Backk To Life Back To Reality

Here I sit in Auckland and only a day left on vacation. I was talking about it today and I have been on vacation for like 2 1/2 months. That is the longest holiday I have ever taken in my whole life! I now know why people think that money can by happiness, because it can! If you have enough money that you don't have to work you can live on holidays for the rest of your life. You could travel, meet new people, have amazing experiences, see interesting places and never have to worry about being tied to a job again. That is the dream! I need to find a rich husband to make that happen. Seriously though, I wouldn't expect money to buy me friends or a partner or anything ridiculous, but doesn't the scenario I just wrote about sound like a picture of happiness?? I guess happiness is subjective and it means different things to different people, so I guess for me, money could buy happiness.......

I absolutely love New Zealand and I was thinking the other day about if I were to stay here for a long time. Then it came to me, although I love New Zealand I think it is the travelling that I love so much. It is a glorious country to travel and I think that is what made me fall in love with it, was having the opportunity to travel around and see so much. I don't know if I would be satisfied settling down in one spot anywhere at the moment. I might stay a year or two in New Zealand, but I can picture myself travelling around finding work for a few months and then moving along. There are also so many other places I would like to explore before I head back home. Before I left I warned all of you that this time it was different. This time I would be gone for a lot longer, and it is becoming true as we speak.

I can't believe I have been here for 2 months already! That is crazy talk! Time flies when you are having fun I guess and that is for surely what I have been having. Now it is time for me to slow it down a bit and live house broke for a few months in order to save up as much money as I can before travelling around the country again. There are lots of places I haven't been that I would like to go, places I would like to go back to and places I have never heard of probably. So other then day to day stuffs I won't have much to write about. I am sure I will find some things now and then to keep you updated, who knows maybe these guys have a neighbour with a crazy bird to follow?? But as far as everything is concerned it is about to slowwww down. Probably less blog posts, less things off the list, less super awesome photos. I have decided though that one of these times I am going to try my hand at a video blog. Part of the reason why you guys love my blog so much is because I write how I talk, so with new fangled technology you can actually hear me talk. The thing is I don't like talking into a camera, so we will see how that goes. I will give it a try and if I still hate it then I will stick with writing.

I don't think starting work will be a bad thing, and Tia already knows who I am so that will make things easier. I see such great potential in her and I can't wait to start planning activities for her and working with her. I see great times ahead with her so it will be good.

Taupo Makes Me Love My Life!

I slept in a bit the next day because I could, and my plan was to walk up to the natural hot pools. I took my time getting breakfast, getting ready etc. It was another nice day in Taupo, a few clouds but the sun was out and it was around 15 degrees or so. As I sat in my room gathering up my stuff and a dickin around on the computer I thought to myself, well isn't this something, I am going to go sit in these hot pools and then go on a sunset sail on the lake. What a day to have! Then I realized that I have had countless amazing days like that here in New Zeland. I realized that this time in my life right now is the best its ever been. I have always said that because of the Moreeeny curse I have been waiting for Karma to come back around. This day I thought, it has, this is it. This is how Karma is paying you back, and I recognized at that moment that I was truly happy. What a liberating and wonderful feeling to realize that you are truly happy and living the best life you can live.

Okay, enough with the epiphany stuff, back to the hot pools. I walked up, took the long way, and got to the park just before lunch. I walked down to the bridge where the pools are, and it was so cool! There were 2 hot waterfalls that emptied into little pools bordering the Waikata river. I stuck my toes in first and the water was for reals hot, and wonderful. I had my bathing suit on so I stripped down and hopped in the pools. I was also lucky because they weren't busy at all. At first I was the only person there and then 2 German fellas showed up before too long. I sat and enjoyed the thermal water and let the waterfall massage my shoulders. It was amazing that the water was so hot and so natural, amazing! After sitting for a while I towelled off and changed into my dry clothes and then enjoyed some lunch in the park over looking the river. It was a great way to spend an afternoon. Then I had to walk back to the hostel, get changed and head down to the water to meet David for our sail.

