Back in the states but still not home.

Hello from L.A. You read that right, L.A.

I did arrive safely back the states today but

unfortunately too late to catch my connecting flight.

Quantas was having a technical difficulty, which meant

a late departure from Auckland. Lucky for me, they made

up for this inconvience by putting me up in the Hilton

and providing me food coupons. So I guess I wasn't

meant to come home just yet.

I am updating this blog from the Apple store in Santa Monica.

It's the only place with free internet access. I took the #3 bus

(20 minutes and a .75 cent ride) to have a look around and find

a book store. I was watching Oprah today and she was featuring

Eckhart Tolle's new book "A New Earth" in her book club.

(Another interesting side note about this topic is that she and Eckhart

are teaming up on March 3rd to create a worldwide on-line classroom

around the book. Go to her site for more info or to sign up). I needed

more reading material for the rest of my journey home and really loved

his previous book "The Power of Now". My flight (hopefully) leaves L.A. at 8 am tomorrow,

arriving in Tampa around 5:30 pm. I am looking forward to seeing everyone once I have had

a chance to get over my jet lag. L.A. is an interesting place to begin my transition back into American

culture. I do believe it is the exact polar opposite of New Zealand, so my

head is spinning a bit. I'm doing my best to flow with the "different"

energy of this place and working to find the higher purpose/meaning

of my layover here since I would not have 'chosen' this myself.

The drastic contrast in these two realities makes me appreciate even more

how special New Zealand really is. I already miss it very much and will be

planning my return very soon. If anyone has to chance to visit this magical

land, do not hesitate, just get on the plane and GO!

Two more days until my flight home.

I knew this day would come eventually, when I would
be blogging about my return to the states. I have exactly
two more days in NZ and so I am just making the most
of each moment I have left in this beautiful country.

I finally made it to Akaroa a.ka. Banks Pennisula
(about an hours drive south of christchurch) and I finally
have my own wheels which is a nice for a change.
I love having the freedom to go where I want to go, when I want to go
and it's fun to pay back some of the rides I caught during my month long adventure.

Akaroa is as beautiful and chilled out as I thought it would be
so it's been a great place to rest and reflect before my journey home.
I will try to update pics in the next couple of days so you can see
how magical this place is with your own eyes.

Tomorrow I am taking an early boat out to go see the Hector dolphins
that live in this area. The next day I think I will go for a nice hike
and a swim at the beach and then it's off to the airport.

Much thanks to Joseph for agreeing to pick me up from the airport.
I'll pay you back with a great bottle of NZ pinot my friend. And Shannon
and Roy get ready for your bottle as well.

Looking forward to seeing all the wonderful people in my life back home.
I have missed you all and look forward to reconnecting. Until then......

Back from Doubtful Fiord

Just a quick to say I am back from my kayaking trip
and will write more about it once I've had a rest
and some time to reflect on the experience.

The pics are up though and ready for viewing so enjoy
those in the meantime.

Today is January 20th and I only have 10 more days in
New Zealand so I am spending today just sorting out
how I want to spend the rest of my time.

May do the Kepler Track tomorrow which would mean about
3-4 days in the back country, so I may be off-line again
for awhile.

Eventually, I need to start to head North again to Mt. Cook
and then over to the Banks Peninsula, then home on the 30th
from Christchurch.

Depart in 6 hours for Doubtful Sound

It's 11:30 pm and I just finished getting all of my gear and food sorted
for my two day kayak/camping trip in Doubtful Sound. I really wasn't
planning on being up this late before the trip but there were quite
a few details to get sorted.

The YHA in Te Anau where I am staying in going to store my gear for me
while I'm away. They also have wi-fi so I am using this opportunity
to update my blog and load some new pics of the Milford sound trip.

My day starts with an early 6:20am pickup. Then a quick boat ride
across the lake and a drive to our put-in spot. I figure we'll get on
the water by 9:30 or 10am. We had our pre-trip meeting today at 5pm and it
seems like a good group of people (about 7 of us). The weather is suppose
to cooperate and two whole days of sunshine is predicted, which is unheard of
in this part of the world. So keep your fingers crossed and send those sunny
florida vibes my way!

