3 years of Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand: it’s life changing!

On October 1st, 2019, I was flying to the antipode of Belgium to start a new journey: my WHV in New Zealand. Going to New Zealand wasn’t a big life project, it wasn’t the result of a life changing event or a big questioning. It was just an obvious choice. I had already lived in the United States, in the Bahamas, and now it was time to go to New Zealand.

So I took my one-way ticket as one might go on a weekend trip. I didn’t have any particular expectations for this trip, except for wanting to live a nomadic lifestyle. I hadn’t done any pre-departure evaluation. I didn’t think that this trip would necessarily change me. This trip was simply a new adventure.

However, almost 3 years later (my WHV was automatically extended during the pandemic), here I am, writing in a small New Zealand café. Here I am, in a new daily life, reflecting on the years that have just passed and telling myself that of all the ways I could have imagined, I never would have guessed that I would be here today.

So how has this trip to New Zealand changed my life?

1. Enjoying work

If there is one thing that New Zealand has fundamentally changed in me, it is my view of work.

In Belgium, I grew up with the notion of a career. Everything is hyper-specialized. You choose your field and you stay in your field. I studied psychology, I have to work in psychology. It was very difficult to break away from this label. Seasonal work, “odd jobs”, and fixed-term contracts are not very valued. In New Zealand, on the contrary, there is a great mobility between sectors. Many of my Kiwi friends change careers completely when theirs no longer fulfills them. From tourism to dentistry to construction work, the possibilities are endless. Some people work 6 months in New Zealand, 6 months abroad, as they please. Still others take the time to work on their passion. Whether it is the creation of jewelry, macramé or other, pleasure is an integral part of the work for many. It is this vision that encouraged me to develop my personal project and to create my podcast.

In New Zealand, I learned that we can have fun while working and that it doesn’t make the work any less important. Our work can also amaze us. Imagine working by the sea every day. Imagine getting an “orca” alert and running down the waterfront to try to spot them. This is not a dream, this is my reality, but it is also my job.

2. Going beyond one’s limits… and respecting them

Climbing a mountain, working under the sun for hours on end, going down a canyon, talking to strangers, expressing difficult emotions…

But also… turning back when conditions are not in our favor, giving up, defending our values.

New Zealand taught me to say YES. I challenged myself physically, emotionally and socially. I faced some of my fears and took on challenges that I didn’t think I could handle. My trip to New Zealand has given me confidence in ME. I trust ME and I truly believe that I have the resources to overcome the challenges I face.

But New Zealand also taught me to say NO. It taught me to respect my own boundaries and, more importantly, to enforce my boundaries. I asserted myself. I said “stop” and withdrew from situations in which I felt that my person was not respected. In this sense, and even if it remains difficult at times, I have learned to respect my own integrity, my own needs, and my own values, no matter what the context in which I found myself.

3. Living slowly, but fully

I remember my first road trip. We had just come out of lockdown and I only had 4 months left in New Zealand. I hadn’t seen anything of the South Island yet and I had this long list of things to see. There was so much to see but so little time. It was like a race against time.

When we travel, it can be easy to just tick things off our bucket list. But New Zealand, road trips, and especially the people I shared moments with taught me to slow down.

So, on the winding and deserted roads, I took my foot off the gas. By taking my time, the moments became softer, but also more intense. I savored, I enjoyed, I loved. By slowing down, I also learned to connect to my surroundings. When I go on an adventure, all my senses are alert and these moments bring me a real serenity and connection to what is around me.

The sand under my feet, the wind in my hair, the warmth of the sun on my skin.

The pink-golden light of the sunrise, the crystalline water of a spring, the snowy mountain tops.

The song of the fantail, the raging waves.

The smell of ferns, the smell of the ocean.

The taste of kiwifruits. (ps. red kiwis are the best!)

Be present. As simple as that.

4. Following your intuition and welcoming surprises

When I lived in Belgium, I was a disciplined student and then a disciplined psychologist. I planned everything and sometimes lacked flexibility in my activities. If something was planned, it happened, even if I didn’t feel like it anymore, or even if I felt deep inside that it wasn’t for me. So it was with this attitude that I started my journey in New Zealand, even though I pretended to myself that I was just going with the flow.

But when you live on the road, plans no longer exist. If I first tried to follow an itinerary, to be productive, I soon felt at odds with this way of functioning. I felt, deep down, that this was not what I wanted. And for once, I listened to myself. On the road, we live to the rhythm of the sun, the good weather, and our desires. I also learned to take wrong turns, to follow lost roads. And I understood that getting lost and taking improbable detours lead to the most beautiful surprises.

Over time, this attitude has been transposed into my life, my activities, my encounters. In the last 2 years, I have given more space to my gut feeling, my intuition. I have learned to listen to my emotions and to trust them. I no longer question this intuition and on the contrary, I let all these clues guide me like a compass. This is not always easy, especially when reason is not in agreement with these feelings and my old habits come back.

I also try to remember that the unexpected things in life can actually be surprises. And believe me, it’s not always easy when situations are unexpected, complex, unwanted and emotions are strong. And then, days, weeks or months later, everything falls into place and makes sense. So I try to trust myself, my intuition, and also life.

I think these attitudes have led to greater honesty. I try to be authentic, to show myself as I am, and to express what I feel, even in difficult situations. And this connection to myself, this listening, is probably the most beautiful gift I can give myself.

5. Being at peace with what is passing

This trip to New Zealand has made me live in a much more intense way. It’s as if, deep down, I knew that the moments I was living were precious but, above all, temporary.

It is not always easy to accept this and sometimes nostalgia catches up with me. I think of a group at a hostel that was wonderful and that I felt so comfortable with. I think of a place where I could have stayed for months on end. I think of friendships that were far too short.

So I learned to be at peace with those things that don’t last. I’ve learned to cherish each relationship, even if you know that people will leave. I have accepted that life goes on. Some people will stay in our lives, friendships will endure from a distance. Other friendships will fade away little by little.

This does not mean that these friendships were not real, that the moments lived were meaningless. On the contrary, I think that it is this transience that makes these moments and these people so precious. And if I have one belief, it is that if I meet these people again somewhere in the world, that connection will always be there.

6. Living for the escapade

Travel ? Life? These last 3 years in New Zealand have blurred the line between the two. A Kiwi friend of mine who has known me since I arrived here now calls me a “permanent backpacker” and I think that term pretty much defines how I feel right now.

This trip to New Zealand changed everything. This trip became my life.

As I write these words, it is very difficult for me to imagine going back to the lifestyle I had before, in Belgium. And although I chose the small town of Motueka as my base, and my journey has taken on a sedentary aspect, I know that one day I will leave to live other stories. The desire to escape only grows each day.

These 3 years have made me aware of my need for freedom… this freedom that allows me to respect myself, my needs and my emotions. I love the spontaneity that this freedom gives me. I like the idea of infinite possibilities and opportunities that can be seized. This need for freedom and authenticity also pushes me to develop a professional project in congruence with my values, a project that will allow me, I hope, to travel, while contributing to the wonderful world we are in.

I need connection, authenticity, adventure, madness, wonder, magic…

And this is why I need to travel.