Kristopher's New Zealand Trip

Last time I left off we were just starting to surf on the Gold Coast in Australia. We continued to do that for a couple of weeks while staying at the campground. We managed to stand up more and more often. One day while out at see we saw a fin. We started to freak out thinking it may be a shark. Then it jumped to the surface and it was a dolphin. For a couple minutes we had a whole pod of dolphins swimming around us. Somewhere along the line I damaged my surfboard and had to get it repaired. It sucked because it took about a week out of my surfing. Once I got my board back it was one more week of standing infront of the waves.

After our time on the Gold Coast was up we took a train to Brisbane and flew to Cairns. Cairns was even hotter than Brisbane but luckily the hostels were cheaper and air conditioned. As soon as we got down on the ground we started looking for the company we would be doing scuba with. We decided on CDC (Cairns Dive Centre) because they focused more on diving great spots on the reef instead of first class luxary. For about $850 each we would get 2 days of pool training and 4 days living on a boat out on the reef. After the first day of instruction we quickly relised it would be smart to purchase our own mask and snorkle so we did so. I have never used a nicer mask and it made the whole experience even better. After completing the days in the pool we headed out to the reef. After a 2 hour ride out on their smaller boat we made it to the ship. When we had our first meal it was amazing. They were not suppose to have the best food in the world but after 6 months of backpacking their food was glorious. After lunch it was time for our first dive. How can I describe the beauty I saw. No picture had ever done justice to what we saw and felt diving on the reef. The fish were everywhere and in ever colour. All types of corals and plants. We even saw Nemo. After we completed that dive there was still 12 more dives to go. Each dive was as unique and amzing as the last. By the end of the trip we had seen sharks, sting rays, every fish possible, and Jordan even saw a turtle. A couple of our dives were even at night. These dives were really neat because a fish called the red cod had learned to fish off the flashlights. All you had to do was keep you torch on a small fish and a big red cod would swoop in and eat it. After the end of all our dives we were certified to dive to 30m and at night by ourselves. This was one of the best experiences of my life and worth flying out to Australia to do if you can get the chance.

After the diving we had a couple days to kill in Cairns and then we flew to Auckland to kill a couple more. See everybody at home!!!

(If you still haven't check out the pictures I posted of the reef, they are pretty cool)

We arrived in Australia on the 9th of March. Our plane landed in Brisbane which is halfway up the east coast. Week took a train from the airport to the centre of Brisbane. Then we spent the next hour looking for a hostel. After searching for ever we ended staying at a hostel that wasn't cheap, and was horrid. All the hostels were either really dumpy and expensive, or nice and outragously expensive. We spent 4 days in Brisbane deciding where we would be going for the next couple of weeks. After much delibration and talking to lots of people we decided on the Gold Coast, and more specifically Surfers Paradise. At the end of our 4th day in Brisbane we hopped on the train and went to the Gold Coast. When we arrived we started looking for a campground. There was not to many campgrounds but luckily we found one right on the beach for a reasonable price. After walking 30 minutes we got there. It is a pretty nice campground with a pool and an outdoor cooking area. We set up camp and just relaxed. The  second day we went out to town and went to a couple surf stores. After much deliberation Jordan and I both bought a surfboard. We walked back to camp and waited anxiously for the next morning when we would go for the first time. We woke super early the next morning and went down to the beach. the weather wasn't perfect but we were to anxious to surf to really care. After swimming out a bit we tried to get it going. For the larger part of the morning we really only could body surf the waves, not able to get up. By the end of the morning session we were standing up for a couple of seconds. But the end of our time here we should be getting quite a bit better at it.

Pictures coming up within a week hopefully

So Its been a while since my last post. The reason is there hasn't really been much to talk about. I know you're like "Kris you spent 5 weeks in New Zealand, how was that not the coolest thing ever?" Well the truth of the matter is, we were pretty much done our trip in NZ but had to kill 5 weeks before Australia to save money. We decided that we would try and find a job for a couple of weeks in Christchurch to make a little cahsh before we went to Oz. After leaving Stewart we went straight to Invecargil to wash up. After doing that we went to Mackers and ate $15 worth of food. I didn't the next day. Then we drove off to Dunedin. We spent 4 nights in Dunedin. Dunedin didn't have much to offer but we did it all. First we went to the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. Then the Speights Brewery. Finally to the beach at night to watch the penguins come in from feeding. After Dunedine we drove to Christchurch stopping along the way for one night. We spent two weeks trying to find jobs in Christchurch to no avail. So we drove back to Blenheim to work once more on the VINEYARDS. After looking for a week we found a job. Then after working for a week we were "laid off" or as I think FIRED. Anyways we drove back down to Christchurch and spent the next 5 days selling the car. After finally selling we booked flights to Auckland. Which brings me to the current time. Pretty soon we leave for Australia (March 9) and that is when things will start getting exciting once more. Until then so long. Keep your stick on the ice