I decided to take the short way back to the hostel on the way back and it nearly didn't pay off. I was walking along the main road and I turned down a side street. I honestly thought that everywhere in Taupo was safe because it is so small and lovely. It only has one set of traffic lights and about 25, 000 people in total. So I never gave any thought about cutting through side streets and things, I had a map so I knew that the roads I was taking led to where I wanted to go. Unfortunately it doesn't say on the map “This is the Ghetto.” So I was walking along with my camera in my hand and on my left side two young guys came out of a side street. One of them was tall and big and had a full face tattoo ( as gruff as that sounds to people in Canada it is actually more common then you would think among the Maori here) and the other had a black hoodie on with his hood up. He had a small patch on the front of the sweater and a large one on the back that, I now know, is a gang patch. You know when you see someone and they just give you a bad feeling? These guys gave me the heebs. I automatically took my camera slipped it in my pocket and zipped it up. As I approached they split up. The bigger tattooed guy went behind a fence that ran parallel to the sidewalk I was about to be walking on and the smaller hooded guy turned and was walking on the grass beside the sidewalk about 2.5 meters in front of me. I thought, okay this is good, as long as you are in front of me I can see what you're about to do and re-act. Then, he stopped walking. He stopped and was facing the road with his back to the sidewalk. The voice of my mother rang through my head and I thought, “As long as you walk like you are going to kick someones ass it will be less likely they will kick yours.” I had actually thought of this when I first saw them and got freaked. I had no choice but to walk past him, other wise I would show my fear. So I held me shoulders back, head up and didn't slow my gait. I did turn my head and could see the tattooed guy waiting behind the fence. As I passed the smaller hooded guy he reached down, pulled up his pant leg, and pulled something out of his sock! Yea! I am quite sure he was not pulling a stick of chewing gum from his sock!! Then, as I passed him he pulled it out, and got behind me about a meter behind me. Even though I was sure a dribble was running down my leg I knew how important it was for me to remain calm and not show my fear at all. So I kept walking for a few seconds then quickly looked both ways and crossed the road. I did this for two reasons, first, to possibly get away from him and second, to see if he was indeed going to follow me. He turned and walked up to the street corner and stepped onto the street (this meant he was actually after me). Then about a half a block up I noticed a woman getting something out of her car. I spotted her and made these ol giraffe legs work in my favour, I took long strides and b-lined it for her. After stepping into the street the young fella saw what I saw, and turned and headed back the way he came. I didn't stop to talk tot he woman, I did not pass go, I did not collect 200 dollars, I jogged back to the hostel and thanked my lucky stars that didn't turn out differently. It takes a lot to rattle me, but I was crapping myself thinking that these two were going to rob me, stab me, beat me up who knows! Since it was the day time I don't think they would have stabbed me or killed me, but certainly they would have stolen anything of value I had on me and ruffed me up.

After changing my clothes I went down to meet Dave at the marina for the sail. Still a bit freak I asked him, “Do you guys have crime in Taupo?” He said they certainly did, they had a bad area of town and actually had 2 powerful gangs living there. He named them and one of them was the name I saw on the young fellas patch on his hoodie! I was shocked, they only have one set of traffic lights but two gangs! Go figure! I have purposely not used the name of the gang in this because I have seen enough Sons of Anarchy to know it may not be the wisest thing to post defamatory things online and name names. So we will just leave it as an anonymous gang.

Dave and I went out on the boat and sailed around. The sunset was okay, but not as good as the first trip I went on with that boat, and it was freezing on the way back. I had put my scary experience behind me and continued on loving Taupo and loving life. I love the people (besides the scary ones) in Taupo, I love the place, I love the lake I really love it there and it makes me happy to be there.

I ended up spending two weeks in Taupo and helping Dave out a bit on the boat, going sailing, hanging out and really enjoying my time before I start work. I know I have been slacking on the blogs but not too much has been happening. I am spending my days hanging out with friends, meeting new peeps, etc. I went to a rugby game, went to a great show in Ponsonby by I don't really feel like writing much about any of it. I will write another before I start work on Monday.

The Day I Climbed A Mountain

So after my VIP trip to Taupo I settled into the YHA for the next three days. I quite like the YHA in Taupo and one of the best features is the lack of bunk beds. I absolutely love that there are no bunk beds, it means no puke showers, no one on top rolling around shaking the bed, it is just so nice. They also have a great kitchen, a wonderful atmosphere and cheapest in Taupo. I would recommend that particular YHA to anyone travelling to Taupo.

