Life's a Beach

From where I last left off, we were planning to head into Franz Josef Glacier township and spend a day or two there.  Turns out we instead drove right on through, seeing as how it was such a wonderful day!  The drive was fantastic - winding alongside mountains and dipping into sun-drenched valleys.

We finally stopped at another freedom camping site that was situated beside a little lake.  It was a quiet and uneventful night, and we slept well while the rain started to patter down on to the car roof.

We woke to more than a little rain, and hurridly packed up our car and continued on in to Arthur's Pass.  This road was again incredible, and the pass seemed to loom ahead of us as an isolated and eerie giant.  The day was still grey when we arrive in the tiny township, but we spotted a small bunk house that advertised $18 beds.  DONE!  It was a ramshackle little place, but the owner, Bill, was a kind-hearted man with some big opinions on NZ agriculture and pest control methods.

The next day we hiked up Avalanche Peak, which was probably one of the best day hikes I've even done.  The climb started out "Grouse Grind steep" and conitnued that way through the jungle.  After about an hour and 500 metres gained we reached the bush line and broke out into the open air.  We then began to ascend steeply again, picking our way amongst loose rocks and grassy slopes.

 Avalanche Peak loomed daunting in the distance, and the trail looked to become even more challenging.  After about another hour we reached a trail junction, one that indicated we were getting close.  The last past of the climb was along a very spiny and narrow ridge, buffeted by mist and wind.  I have to admit that my heart was pounding a bit, and I wish I could say it was from the exertion of climbing.  On either side of us lay steep slopes of scree, punctuated by jagged rock formations.  We climbed over and between boulder settlements, trying not to look down.

 Finally we reached the summit of Avalanche Peak, which was big enough for about 6 people to sit upon.  The effort was well worth the reward, as mountains were perched around us in every direction.  The wind continued to howl however, and with it came the passing of clouds around us.  Every once in awhile we were rewarded with astounding views of Crow Glacier, which sat directly to the North.

After our hike we trod back to The Sanctuary (our bunkhouse) for some much deserved relaxation.  The next day dawned much as Bill had promised us,  "Quite shitty."  We packed up Kiwi the Car and headed back to the West Coast.  We stopped in Greymouth for a couple hours to treat ourseleves to a milkshake and a wet walk along the rocky beach.  We then continued onwards to Punakaiki to look for accomodation.   Imagine our surprise when we found a campsite that charges only $45 for a cabin.  Seems silly that most hostels charge around $50-60 a night for dorm rooms.  Anyways, it was too good to pass up, and we decided to stay for two nights.  Punakaiki is situated right on the edge of the coast, and the waves are ever roaring and thrashing.  The surfing is apparently amazing, but the swimming is said to be life-threatening.  Not surprising considering the encounter I had...

We had dressed warmly for the misty day, and had planned to spend some time exploring the Punakaiki caverns and packcake rocks.  We parked at a tiny viewpoint, and before embarking on our adventure, we ambled down to stand on a huge rock that was resting among the torrid waves.  At one point I said, "I'm going to go a little closer and tempt fate."  Until that point, none of the waves had crashed high up enough to soak the rock upon which we stood.  Apparently Mother Nature overheard me and had decided that somewhere along my travels I had wronged her.  A MASSIVE wave rose up and crashed down onto me, leaving me completely drenched.  It looked and felt as if I had dove into a pool fully clothed. 

Well know this Mother Nature.  Revenge is a dish best served cold and I will have my vengeance.  Hrrumph.  (Tempting fate again and this time she probably has a lightening bolt reserved for me.)

Thankfully we were close enough to the campground to drive back and change.  Within 15 mins we were back at our viewpoint parking lot (with me now carefully avoiding the crashing waves) and trekking up the road to the caverns.  I was able to perfect my Golum impression (Lord of the Rings reference for those of you who don't know what Golum is) deep within the caves.  They went back for several hundred feet, and we even managed to spot several glow worms.  We were the only ones in the cave, and when we turned off our headlamps for a few brief moments, it was a beyond creepy feeling.  Imagine standing in utter darkness, hearing only the sounds of dripping water echoing around you.  It definitely leads the imagination on a monster-filled expedition.





