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8 Months in New Zealand- What a Journey!
Here we are, we made it to (almost) 8 months in New Zealand!

I cannot believe how time flies by. It seems like yesterday when we landed in Aotearoa on a cold and rainy mid-September day.

So much has happened since. We already lived in 2 different homes, Dom’s new business took off and he has been working very hard on it, I have been teaching Italian at a language school and I have also been getting a good amount of freelance work as a writer and translator.

I have to say, it seems like life has not been too bad at all despite a very difficult start.

Adjusting to Life in New Zealand

I feel much more relaxed and even if I am not completely settled yet, I think I am definitely on the right path for the time being. Time helps with everything, as a result of such big change I probably need lots of time to adjust. I have to say that also Dom’s support and understanding have been a great help. Thank you, Dom!

First of all, summer was lovely. It had been warm enough to spend a great amount of time outdoors exploring, hiking and even lying on the beach. Have I been swimming? Nope!

The sea water is too cold for me. To be honest, the only time I went in the sea was on a drunken night celebrating my lovely sister-in-law’s hen party. The water was so cold it took my breath away, but at the same time, it was such a liberating experience.

I have not been in the sea since. Furthermore, winter is coming! In the last few days, the temperature has dropped down quite a bit and it’s started to be rather cold, especially at night and in the morning.

The sun is still rather warm, but as soon as it goes down it’s a totally different story.

Highlights of our 8 months in New Zealand

Reuniting with Dom’s Family

After over 3 years away from New Zealand, it was great to be reunited with Dom’s family and to get to spend some quality time together. While we are here we are making the most of it and trying to see them often.

Looking for a Place to Live

Finding a house to live was quite a challenge. Rents in Auckland are extremely expensive and we simply cannot afford to have a house to ourselves. We had to look for house shares and the task was a little tough. Many houses do not want couples and in addition, we are “too old” to fit in. Luckily we found a room in a really nice house with a really cool flatmate (who is actually a New Zealand Public Figure!) in Remuera, the most exclusive suburb of Auckland, at a very small price.

In March we had to move again and the three of us moved together to a lovely house on top of a hill in the same suburb. Now we can enjoy a stunning view from our living room windows and take advantage of a lovely garden which features a Feijoa Tree among other beautiful plants.

Applying for my Partnership Work Visa

This was a consuming task in itself. To be eligible to apply for a partnership visa, you need to prove that you and your partner are in an exclusive and committed long-term relationship. As evidence, you can provide a copy of joint bills, joint bank accounts, joint house tenancy agreements, marriage certificate, photos, recommendation letters, etc… Well, we lived a nomadic life together for over 5 years, therefore we almost have no evidence except for joint flight tickets, letters from friends and family and our life in pictures from when we met back in 2011 until when we arrived in New Zealand. What a headache! I cannot thank enough all our amazing friends and family that helped us. Thankfully, the visa was approved 2 and a half months later. What a relief!

My Birthday and Christmas in Russel with the Family

My birthday falls on Christmas Eve, as a result, it is a double celebration. We spent the Christmas holidays with Dom’s family in Russel a seaside town in Northland, the warmest part of New Zealand. I had a great birthday celebration. All I wanted was a Pavlova (the traditional New Zealand pudding) and Prosecco (the Italian dry sparkly bubbly). It seems like a perfect combination, Italy meets New Zealand! That is exactly what I got; a huge Pavlova (homemade with love by Annie, my Mother-in-Law) that I almost ate all by myself and litres of Prosecco. I was as happy as a pig in mud!

The weather was on our side too. We had sunshine for the whole holiday.

Camping in the Puketi Forest

On the way back from Russel, Dom and I had a little road trip stopping at several interesting spots. One of the spots was the Puketi Forest where we did a little hike and camped under the stars! Here I saw my first Kauri disease cleaning station. Unfortunately, this disease is killing a large number of Kauri Trees which are the largest (but not the tallest) trees in New Zealand and they are among the world’s mightiest trees.

Because of this, many forests have a cleaning station at the entrance and exit of the hiking tracks where people are required to clean their shoes with a specific liquid to avoid spreading the disease.

A Weekend on Waiheke Island with Very Good Friends

Waiheke Island is only a 30 minutes (or less) ferry ride from Auckland. It is famous for its beautiful beaches and vineyards. We spent a weekend at a friend’s family batch eating good food and drinking great wine. The weather was fabulous so we managed to fit in some lovely beach time in between food sessions.