My first afternoon I didn't do much but went to the i-site and got a map because I was planning on doing two walks in my days there. I was also looking forward to catching up with my first bus driver, Kate, who would be passing through the next day. I watched some TV on my computer and called it an early night. The next day my plan was to do the Mt. Tuahara walk. This walk isn't very touristy and they don't promote it like they do for a lot of the other ones. I knew about it because the boat skipper, Dave, had said that there was a good walk up to the top the last time I was here. On the map I got there was a marker saying the start of the walk. It didn't look too awful far on the map so I figured I could just walk up there and then start the walk. Even if it took me an hour to walk to the trail head, it says that the trail itself is 2.5 hours return, so that would make it a pretty good days walking. So I got up in the morning, packed up a lunch and started off on my walk to the trail head. I walked through the suburbs of Taupo and up to the highway roundabout. I stopped briefly to talk to Mom, Dad and the boys on the phone. Jackson asked what I was doing and I told him I was going to climb a mountain. He said, “ That's dangerous.” I assured him I was going to be safe and that it would be fine. Then he asked, “Then are you going to jump off it?” The poor kid. He had just watched the video of the end of the bungy and now he thinks I jump off of everything. So I had told Mom that I was almost to the road that leads to the trail head. After I let them go I crossed the highway and started walking up to where the map said the road was to. So I walked and I walked. I came to a dirt road and it had a mail box at the end so I assumed it was just a driveway to the house that was up there, and I kept going. I walked up highway 5 a fair amount and didn't see any road what so ever. All I could see was farmland and pastures. So I turned around. I turned around and walked back to the dirt road. I walked up a little but it really did just look like the driveway to the house so I left. I walked back towards Taupo and stopped into a truck stop to ask for directions. The girl there didn't have any better clue then I did. I really hate when you ask someone for directions and they say things like, “Well if you continue up this road it should be right there on the left.” I also can read a map, thanks for nothing asshole!

I decided to give it one more go and this time go up the dirt road and worse comes to worse it would be their drive way and I would give up on wanting to do the Tauhara that day. By this time I had been walking around for about an hour looking for this damn road. I walked up to the dirt road and started to walk up. I walked up and sure enough it was the driveway to that house. Those of you that know me know that obviously I wouldn't be writing a blog entry if I had of said, oh never mind, and turned around and went back home. Oh no, you know better. You also know that my luck is good, but twisted a bit so something funny, strange, scarey, etc followed me reaching the top of the driveway. Sure enough I got to the top and there was a Maori fella and white fella sitting at a table in yard, 2 kids running around and a woman sitting half inside the house and half outside. The fellas looked at me, I mean why wouldn't you look at me I am walking up to YOUR house. I took out my map and asked if they could help me to find this road. The Maori guy, Darryl, said that the road was a ways up the highway. He asked if I was walking and I said yes, he said it was quite far and he would give me lift. Sweet! Then he asked where in Canada I was from. He said that he lived in Calgary and used to compete in the Calgary Stampede. The first Maori cowboy I have ever met! Then he pointed at his friend and said that he won the stampede once. To which I replied, “No you didn't!” He said he had, in 1985............So yea, maybe? Darryl asked if I wanted a drink or anything, and I said thanks but no thanks. The stampede winner and the kids were shocked that I was gearing up to hike to the top of Mt. Tuahara, so obviously they hadn't done the walk themselves before.

So I hopped into Darryl’s truck and away we went up highway 5 towards where the road was. It was obvious the map was certainly NOT to scale because it was a fair chunk up the road. Thank goodness for the Maori cowboy. He gave me his phone number and said to txt him when I got back down to the bottom and he would come get me and give me a lift back into town. Then we pulled up to the end of the road where the trail head was supposed to be and all I could see was some old jalopy fences, some cow pastures and a dumpy old farm house. No sign or anything indicating that it was the start of the trail. I looked at Darryl and said, are you sure? He said it was so I hopped out of the truck, thanked him very much, and he drove away. Just as he drove away I heard the gun shots. Sounded like a shotgun and lots of shots fired. I looked around but didn't see anyone shooting, but they were definitely very close. Then I noticed a little white sign that said, “Mt. Tuahara walkers. Follow the white posts to the water tanks in the trees.” It was obviously painted by whoevers property I was on. There was also a sign saying that it was Maori property and to stay on the trail only. Then I fence post with some flaking white paint on it and a step to hop the fence. I thought to myself, are you for reals!? So I figured I had nothing to loose, and hopped the fence into the cow pasture. Then I noticed a man and a woman coming down from where I was headed. I stopped and asked if they had come from the top and they said yes, so I knew I was on the right way. He said it was a bit of a climb but great at the top.