After clammering out of the caves, we walked over to the Pancake Rocks.  These formationss have been formed over millions of years, and have built sediments up to form rocks that look like stacks of the tasty breakfast food.  Complete with geyser-like blowholes and surge pools, the experience was one that will not be soon forgotten.

After our outdoor escapades... I AM GOING TO SMUSH THIS DAMN SANDFLY THAT KEEPS PESTERING ME!!!



                    *                         *                             *


(Wiping crushed sandfly goo on my pants)  Where was I?  Afterwards, I wanted to rest for a bit, and I enjoyed some time reading my book.  Normally my trashy romance novels seem so adventurous and exotic, but now I just can't help thinking, "Really?  Your run-ins with bandits and highway-men just don't seem as daring and exciting as my New Zealand times!"

The early evening was spent walking along a beach that seemed to strech forever.  Off in the distance I could seem a looming rock formation, and after about half an hour we reached it. 

It jutted up out of the sea, laughing as the waves futilely crashed around its base.  We reached our temporary home base just in time, as the wind decided to scream and the rain once again made itself known. 

Today is looking to be a mild day with breaks of sun.  We are planning on doing a short overnight hike called the Inland Pack Track.  It involves some bigger river crossings and boasts some neat caves apparently.  The destination is called "The Ballroom," which is one of NZ's biggest rock bivvies.

More to come!

Miss everyone back home!  Much love!
xoxox
Courtney

New Zealand Fact of the Day:  For such a green and eco-concious country, NZ sure has some strange methods of pest control.  (Pests being rodents, red deer, etc) Every so often they spray entire forests with a chemical called "1080."  Apparently it kills everything it touches, including vegetation.  There is a huge movement against it. (Rightfully so!) 

Don't Cry Because it's Over. Smile Because it Happened

So much has happened since I was last able to plop down in front of a computer!

First, I am now the owner of a 95 Subaru Legacy!  Her name is Kiwi and so far she has been a faithful companion and travel buddy!  It was a bit of cash, but I'm finding it so much more refreshing to plan my own itinerary based on what I want to do instead of planning around bus routes.  I'm going to get too used to driving on the left side of the road now though!

Milford Sound was beautiful as expected, but of course it poured buckets the evening we arrived until the next when day we left.  The drive into the small village though is beautiful, and we even got to drive through a tunnel that is over 1km long and slopes downwards. 

After Milford we headed into Queenstown, where I had originally planned on just staying for just one night.  It turns out that this beautiful little town is just as addictive as everyone says it is.  I ended up going skydiving, and it was a glorious day!  The weather couldn't have been more perfect and my dive instructor, Wes, was awesome.  Kiwis are amazing people - so friendly and charismatic!  As for the actual skydiving though - it's very hard to explain the feeling.  I wasn't nervous in the slightest, and was even surprised to find that my heart wasn't pounding out a dizzy jig.  Truthfully, I couldn't wait to fall out of that plane.  After a ten minute instructional talk, we headed up into the plane, where we sat in a specific order with our individual instructors.  Then once we hit the proper altitude, we fell out of the plane one by one!  Basically your partner has you hang out of the plane, while his feet are inside.  Then, he launches you in a somersault out into the sky.  You briefly fall at a speed of 400km/hour until they release the drogue shoot, which slows you to a speed of (only!) 200km/hour.  You free fall through the air for 25 second, hollering with pure joy until the main shoot is pulled.  From there you have about 5-7 mins of gliding back to the ground.  Once back in the van, they warned us that some people may feel sick on the drive home - an after-effect of the dive.  Wouldn't you know it, the guy RIGHT behind me grabs one of the barf bags being handed out.  Turns out his girlfriend ended up vomiting instead.  Phew!