Ned and Roxy’s Wedding in Mapua

Ned is Dom’s younger brother. Neither Dom or I had met Roxy until few days before the wedding. What a lovely girl she is. There was a severe weather warning for that weekend. Are you kidding me? The day we flew to Nelson was pouring down with rain. It was very cold in Nelson. The wedding was three days later and we were hoping for the weather to get better. Luck was on our side and the weather kept getting better.

On the Thursday night before the Saturday wedding, we had the Hen and Stag Parties. The boys left us to spend the night somewhere else (I had something like The Hangover movies in mind), while the girls got together for food, lots of wine, a dance party and a night dip in the sea.

The wedding itself was fantastic, it was celebrated by Dom’s mum on the beach and the Bride and Groom both looked stunning.

It was great to have all the family gathered together.

Easter Long Weekend in the Coromandel Peninsula with Great Friends

It was the Easter weekend but we did not really celebrate Easter. Instead, we had a 4-day party to celebrate Miki and Peter’s 40th Birthday in the Coromandel Peninsula totally immersed in nature. A good friend of Miki’s, Jolanda, made her beautiful home available to us for the long weekend. What a beautiful place she has. She lives off the grid, immersed in nature with chickens and ducks running around in the field she has as a back garden, three dogs and a fluffy cat. A group of us camped in the back garden, it was fantastic! The sun was shining and it was as warm as summertime. It felt like being at a festival!

In conclusion, life is not too bad at all! Only a bit cold for now. Let’s see what the next few months will bring.

Stay tuned for new posts to come soon.

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04/05/2017
Start a Blog at an Incredibly Low Price!
How to start a blog? Starting your own blog has never been easier and cheaper.

If you enjoy writing or if you want to share your passions with like-minded people, having your own blog could be the right thing for you.

How to Start a Blog?

You can cover an infinity of topics in a blog. Whether you want to talk about your passion for travelling or photography or animals or food recipes, there are endless options. Consequently, you can put online whatever is in your mind!

To start a blog you do not have to invest lots of money. While a platform like WordPress.com it will cost you nothing, you will be quite limited with what you can do with your blog.

If you want to share your content with the world and eventually monetize your blog, I strongly recommend opting for a self-hosted blog. You will pay a small annual fee to a hosting platform but you will have full control over your blog.

How to Choose your Web Host

I personally use A2 Hosting. I am extremely satisfied with the service they provide. Their customer service and assistance are fast and responsive. If this is all new to you, you can be sure they will give you the right help and support.

Click here to sign up to A2 Hosting and take advantage of an incredible Promotional Price! This is a good time to start a blog.

Why Using a Web Host

When I started Hopskipdive.com 4 years ago, I thought it would be easier to go with WordPress.com. I didn’t know how to build a blog from scratch. It was good but then I decided I wanted to do more with my blog, like starting to monetize it and put advertising on it. With WordPress.com these options are not available. WordPress.com also gives you a limited space and I was running out of it.

I decided to move Hopskipdive.com from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. I started to research for a self-hosting platform and after days of researching the market, I chose A2 Hosting.

It is very easy to sign up with A2 Hosting. They do provide all sort of assistance you need. I moved Hopskipdive.com myself from WordPress.com to WordPress.org but if you are not very knowledgeable on the matter, A2 Hosting will move your site for free.

You also don’t have to worry about installing WordPress.org manually. The host does it for you automatically when you sign up. Finally, once they take your payment, you are all set and ready to go.

Before you sign up, you will need to purchase a domain name. My blog’s domain name is carlottaarona.com, this is where you can find me on the web. You can use anything as your domain. I would recommend you to choose something catchy and related to your brand and topic. You can purchase your domain from onlydomains.com. They have very good prices starting from as little as US $1.99!

If you are transferring your blog and already have a domain, you can simply transfer your existing domain to A2 Hosting.

REASONS TO CHOOSE A2 HOSTING
- Very Affordable Cost
- 24/7/365 Support
- 99.9% Uptime Guarantee
- Up to 20x Faster
- Unlimited Resources
- Anytime Money Back Guarantee
Therefore, there are no more excuses not to start your own blog or to move your existing blog to a self-hosting platform like A2 Hosting. In conclusion, for the cost of a coffee (or less) you could be up and ready to go in just a few minutes.