I walked up the hill, following the poorly marked white posts, through the cows and up to the top where I hopped the fence again over to the water tanks they talked about. The other trails around New Zeland that I have been on have been groomed, government monitored tracks. This one certainly was not. The only grooming it got was the foot traffic from whoever is brave enough to go up there. As I walked up the steep cattle paddock the shots kept ringing out. I didn't know what the hell they were shooting at but I was sure they must not have been a very good shot. The higher I got the further away the shots sounded so I figured I was safe. I thought for half a minute if I was going the right way or not, but there was no other trail at the top by the water tanks. Turns out that Jackson was right, it was kind of dangerous. The track itself was only about a foot wide and some places skinnier. Also in some spots the narrow path was bordered by sudden death. There were long dangerous drops to one side so you really had to watch your step. That being said, it was actually one of the best trails I have ever hiked. I really loved it. They say the summit walk is 2.5hours return and I am sure that 2 of that is on the way up. It is all up hill, no flat parts at all until you get to the top.

When you get to the top it is AMAZING!!!! It was such a clear nice day and you could see for days! The views up there were just stunning and unbelievable. It also looked very much like the top of a mountain. It was gorgeous! I sat and ate my lunch and tried to take it all in before beginning my decent. The way down was super fast and I am sure it only took a half hour or so to get down because it was all down hill, and once I got down there was no more shooting. Also luckily I got to talking to 3 Alaskans on the trail and they gave me a lift into town so I didn't have to get Darryl to drive me in. He seemed nice enough but I may have been whats for dinner if I had of gone back with him if you know what I mean.

I returned to the hostel, grabbed a shower and made something to eat. Then Kate the bus driver came in. They were all going to the pub so I would go out for a few with them. We went out had some drinks shared some laughs and had a great time. I also ran into Dave, the fella that sails the boat I went on last time I was in Taupo. We have kept in contact and he was supposed to be back a day later so I was surprised to see him. He hung out with us and offered to take me out on the boat the next day. I was tickled and thought it would be a great way to spend the evening. He also wanted me to stay for the Mulligans trivia night but that was on Tuesday night and I was slated to leave on Tuesday morning. He said I should stay and take the magic bus out on Friday, but I couldn't because of accommodation. Then he said I could stay with him, so that deal was done! I am super grateful for Daves kindness and generosity he really is good people.

Last I left off I was in Picton and parted from everyone else on the Magic Bus. The hostel I stayed at was okay, quiet cozy and free chocolate pudding and ice cream every night! Through all my travels I have taught myself that I much prefer the quaint homey hostels to the large institutiony type ones. The Base, Nomads and YHA are all like fast food restaurants of the hostel world, it does the job in a pinch but there is no real good substance behind them. Also I have found that Base and Nomads tend to be party hardy which means no sleep. I am getting up there you know, this old gal enjoys a few zzzzz's now and again. I am still young enough that I like the nightlife sometimes but when I am done whooping it up I can stumble home to my nice quiet hostel and not have to put up with it all the time.

Anyways, so yea, Picton. Picton is a pretty small town but it is the port for all the inter-island transport of goods and people. It is nestled in the Marlborough Sounds, which is just stunning to look at. I stayed here because I wanted to do some hiking in the sounds. I knew I didn't have the time or resources to do the Queen Charlotte, which is 71kms long, but I knew there had to be some other walks around I could do. Sure enough I went to the i-site and there was a walk called the Snout that would offer up some pretty good views of the Queen Charlotte sounds. It was 4 hours return so it seemed the best option for my day spent in Picton.

