Welcome Flat Hut hot pools.

Well, after yet another not-terribly-eventful week of classes (and walking around in shoes other than my decimated Chacos) we left Thursday afternoon as a group of 10 to camp at the Copeland Track trailhead (or road's-end?). It rained a lot and was very windy overnight and when we started walking in the morning the streams were swollen and tree ferns sodden. Not surprisingly, the rainforest felt a little like hiking on the OP, minus the Jurassic-looking tree ferns and abrupt mountain front. Friday was spent mostly with our power-hiking trio (Elizabeth, Chad and I... also our cozy tent group thursday night).

I have seen mushrooms in all colors of the rainbow. The spectrum was completed with green on Sunday. sorry, no photo documentation.

I might be over my fear of heights... if any bridge were to cure me of such a fear, the one that was made of chain link and cable, completely see-through, swinging wildly over river rapids in the wind would probably be the one to do it, and i might go so far as to say it was fun to cross.

friday evening everything was clouded in and a little rainy, but when i woke up saturday morning, went to soak with janna the view was nothing short of breathtaking. I think that's when I stopped taking pictures of the area because they can't possibly do it justice. Neither can words.

we soaked naked most of the time, often smearing delightful mud over exposed areas (the trio of chamois hunters got a kick out of seeing so many naked girls with mud coverings). don't put your head under water--you might get amoebic meningitis and lapse into an irreversible coma! oh dear.

between the two nights we spent at the hut we did some day hiking (way more than we intended, actually) and some more soaking. got up early and made remarkably good time on the way out, drove back to dunedin and now i can't get my head back into academic mode.

we have very little time left here...

this weekend doesn't make for much of a story because it was so great. next weekend Fiordland? I'm toying with the idea of riding the train across the north part of the south island as one of my final adventures. there may be more wwoofing with simon during finals, plus the allblacks game.