After skydiving we went on a short hike up a nearby mountain and then went back to the car with the intention of freshening up.  It was St. Patty's day, and we figured we deserved at least just a beer.  After a jug of "Pimms" (an AMAZING drink filled with slices of fresh fruit) we decided to switch to cocktails.  Well it turns out that every drink in New Zealand is automatically a double, and the night ended up relocating to a local bar called Altitudes.  I met a cool bartender named Morgan, and he eventually signed my New Zealand flag for me, adding on a drink recipe for good measure.  One thing seems true for every country - us young adult hooligans always end up at McDonalds after one too many. 

The next day I put my foot down and drove us out of Queenstown.  It's waaaay too hard not to spend money there!  We took a beautiful drive through Mt. Aspiring National Park, and along the way enjoyed many short stops at various scenic attractions.  One such walk was called the "Blue Pools," and it was really just that.  About one km down a path there is a bridge that crosses over a river that contains some extremely beautiful blue patches of water.  Surrounding the area is a spit of land on which people have built hundreds of cairns.  (Small rock statues)  It was insane how many of the little buildings there were. 

 

It was starting to rain pretty heavily by this point so we decided to high tail it back to the car and continue on our drive.  We arrived in Fox Glacier around 6pm, and decided that we really needed to charge our electronics.  Since we're cheap and stingy, we sat in a cafe for several hours, sharing one scone while letting our devices charge.  We camped out at a freedom site called Gillispie Beach, and fell asleep listening to the crash of the surf.

The next morning we set out to embark on another hike called the Copland Walk.  It is a long 17km trudge through mostly jungle, and you spend most of the time picking your way through rocks and roots.  It does have some beautiful areas though in which you amble alongside a turquoise river.  Some of the river crossings are extremely impressive, with cable bridges that feel unsafe, but are none-the-less incredible. 5 hours later we reached Welcome Flat Hut, which was built in 1986.  The building itself is beautiful with some strange outdoor flush toilets.  (Don't ask me how they have flush toilets up in the boonies!) 

The highlight of the hut...

NATURAL HOT SPRINGS! 

Turns out there is an active lava bed nearby, and it heats the water.  The source is a bubbling mass of turbulent water in a natural red rock bowl.  Then it flows down a tiny little crack to another pool, where the water is just cooler than your average hot tub.  We spent a few hours in the pool with several other people, watching the sun set and gazing at the stars.  We even met a talkative couple from New York who also signed our flag.

The walk out was uneventful but still enjoyable.  We camped again at the free campsite and woke up to another spectacular morning.  We then walked up to the foot of Fox Glacier, which reminded me of the Columbia Icefields in spite of this glacier being much less impressive.

The plan today is to head out to Franz Joseph Glacier, and spend the day restocking our food, (and maybe crying a little over the prices) and preparing for more hikes.

New Zealand Fact of the Day:  Bumble Bees here are the size of small elephants. 

Tramping Ain't Easy

Well here I am again for yet another post. Much has happened in the last few days since I've been able to write. When I last left you I was sitting on the bus, waiting to finally arrive in Te Anau. (Tee-a-now) We entered the town a tad early (apparently all the bus driver's griping was for nothing)to a mild evening. We had arranged to stay at the YHA Hostel, which ended up being a blessed few blocks walk away.

The hostel was as many YHA hostels are - clean, bright and beautiful. We were booked into a 6 bunk dorm room, and like the rest of the facility, it was very nice. My only complaint was the washroom situation. This hostel is HUGE. It has over 36 rooms, many of which are dorms, which means there can easily be over 100 people staying in this place at once. For our floor, which had probably 10 rooms, there were two bathrooms. One male and one female. So for those of you who ever had to wait for your brother or sister who was "taking forever in the shower," you can stop complaining right now. Try wrestling your way into a spot for the shower at a place like this!

After a much needed rest at the YHA, we got up somewhat early to pack and plan for the Kepler Track walk. The morning was filled with glorious sunshine, and I was feeling eager to begin the journey. The walk began with a 4km walk from Te Anau, all the way to the lake control gates. (a small water dam) From there it was a short 3.5 km walk to our first campsite of the hike, Brod Bay. It was a beautiful little spot, with campsites situated all along a fine white sand beach. The sandflies left much to be desired however, and a local family ended up giving us their insect repellent. I was extremely grateful. Bedtime came early that night, as we had a long day awaiting us in the morning.