This particular trip is a budget breaker but it's completely worth the cost
to have this unique experience. I figure I would pay the same amount to
jump out of a plane and it would be over in about 15 minutes. But with this
trip I will get about 48 hours of enjoyment. A much better deal in my mind.

I'll get back on Saturday evening and stay for another night at the YHA.
After that I really don't have a set plan. The first half of my trip was
so rushed and mapped out that now I just feel like going with the flow.
Ideally I would like to meet up and travel around with my Israel friends
(who have since bought a sweet campervan) but those boys are free spirits so it might not happen. If that's the case, then I think I'll start to head north to Mt. Cook so I can get in some good hiking. My feet should be good to go by then!

It's midnight and way past my bedtime so I'll just say "goodnight".

Only got two days in Wanaka

I'm sad to report that I had to leave Wanaka early
due to massive blisters on the soles of my feet.
These were gained from a two hour barefoot ultimate match,
where against my better judgement I decided to play without
shoes. Definitely made the wrong play and am now paying the price.

Since hiking is now out of the question for atleast a week,
I decided to keep heading south to Fiordland, where I can get
off my feet and onto my ass for some kayaking. Hopefully by the
time I head north again to Mt. Cook, I'll be good to go and a
little wiser as a result of the experience.

I'll do a day trip in Milford Sound on Wednesday
and a two day kayak/camping trip on Friday/Saturday.
Hopefully the weather will hold and I'll actually
get to paddle in some sunshine!

Will try to get the lastest pics updated once I
get to Te Anau. And I finally added all the Abel
Tasman pics from my cannon that decided to finally work again.
Anyone need a new Kodak digital camera, sell it to you for
cheap?! :)

Franz and Fox Glacier...

Much gratitude to Bonnie and Steve from Tasmania, who
offered me a ride from Hokitika to Fox Glacier. Their kindness allowed
me to see not one but two glaciers on this trip as well as the Hokitika Gorge.
It was a treat to get off the tourists bus and see the NZ countryside with good people in a tiny, red rental car. Thanks for making room for me and sharing your biscuits!!

I shared a dorm at Ivory Towers (the only hostel in town) with some nice girls.
Amy was from Ireland and Natalie was from England. Turns out that Natalie and I
were booked on the same full day tour of the glacier, so we were able to share that
experience together.

Words really can't do justice to what it's like being on a massive glacier so I am not even going to try. Simply put, it's amazing and something everyone should experience at some point in their life. Despite being a bit cold at times and a little damp throughout the day,I definitely want to spend more time mountaineering and exploring glaciers in the future.I've never seen or experienced anything like it before in my life. Just AWESOME!

Left Fox this morning and arrived in Wanaka (outside of Queenstown). I am couch surfing here for a few days with a couple of american guys (Ross and Steve). This place reminds me a lot of Jackson Hole so already I'm a happy camper! I hope to get in some amazing hikes and some QT in nature.

On my way to Fox Glacier

I'm leaving Hokitika today with a couple from Tasmania who were
kind enough to offer me a ride to Fox Glacier.

I took the plunge and bought a new camera for the last leg of my
journey so new pics should be forth coming.

On Saturday I will go on a 8 hour (roundtrip) hike up to the
glacier with one of the guide companies in the area.

Then on Sunday I leave for Wanaka where I will couch surf
with a couple of guys from America.

Really getting excited about this part of my trip. Lots and lots
of hiking, camping, swimming, kayaking, mountain views, etc.

Hit a bump in the road....

I am sad to report that my camera is no longer working.
It was raining for most of the day when I hiked/kayaked
the Abel Tasman and I guess my camera got too wet.

I attempted to fix it by letting it air dry for 24 hours
but everytime I put the battery in, it turns on and then
quickly short circuits. I have a whole days worth of pics
that I need to get off the camera but can't seem to keep
it on long enough to do that.

I am now faced with the decision to buy a new camera or go
without which isn't really a choice at all. I will have
to buy a new one because I can't even imagine going 20
days without taking pictures. Additionally, I have just arrived
in the most beautiful and picturesque region of NZ and I know there
will be much to document.

I could take the chance and see if in a couple of days it will work,
but by then I will be out of a major town center and not able to pick
one up at a reasonable price. So, it looks like I will just have to bite the
bullet and do one less fun activity, in order to pay for it.

