Feb 28 (cont.) - 11:10 pm

Wow, what a day. I'd like to announce that I've had my first panic attack here in NZ. That didn't take long.. Everything was great when I arrived - picked up my bag from baggage claim, found my way to the shuttle bus, walked from the bus station to my hostel. No problem. My backpack is not light. But I did it, and I was excited to get to exploring the city. From the walk, I knew I liked it. People and street lights and buildings! I didn't know how much I like cities until I came to New Zealand and spent time in a lot of very small towns. Both are great. Time to spend some time being a city slicker though.
I met one of my roommates - can't remember her name, but she's German. She told me that all the hostels are booked this weekend because of some concert here on Saturday. This is when I started to panic. My easygoing loosy goosy adventure may not work all the time like I had planned.. I hurried to call all of the hostels I knew about - nothing Friday or Saturday. I just prayed to God that I would find somewhere to stay.. And I remembered that my mom got the phone number of a girl from Wellington in the bathroom of the Queenstown airport.. Ding ding ding! I found her contact info and called her up. Luckily she remembered my mom and offered to let me stay with her Friday night. She even invited me to a party she's going to tomorrow night. I accepted, kind of nervous, but excited to meet some real kiwis! I didn't want to be too much of a leech, so I just said I needed a place Friday.. So now I still needed something for Saturday. I took a break from worry and went to dinner. This hostel provides a light meal, so I went to the bar next door for my fish and chips. My new roommate was there, so I sat with her. And suddenly spotted Eva - my Dutch roommate from the Albatross Backpackers in Kiakoura. Small world! The three of us sat and ate and talked. I headed out to explore a bit. I went down by the harbor. Lots of people out. It is summer here! Little boys jumping off the plank into the bay. A team of rowers. And it's a big arts/music festival all of February and March here: "Fringe". Salsa dancers on the street, sidewalk chalk, and I got to see a big circus show just out on the lawn. Really cool acrobats and gymnasts!
After much thought and worry I remembered another kind New Zealander stranger who might be able to help me out: Adam Mecham's old mission companion. I had been in contact with him on Facebook a little bit, but he's in Auckland. I just messaged him, asked him if he knew anyone I could crash with Saturday night in Wellington. He replied instantly that he would find someone, no problem, and let me know tomorrow. These kiwis are the best. So hospitable and generous! My worries instantly deflated and I am now able to relax a bit. I think I will try and be better about actually booking my places in advance now. This time it looks like it's going to work out, but it won't always. Also, I'm saving about $50 by staying with people instead of renting a bed! There's the silver lining to all of this.
Now I just need to figure out how/where to store/transport my stuff while I'm between hostels.. Oh the wonderful adventures of Bridget Rose Flynn.

Feb 28 - 2:20 pm

It's a big day - for many reasons. It's the day I start my solo travel, heading to Wellington on the ferry right now. Mom is heading home. Denney got his jaw unwired. And it's the last day of February, marking my three weeks checkpoint. I wanted to write a bit before I actually got to Wellington, just so I can remember what I was feeling. The anticipation, excitement, anxiety, uncertainty, insecurity, hope, and giddiness. All of those things. It was a rush this morning, getting all cleaned up and checked out by 10 am. Denney got his wires cut this morning, so I called him and talked to him for a few minutes, and I had to shower once more in the best hostel shower in history. And then Mom and I had some time to just hang out before we parted ways. We got ice cream, because that's what you do in Picton. I got hokey pokey flavor, because that's what you do in New Zealand. Mom then took me to the ferry set down, and I gave her a big hug. I may have got a little choked up. Mom and I are very close. We have very similar humor, and she is always making me laugh. It's been really great traveling with her. We like to do basically the same things on trips, so it was easy. I love her a lot. And I'm sure I'll miss her. Dad too. I have the very best parents.
I've been on this boat for about two hours now, explored all that I'm allowed to see. Every lookout, deck, cafe, etc. It was fun being outside or up on top for a while, but it's just too windy. So I'm at the back of the boat, in a sunny, all-windows area with tables and chairs. Getting a suntan.
It's been a fun time South Island. I hope to see you again in a few weeks!

Feb 27 - 8:30 pm

G'day. They do say that here too. I guess it's not just an Aussie thing.
We had a good day here in Picton again. Ready to move on, but it has been a great place to spend a few days. Today we did more of the same stuff - went to town, walked around, went to the harbour, the Edwin Fox Maritime Museum, the ferry terminal, the I-site.. I got a new battery put in my watch, went grocery shopping, basked in the sun, booked a hostel in Wellington. We ate good pizza for lunch at a nice place right by the waterfront. Back at our hostel we decided to relax and put in a movie. They had a very limited selection of DVDs, so I chose Fletch - that old Chevy Chase film from the 80s. It was hilariously ridiculous; I quite enjoyed it. Then it started to cool down outside so we went for a walk in the decrepid cemetery across the street, went back to town one more time to get a drink, and now we're calling it a night. Mom has been packing her stuff, trying to fit all of what she brought and what she bought back in her little suitcase. And I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to get all of my stuff from point A to point B every couple of days without the luxury of a rental car. I'll have my whole life on my back pretty much. Gotta love living out of a suitcase! Or in my case, a duffel bag backpack.

