"I will not say 'do not weep,' for not all tears are evil." ~Gandalf

Hello friends, 

What better way to start off a blog than with presh lambs?

Minor disclaimer: as my internet is spotty and I don't always have lots of time to post, there may be a few minor spelling or grammatical errors. Though I edited the last two posts, this one may still contain a smattering. Feel free to let me know about errors, and I'll correct them as I get them.

Pretty water near Mount Manganui

A letter, associated with photos of some of my favorite places/moments...I'll caption them with where/what they are.

Sunrise on Hot Water Beach

Dearest New Zealand,

The first words I read about you when I found out I would be coming here were these: “New Zealand is young and impetuant, ready to rumble at any moment.”

Cathedral Cove

New Zealand, you are unruly and exciting. I've only been here five months, and two of your volcano have erupted in that time, and there have been countless earthquakes. The land “slips” (I love that phrase your Kiwis came up with. It's as if the land said “whoops!” and fell over.”) that pepper your mountains and countryside are common and excessive and dangerous.

Rainbow near Papamoa Beach

The rockslides are numerous. I have seen so many signs for falling rocks, watch for falling rocks, no stopping area, et cetera. It seems you aren't truly settled.

Rainbow on the way to Wellington from Napier

It makes sense. You have quite a few things going on here. Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Avatar, Narnia, and so many other movies were shot here. Though your population isn't huge, your Kiwis are proud.

Sunrise on East Cape

But New Zealand, this is where I'll chide you. Don't poof up your ego around strangers that your Kiwis are so spectacular. Don't send us here under false pretenses, thinking that all Kiwis are nice and friendly, and the nicest people in the world. It's not nice. Let's be honest. You have some nice people, and, like the rest of the world, you have some scum. Just be straight New Zealand. There's no reason to be proud or pompous with us. We're all flawed. People and countries alike.

Lake Waikeremoana

You are beautiful though. I sincerely mean that. I'm certain you've heard it before, so I won't elaborate, especially after reminding you not to be excessively proud.

Tongariro National Park

Your cities and towns are sweet for the most part. Though I don't believe Auckland is anything spectacular, and Queenstown doesn't feel like a part of New Zealand, many of them I like. The abundance of public toilets, and the signs to the public toilets, I appreciate immensely. 

Taking on the surf at Papamoa Beach

The creepy voices in the “fancy” public toilets creep me out though. Honestly if we have to touch something to open the door, just let us lock the door ourselves.

Sunset on 90 Mile Beach on my birthday

I am so happy to have eaten so much pie here. It is one thing I will attempt to replicate when I return home. Your pie is superb. Not everywhere, granted, but there are so many choices, and I so enjoyed it. The rest of your cuisine is fine as well...

Giant Sand Dunes, far North

Pavlova is yummy, and definitely something I'll attempt a few times in my lifetime, but I'm too much a fan of chocolate. I liked Pavolva though. It was as if I was eating a cloud. I love that.

Cape Reinga, where Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean

So New Zealand, thanks for the memories. Thanks for every blister I got on my feet (courtesy of Abel Tasman, Ben Lomond, desire for free wifi in Queenstown, and Routeburn) to remind me how great they are and how much I walked across you. I hope I stepped lightly. And I promise I didn't take that much sand, and it'll be up on a shelf when I get home to be admired by all.

All of the adorable bathroom people...

Thanks for all of the beautiful sunrises, and every breathtaking sunset, and especially for all of your beaches that brought me to my knees. I am so happy that I got to see so much of you, and that so much of you was so amazing to me. Especially that night out on the East Coast when the waves were incredible and huge and they looked so powerful. That was great.

View of beloved Wellington Harbor from Mount Victoria

And I'm glad you were kind enough to make Tim Tams be on sale so often so that I could buy some to bring home. I'll be doing Tim Tam slams with all of you in less than a month. (Mom, we'll go for a huge walk out on Piedmont Park, before going to Trader Joe's, then we can come home and do Tim Tam slams.)

Mount Taranaki, taken from a bus

And thank you, for, on my last day in New Zealand, opening up the heavens and letting me buy a few pie dishes for myself so that I can make pie when I get home.

Hiking Abel Tasman

New Zealand, thank you, more than anything, for making me so happy and excited about my own country. I can't wait to go home and explore it some more.

Abel Tasman National Park

I love you, I'll be seeing you,  

Near Christchurch

View from Remarkables Ski area, near Queenstown

Near Tasman Glacier, near Mount Cook

View from Ben Lomond, Mount Christina on the left

Key Summit of Routeburn 

It's been real New Zealand.
Thanks for reading my kiwi adventures all!
Now off to Auz.

"Don't be hasty..." ~Treebeard

Dearest Folks... 

I wrote this three days ago. I'm about to leave. My flight leaves in almost exactly one hour. Nevertheless, I have maintained what I wrote, so you get the essence of my words. It was an emotional time for me, and I'd still like to express that... 