I'm currently in the beach town of Hokitika and tomorrow I will head south
to Fox glacier. Stay tuned and hopefully there will be more pics coming.

Bad weather means the blog gets updated

I left Renwick on the 9:45 bus and got to Nelson around noon.
The weather is really terrible here at the moment so it's an
excellent day to catch up on my blog.

I will upload a lot more pictures and try to get the video clips
to finally load. Sorry, I haven't had much luck in that dept.

I am couch surfing here with a kiwi named Glen who works
at a hostel in Nelson. It's basic accommodation, ( a tent out on the lawn)
but it's free and I'll get to explore this area with a local for awhile.
He has the hook up with all the outfitters since he spends everyday
referring backpackers to them so that will be nice. I think we will end up
doing some kayaking in Abel Tasman, hiking in Golden Bay and
exploring the area beaches. Hopefully this front will quickly
pass and we will get our sun and blue skies back.

From here I plan to head down the west coast towards the glaciers and
try to coach surf along the way. This coast is suppose to be very wild
with lots of nature to gets lost in. Again, it will be great to explore
it with a local, if that works out.

Have already met some great people, travelling the same route who have offered
me rides, so I may not bother renting a car. It is really easy to get around by
bus just not very liberating.

The area I am in now is the northern most part of the south island. On a good day it feels very tropical with golden sand beaches and crystal blue waters. The pics should be quite nice.

I can't believe I'm only one week into my trip and still have three more weeks
to go. I very blessed to have this much time to explore this amazing country. It
feels really good to be back on the road and interacting with people from all over
the world. Makes me realize just how isolated I am back home and how much I miss
being a global citizen. America is not the center of the universe, even though we like to pretend it is. To everyone back home, get out and travel. You won't be disappointed.

Finally made it to wine country

I only a few minutes before I catch my bus to Renwick,
where I will stay at Watson's backpacker for two days,
and tour around the vineyards on bike.

I've been moving around at a quick pace up until now, and
so I am looking forward to just being in one nice spot for
awhile. From here I will move on to Nelson where I may end
up spending 2-3 days as well.

Getting around by bus as been a bit inconvenient so when I get
to Nelson I am going to look into renting a cheap car to finish
up my time in NZ. There is so much to see and unfortunately
travelling by bus puts limits on me that I don't want. Wish me
luck in finding a good rate.

I will update my blog again, when I have time and access to an
internet cafe. But, I did put a lot of new pics up so check out the
gallery.

Cheers!

Aahhh no time to blog...having too much fun!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I'm writing this blog at 11pm so please forgive any errors on my part. The whole blog concept is great in theory but actually takes quite a bit of time to maintain and update. So, I apologize in advance if you have checked back a few times just to find no new info. What will be updated a lot more frequently is the Picasa public gallery, so if your jonesing for something new, always try there next. Now, let's get everyone up to speed. I flew into Christchurch on the 29th and stayed through New Years Day. While in the city I did a lot of exploring and eating in cafes because the food is too damn good here. I put a serious dent in my budget but it was worth every penny. The food here is actually quite expensive so it's grocery stores and hostel kitchens for here on out. One day I did manage to get out of the city and do a great hike, starting at the top of the gondola. I put some video of that day on the this page for ya'll to see but you have to promise not to laugh. Yes, I am aware at how much I blinked in one of them, but it's hard for me to be in front of the camera. And you'll notice I have my sunglasses on for all the rest of them :) That simple hike, unexpectedly turned into an epic day for me. I started at the top of the gondola which is actually the rim of an extinct volcano (with the port town being the caldera) and continued hiking all the way to the beach town of Sumner (simply because I could). As you will see from the pics, this is where I encountered my first NZ sheep, right on the trail! For NYE, I was fortunate to meet two awesome girls from Denmark (Susan and Henrietta) to celebrate with. There was free music and fireworks at Cathedral Square, just a few blocks from our hostel. They really made the evening so much fun! Unfortunately, my bus to take me North out of the city came at 10:30 that morning which was a little rough for me. But when new adventures await, you just have to suck it up. So, I've been in Hamner Springs for two days now and will blog about that another time. I leave for Kaikoura in the morning.