Feb 26 - 9:45 pm

A mellow day in Picton. Started with complimentary breakfast - biscuits and corn flakes. Met another young girl here from Alabama - Sarah, wwoofing in Blenheim, then heading down to Dunedin to see her sister who is at the university there. She invited me to come stay with them in Dunedin when I get down there. That would be really great.
Mom and I walked to town, checked out all the shops - that took about 2 hours. I booked my ferry ride and bus pass at the I-site. Hung out on the waterfront. Ate a really good lunch at a place called Gusto. Went on a short hike to Bob's Bay. Got ice cream. Went to the super market. It was a really hot, sunny day. Only like 73 degrees, but it felt like middle of summer in Utah, which is absolutely fine by me.
We have heard that the South Island (and New Zealand in general) is a few years behind the times. And in some cases it's felt that way. But they do have a public toilet from the future - right here in Picton. First you have to press a button and the door opens - like an elevator. You go in and press a button to close the door. A voice comes on an intercom and tells you that the door is locked and you have up to ten minutes to vacate the stall. Then, the song "what the world needs now is love sweet love.. " comes on while you do your business. You press a button to get toilet paper. And the toilet flushes when you wash your hands. It was a pretty wild ride. I felt very confused. I don't know if this is something I'll see all over the north island, or if this was just a one time thing, but I'm really glad I had the opportunity to use it. Haha
And that's about it! I took advantage of the free wifi at our hostel - talked to Denney on FaceTime, played my turns on Words With Friends, tried to get on Netflix, but it hasn't worked for me in NZ yet..
And then had cereal for dinner. Overall, another terrific day.

Feb 25 - 8:30 pm

In Picton for the next three nights, then I will be saying goodbye to mama, and heading to the North Island all by me onesy. I'm happy to be staying here for a few days. When I'm on my own I think I will be taking it slower, spending a little more time in the cities I go to. From what I hear, Wellington is a really great city with lots to do, so I'm excited to explore there. It will be so weird to be in a big city. The biggest city I've been to is Nelson, and it really wasn't much. But that's still a few days away.
For now, I'm in tiny Picton. We left Kiakoura this morning after stopping in town one last time, and making a short stop at the end of the Kiakoura Penninsula where there was a seal colony, supposedly. We didn't see any seals, but the rocky shore was neat to see. A different terrain.
When we got to Picton there was an arts and crafts market going on the waterfront. They were set up just for today because there was a cruise ship that came in today. The city itself is a lot like the other towns I've been to here, but the setting is different. Beautiful hills and green right on the water. We found our hostel just outside the town centre, next to the Picton cemetery - Tombstone Backpackers. From the outside, nothing extraordinary, but inside it's the most luxurious hostel I've ever seen! (And I've stayed at eleven so far.) this place has free hot breakfast, big tv, outdoor eating, pool table, exercise machines, hot tub, free Internet.. And our room is a 3 person en suite, with towels and soap and nice sheets.. the works. How am I going to go back to the crappy hostels?! Mom is glad that she gets to go out on a high note.
We spent our afternoon here watching the Academy Awards with some of the other guests. They were on at 3 pm here, because back home it was Sunday night. Weird. We were the only Americans of the group. The French people were rooting against Le Mis, which I thought was funny. And everyone dislikes Kristen Stewart. Watching tv kinda made me miss home! I haven't missed home very much, but for some reason it was the Oscars that got to me. Damn you, Hollywood.

Feb 24 - 9 pm

No real desire to stay very long in St. Arnaud, we checked out of our hostel, walked to the lake, got attacked by bugs, visited the only little church in the area, and then found ourselves back down by the lake looking at the eels. Dozens of them, swimming around right around the dock, right below the ducks! It was fantastic. I hate snakes, and eels are like the snakes of the water, so not exactly friends of mine, but they were pretty cool to see in the lake. There was a man there on the dock looking at the eels, telling me about them, and how he used to catch them when he was a boy on the North Island. He kept calling them "gorgeous". Not the word I would use to describe them..
And then we drove, not sure where we were going.. Just kept passing vineyard, and orchard, and vineyard, the whole way..
Well, we ended up in Kiakoura- a smallish town on the east coast, a few hours north of Christchurch. We thought about heading to Picton, but mom wanted to see more of the South Island. We are staying at a nice hostel here called the Albatross Backpacker Inn. Young, funky, high-energy, juggling toys in the yard, good music playing (currently playing Mumford and Sons).. I like it. Like the other towns in New Zealand, the shops and things all close around five, so we got our browsing in before then. Cute shops right on the shore. Weird beach area here: all grey rocks - no pretty sand. Pretty water though. Took a long walk around the residential part of town, and came back to a bustling longe. I heard Flight of the Conchords for the first time since I've been in NZ tonight. "Business Time" - my personal favorite.
Mom and I shared some cookies and cream ice cream, played Yahtzee, and made arrangements in Picton for tomorrow. We are seeing it all!

