It's been almost a week...

On the farm and I'm still really liking it. A little sick of picking blueberries, but still really liking it. What's not to like? Work for 4 hours, eat a yummy home cooked, home grown lunch, chill out/read a book/bike around vineyards/swim at the water hole, eat a home cooked, home grown dinner, repeat. Life is not hard here at Windsong Orchard. Yesterday for my birthday they made me a blueberry crumb cake thing that was super delicious, with blueberries picked by yours truly. I can't believe I will be in VT in just over 2 weeks. It feels like I just got here. I will definitely be back. This place gets under your skin. Also, congrats to Amigos de Pablo for their amazing fundraising efforts!!

WWOOF, take 2

Yesterday I arrived at Windsong Orchard, in Renwick, to try my hand at wwoofing again, after a week of pretty much just vegging out in Nelson (but camping!). Ok I guess we'll cover my lazy week in Nelson first. I didn't really do much, except walk into town and read. I did end up going to the Founders Brewery, but there weren't tours, but I did get to sample their organic beers, which were all really good. It's in a place called Founder's Park, not unlike Shelburne Museum, with old buildings, people dressed in period costumes, etc. It was cute, if aimed at a slightly younger audience. The new wwoofing farm is night and day above the other. First off the wwoofers have their own cottage (blueberry cottage, since it butts up to the blueberry field) and our own kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and a computer with internet. It's myself and a girl named Elizabeth, from New Jersey. We work from 8:30 to 12:30, have lunch together in Jennie and Bob's house, and then we have the rest of the day free. It really couldn't be more different, and better, than the last place. Tomorrow Elizabeth and I are going to go explore some of the vineyards, since we're absolutely smack dab in the heart of New Zealand wine country. Also, I posted all my pictures from Milford Sound, Franz Josef, etc on Flickr so it's updated again. As of now I've been too lazy to title them all (I uploaded around 250 so I just didn't have the energy) but I will try to get to them soon, so they make a little more sense. That's all that's new for now, but I'll try and be better about updating.

Nelson- again.

I know. I just can't stay away. I got back to Nelson on Monday? I think. So far I've just been hanging out, sleepin in the tent, saving some money. I'm going to go to Abel Tasman National Park this weekend to do some hiking/kayaking, and then on Monday I start WWOOFing again. At a place called Windsong Orchard in Renwick, which is the heart of wine country in New Zealand (but it's not a vineyard, unfortunately). I will stay there for at least a week, possibly two. If I stay for one week, I will spend the other at a vineyard, but the vineyard is in the same town as the last place I tried WWOOFing, which I feel like is a bad omen.

There's a very eccentric book seller here in Nelson, where I've now bought two books, but I just cannot figure out how this man makes any money. It's a used bookstore, and he said that he'd buy back some of my books (I hoard the books I buy, hoping I can sell them back somewhere since the book exchanges at the hostels have all been horrible). Right now I have 6 books to sell back. Ridiculous I know. I counted today, I think I've read 10 books so far since being gone. It's also nice to be back in sunshine finally. I have been rained on in almost every city I've been in, for around 2 weeks straight it rained on and off throughout the day.

Yesterday I hiked to the geographical center of New Zealand. There's just a little plaque and sculpture to denote that someone at some point calculated it out, and that is the exact center of New Zealand. It's a short hike, 45 min round trip, but STEEP. I went at 4 in the afternoon and it was still super hot. Tomorrow I think I might do the extended version of that hike that takes you out to the bay, and my favorite beer so far in New Zealand is brewed here in Nelson so I'm going to go check out the factory. Other than that things are pretty mellow, I can't believe I've been here for over a month now.

