The New Zealand Song

Exactly a year ago today I got on a plane to go to New Zealand for a study abroad. Without a doubt this is the best thing I have done in my life. You can read about my adventures in New Zealand from start to finish on my blog wheretoiletsflushtheotherway.blogspot.com.

I got back from New Zealand near the end of April. I had decided I was going to take the same adventure skills I had learned in NZ and apply them to life in Orem. That mindset only lasted for so long. Getting back to reality was a harsh transition. You can read about it here. (I must say, it is probably one of my most heartfelt posts.) I had no money and my job didn't start until the end of May. That left an awkward month to do nothing. What did I do? I got a temporary job and worked at a factory. Have you seen those tables churches store under the stage? Yeah, well I made those folding legs. I rivited z-bars to channels and channels to butterflies for two agonizing weeks of my life, working from 3pm to 1am. I had gone from the best time of my life to working the graveyard in a factory. Read about my table-leg experiences here.

To pass the time I wrote this song.

It is the first song I have ever made the tune and lyrics in my head and then found the chords (usually I have some guitar tune and then come up with the words) and it is the first song I've written with a capo. I call it The New Zealand Song. You can view/listen to me singing it in this facebook link.

CAPO 3 Chords G C D

G................................. G...................................C........................................ D............. G
In the Splash Palace we drink from the chalice of kayaks and spray skirts and hands of God
G....................... G
Oreti, Mataura, Jacabo's guitar-a
C............................ D............ G
Tuis, Tim Tams and swimming togs

CHORUS:
G............................ G
And in Aotearoa we all are explorers
C.................................. D.............. G
Mapping adventure and conquering fear.
G...........................................G
Tramp all the mountains. Let's meet at the fountains.
C................................... D................G
Looking for heaven? We found it right here.

Red bikes, green helmets. Becky tries to film it when we go to Taupo, Queenstown and Greymouth.
Climb up the hedges, rock faces like Everst.
Whipped cream, butter, ice cream from Deep South.
Chorus

Invercargill. “Past the shoe is our goal.” Can you believe surfing counts for school?
Load up the white vans, 28 girls, 6 mans
Mark says, “no dating is the number one rule.”
Chorus

Dark night, Southern Cross, red sunrise, green moss, white clouds so close you can look up and lick.
Headwind to church, apricot yogurt.
Don’t know the distance cuz k’s are metric
Chorus

CHORUS’
And we’re 34 explorers who learned from the chorus
To map out adventure and conquer all fear
Now we’re back home with cars and cell phones
But that don’t stop us; adventure is here.