7 flights down, 3 to go. New York to LA to Brisbane to Cairns to Melbourne to Auckland to Wellington to Melbourne (and soon to Brisbane to LA to New York). Wow. These last few weeks have been chockablock with more time in the air than ever. I think I have well and truly proven my international playgirl status this month!

It has been such a wonderful and dizzying whirlwind that I can’t believe our trip down under is almost over! Our #babesdownunder tag has been going off, and you can see by looking at it that we’ve been having a grand old time.

Our (very) quick jaunt to Wellington was one of the highlights of this trip for me. The three of us stayed with my parents, who doted on us, brought us cups of tea and carefully-orchestrated snacks, and helped us stage elaborate Instagrams. It’s been two years since I last saw Mama and Papa Darling, and they are two of my favourite people on the whole planet.

On Tuesday, Kat, Shauna and I headed into the city for a spot of shopping. In addition to new dresses for all 3 of us (success!), that night I was able to catch up with several old friends, which was fantastic.

As I put the finishing touches on this post, we’re just about to head to day two of our last Blogcademy for 2013. And I have to say, getting the opportunity to meet 120 blogcadettes over the last couple of weeks has been magnificent. Sitting cross-legged on the floor during lunch yesterday, surrounded by sweet, excitable, positive babes, it couldn’t have been more clear to me that I have found my people.

When I was growing up in New Zealand, I always felt like such a freak, like I would never really meet anyone who truly got me. Thankfully the internet has proven me wrong. The world is absolutely full of people just like you, who love what you love. And, as Brittany said to me yesterday, when you put yourself out there, and when you are unabashedly yourself, you begin to attract those people to you.

J’adore… Corn cob chairs Big, comfortable beds Avocado and tomato on toast for breakfast Neon pink nails Late-night Big W shopping trips Glitter rose crowns Business planning over strawberries and ice-cream Honey, lemon and ginger drinks Actually, ginger everything: ginger beer, ginger ale, ginger chews, ginger crunch… The list goes on. I am a ginger addict! I think NZ/Australia feels the same way about ginger that Americans feel about peanut butter and pumpkin. Blogcadettes who bring branded snacks to class! Poking around weird little boutiques and exploring beautiful restaurants Raw vegan chocolate truffles Sitting cross-legged with blogcadettes, talking about life, the universe and everything Sequins on the floor Singing Return Of The Mack in restaurants Jamming out to Silverchair (hey, we are in Australia, after all) My oversized mohair cardigan (it’s getting a lot of wear on this trip) Street art all over Melbourne Striped long-sleeve t-shirts The definition of jouissance: The French feminist writer Hélène Cixous uses the term jouissance to describe a form of women’s pleasure or sexual rapture that combines mental, physical and spiritual aspects of female experience, bordering on mystical communion: “explosion, diffusion, effervescence, abundance…takes pleasure (jouit) in being limitless”

One thing we’ve been discovering over the past month is that Australia is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, I always knew it was a beautiful place, but I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes. As a Kiwi, you always grow up with the slightest bit of silly trans-Tasman rivalry, but I have to admit that Australia is exquisite.

We have seen the most glorious sunsets, lounged on palm tree-strewn beaches, splashed in the surf and flown over the Great Barrier Reef. It’s going to be a bit of a rude awakening to go back to NYC, where the first snow has already fallen, and the lows are regularly below freezing…

It’s very exciting for me to consider that the next Things I Love Thursday I post will come from New York City, though! As incredible as this trip has been, and as much as we will miss each other, all three of us are thrilled to be going home to our husbands, dogs and cats!

“No matter how bad it gets, I’m always grateful to know that I don’t have to stay with the negative.” (Maya Angeloui)

Much love,

Photos by Janneke Storm.