Click on the logo below to sign up to A2 Hosting

Do you want to start a blog but are a bit stuck? Feel free to leave a comment or email me directly at carlotta@carlottaarona.com if you would like any personal advice or suggestion or if you require assistance on moving your blog.

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26/04/2017
Live in Someone Else’s Home – Book Airbnb
More people seem to book Airbnb accommodation more often. If you are travelling on a budget but enjoy staying in comfortable accommodation, or if you are a nomad enjoying living in other people’s houses, you have probably already heard of Airbnb.

Airbnb has been quickly taking over the old school way of staying in hotels or hostels. More and more travellers are now choosing to book Airbnb accommodation.

Dom and I have often opted for Airbnb accommodation while travelling because it is a way to really feel at home. You just need to rock up with your backpack, unpack, put your feet up and relax.

The difference with an Airbnb accommodation is that you are staying in real fully furnished houses with all the comforts you need for a fraction of a hotel price. Ok, some houses can be expensive but it all depends on what you are looking for.

Many people have decided to live in Airbnb accommodation as a lifestyle. You basically do not have to buy anything to make a house your home, because someone has already done that for you to enjoy.

If you are not signed up with Airbnb yet, click on the image below to register and get a GREAT DISCOUNT on your first booking! Book Airbnb now.

If you are a couple, a group of friends or even a family, your best bet is to rent an entire house or apartment. Usually, there is a good price reduction on longer stay such as a month and over.

If you are a solo traveller or you simply want to meet new exciting people, you can opt for renting a private or shared room in a house.

I did that when I travelled solo to Miami. I stayed in a very nice apartment where I met a bunch of other really cool traveller and the owner was just an incredible host with a super friendly dog.

Why You Should Choose to Book Airbnb

#1 As soon as you walk in you feel like at home

That’s it! Someone else has already made your bed and you have all the basic you need.

#2 You do not need to purchase any superfluous stuff

Normally if you want to stay in a place for a longer time (for examples several months), you are most likely to have to purchase items for the kitchen including cooking utensils, pots, and pans. Here you don’t need to because they are already there for you. Normally you also get bed linens and towels! So when you leave again you do not have to worry about selling stuff or moving it with you.

#3 No bills to pay

Forget about electricity and/or gas bills or internet. They are already taken care of and included in the rental fee. You only need the password for the wifi and you are all set.

#4 No need to clean up

If you like me do not like house chores, normally these Airbnb places have a cleaner included in the rental rate. They will come and clean the apartment/house for you and even change your bed sheets.

These are only a few of the benefits of staying at an Airbnb accommodation.

In conclusion, there is only one way to find out all the other benefits that an Airbnb stay will give you. Sign up to Airbnb now and discover the great benefits of living in someone else’s home.

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13/04/2017
5 15 Minute or Less Healthy Dinners
Healthy eating doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

I love cooking. Now that we are in New Zealand I cook almost every night. I can make up a delicious healthy meal in almost no time.

Here are some of my ideas for 5 healthy dinners to put together in 15 minutes or less. All serve 2 people.

Stir Fry Chicken with Vegetables

Ingredients:

250 gr. skinless chicken breast – diced
1 clove of garlic – crushed
1 cm. piece of ginger – chopped
½ red onion – sliced
1 red bell pepper – sliced
1 yellow bell pepper – sliced
250 gr. fresh green beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
½ cup coriander – chopped
Salt & Pepper

Method:

Heath 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan or wok. When hot, add onion, ginger, and garlic. When they start to brown add the chicken breast and stir-fry till golden. Set aside.

Heath the rest of the oil. When hot add the bell pepper and broccoli and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the precooked chicken then the soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, pepper and coriander and stir-fry for 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

250 gr. Penne pasta (or any shape of your choice)
1 tbsp olive oil
250 gr. fresh asparagus – chopped
250 gr. fresh mushrooms – chopped
1 clove of garlic – chopped
½ onion – chopped
½ cup vegetable stock
½ cup Parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

Cook pasta in plenty salt water using a large pot.

Heath the oil in a frying pan. When hot add onion and garlic and sauté until golden. Add the asparagus, mushrooms, salt and pepper.