The walk was lovely and it really did have great views of the sounds from up above. It certainly wasn't a flat track though and a lot of steep hills up and down. I just chalked it up to my Mantracker training. I even ran a bit of it. Don't think that just because I am on the other side of the world I can't be training for Mantracker. I also plan on hiking the Queen Charlotte, the Milford Track and the Routeburn at some point in the next year, as well as any other multi-day track I can get my hand on. The walk was great to do by myself too, gave me some me time, since the past month I have been on and off a bus always around people. I have made some great friends though, and some I will miss. I feel like Sahria and I are kindred spirits. She gets me without being offended and we had a great time together. I was sad that she went back to England but I am sure that our paths with cross again, especially since that makes 2 friends in Nottingham that I have to go see now.

After my walk I headed back to the hostel and enjoyed their free wifi while it lasted, chilled out and got ready to depart in the morning. I was headed to Wellington the next morning on the ferry and the past couple days the sea has been rough. I was actually hoping the sea would be rough, I like it rough. But it wasn't, just a few little swells and clear skies. Oh well! I arrived on the other side early afternoon and had to make my own way to the hostel. I booked a non magic hostel this time because someone told me about it. I can't for the life of me remember who told me about this hostel but whoever it is I am not their friend anymore. The place is called Trek Global, and I would never on my life stay there again. I was unaware when I booked it that I was booking a hostel at the Jersey Shore. I am not an unreasonable person and I know, especially on a Friday night, that a certain level of noise and shenanigans are to be expected in a hostel, but I also know that sleep is their main business. That is what you rent, A BED! I checked in and the little twat at the desk was less then informative and handed me my key and told me where to find my room. I went up and everything seemed to be fine. It was clean, kind of 'Base' like, but clean and it was cheaper then most. The bathroom looked like it had a nice shower and there was a kitchen on every level (For those who have never stayed in a hostel, kitchen space is valuable and if a place has more then one kitchen it is a huge plus. Imagine the UN all trying to cook dinner at the same time). I opened my room and noticed it was only a two bed dorm, score! The bigger the dorm the shittier it is so only having one other roommate was ace! Plus he was already settled on the top bunk which means I got bottom, boo-ya! I H-A-T-E bottom top bunks and have perfected an art of jumping ahead of everyone on the bus to secure my bottom bunk every time. I locked up my stuff and headed out to Wellington for a bit.

I continued my search for the 'Johns Lunch' on Willis and came up empty handed. I have now walked from one end of Willis to the other and back and have not found a place called Johns Lunch. Are you sure it was in Wellington? Are you sure it was on Willis? Are you sure it wasn't on Pleasant St in Dartmouth? I know you don't know Dartmouth that well, maybe you got confused? So still the list check-mark stands as is with a picture of me having a latte from Willis' Lunch on Willis. I also went down to Te Papa again. I had visited it first time around but didn't have a lot of time so I thought I would give it a go again. This time I got to see all the stuff I missed and it really is the best museum I have ever been to. If you are ever in Wellington make sure you visit Te Papa, and it is all completely free! After Te Papa I grabbed a quick bite and headed back to the hostel for a quiet night in. I had to get up and walk down to the Magic Bus for 7:30am so I didn't want to get too wild.

When I arrived back to the hostel it was early, like before 7pm. I noticed that there were a lot more people in the kitchen adjacent to my room when I came up. That is a given it was around dinner time and it was Friday night so I knew there would be some drinks flowing and things. I decided to hide out in my room and watch some TV on my computer (Modern Family strikes again!) As the time ticked on the noise didn't dissipate, in fact it just increased. I was like, “Okay they will hoot and go on but then they will all go out and it will be quite for a decent time and by the time they come stumbling back in you will be getting up and getting ready to leave.” Wrong! I tried to go to sleep around 11 but all the Nora Jones and Jack Johnston in the world couldn't drown out those guys. The girls seemed to have set up a hair doing station right outside my door in front of the mirror, the guys were drinking in the kitchen and we all know that relationship of alcohol consumed to increase in voice volume is directly related. I went to brush my teeth and the bathroom looked like a truck stop bathroom, to be fair, I think I used a better one on East Hastings in Vancouver at a Waves coffee (Amy, that's for you). I just shook my head and went back to my room to try to get some sleep. I dozed in and out waking for every cheers and “Ohhhhhhh!” and just turning up my music until it was deafening. Then my roommate came in just after 1am and crawled into bed. He seemed a bit drunk and then I began worrying about the horror stories of people on the top bunk puking on themselves and the bottom bunkers being the recipients of that. He was breathing erratically so I just laid there waiting, and of course the partying was still going on around me. Once his breathing became rhythmic I figured I was in the clear for a chunky waterfall so I dozed off again. He never threw up but I thought that a croc may have followed him into bed because he kept rolling and tossing. I thought when you got drunk you passed out and didn't move around. The noise, partying, drunk girls etc continued until 5:30am. At one point there was a girl having a drunken skype outside my door in the hallway. You think drunk dialling is bad, when they can see you it just kicks it up a notch. Shameful! At 5:30 I gave up on getting back to sleep and just got up to shower and get ready to walk down to meet the bus.