Once again, Mother Nature was at her finest, and the day bloomed warm and clear. Our hike began with 10km of steep switchbacks through the jungle. I originally donned light gloves and long pants for the start of the trek, but after about one km I was stopping to peel them off. Within a couple hours we found ourselves stopping along a magnificent set of towering limestone bluffs to grab a well deserved apple and "muesli bar." (Granola bar) Within another hour we broke free of the imposing trees and found ourselves out in the wonderous alpine. From here we could see the town of Te Anau, along with Lake Manapouri and various mountain ranges. Luxmore hut was another 45 mins beyond that, and it was a welcome sight for us when it finally popped up from behind a hill. To clarify, what the DOC calls "huts" is vastly misleading. I would say that "estate" is a better descriptor for these buildings. They come equipped with 4 indoor flush toilets, and a kitchen that would have Gordon Ramsey prancing like a school girl.

From the hut it was a 10 min sidetrip to visit Luxmore Cave, one of many in the area. It was a cold descent down into the massive black tunnel, and I have to admit, I was freaked out. I couldn't help but hum a tune from one of my favorite childhood horror shows called, "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" I most certainly was while trudging through the endless black with only a headlamp.

After a half hour detour into the caves, we emerged somewhat dreading our next leg of the trip. We weren't actually staying in Luxmore hut, which meant we now had to cross the saddle of the Luxmore Ridge and descend into the valley below before reaching our campsite. A daunting additional 14.6km was still awaiting us. It seemed that the Kepler Track was not going to show us any mercy, and we immediately started climbing. The rocky path twisted and turned up the side of Mt. Luxmore until we finally reached an emergency shelter known as "Forest Burn Shelter." Nestled in the crook of two mountains, it might have looked isolated and vulnerable, but to us it was a sign from heaven and a good spot to rest for a short spell. There was also a outhouse which I dubbed "pooper at the edge of the world," as it was literally perched on the brink of a cliff, held fast by two cables. It looked as if one solid kick (or an explosive bowel movement) would sent it careening over the edge at any moment.

Moving onwards from the shelter brought us to what is probably one of the most amazing sights of my life. We could see the path snakeing along the ridges for miles and miles, and even though I've never been to the Great Wall of China, it's much how I imagine this looked. The sun continued to burn down, and after another stop to rub in some sunscreen, we continued along the spectacular ridge. We finally began our descent off of the ridge, and proceeded to endure switchbacks that seem to last a lifetime. When Iris Burn Hut and campsite finally came into view amongst the jungle flora, I actually gasped with relief. It was the end to a very long but very rewarding day.We set us camp in a field, surrounded by towering mountains, looking up at the ridge we had just conquered. The sandflies once again swarmed us, eager for a warm drink, but the tent did its job in thwarting them. Exhausted and sore, sleep once again came early.

Saturday morning came somewhat cooler and overcast, which was a welcome relief to me, as I discovered I had a large sunburn. Great. Anyways, this portion of the hike was to be 16.2 km, which ended up taking us 3.5 hours. We trudged through the "Big Slip," which was a great landslide in 1984. Along that slip we encounted several curious Kea birds, the only non-tropical parrots in the world. They screeched and swooped among us, putting on a quite a show, and even landed right in front of me, waddling in my direction.

Early in the afternoon we reached Shallow Bay Hut and campsite, a little known spot for trampers and fishers. We were the first to arrive, and we rejoiced at the hut having a hearth and 6 bunks with mattresses. A duo of young men arrived about an hour later, and we discovered they were from Victoria. They informed us that a passing warden had recommended tenting at Shallow Bay, as the mosquitos inside the hut were known to be the devil incarnate. (I should have guessed this was the case seeing as how the walls were a virtual canvas of smeared insect blood and bodies.) We opted to try and outsmart the pesky insects by burning a fire all night, but the crackling wood only last so long. By the middle of the night I was huddled in my sweaty sleeping bag, desperately seeking refuge from the high pitched buzzing. Needless to say, at the first light of morning I was hastily packing my gear and vacating Shallow Bay.

