Kia ora or Welcome and Greetings from New Zealand!
Well, I got back yesterday from a 4 day 3 night adventure on the northern part of the South Island, it was awesome! I took the blue-bridge ferry across last Wed afternoon and got back on Sat in the evening. The first night we spent in Picton, which is the port city where all the North Island Ferries load and unload. Picton is a very underrated city because only 4,000 people live there but it has many things to offer from mountain/seaside trails to good seafood and great white wines from the Marlborough region. We hiked the first day to some good lookout trails of Picton and the mountains surrounding it. We stayed in a neat hostel were we cooked dinner ( I had a bad steak, the beef is very different from what you get in the states) and rested up.
The next day it was on to Nelson by bus ( Nelson is the Sunshine capital of New Zealand) Where I hiked to the Center of New Zealand saw some sheep and got some great views of Nelson. Stayed in what seemed like a mix between a bed and breakfast and a hostel called the Honey Suckle house. I made some Mac n' cheese (that rocked if I might add ) and met some really cool folks from Australia, the UK, and California.
Third day I was off to the Abel Tasman which is said to be New Zealand's most beautiful park. (We will see about that, plenty more New Zealand to see!) It was a very cool place though, coastline filled with beaches and forests. I met some Canadians "EH" some Franchise and an Aussie. We took a water taxi up the coast to some trails on our way we saw some seals and many birds. When we landed we started a 2 hour walk that was littered with exotic trees, peaceful waterfalls and deserted beaches. Awesome place the Tasman and defiantly one I would visit again.
The whole trip was a blast and left me wanting to see more of New Zealand's South Island. To see the whole Island properly it would take at least a month. I will be going back whenever possible. I think the best part about the trip was meeting so many interesting people along my journey, many who had thoughts on U.S. policies, world issues, food, music, American culture and many other topics. I love to talk with people about their own countries and ours. Good or bad an opinion is a resource of conversation and conversation is the exchange of knowledge. I'm learning a lot so far and I haven't even started school!
To all those at the Cabin, tonight was the first night I really started to miss home. It sounds like it was a blast and you all can't wait to do it again next year! The skiing was good, the company sounded merry and the drinks were definitely flowing at the Rice cabin. All of you make that cabin my favorite place in the world and I can't wait to see you all at the 4th of July!
Miss and love my family, friends, Brothers, cabin and of course Ginty Rice.
Cheers from New Zealand until next time!
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