When I came out of my room that's when I realized that I was indeed in the Jersey Shore house. The kitchen table was covered (I mean no space showing) with bottles, garbage, dirty dishes etc. There were shoes on the floor around the table, the counter was stacked high with dishes there was no cups to be had. The bathroom looked worse then before and there was a pair of underwear on the floor (mens). Of course at this time there was no one around so I had the sty to myself at least. I got in the shower, got dressed and packed up my stuff. I pushed clear a spot at the table for my breakfast and ate it up before going downstairs. I did not do my dishes! I want to know WTF! First of all where were the hostel peeps after 10pm when shit was getting loud? Why the hell would you leave the place like that? Why isn't their cameras in the kitchen? How can you allow people to act like that, and further more what in the hell are you doing acting like that!? As I descended the levels down to reception to pass in my key I noticed it wasn't just my floor that looked like that it was every kitchen table that I could see. Obviously that’s they way Trek Global does things, they live like animals. I will never stay there again and every traveller I have met since last night I have told them how shitty it was.

I walked down to the Magic Bus stop and up pulled the tiniest magic bus I have ever seen. It was one of those mini buses with a baggage trailer. The driver, Ross, helped me with my stuff and I loaded up. He checked his list and we hummed around Wellington looking for any other passengers. Turns out the rest of the list was a no-show and I was the only passenger on the bus. I also knew it was an 8 hour day on the bus.......... It was good though, we just chit chatted, played the music loud and didn't stop unless we wanted to.

Our first stop was at Mt. Bruce where they have a kiwi bird house with a while kiwi too. I went in and had a quick look at the kiwis but wasn't really too fussed about the other birds. I did see some Tuatara and some creepy eels before jetting back to the bus. So for those of you that don't know, Kiwi birds are nocturnal. I didn't know that at first, but they are. So any time you go to see them you have to go into a dark kiwi house and you are not allowed to take pictures. Not only that, but I am sorry New Zealanders, it's not even really that impressive of a bird. It doesn't have any wings, it doesn't fly and you can only see it in the dark. Anyway so I saw those and jumped back on the bus. Around 10am we here headed for the Tui Brewery, which is our scheduled next stop. Ross asked if I wanted to stop and I asked him if it was worth it. He said it was worth it if I wanted a beer, but wasn't it too early for a beer. It was obvious we had just met, I told him I don't think 'too early for a beer o'clock' existed. So we stopped. I ended up tasting 3 of the different beers they make there and the lovely girl who loved Canada gave them to me for free since I was the Magic VIP for the day. After a bite to eat, and 3 beers we jumped on the bus and hammered down for Taupo. We didn't make any other stops (4hours) until Taupo. When we approached a town Ross would ask if I needed to stop and each time I said I was fine so we kept on keeping on. We arrived in Taupo at about 3:15pm and I settled into my hostel.

This is the last 3 days of my trip. I stay here for 3 nights and then Tuesday morning it is back up to Auckland :( I am so sad this trip is over, but am already planning the next one! Plus, I have people meeting me in Auckland too so it will be good, and it will be nice to not live out of a backpack for a minute. I know this one was a long one, so thanks for hangin in there!