It was still another 15.5km to the control gates, and the rain was lightly sprinkling down upon us. The time passed by quickly, with much conversation to distract us from the growing aches in our feet and muscles. Finally the dam came into view, and we rejoiced at our first walk completed. We still had yet another 4km walk into the edge of town however, and roughly 2 km beyond that to the YHA. An hour later we dragged weary, muddy bodies into the lobby of the hostel. We hadn't booked accomodation with them for that night however, as we had figured that due to its size we'd have no problem walking in. The conversation that followed went something like this:

Courtney with a big smile: "Hello! Do you have any space in the dorms tonight?"

YHA worker with a stoic face: "We don't have any space in the dorms left."

Courtney with a somewhat fading smile: "Ooook... how much are the private rooms?"

YHA worker with the same stoic face: "$100 dollars for a night."

Courtney turning around so the worker can't see the snarl curling her lips: (Under her breath) "Well @&#$ that's just perfect." (Turning back around with her fake smile again) "Ok well I'm just going to go think about it in the lobby for a moment."

YHA worker still with his annoyingly stoic face: "Alright."

Courtney now in hurt-someone-mode: "Let's get the hell out of here."

We ended up hobbling back to another hostel we had looked at online, "Lakeside Backpackers Hostel," part of the BBH (budget backpackers hostels) chain. It was a couple dollars more expensive, but am I ever glad I came here. This is my favorite hostel so far. The dorm we were assigned was the Hollyford Room, and it was spotless and wonderful, with only four bunks. Furthermore, it had it's own private bathroom and was situated right on the edge of the beautiful back garden. Needless to say, I've booked us in for another night.

So this day has consisted of catching up on emails and planning for the next leg of the trip. It's been a much needed day of recovery, and I fully intend on being fat and lazy for the remainder of this somewhat cloudy day.

Much love and hugs to all back home in Canuck Land.
Courtney
xoxox

PS - I can't post pictures on this blog as of yet but I will find a way. I will upload photos to Facebook sometime soon!

PPS - I am too lazy to check for grammatical and spelling errors right now!

New Zealand fact of the day: Smarties are called "Pebbles" here

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

Well as you may have already guessed, the last blog I posted actually occurred a couple of days before I posted it. It's harder than one would guess to aquire internet down here, especially if you're looking for the free or cheap variety.

Anyways, much transiting has occurred since my last update. As expected, the ferry ride was absolutely beautiful, and it turned out to be a gorgeous 25 degrees day. The ship itself was nothing spectacular, but us passengers were blessed with many fantastic sights along the cruise. Besides the scenery, we were extremely fortunate to witness dolphins jumping and playing alongside the bow of the boat.

The Arahura docked in the small seaside town of Picton right on time, and we were immediately presented with a setting so quaint and quiet you'd think it was straight out of a novel. A small marina housed several sitting boats at the far end of the bay, while towering palm trees graced the beach seawall. Ducks waddled after us while quacking hungrily for leftovers, and brilliant flowers bloomed in every corner of dirt.

Picton Lodge Backpackers was easy enough to find, as all the hostels in this small town are situated only minutes from the ferry terminal. The hostel was much as you'd expect - small, quiet and run by an old lady with a yappy poodle named Fifi. (Better known as "Lamb" by the hostel drunk.) Our room was a 7 bed dorm, and it was a full house at night. After a much needed dinner, we embarked on a 10km trek up to Waikamo Bay. It was a beautiful evening, and the noisy bugs were in full swing. These insects are unlike anything you've ever heard.

We boarded another bus the next morning, and by 9:45am it was already shaping up to be another fantastic day. The drive to Christchurch was unlike any road I've ever traveled. People are right when they say that NZ is extremely diverse in its landscapes. The road ranged from coastal cliffside beauty, to winding jungle s-bends. Closer in to Christchurch the landscape began to look strikingly similar to that of Kamloops. Wineries dotted the countryside, and the temperature rose even higher.