Oh the haziness of Routeburn. I hiked starting at eight, and had a bus to pick me up at three. I stayed at the top for approximately three hours eating lunch and waiting for the view to improve. Which it did, in stages and so forth. The clouds moved around... etc...

I have, as of today, only two full days left in New Zealand. While part of me is sad by this fact, another part of me is relieved as I am a few days closer to coming home, and being reunited with my parents' fast, free (so to speak) unlimited internet.

Tonight, I am in Wanaka. I love Wanaka. The mountains on the lake are even prettier than the “Remarkables” in Queenstown. Or maybe I just really don't like Queenstown. True. However, I have found $4 internet for 24 hours of wireless. I find this truly remarkable. Did I mention that I love Wanaka?

WANAKA

I haven't actually purchased the internet. Tomorrow I'll be in Christchurch, where internet at McDonald's is free, and since I'll only be here a few hours, there isn't any point in paying for the 24 hours when I can only take advantage of a few.

Sunset in Wanaka!

Anyways. I'm stoked to be back, if only for a night. I'm going to make the most of it. And with that—off to the magical New World of fantastic reduced to clear prices, and then to climb Mount Iron, at 740 meters, hardly a mount, but I just don't have time for anything else.

In the last few days, I...

I also went back to Te Anau, so I could check out the Routeburn Track. Though I didn't have enough time to hike the entirety of the trail, I hiked to the Key Summit. However, it is not so titled because of its height, or its height in relation to the track. It was only 919 meters high. The hour and a half hike took me an hour, and I was ambling.

The Key Summit is so titled because it is the “key” to three major rives of the Southland: the Hollyford River, the Greenstone-Clutha river, and the Eglinton-Waiau River. The Hollyford flows out to the West Coast, the Eglinton Waiau flows out to the South Coast, and the Greenstone Clutha flows to the East Coast. Cool, huh? I found it quite fascinating, though the views of the Fiords weren't quite spectacular. They were nice though. I may have gotten a better view of Mount Christina.

It's quite shy though. I'm exceedingly amused that Mount Christina is shy, just like me. It stayed hidden in the clouds only making momentary appearances. But that was fine with me. When I return to New Zealand, universe willing, I shall hike to the top of Mount Christina.

The Routeburn track was interesting though. I ran into an elderly man putting gravel down on the track, and he asked if I was interested in plants. Curious, I said I liked them alright, but he didn't have anything more to share on the subject. We shared small talk, and I continued on my way.

I realized then, kneeling down to take a photo of some moss, that was why he asked if I liked plants. I kept stopping to take pictures of them. There was moss that resembled Spanish Moss, though it resembled a lilac in color, and had little black dots all over it. My camera couldn't do it justice.

It was so lush and fabulously green. Moss and growths (not the gross kind) covered many of the trees, and it was quite moist everywhere. It could have been a rainforest. It must be a fun hike, though I bet you get wet, since they get so much rain down there.

Before I return to this place though, I'll have to figure out a better way to get to all of these hikes. The track transports work in theory. But I couldn't help but think that my ticket alone would have paid for the gas of the bus. I am certain they are making 300% profits on us poor, helpless tourists.

It's sad, in a way. For all of the families with North Face jackets and macpac backpacks (no offense if you have them, they're good stuffs, fer shore.) and high quality everything, it's not. They have the money. But for the rest of us, you think you're doing a hike. You're camping. You're walking though National Parks. It's got to cheap. Right? No. It's not. Huts are $32, and camping is $16. That's per night, per person. Transport can cost anywhere from $35 one way to $60 one way. And you have to go two ways. That's pretty steep for roughing it.

We might as well go bungy jumping.

Water basically flowed off every area of this place. It was so wet.

Erneways. Today, I left Queenstown for good. How unfortunate. No, okay, that was sarcasm  I apologize. Sarcasm isn't transmitted well through written words, so I shouldn't mess around. Regardless, I am thrilled to be out of Queenstown, for not even my final experience was not positive one.

Lol congrats?

It's a short and annoying story regarding an incompetent little girl working at the YHA. I shan't bore you. Finally I made it to Wanaka, only three hours later than I'd hoped. In the Rough Guides New Zealand guidebook, as lent to me by my father, these words describe Queenstown: “In a way, Queenstown is a victim of its own popularity.”

I whole-heartedly agree.

Oh Wanaka, you shall be sorely missed.

Tomorrow I'll go on to Christchurch, where I'll spend my last two nights in New Zealand. I'm nervous to leave this place. Strange as it is, I've grown accustomed to whining about slow and spotty internet, figuring out how to avoid tourist spots, and hiking more than my legs want me to hike every day.

I feel like Henry Higgins when Eliza Dolittle left.

By the way! Let's play a game. I've never asked anything of you. I have a general idea of who's reading from who talks to me, but I just spoke to my home land (E.T. Phone home...), and found out someone is reading it whom I didn't expect.

And so, if you read this (and I'll assume you did), text me, message me, write on my facebook wall, mail a postcard to my house, email me, whatever with the following word and I'll bring you a treat the next time I see you. 

Peony.