2 Nights in Kaikoura

After leaving Lake Tekapo in the freezing cold the next morning we headed North towards Christchurch and then on to Kaikoura. The Magic Bus used to have an over night stop in Christchurch but not since the earth quake. The quake took out most of the hostels so accomodation is limited and the whole CBD is sectioned off, no one is allowed in or out. The workers are still cleaning up and dismantling buildings and it is far too dangerous for civilians so that leaves limited activities too, hence the reason they just pick up or drop off and then head on through to Kaikoura. This also means instead of a one night stop we stay two nights in Kaikoura.

Kaikoura is a small little seaside town on the East coast. It is pretty small but really beautiful and full of wildlife. The reason we stop in Kaikoura is the wildlife. You can sign up to swim with wild dolphins, go whale watching, go fishing or take a hike to 2 nearby seal colonies. Since it is nearing the end of my trip and I am running tight on the ol cash-o-la I didn't sign up for any of the paid activities. Plus, I will be going back to the South Island so that can be another thing on my list of reasons to go back. The first night we were there it was pretty low key. A very few of us headed into town for a few drinks with the bus driver, Jack, and then came home around 11 to head to bed. There isn't much of a whoopin night life in Kaikoura, not unless you want to be whooping it with the local fishermen! Kaikoura is also known for all things under the sea and a special focus on crayfish. All the restaurants and stuff have seafood and all things fishy. They even have an award winning fish and chips shop called Coopers Catch. I had some, and it was delish! I can see why they won the award!

The next day in Kaikoura some people were doing a dolphin swim and some were going whale watching, but Claire, Kirsten and myself decided the very free, very scenic 3 hour walk around the coast and check out these seal colonies. The walk was very nice, and covered a great deal of the coast with breath taking views over the sea. The crashing waves and jagged coastline was stunning and the clear blue water was gorgeous. The only thing was it was so windy that I think we expended twice as much energy as we needed to walking the track. It is a moderate track to begin with and the wind was so strong a few times it almost blew me over. I was just thankful it was blowing towards the cliffs, otherwise I would have ended up over the side at one point. The first seal colony we saw was from a top the cliffs looking down. There was quite a few of them, but we were pretty far away. There was

another part of the trail that took you closer to them, but we had missed the turn off and would have to back track a ways so we decided to just leave it and look at them from above. Not far off from that colony we ended up at another point with a second group. Only this time they were so close, in fact one was even taking a little siesta on the boardwalk. You could get really close to them, but it was safe to stay back a ways, after all they are still wild animals. Most of them were just lazing about and having naps in the grass. That was very cool and it was neat we could get so close. After a bit with the seals we walked back into town, got some fish and chips and then retired to the hostel for the night.

The next day, Jack, our driver said we would be stopping at a seal colony like no other and if we saw the one yesterday it would be 100 times cooler then that. So off we went! Just outside of Kaikoura we stopped on the side of the road and there was a large number of seals on the beach below us. It was very cool because they had some babies with them and they were very active. We took a couple of snaps and away we went to the next stop. The next stop was supposed to be the best ever! He didn't disappoint, it was the best ever! We pulled over and he told us to walk through the path and follow it to the top for something amazing. I was the first on the path so I was leading the group to this spot, that even I didn't know where it was. The path went along a river up hill through the bush, and I wasn't sure what to expect. The further up the hill we got we saw a few baby seals splashing about in the river. I thought that was it, until we reached the top! We came out to a waterfall emptying into a deep pool at the top of the river. In the pool were so many baby seals! I know you guys might be getting tired of hearing me say it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen, but there is so much! This was truly amazing! Here I was standing less than a foot away from hundreds of baby seals! They were all diving and jumping and flipping around and some were up in the bush, others were down river a bit, it was incredible! Apparently they babies come up from the sea to the pool to learn how to swim and interact and stuff and then head back to their moms in the evening to feed. Once they get a certain size they can't make it up the river so it is only ever filled with babies. It was just remarkable! We stayed for a while gawking in awe of all the seals before heading back to the bus. Those are one of those sights that is once in a lifetime I am sure!

The drive from Kaikoura to Picton was short and we were pulling into Picton right around noon. This was a sad moment for me because for the past few weeks I have been travelling with the Magic Bus in the South Island and you develop a sort of family type feeling with the others on the bus. Well at this point everyone split ways. Some were headed North, some were going to Nelson and I was staying in Picton for a few nights. I said my farewells and headed to my hostel, starting over on my own.