Cable Bay, Nelson

Hanging out in the sunniest region of NZ! Also, I discovered panorama mode on my phone. And a massive jellyfish.

Yum

Today I went to the Cadbury factory in dunedin. Our tour guide doesn't eat chocolate. Blasphemy!

Also albatross! Went on a nature cruise, saw lots of other birds and really cute fur seals. Too busy looking at adorable seals to take pictures.

NZ on the election

From a student magazine (I think)

Kayaking

Sea kayaking in Doubtful Sound. Got up before the sun, after a dizzying array or buses and boats got to cornily enjoy the sound of silence. Also saw penguins! And a seal literally a foot away--probably the closest I will ever get to a wild seal in the water in my life. And supposedly super rare cormorants.

Also, something amusing I have seen is at NZ supermarkets, customers are allowed to post random stuff--rooms to rent, looking for jobs, missing cats. Occasiobally there are really random ones like the one posted.

Kepler Tramp

I just finished the epic 70k (45mi) hike along Kepler Track in three days. It was the most beautiful views I have had in New Zealand yet, and I have gotten to see some cool stuff while I have been here.

Not many words necessary, really. Here you go.

Short hike to Key Summit

 Hello friends!

I have some backed up posts from the blogger app on my phone not working. I went on a very short hike about a week ago on the Routeburn Track, which is a famous one that is 30k and normally takes a few days. I just did a portion so ran up and down a mountain, Key Summit, with a day pack. The weather was gorgeous and the views spectacular.

Well a whole lot of this first for an hour

And then you can see something...

Which is this!

And this. This is called The Divide, it divides the Southern Alps or something. Really cool valleys created by glaciers.

Clean water

Kitesurfing on Lake Te Anau. Sadly that is not me but I may learn later

This is interesting. The supermarkets here allow customers to put up postings on things they want/things to hire out. Usually it's stuff like people selling cars or looking for odd jobs, but occasionally you have fun ones like this.

Time to tone down American friendly

I am on the bus on my way to Te Anau (sort of rhymes with tijuana) from Queenstown, figuring out how to open the window if the reckless bus driver plunges us into the lake bordering this highway along which we are hurtling.

Have I got a story for you, AmyY. Earlier today, I arrived at the bus stop about half an hour before departure, where the bus was already waiting along with the driver. Kiwis, especially the ones in hospitality, are pretty chatty (once a bus driver provided personal commentary during the entirety of a two hour ride on regional wines and rich people). This driver not being excepted, we struck up a convo about Korea as he asked where I was from.

After a couple minutes chat he asked what I was doing tonight, he wants to hear more about Korea, jokingly(?) asking if he can come along with me next time I go. Now this driver seems to be in at least his 60s, old enough to be my grandfather. I think, hmm this is unusual, but I ramble out an I'm not sure. Then he asks if I have a phone, I say no (I really don't) so he gives me his number and asks me to text him later. Still I am thinking, well it might be kind of cool if I got to meet his drinking buddies/old ladies he knows in town. I still can't possibly imagine he is hitting on me.

All pretense of this drops when he asks me, Where is your husband? asks my age, then says ah yes, you are so young and very beautiful. I frantically search his hands for a wedding ring--negative. Shit. At this point I announce I will go look at some shops in the remaining 15 minutes before the bus leaves and run away to the grocery store, making sure there are others on the bus before returning. And that is how I was accosted by a senior Kiwi.

I will probably have to see him again on my way out of the town so will maybe have to make up a boyfriend or something. Oh god he knows where I am staying. Hopefully he forgets about me in the week or so until I need a ride back to Queenstown. In the meantime I am sitting low in my seat hiding and trying to avoid eye contact.

Also they grow deer here for food so one pic is a red deer farm. Weird as they are also considered pests but I guess they really like venison/really like exporting venison.