Backpacking New Zealand...A Couples True Story

Backpacking New Zealand

A couples true story

With Jenny Dawn Morris and Mark McKinney

By Jenny Dawn Morris

Forward by JDM

I met Mark in a hopeless place; the box office at Woking's New Victoria Theatre Mark was born and grew up in New Zealand where as I'm just a Tea loving Brit who loves to explore. I asked Mark out September 21st 2010 (his 28th birthday) and from then on we have been together, we took some time to travel New Zealand couple style. We often go on fun adventures just because your in a couple does not mean it has to be boring. I was stuck in a job I hated and this book shows you that you don't need to be tied down to something you hate. This I owe to my family, friends, the love of my life Mark and our Bunny Hoppers who we both love very much!

Jenny xx

Chapter one: Leading up prices etc, diary entrees, I need to leave my shit job!

Late 2010 even just after a few months of going out Mark and I decided to take the leap and start saving for an epic trip to New Zealand, we were working at the Box office with a manager who didn't really like us being together and it seems like the odds were stacked against us. I took a leap and job hunted and I found a new job little did I know this was going to be a hundred times worse. I had been job hunting and it seems I got a new job and landed a role in Surrey Children's Services as a contact Coordinator and you know it's a bad job and you get stressed and you can't do it when you've only been there three weeks, after three months I got a less stressful job in admin with Children's services over in Guildford, the people were nicer but it took a while to get to know everyone and everyone was so serious. I like to talk at work but everyone was so serious so you start to wonder is that it? Is this my life? I sincerely hope not. I don't know if this was my current state of mind because I didn't really like this job either and by the end of the week I was crying in the toilet, but it was like some people were out just to make me feel like shit. So I did what any life loving person does; I remained positive, kept my head down, got on with work and was planning for our travels. Plus I'd built a good rapport with the people I worked with and I was good at my job which made life easier. Mark had worked out if he was going to keep his job he couldn't afford to take six weeks unpaid so he sacrificed a whole years holiday for this. The guy was crazy! This was one of my options which I tried to explore but you'll find out more on what happened later. We had lots of decisions to make, When are we going to go? Are we hiring a car? Are we doing a tour if so which one? What airline? What youth hostels? Where we going to get free accommodation in Auckland Mark's homeland. We just weren't sure and had lots to sort out in those months of almost booking but not quite I started recording a diary. My job sucked and I found my self on many a lunch time either sitting in my car or the staff room writing my thoughts. It really helped the days go by that little easier. I've always wanted to go to New Zealand and Mark hasn't been back home since 2009 so we thought no time like the present.

Diary leading up

March 9th 2012

Listening to Crowded House on the way to work, day dreaming of beautiful beaches, nicer weather, driving from Woking to Guildford Monday to Friday in the dull horrible weather, working in a place where I can't be myself. At least Mark and I have been saving for a while for our dream trip, looking for flights at the end of the month. Money situation isn't great this month but, like the words of Neil Finn. Don't dream it's over.

March 11th 2012

Continuing to do my research, but work always gets in the way.

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