January 14, 2019

On Christmas day, we decided to check out Huka Falls, a popular waterfall. Popular is right. When it takes 45 minutes to find parking and there are tourists not respecting one's personal space, the Christmas cheer and excitement to see the waterfall gets deflated.

After visiting the waterfall, we stopped by a nearby Wild Bean Cafe inside a BP gas station. I ordered a berry smoothie from Celeste. She said that she made my smoothie not as thick because she noticed that I sounded a little congested.

While we were sitting inside the cafe, all I could notice was Celeste being cheerful, upbeat, and making customers and her coworkers feel the same. Even though she had to work on Christmas day she was cracking jokes and making people laugh. So I had to ask if I could take her photo. I'm glad she obliged.

She said, "I woke up today and I told myself that I'm going to own it."

She is one of my favorite people that I met during my stay in New Zealand. I hope Wild Bean Cafe makes her employee of the month and gives her a raise because she deserves it.