Cook for 2-3 minutes till mushrooms have released all water and have shrunk. Add the vegetable stock and cook for 5 minutes.

Mix the sauce together with cooked pasta and sprinkle with plenty Parmesan cheese on top.

Broccoli & Chinese Mushrooms Stir Fry

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic – sliced
1 red chili – deseeded and chopped
1 head fresh broccoli – chopped
250 gr. Chinese Mushrooms – chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 2 limes or lemons
Coriander – chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Heath olive oil in a frying pan or wok. Add garlic and chili, cook until soft. Add broccoli and cook for 1 minute. Add Chinese mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes while stirring quickly.

Add lime juice, soy sauce, salt & pepper, and coriander. Toss well and serve.

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

250 gr. skinless chicken breast – diced
1 clove of garlic – crushed
½ onion – sliced
1 red chili – deseeded and chopped
1 large red capsicum – sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
Lots of Coriander
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
Salt & pepper to taste
1 avocado
1 pack of flour tortillas

Method:

Mash the avocado with salt & pepper for guacamole and set aside.

Heath olive oil in a frying pan. Add garlic, onion, and chili. Cook until soft.

Add chicken breast and cook until slightly brown. Add the capsicum and cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste, lemon juice and coriander.

Warm up the tortillas in a frying pan or in the oven. Serve fajitas with the mashed avocado.

Ginger & Honey Prawns

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 red chili – deseeded and chopped
1/2 onion – diced
1 clove garlic – diced
2 cm. piece of ginger – grated
2 tsp honey
250 gr. large prawns – unpeeled
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup coriander – chopped

Method:

Heat the olive oil and chili in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and honey. Cook until onions soften. Stir continuously.

Add the prawns and cook for 5 minutes. Stir as needed until prawns are pink. Add salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Enjoy your dinners in good company. Buon Appetito!

If you have any recipe suggestion feel free to comment or please get in touch

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28/02/2017
Blueberry Smoothie Recipe Without Yogurt
We all love a good healthy smoothie. Especially when summer time comes; the sun shines and we feel the need for fresh healthy nutrients.

Fresh fruit smoothies normally come to mind when it comes to make a choice of healthy food or drink. Nutritious smoothies can easily replace a meal on a hot summer day.

You can make a smoothie with almost any fruit available. Today I picked blueberries. These incredibly tasty indigo-coloured berries contain good anti-oxidants and are a very good source of vitamin C and vitamin K.

In addition to that, they provide your body with many more benefits including fighting urinary tract infections and boosting your brain health.

There are so many different recipes for a tasty blueberry smoothie. It can be done with ice cream, milk, sugar, honey, yogurt, coconut cream, just to name a few.

It is all up to your taste and fantasy, really. It is very easy to create a tasty blueberry smoothie with the simplest of ingredients.

Yogurt is one of the key ingredients to make a rich and thick smoothie. However, there are many other different ways to produce a super creamy smoothie even without yogurt.

If you are not a big fan of yogurt, or you have an intolerance or allergy to it, don’t worry. Here I have a fantastic recipe to make a tasty blueberry smoothie without yogurt but full of goodness.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 spoon of honey
- Half a banana to add extra thickness (optional)
- Some ice cubes
Procedure:

Place all ingredients in a blender, ice cubes at last. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth and thick.

Place in your favourite glass and decorate with fresh blueberries.

Sit back and enjoy the goodness!
13/02/2017
How It All Began

My Mum used to tell me: “Don’t get stuck in one place. Go see the world, enjoy your life!”

I remember thinking about those words and wondering what I could find out there. Then I got it.

I am the second born of three girls, so being a middle child makes me naturally out of the ordinary.
Something was telling me from an early age that I didn’t quite fit in the crowd but it took me a little while to work out my true path.

I flew the nest in my early twenties to relocate to England.

I developed my professional experience and skills in various jobs in tourism as a travel consultant, reservation executive and assistant contract manager/marketing developer for some large travel companies.

My love for travelling was already there but it didn’t really come out until three years into my London life when I decided to spread my wings and bought an open return ticket to Mexico.

I was so excited! The first long haul travel of my life with me, myself and my backpack. No idea where I was going or how long I was going for.

That’s where my real travel bug started. I backpacked through Mexico for two months hopping from Mexico City to the Yucatan.