After arriving in Christchurch we decided that we would walk to our hostel. After all, it was a glorious day outside, and accommodation was only about eight blocks away. First lesson of the trip: always anticipate that the city blocks will be much larger than the ones you are used to. It took us close to an hour to reach the hostel, and we were sweaty and starving upon finally reaching it. By comparison, the Avon City Backpackers was probably one of the worst hostels I've stayed at. The kitchen was barely big enough for one person to work in, and the lack of available cooking tools was extremely frustrating. The "tent site" portion of the hostel was literally just wherever you could fit your tent in the backyard. The female washroom was nice however, even though it had absolutely no outlets. Thankfully, the hostel was close to several main stores, including Countdown and The Warehouse. (which are the Canadian equivalents to Save-On Foods and Walmart)

Countdown served as an ideal place to grab food for the upcoming Kepler Track, and we later pinched free wi-if from the nearby McDonalds. Then it was off to bed, as we had an early bus to catch the next morning. 5:45am dawned early, and it was an entertaining challenge packing up the site in the dark while trying to be quiet. We were on the city transit by 7am, hoping to catch another bus from the exchange that would take us to the actual Intercity (Greyhound) bus terminal. Second trip lesson: assume that the bus exchange will have close to a million buses running out of it and it will not be apparent which one to take. By the time we finally found someone to point us in the right direction, we were in danger of missing our coach, and all the city was buses had departed. We ended up calling a cab, and then Intercity to let them know we were running late. The woman on the phone apologetically told us that they could not hold the bus for us, but that if our cab could get us there on time, there was another stop we could catch. Thankfully, the taxi arrived shortly afterwards, and she raced us to our destination. I felt a soaring sense of relief and elation when we saw another young man waiting for the same bus. It arrived 5 minutes later, and the driver went on to reprimand us about how he had wasted time waiting for us at the other terminal. I told him that Intercity had directed us to this stop, and he continued to grumble about "how lucky we were that another person had been booked in for pick-up at this location." At that point I just decided to shrug it off and board the bus, leaving him still griping at the luggage dock. I settled into the seat, thanking karma for our good fortune.

The bus driver continued to hint at the time delays over the intercom in his welcome announcement, but I was so content that I couldn't even be bothered by it. He finally quit complaining and then launched into a full tour guide explanation of our surroundings, weather patterns and local farming methods. It was neat to hear a bit about the local landscapes.

So now here I sit on what is hopefully the last bus for quite some time. The coach should arrive in Te Anau around 7pm tonight, where I'm looking forward to getting my hiking gear in order. Tomorrow is the much anticipated Kepler Track! I imagine I'll have tons to write about after the completing it. In the meantime, I thought I'd sign off with some interesting things I have learned so far in New Zealand.

1. Being a pedestrian means to risk becoming an endangered species. There are very few crosswalks, and even then drivers rarely yield to you. It's somewhat frightening!

2. Speeding is taken very seriously. Back in Canada a driver can drive comfortably up to almost 20km beyond the speed limit without much fear of a ticket. Here in NZ, there is a mere 4km/hr tolerance above the legal limit.

3. It is waaaaaay harder than you'd think to get used to having traffic on the left side of the street. You soon realize that the probably of becoming tourist soup is extremely high when you're looking the wrong way down the road.

4. None of the coaches here have washrooms onboard. It's the shits.

Anchors Away!

