Chapter 1: Visa and Air Tickets

Hey all, I am Jim. Haha.. In case you are wondering what this is about, please read the description above.

One day in camp, Jiahua told me about his brother’s adventures to NZ about his working and backpacking, that got me real interested, real excited. I knew I wanted to do this and he presented a chance. So more talking, more discussions, resulted to what’s going to happen a month later.

A simple backpacking trip is hard to plan, not to say for us, which we are doing a working holiday for 4 months in NZ. What is exactly working holiday? It is a scheme that the Immigration Service of NZ comes up with, and given to 200 Singaporeans every year. We will be allowed to work officially in NZ for 12 months and in legal terms, our pay will be subjected to their taxes. They have pretty strict rules about working down there so it is a must to get a visa/permit. This visa can only be applied once in a lifetime. Right now, my visa is being accessed while Jiahua’s approved. Hope so by next week they will approve mine too.

And finally after much scouring, we have sourced for the cheapest flight to NZ. We will be flying on a British Airways flight to Sydney then Auckland operated on a Qantas flight. Why we do not buy from Qantas, because it’s more expensive. Don’t ask me why, I also don’t know. So we’re leaving on 18Feb night on flight BA7306. It will be a long 4 month’s time spent there, with the first 3 and half months working and another half a month touring down NZ. We will then fly back from Christchurch and reaching back Singapore on 18Jun. we have managed to contact someone there who is able to secure us jobs, which is Kiwi Plucking (that explains why the title of the blog is that). From March to May, it is the Hot Season for Kiwi Harvesting so that’s where our hands come into play.

I will constantly update this place throughout the 4 months, putting up pictures on facebook (blogger quite slow sia) and just bleap about. I’m sure this blog will serve us great memories and it shall be my start to many more backpacking trips during University and before I start climbing the corporate ladder.

Stay tunes….