Christchurch and I have to say - Dunedin wins. That might be because I watched the sunrise before going to this amazing little cafe. Or that it's so much easier to get around Dunedin. Christchurch - your traffic is insane. We also got to see the little penguins coming out of the water at night. It was raining, I was freezing, but we were still the last ones there. We stayed on an alpaca farm and got to feed them whilst at the house, walked to the top of the steepest street because you just have to, wandered the Chinese garden, found the best place for lunch then went a good couple of times, and walked around a Castle on an Alice in Wonderland hunt. (Which isn't a castle. I'm from Scotland, I know what a castle looks like). 

In Christchurch we of course went to the International Antarctic Centre, checked out Speight's brewery and drank an almost endless amount of tasters, then went to an animal sanctuary, where my dad lost his rain jacket to an overly friendly Kea. 

It was a great last family holiday for a while. Being split across three different countries now, who knows when our schedules will align. 

Then we left New Zealand for Australia! 

Perth, Australia 

When I did my working holiday around Australia, I visited a fair bit of the East Coast. Then I visited the Northern Territory to see my parents and Uluru last year. But Western Australia is out of the way quite a bit. I was flying in that direction anyway, so it seemed like the perfect time for a layover. 
Since it was a quick stop for four days, I tried to make the most of it with my brother. We decided to do a Pinnacles Tour which was pretty special. The tour guides non stop spout facts on the bus ride up there, then you get a pit stop to see some Koala and Kangaroos. The main highlight is getting to see the sunset over the Pinnacles themselves, before heading for dinner and letting it get dark enough for a star gazing tour. It was so worth going to and I would highly recommend to anyone in the Perth area. 

Then of course I had to fulfill my life goal of meeting a quokka. For those of you who have no idea what those are - google them. You will never be disappointed. 
To see a quokka you need to get a ferry over to Rottnest Island. Willem de Vlamingh, the Dutch captain who named the Island, thought the quokkas were giant rats - so roughly translates to Rats Nest Island. 

The island is pretty big so the best way to get around for the day is either getting the hop on/off bus, or hiring a bike for the day. The bike is a lot more work, but you have the freedom to go anywhere you want within the time you have. We hired the bikes and cycled around the entire island in the six hours we had. And of course spotted some quokkas on the way! The first one we saw, we didn't even realise was there. We stopped by a tree to get some shade for five mintues, and he was hiding underneath with the exact same idea. 

Cycling Rottnest Island was probably a highlight of my life - it's unbelievably beautiful. There are a couple of cons to the island that you need to be wary of. Once you're outside the settlement area, there is nothing. A couple of toilets, one or two water stations and pretty much zero shade. Which on a 34 degree celcius day in the scorching Australian sun is not ideal. Safe to say I was putting sunscreen on every hour, on the hour that day. As long as you carry your own food and at least two litres of water with you though, you should be all good. 

After the amazing trip that was Perth Australia and that gorgeous weather, it was on to the UK.

The grey misery that is London and Scotland.

After a 21 hour journey to get there, we made the most of London in my favourite way. By going to a bunch of musicals on the West End! We saw Frozen, Bonnie and Clyde, Derren Brown - Showman, Six and Back to the Future. 
Derren Brown was absolutely insane - there's a part of the show that I still cannot for the life of me remember. It's been wiped from my mind! And Back to the Future is my new favourite musical. I didn't know what to expect from it, but the music is super catchy and the way they did the special effects, it flowed so well together. 

Of course we fit in time to wander around the sights a little bit, before heading up to Scotland for a while. We headed for Perth, Scotland to visit friends and family before heading through to Edinburgh for a couple of days. Having lived there for eight years, it was strange coming back again after so long. I don't know if I could go back to living there again now honestly - it's exactly the same, but I've changed too much. 

Then my brother decided we were going to York for an over night stop on the way back to London. I've been to York a million times, but Sean hasn't been for ages so it was a nice little wander. Then off to Thorpe Park for Sean's last day, because when there's the chance for a theme park, the Deuchars siblings are going to take it. It was horrendous weather but we made the most of it and still rode every single ride that was open. Some of them were super fun and some were average. When you're used to giant theme parks, the UK one's aren't quite as thrilling, but they're still a good time. 

Sean was only in the UK for a few weeks on a holiday, before flying back to New Zealand. I on the other hand went back up to Perth, to spend another three weeks chilling out before my flight to Canada. It was great getting to spend plenty of time with my best friend and family. I went on some day trips to Edinburgh, Stirling and Glencoe, walked the trail up Kinnoull Hill, tried some new food places, caught up with people I've not seen in ages. I must say though, by the end of the three weeks, I was so ready to leave. And leave I did. Goodbye Scotland and hello Canada! 

I've got a two year working holiday visa in Canada, with honestly not too many plans in place. I have a job offer that's only a summer role at the moment. And the idea of Canada in the winter scares me a little, so let's see how that goes. Or whether I gap it for somewhere warmer for four months and come back in Spring.
All I know is it's going to be an adventure and a half.