The dream is now officially a reality! To be honest, I was dreading the whole ordeal of getting to New Zealand, but apparently karma was on my side. My first pleasant surprise came when checking my luggage in at the YVR. I had two massive bags, and was planning to face extra baggage fees of up to $80. Instead, I only had to pay $10. Wooohoooo! The flight left right on time, and even arrived in Los Angeles early. The 6 hour layover left something to be desired, but once again the departing flight was right on time. The only scare came upon us when we realized that a rather large man (and when I say large, I'm being politically correct) had been seated next to us. Not only was he overflowing into the adjoining seats, but he had what was potentially the worst body odor ever. To make matters worse, his breath smelled as if an old hot dog had lodged itself in his teeth and then rotted there for the last decade. Thankfully he was moved to a "more comfortable seat" about an hour later. (Thank goodness!!!) After an 11 hour flight to Fiji, I was feeling refreshed and excited. (I slept extremely well!) At 5am local time, it was a humid 25 degrees in the islands. Glorious!!! Another layover in the beautiful tropic land proved somewhat boring, but once again the flight departed without any hitches and arrived early in Auckland.

Prior to departing, I had read several bad reviews concerning the Air Pacific Airlines. Reviewers seemed to have absolutely nothing good to say about their fights. They complained about the food, the service and most of all about the lengthy delays they always seemed to experience. Needless to say, I was feeling a tad bit paranoid. After traveling with Air Pacific, I can honestly say that they are an excellent airline. Apparently I'm either very easy to please, or people just have ridiculous expectations. Not only were all of our fights on time, but the flight attendants were great. I found the meals to be not only delightful, but surprisingly filling. To top it off, alcohol is free on the flights, and they don't seem to know the meaning of "singles." A rum and coke turned to be "tons of rum with a splash of coke."

New Zealand finally made itself visible through the clouds, and a beautiful rainbow greeted weary travellers. Thankfully, the airport process was very simple, which was greatly welcomed after such a long journey. The declarations lineup was a bit crazy, but within 20 mins we were at the front of the line. They inspected our hiking boots and the tent, and after finding them to be acceptable, they sent us on our way. The officials didn't even ask to see proof of a visa or funds. All that stress for nothing!

By this point there was a full on wind storm raging outside , but nonetheless it was wonderfully warm. After catching a bus from the airport, I was greeted by my friend Angela at the Oaklands Lodge hostel. Once booked into a (free!) twin room, Angela and her sister Dawne took us for a celebratory sushi dinner. We then went to the grocery store to pick up some essentials. Food, fruit and alcohol are all very expensive. However, their sales seem to be much more of an actual bargain than back home. We managed to snag around three days worth of food for less than $20. (mostly because I'm a crazy cheapo bargain hunter! )

We trekked up Mt. Eden that night and the view of the city was gorgeous. The wind was still howling fiercely though and it made for a rather short visit. We climbed it again the next day, and it couldn't have been more perfect. As Mt. Eden is an old volcano, there is a magnificent crater right at its summit. Many trails and paths wind their way up its slopes, and once at the top, the rolling hills and mounds take ones breath away. In fact, Auckland seems to be riddled with similar peaks of extinct volcanoes. You can see them littering the land in and around the city for miles. (Sounds inviting, doesn't it Chelsey?)

After descending, I decided to make some lunch and eat outside in the backyard. It was about 25 degrees yesterday with clear sky, and I'm both ashamed and proud to say that I have a mild sunburn. We then took another walk down the beautiful rolling streets of our neighborhood. The houses here are beautiful - older but with stunning wooden detailing and designs. Soon it was time to head to the bus terminal, and Angela and Dawne were generous enough to offer a lift. We caught the overnight bus to Wellington and arrived an hour ahead of schedule. We were pretty stoked about this, especially when the coach driver offered us a free lift to the ferry terminal. It would have been about a 40 min walk otherwise. However, it also mean that at 5:50am, the ferry terminal was still closed. Thankfully, it opened promptly at 6:30am, and we've been waiting here since for our 10:25 ferry. It's a bit of wait, but I'd rather get here early (and feast on our loaf of bread and sweaty cheese) than risk missing our transit. Anyways, it's now about an hour until boarding, and it looks to be another gorgeous day. It's almost 9am and already it's about 15 degrees and sunny out. I'm excited for the ferry ride, as it's rumored to be one of the most beautiful in the world. I'll sure to post an update as soon as sketchy internet allows! Much love to everyone back home. Xoxoxoxo <3 <3 <3