Making the best of NYE in NZ

Prelude

(“Ya know ma haffa prep yall wid da story before da story” Translation: You know I have to prep you folks with a story, before the story 😀)

New Years Eve in Antigua and Barbuda attempts to mimic that of NYE in NYC or Miami. As best as we can, under the Caribbean conditions of course.

We don’t do the ball drop or anything, but we have the big party, the countdown, the blow horns, the fancy dress up, the hats, the fire works and all the dazzle drazzle. Or at least we try.

Back home, there’s one major event that caters to the 18 – 35+ age range that MAJORITY of the island who goes out to celebrate would attend.

Some of the major benefits to this event are:

1. It’s all inclusive – Food & Drinks, all night. Everyone gets to drink champagne in their glasses whole time if they want to, and stuff their faces accordingly.
2. The music normally sell arff (Translation: “The music is normally really good”). The DJ line up has Antigua’s best DJs and there’s normally an international DJ flown in that adds that extra umph.

Have I attended this event every year since I was about 17? Yes.

Did I ever want to switch it up and do something different for a few years now? Yes

Did I ever do that when I was in Antigua? No.

Regardless of these facts, My friends and I would stroll into this event every year by 11,11/30pm and would stay until we were some of the last people there (strolling out by 5am, like if we name security).

By the end of the night, we would walk out with our heels in our hand, our feet sore as ever, and our hands strung around each other, as we gave each other a recap of the night in your ‘unsober’ state.

All in all, it was good times.

2018 in New Zealand was my first time doing something different for NYE.

Was it the same as back home? No.

Did I expect it to be? Kinda.

Did I have a good time though? Yes, yes, yes.

This is what you call, making the best of what you got. And thinking back to it, what I got was pretty awesome.

Story Time: NYE in NZ

As much as I wished it was, Auckland just wasn’t really the party party of cities. There were a handful of things happening for New Years Eve, but none were ma haffa go* type of events (T: “I have to go to”). You could spend lots of money to go to party and listen to music you didn’t like in one or two places or go on the warf area to watch the city fireworks from the tallest building with a few friends. Other than that, you had to make your own fun, which we did (of course).

In my last few months in NZ, I met a group of 3 people who were basically my spirit animals when it came to positive energy and good vybz all around.

This, added to my house crew of two limers* (T: People who are always down to hang out), no matter where we went, it always made for a great combination.

So for New Years Eve, we decided we’d all spend it together in our friends’ city apartment with a handful of other invited guests. We’d dress up (heels and all), bring a bottle and countdown to the New Year. We’d celebrate the experience of being in New Zealand for this momentous occasion, many of us celebrating it there for the first time.

On December 31st at around 10pm, about 12 of us (half of whom I did not know) dolled up, found ourselves in a comfy one bedroom city apartment and awaited the new year. We were 17 hrs ahead of anyone even dreaming about it back home.

This was the beginning of an epic night though, as it was better than I could’ve ever asked.

First of all, we had thee perfect view of the Auckland Sky Tower. It had its own light up countdown on it and everything. We could also see the fireworks they had from it from all angles. We had drinks and food – more than enough for our delight. AND we had our own music.

Did I mention the people who own the apartment are a Caribbean posse and have da vybz? So you KNOW it was soca and dancehall running ALL night. DJ Private Ryan mixes along with many others were on the ones and twos. What more could we want?

We danced, we mingled, we drank, we danced again and counted down to the new year that approached us – 2019. I felt proud of myself for sticking it out in NZ and doing something different. I felt grateful that I had these wonderful people to celebrate the new year with.

After more dancing and mingling, at about 3.30/4am (close to like home!) I left our mini new years eve vybzy party and headed home. I knocked out till sometime the same morning and basically chilled the rest of the day (and tried to recover from the night before). Funnily enough though, my late morning was when everyone back home in the Caribbean was getting ready to go out and ring in their new year 😅😃.

Although my NZ NYE experience wasn’t what I was used to – 1,500 people in a fete (where you practically know half of them cause your island is so small) etc. it was 100% worthwhile.

I felt as though I’d made the right decision. I switched it up, got out of my comfort zone and did something different for a change!

My NZ peeps and I, on the other side of the world, celebrating the beginning of a new year. An intimate gathering with those you value, just out here having a good time and enjoying life.

That alone was priceless.

Overall, it just goes to show, once you have the right people around you, you can have a fantastic time anywhere, anytime. It’s for you to make the best of it.

And that I did.

I wonder what NYE 2019 will bring? We gotta wait and see!

Yours Truly,

Global Gyal