New Zealand Photo Diary (Timaru, Christchurch, Wellington)

------------------Timaru---------------------

{Caroline Bay}

{Breakfast at Pukeko}

{At my old high school}

{In front of my old dorm, "The House"}

{Eggs Benedict at Purple Lizard, with Drian!}

------------------Christchurch-----------------

{Ruined City Center after three major earthquakes....}

{Book swap in the residential area of City Centre}

{The apartment next to Tim's}

{Tim and Chris!}

-----------------------Wellington----------------------

{Cheesecake at Enigma Cafe}

{Graffiti'd parking building}

{Ceci and art in the parking lot}

{My 24-hour Wellington Crew}

{On our way to brunch after an all-nighter}

{Brunch, Enigma again}

{Art at work}

{Chilling on the stairs}

Hello!

Before coming back to Los Angeles, I spent one week back home in New Zealand. Home is where the heart is, and although I do not have any relatives in New Zealand, I grew up there and that's where home is for me. Last time I was in New Zealand was before I left for college, two years ago. A lot of my friends had moved away for University or other reasons, I was fortunate enough to visit some of my best friends who now resides in Australia while I was interning in Sydney. This one-week trip allowed me to visit the rest of my good friends, I had such a great week walking down memory lane!

I spent four years in Timaru going to boarding school. Having left my home country when I was 12, Timaru is full of memories of me growing up. I visited some of my oldest friends here, Drian, one of my dearest friends, was featured in my breakfast photo. I went back to my old school, where I struggled a lot at the start with the new language and just general high school scandals, it's where I've fell the most, but I always got back on my feet. Having to deal with everything without the support of parents has definitely made me stronger and mature faster.

For my last year of high school, I transferred to Christchurch to pursue a better music program. I then went on to study for a bachelor of Performing Arts at CPIT Jazz School for six months before leaving for college in Los Angeles. Going back to Christchurch was a devastating experience for me. Seeing the post-earthquake city for the first time made my heart sunk: the shops I used to visit, the streets I used to walk on with my friends, the cafes I used to go to every morning.....all demolished after three major earthquakes hitting the city in the past 12 months. It was great to see my friends being so optimistic, but without a music scene, or any scene at all, I can only hope for the best for my friends.

I went to Wellington for one girl and one girl only, Ceci. Ceci is one of my oldest friends in New Zealand and one of my best friends. We had so many great memories growing help and we were always there for each other. My three day visit to Wellington was the highlight of my trip because it was so much fun! Wellington is a great city with a more grown-up art and music scene, I can see myself living there and raising a family when I'm eventually ready to settle down. Having my best friend there with me would just be icing on the cake :)

I'm trying to make it a routine, going back to visit every two years. It's such a beautiful country with such beautiful people, I can never see myself not being a part of something so amazing.

E noho ra, Aotearoa

Aroha,

Kiko

Pleats and Checkers

Wellington is known for its bad weather during winters. It's usually windy, cloudy and rainy all at once. We were really lucky to run into a great sunny day last Sunday when I was down there visiting one of my best friends in New Zealand. The pictures are taken when we were waiting for the taxi and when we wandering around in an old industrial building (in the abandoned elevator). I had a great time in Wellington, having just pulled a drunk all-nighter with my best friend and the two boys in the picture that I had just met the night before. It was the perfect ending to my trip back home.

The skirt is obviously the center piece of this outfit. It's from Modern Amusement, a local California designer. I'm not sure if you could still find this skirt in store because the label has apparently stopped designing women's clothing. It's a shame because this is one of my favorite pieces in my closet and I would love to see more eye-popping designs like this from Modern Amusement.

When a skirt is so vibrant, pairing it with anything else colorful would be too busy for one outfit. I traveled pretty light, so I paired it with a white sweater from Sweet Romeo and a pair of Jeffrey Campbell flat boots. I think the look would be better if the sweater was a round-neck rather than a v-neck, but it kept me warm. I'm in love with these boots! Sure, the laces can be a struggle when they come undone sometimes, but the boots look great with colorful skirts, shorts or just a plain pair of jeans. The skirt on its own can look too cutesy, the boots added a little masculine edge to the outfit. The leather jacket is from Scrapbook, a New Zealand label. I've had the jacket for over three years now and I love wearing it on a windy day or a night out.

Pleats are coming back! It's not very obvious in the pictures, but except for the very front, the rest of the skirt is actually pleated. Instead of the trendy color-block designs many people are wearing, this skirt is a playful mix between color-block and the good ol' black and white checkers. Everyone wore black in Wellington, so do a lot of people in metropolitan cities. The skirt is definitely a head-turner. And color, is exactly what I need to kick off a new chapter of my life.

Love,

Kiko