up until Dunedin

I hardly know what to say... I'm in Dunedin now and I'll do my best to do the whole picture and text integration thing... or maybe I'll just botch it like last time. In any case, I'm going to try to make this more concise than last time.

Adventure-by-adventure:

Tongariro Northern Circuit is one of NZed's Great Walks. Simon and I did it in three beautiful days in spite of my feet being thoroughly blistered. Hilights: Mt. Doom, contrasting biomes from nearly-naked gravel to young lava flows to lush temperate rainforest. Showered in a waterfall at the end of the first day and there were rounded pumice cobbles floating in the plunge pool. We met all sorts of people at the huts... Mother and daughter from Switzerland, lots of Germans, a crazy Dutch cyclist, and a hut warden who can only be described ad a monolith of New Zealand muscle. He offered us candy and made sure I bandaged my feet before setting out on the trail again.

Wellington, unbeknownst to us, was in the throes of the World Sevens Tournament (rugby with fewer people to a side) which made our hostel expensive. We were greeted at our room door by a remarkably drunk Swiss guy, dumped our stuff and walked through the city where it turns out EVERYONE was drunk and nearly everyone was in costume. Far better than Halloween, I saw Buzz Lightyear, many blue Avatar characters, Spartans, Fred Flinstone, and all varieties of other getups, most in large matching groups or themes. Walking around the next morning was delightful--Wellington is my favorite city so far. We meandered along the wharf and through Te Papa, the national museum, before flying to Christchurch.

ChCh is nice enough... like a little town that kindof filled out. There are lots of neat old buildings and sculptures, but I was thoroughly grumpy by the time we found the supermarket for dinner materials. We overnighted in a backpackers that had a pub downstairs... I've had little luck with NZ beer. My dear brother Lucas would be proud to know that I'm craving an Inversion IPA. Simon spent a lot of time talking to a guy who was trying to talk to me while I sat back and laughed at the whole situation and felt thoroughly thankful for Simon being the wonderful traveling companion and brilliant person he is.

Waimate (why-MATT-ee) is where we spent the next week working in gardens, lavender farms, constructing a straw bale wall, lime-plastering an already-built straw bale house, eating great food, reading, and generally loving life. Marijke and Robert White, along with their three teenage daughters, welcomed us into their adobe home and kept us entertained and busy. They sell the fruits of their garden, keep cattle and sheep and chooks, and maintain a thoroughly down-to-earth view of the world. Rob is a builder and a biology enthusiast who participates in a cooking club and gardens with an emphasis on permaculture rather than being perfectly organic. They're working on building up a beautiful orchard filled with fruit and nut trees among other things. No fewer than three different homes offered us beds should we choose to travel northward for a weekend. Rather than work on the 14th (I forgot it was Valentine's day until Simon offered Rob a friendship rock) we went on a field trip of sorts to see the Clay Cliffs, Elephant Rocks, and lots of other stuff (including roadside fruit trees) along the way.

That brings me to Dunedin... Simon and I parted ways for the first time in weeks and now I'm a little lonely. My flat-mates seem nice enough and my bed is made, so now I just have to get all my paperwork sorted.

Things I've learned: if you want a thick milkshake--thicker than milk--you have to order a thick shake. Peanutbutter is to Americans as Marmite is to Kiwis. I am indecisive, especially when I want to make a good impression. Reluctance to accept help, even if it's just because I don't want to impose, looks like arrogance. Instead of staying in expensive (but very nice--beds, pit toilet, and cooker provided) huts you can camp 500m off the trail. You can find agates on the beach just south of Oamaru.