Feb 23 - 10:30 pm

Swim in the Tasman Bay: check.
Per Kim's suggestion, this morning we went to the beach at Split Apple Rock, past Kaiteriteri. We had seen pictures of the rock on postcards, but didn't know it was so close! A much more secluded beach, a fifteen minute walk through the lush jungle from the small car park, absolutely beautiful. The color of the water here is unreal. My favorite beach we visited, easy. It was perfect weather, we put on lots of sunscreen and laid out a while. Then went for a swim. The water was cold at first, but lovely once I got all in. We didn't want to push our luck with the sun, so we left after a few hours. And I'm happy to report that I did not get any more sunburned today. I did, however, get bug bites - today and yesterday - all over my ankles. The worst itchers! I don't know what's worse- sunburn pain or itchy bug bites. Probably sunburn.
We made our PB& H sandywiches for lunch and took the scenic route toward St.Arnaud in the Nelson Lakes National Park. Another different landscape to drive through - vineyards and wide, green valleys. We came to our destination- this little mountain town with nothing but a few lodges and the most expensive general store I've ever been in. Box of cereal: $9.50. Yikes. We needed milk and something for dinner. After evaluating our options we ended up getting a bottle of spaghetti sauce ($6) to go with our leftover uncooked spaghetti. We had rolls and cheese too. Ended up being really delicious! Stayed in tonight. Too many bugs out. We played scrabble. I won.
Hopefully we will find a good hike to go on tomorrow.

Feb 22 - 10:30 pm

Greetings from the Happy Apple Backpackers in Motueka - definitely the most youthful, party-like hostel we've stayed in. Lots of people, everyone hanging out in the backyard. Fun for those traveling without parents. Very different from the place we stayed last night.
We are here tonight after spending the day in Abel Tasman National Park, walking part of the coastal track. It was really spectacular - unlike the rest of what I've seen on this trip so far. Hiking in the trees and ferns and greenery above the beach, and then down right along the beach, and then up in the trees again. Some pretty steep sections and switchbacks took us up to some pretty amazing views. And then the last section we had to walk over a slime mud sand bar pool about four football fields long. And the crazy thing was all the sea shells we had to walk on. They were unavoidable,thousands and thousands of shells. Walking barefoot because of the mud and pools. We finally arrived at the first camp for those making the whole five day trek. We stopped to eat our granola bars and apples, turned around, and walked right across the sand bar again. This time with a German guy who was walking back at the same time. He was traveling alone and started talking to us. And he just kept talking and walking with us. Really nice guy - Holger. The whole way back, it was the three of us. So that was interesting. It took quite a bit longer than we expected. Five hour hike. Not too bad. I'm really glad we did it. What an amazing place this is.
We had dinner at a Thai place here in Motukea. Mom and I shared samosas and pad Thai. Came back, ready to take a hot shower and go to bed - struggled trying to figure out how to get hot water in the shower, it's on a timer and shuts off every five minutes. There's a button you have to press, and the light turns off every ten minutes. So I never did get the water to come out hot, and I finished my shower and dried off in the dark. Fun. I am adapting to the backpacker hygiene practices seamlessly; I have brushed my hair twice and shaved my legs once since I've been in New Zealand. But I shower almost daily.
There is a guest playing his saxophone for the others out in the yard. songs like Moondance and Fools Rush In. Reminds me of Kevy B back home. Met our roommate - a kiwi! A 17 year old from Auckland. A spunky girl, very friendly. She's been living here at the hostel for two and a half months. Crazy kiwi.

Feb 21 - 9 pm

Two weeks into this journey. Feels like I've seen so much and been so many places already! I've taken a couple hundred photos.. Times that by 5.5. That's what I'll end up with when this is all over. Who wants to come to that slideshow? I've started to take fewer pictures though, I think because I've become desensitized to the beauty, it takes something really really wonderful to catch my attention.
Today Mom and I went up the Golden Bay to the very top of the South Island - the farewell spit. And up there, on the west coast across the spit is the Wharariki Beach. We had heard from the German couple that it was the prettiest beach with a seal colony and amazing rock formations, so we went to see! It's a 20 minute walk to the beach, through a hillside sheep farm, and out to a vast white sand beach. It was really windy and the waves were rough, so we didn't really lay out on the beach or go swimming. But we did see the seals! Lots of them. Little seal pups swimming and playing in a little pool by the rocks. They weren't shy at all! It was so fun to see them so close, and in their natural habitat. The mother seal was there watching over the pups, so we were careful not to get too close. We left after a little while, stopping at a big sand dune hill - there was a plastic sled thing that had been left there, so mom told me to give it a try. I sand sledded down the hill. Not as thrilling as I thought it would be. But it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Back in the parking lot there was a colorful peacock hanging around. Sheep, seals, and peacocks - I think this is Neverland. (The Peter Pan one, not the Michael Jackson one)
Back toward Takaka, we stopped at Pupu Springs - the largest springs in Australasia, and the clearest water in the world! Pretty neat. And in Takaka we had more veggie soup, and then shared some delicious fish and chips at a little place in town - The Curry Leaf.
And now, mom is playing pool with the old Polish man and the old Dutch man. She's hot stuff here.