I'll post one last time before I leave New Zealand.

Talk to you soon...

"I wish none of this had happened." ~Frodo

Hello all of you friendly faces!

I find myself today in immensely better spirits than the past few days. I'm enjoying Queenstown, so that's nice, but today, though I am completely exhausted, was nothing short of spectacular. I am not exaggerating here, folks.

Why do you ask was today so spectacular? Well I'll tell you.

People who have talked to me for longer than a few minutes know that in order to tell a story, I must first tell a back story. And so, my dear readers, here is the backstory. I hope you're on the edge of your seat, because we on the cusp of something incredible.

Legend of Lake Wakatipu. Maybe you can read it if you make the picture big. I don't have time to type it all up for you, sorrrrrrrry <3

Yesterday, I found myself in my hostel, in a kitchen swarmed with hungry people. I sat down with a book in the hopes that it would quiet down in a bit, but to my dismay, it did not. I left, went down to the waterfront, and ate other things.

But. And here's the important bit. Pay attention to this part. I'll highlight it. It's important.

While scanning Lonely Planet New Zealand, and Rough Guides New Zealand on the sections of places I've been, I spied upon a map the following beautiful words, accompanied by a triangle. (That means it's a mountain. Keep up.) Now HERE is the important part. Those words were:

“Mount Christina”

WHAT?! I did a double take. I read it again. I read it three times. I examined each character to ensure that I was reading it properly. I was.

“Mount Christina”

FINALLY I found something geographical that shares my name!!! I was exuberant. Ecstatic. Elated. I can't explain it. I've driven around a great part of this country. The last road trip, which spanned a large part of the South Island, raked in the numbers at just shy of 3,000 kilometers.

I have taken numerous photos of places and street names that share names with friends and family back home. Ask me when I get home. I bet your name is somewhere.

But mine? Haven't seen it yet. Let's see it again.

“Mount Christina”

Bliss.

Ben Lomond, 1750 meters approx.

And so, that is the backstory. Today is spectacular because I got to see Mount Christina! Not climb it. At 2,502 meters tall, it's certainly a respectable height.

And as far as location goes, it's quite a ways from where I am now. Furthermore, it's snowy on top of Mount Christina.

“Mount Christina”

Sorry. I'm just bathing in the beauty of this mountain that shares my name. Though technically, I'd imagine that I share its name, as I am only 21 years old, and I'm certain it's well into its years. As a mountain, I'm certain that it's quite a bit older than me. Wiser too. It looks pretty wise. What do you think?

Today, I climbed Ben Lomond. At 1,748 meters tall, and 11 kilometers and 1,400 meters ascent, it's a relatively high peak in the area. Guidebooks will tell you that the hike is 6-8 hours long, and the signs will tell you 8. We took 7 hours flat, including time for us to pick up some food at a dairy, eat the food and take photos at the top, and for me to walk back to my hostel.

I hiked with a Danish guy Esha and I met while traveling on the West Coast. Though I invited companions (him and his friends), I was concerned that I would have to move at their pace. This was a legitimate concern. He kept up a severely steady pace. In a way it was good though, as I likely would have meandered up the trail at a snail's pace. I tried my best to keep up with him, but still had to stop, every few minutes, especially as the trail got steeper.

He was incredibly sweet about it though. We kept up a steady chatter through eight or ninety percent of the hike, and I ended up being glad that I had a companion—other than the obvious safety in numbers. Danish men are so sweet. He's going bungy jumping tomorrow. He's pretty nervous, but determined to conquer his fear. I on the other hand, would just have to conquer my piggy bank.

It was a stupendous view at the top. A complete 360—this is why I now love climbing mountains, despite the sometimes pain going up and the blisters (two right now, but they've been teasing me since I walked the 17 kilometers to avoid having to pay for wireless) that sometimes appear when you're done.

I've posted photos of the Remarkables already, but I found them increasingly less remarkable as we reached higher altitudes. The mountains on the other side, once we reached Ben Lomond “saddle” were breathtaking. Snow covered, spanning all the way across our viewpoints, we each took many panoramas. I'm certain his camera is better than mine. Who's isn't?

At the peak, there was a strange device that let you look at mountains in particular. It aligned a little box up with labels, and then you looked through it to see the mountain.

There, I found Mount Christina.

And let me tell you. It is the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen. I stand by that. Lush, with sun gleaming off the snow covered peaks, it pointed up towards the sky like a perky little arrow. A few clouds hovered above it... it was so attractive that they couldn't keep away.

Understandably so. It's lovely and white and tall and proud. As it should be.

Today, folks, I am entirely at peace with where I am right now. Had I never been in Queenstown, I never would have wanted to avoid the hoards of people that frequent this tourist trap that resembles nothing else of New Zealand, and I never would have discovered that New Zealand houses my first geographical namesake.

And, had I never been desperately trying to avoid their jaw-dropping and heart-wrenching prices of activities, I never would have climbed to the free Ben Lomond summit, where I have now seen Mount Christina.

Thank you, Queenstown.
And goodbye.