I had the time of my life, met some wonderful people and started to believe much more in myself and my own survival skills. I could do things, I could do everything I wanted. I wished people back home could see and experience what I was up to.

When I returned to London all I could think of was setting off travelling again.

A fire had started inside me. The hunger to explore was huge.

I found a job and started to save up for the next adventure.

Three years later I finally flew to Thailand where I spent five months teaching English for some of the time, exploring the country and meeting wonderful people for most of the time. Once again, more fun, more milestones reached, more about myself learned…and eventually my budget ran out!

I returned to England where I spent time between London and Cornwall. I wasn’t happy, England didn’t feel like home anymore.

Memories of my travels constantly occupied my mind and made me happy.

Beautiful white sandy beaches, palm trees, turquoise waters, sunshine and happy people!

Yes, that was it! Travelling made me happy, discovering the world made me feel alive. Through travelling, I could express myself and I could learn a lot from the people I came across.

Travelling was what I wanted to do. I had to find a way that would allow me to travel while working.

Two years later I left England for good. All I wanted was sunshine and hot weather.

My wishes came true when I was offered a PR (Public Relations) job for a dive centre in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. I couldn’t believe my luck. Playa Del Carmen was the very last place I visited when I explored Mexico seven years earlier.

It was a sign.

I had no clue about scuba diving at all, but all they asked for was outgoing friendly people and language skills.

I bought a one-way plane ticket and one week later I landed in the land of the Mayas. Few days into my new job, I was introduced to the amazing underwater world of scuba diving.

From that moment, my life changed.

I was never a very aquatic person. I always loved the sea but somehow the depths of it scared me. I was terrified but to my surprise, I fell in love with right away! It was love at first breath.

What a fantastic world! I was fascinated and overwhelmed to be able to interact with marine life. So many colourful fish and amazing corals, blue water all around and my body was weightless. I was overcome by a wonderful sense of freedom.

I felt like a mermaid in my natural habitat. I came up from that dive (and all the others that followed) grinning from ear to ear. The feeling I had from it was indescribable.

I found my path. I wanted to be a scuba diving instructor! But not just yet.

Mexico was my home for almost two years. I felt so lucky! I was in one of the places with the best scuba diving in the world with Cozumel Island only a short ferry ride away (yep the very one place Jacques Cousteau, the father of scuba diving, in 1961 proclaimed one of the most spectacular scuba diving sites in the world).

During those months I was able to dive whenever I could. On my days off I would still get up early and get to my workplace to be able to join the morning dive and experience that amazing feeling and buzz that I could get from scuba diving. I had the best time I could ever ask for and I was ready for the next step; to leave Mexico and to see the rest of the world.

I started in Central America. I dived The Blue Hole and some other reefs in Belize, followed by the Bay Islands in Honduras and Guatemala.

Next, I hopped to South East Asia.

The first destination was the Malaysian Borneo, Mabul and Sipadan Islands where I completed my Dive Master training in five weeks. Once again I felt super lucky to be able to dive every day in another top scuba diving destination.

Then I hopped to the south-west of Thailand, Koh Lanta where I completed the Instructor training.

I was so happy! I was ready to get out there and start enjoying my new life. I was so excited by all the new opportunities.

I went back to Malaysia, the Perhentian Islands on the north-east coast to do my first working season. Perhentian Kecil (small island) was my dream place. Turquoise waters swimming pool style, white sands and palm trees and no need for shoes! I was in for a great time, I was on top of the world.

Few days into my new Island life and something unexpected arrived. Dom. Amazing eyes, cheeky captivating smile, funny, handsome and… Kiwi. How exotic was that?? Luckily enough he was also a diving instructor on the island.

Well, he definitely caught my attention and since then we’ve been hopskipdiving together through Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia working and diving in some of the most beautiful places in the world. He’s my companion, my partner and of course my dive buddy. I was surely having a great time on my own, but two is definitely more fun!

This is a tale about living life to the full, chasing dreams, finding passions and following them. It’s about the world above and below water, how I see it through my eyes.

Diving fulfils me. It is amazing to have the privilege of going into a place where not many people have access to. I love to take photos of the amazing underwater creatures and bring them back to the surface.

I am very lucky to be able to combine my passions together; travelling, diving, photography and Dom (in no particular order).

Cheers!

Carlotta

12/02/2017