Franz Josef Glacier

Firstly, I just discovered today that I've been spelling it wrong this whole time, it's Josef, not Joseph. So anyway, this morning I woke up at 7:30, super super tired, and considering bagging the whole 'climbing a glacier' thing- except I'd already paid for it, and it wasn't cheap. I chose the half day hike, versus the full day hike, and I'm very happy with my choice. There were 50 of us, split into 4 groups, according to fitness. I chose to be in group 3 (1 being the most fit) because I'm tired, and it's not like once you're up there you can just be like, oh you know what, I think I'm going to turn around and go back. So in group 3 (the fast-slow group, as we called our selves) I was very comfortable, and there were several people far slower than I, which I was glad about (you never want to be the one holding everyone up). It was supposed to rain all day, but it ended up being an absolutely gorgeous day. Aaand I didn't get a sunburn! Miracles do happen. My camera died about halfway up the glacier, and I still managed to take around 20 pictures. I have got to get this picture taking thing under control. I took around 200 in Milford Sound (which I have since whittled down to around 100) and I know if my camera battery hadn't died, I would have been somewhere around that again with the glacier. Franz Joseph (and Fox glacier, a bit south of Franz) are one of only two places in the world where a glacier is receeding into a rainforest, the other in Patagonia, Argentina, so it was quite a special thing to see. All in all the hike was around 4 or 5 hours, and about 6 miles (10 km). I chatted with a nice young Irish couple for most of the day, they were on their honeymoon. Tomorrow I leave for Greymouth, which I've heard from A LOT of people sucks, but it's a stop over on the way to I think Takaka, possibly Nelson again but I'm trying to avoid that since I've already spent so much time there. I decided to forgo the train because it just requires too much backtracking, and I can feel the money/time slipping away as it is. I start camping tomorrow too- hopefully the rain will stay away for a few more days. I'm excited to get the tent out and put it to some good use! I'm also trying to line up some couch surfing and another wwoofer placement- I'll keep you updated!

Franz Joseph and Queenstown

Today I took a 9 hour bus ride from Queenstown to Franz Joseph, with the most annoying bus driver ever! Dad you need to come down here and show them what professional driving is all about! I'm so tired, but I wanted to get this in, especially since this internet cafe has a minimum charge so I want to get my money's worth. Tomorrow I am hiking the Franz Joseph glacier, but just the half day hike. I didnt' feel like paying for the full day plus it's supposed to rain, and I'm not gonna lie I'm a little scared of walking on a glacier in the rain. Two guys died a few months ago because they ignored the signs and were caught in some kind of ice fall. It's safe with the groups but still, it's no joke. Yesterday I went to Milford Sound, a day trip that took a total of 13 hours. I would have liked to stay longer in that area, but as I wasn't doing one of the walks it didn't really make sense. It was beautiful though. I have updated the pictures as well, so you can see at least some of what I'm talking about (not Milford Sound yet, where I took waaay too many pictures) and from the Gondola I took up to the top of one of the mountains surrounding Queenstown. I rode in my little gondola alone and nearly had a heart attack. I have unfortunately inherited my mother's immense fear of heights. I had to latch myself on to three older British folk because there was no way I would be able to ride that again by myself. Luckily one of the gentlemen was scared as well, so he and I just chatted with one another to distract ourselves from what was going on. It was beautiful, too bad I wasn't able to enjoy it more. And to add insult to injury, one of the women on their tour paraglided down off the mountain. She's 70. Alright well time for me to go eat dinner, then bed. I'm wiped out and I need my strength for tomorrow!

Marley and Me

Do not watch without tissues! I just watched "Marley and Me" and proceeded to cry (sob is more acturate, but I'm trying to maintain some dignity). I think if you have ever had a dog, or even a pet, it's pretty much a must see. Not that it's some great movie, because it's not, but I think everyone can connect with the message.

Queenstown & Pictures

Today I made it to Queenstown, barely. I overslept and just barely made my bus, I had to run out in pjs and ask them to wait! The bus was supposed to pick me up at my hostel (thank god because I could not do that walk again, especially at 6:30 in the morning!) Then I grabbed my stuff (thank GOD I packed the night before!) and hopped on the bus, still in pjs, all the way to Queenstown, 8 hours. I'm back at a YHA, mainly because I didn't like the looks of any other place in Queenstown, and I knew at least the YHA would be clean and relatively close to town. Now I have showered, put on real clothes, and feel much better. I wanted to post some photos and a video of the whale watch I did in Kaikoura, so I'm just doing it in this post because I'm too lazy to go back and edit an old one.

Christchurch was great, I really liked it. I've found that I really like all the cities in New Zealand, I think partially because none of them are too big. Even the big cities really aren't. I still can't decide if I want to bungy or not... I'm leaning towards no. I just think I'd be able to step off the platform! I couldn't even walk over the glass at the SkyTower in Auckland. Oh well, we'll see. After here, I'm off the Te Anau to see the fiords and Milford Sound, then it's back through Queenstown on the way to Fran Joseph Glacier, then it will be time to find work for a bit, either a hostel or wwoofing. A really great hostel in Picton was hiring but I was headed in the opposite direction. The manager told me to touch base with her again though when I make my way back up so we'll see! Anyway it's great to know you guys are following me and I love the feedback!!