Recently, I spent three weeks traveling the South Island in New Zealand with my fellow Peace Corps Volunteer and good buddy, Casey. Next to Tennessee but not within shouting distance, New Zealand is the most beautiful place I've traveled.
Just to give a brief outline of where we've been and what we did:
We enrolled with the organization WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and once we left Christchurch, we worked on a farm in Palmerston for a few days. We were lucky to have such knowledgeable and hospitable hosts.
We hitched a ride to Dunedin where we stocked up on food/gear and bought passage on a bus to Te Anau. The following day, we began tramping on the Kepler Track. There were many notable happenings on this walk but one of interest was that I experienced snow for the first time in two years. Many contend that the Kepler Track is the second best in New Zealand (behind the Milford), which is known for it's "Great Walks." Take into account that the Milford Track leads to Milford Sound, which has been labeled "The Eighth Wonder of the World" but I don't figure the Kepler is far behind. We summitted two mountains including this one above Mount Luxmore and walked around 55 kilometers in 2 and a half days. It was exhilirating, exhausting, breathtaking and punishing.
We recuperated in Queenstown during Christmas and Boxer's Day. Ate at a fantastic burger joint called Fergburger, drank a few beers, rendezvoused with some other Peace Corps Volunteers and made a few new friends.
We continued on our journey with stops at Franz Josef where I saw the glacier in all of it's majesty and Westport before our scheduled WWOOFin' date in Granity. Granity is a small town with a whole lot of personality. A shirt at a local bar/restaurant read, "I lost my sanity... in Granity."
New Zealand is everything I've been told with awe-inspiring beauty, an eclectic blend of foods, entertainment around every corner and super-friendly Kiwis (New Zealanders).
7 hours ago