***Warning this is an extremely long post. I'm sorry but I just had so much to say***

So we finally made it to Te Anau to do the Keplar track and Milford Sound. When we got to Te Anau we found that the Keplar was booked up in the tent sites for another 2 days and that the huts were $45 dollars each as upposed to $15 for campsites. We also found out that the 60km cirtuit only had one campsite. We decided to book in for 2 days later and do the Milford Sound stuff first. After checking in the the hostel we spent the evening enjoying movies and a meal at the restuarant.

The next day we headed off for Milford Sound. If you go to New Zealand that is one of the things that I would suggest not missing. If I could of done the track I would have but it was booked up until May. We hopped on the cheapest cruise that we could find and cruised through the sound. The scenery was unbelievable. The mountains were so steep everywhere that you could have jumped from the top of any of them and made it into the water. They were also extremely high so it would have hurt alot to jump off. The sound itself had an incredable depth of 400m at places. Interestingly enough, because they recieve so much moisture in Milford Sound there is a 3m layer of freshwater on top and then the rest is salt water. Because of the layer of freshwater not much light makes it to the salt water and there is not much life under the water. Just a bit of fish, dolphins, and seals. There was also a ton of waterfalls all over in the Milford Sound because of all the rain they recieve. On the drive there and back there is a tunnel that goes through a mountain. I loved it because it was almost 2 minutes long. When we were waiting to go back through the tunnel at the end of the day we saw a Kia. It is the only real alpine parrot in the world. It is also one of the most curious, intellegent birds in the world. It was really neat how close to the car he came and some of the photos I captured.

We started out on the Kepler track early in the morning at 8:30. We had to do this because we were walking 30km. The first part of the day was an uphill climb up to the top of the mountain. We got some really nice views of lake Te Anau and also some cool rock faces. Once we got above the tree level we were pretty much to the first hut. We stopped here for lunch. After a quick snack we took a short side trip to a nearby cave. The cave was created by a small creak running down the moutain. The cave was amazing and we managed to climb into the cave for almost 20 minutes. The cave was getting a little tight at that point and we didn't want to make any big risks so we headed back out at that point. It was really neat how undesiturbed the cave was even after having so many people come explore it. In the afternoon we hiked along a ridge across the mountains. We even managed to get across a bit of snow. By this point we were all getting tired and the wind was starting to get chilly up there. After stopping for short breaks at the emergency huts (everybody does, they are great spots for breaks but you can only sleep there in an emergancy) we made it to the end of the ridge. The later part of the afternoon was spent hiking down the hill to our campsite. We got there early evening of later afternoon and set up camp. At this camp we met a group of canadians we had met in Queenstown already and an american we had met several times already. The next morning we woke up at 7:30 to take down camp and get ready for the next 30km. The rest of the day was pretty much flat and boring and it ended up raining at the end of the hike. When we finally made it out at around 2:30 or 3:00 we were all exuasted and not the least bit worried to spend a couple of days in a hostel.

We spent 2 more days in Te Anau and then headed off to Invecargel. That where we would sort of base our Stewart Island trek out of. When we got to Invecargel and went to the DOC office (people in charge of the parks and things) Jon decided that he didn't want to do the 10 day hike on Stewart Island. After a little bit of thought he decided he wouldn't go to Stewart at all. So after 2 days in Invecargel he left us. We said our goodbyes and he headed off to Wellington to find a job. A day after Jordan and I set off to do the Stewart Island North West Circuit, the longest circuit trek in NZ.

In the begging of the day we drove down to Bluff where we would be taking the ferry down to Stewart Island. When we got there at 8:30 we found out that the next ferry would be at 9:30. So we booked it and waited for the ferry. The ferry ride out was hurrendously choppy at times we were literally lifted out of our seats. Once on Stewart Island we went to the DOC office, told them our plans, purchased our last night in the great walk hut (our back-country passes covered the rest of the hike), and set off. The DOC lady informed us that after we got passed the first half of the first day(which was on the great walk track) it would get a little bit muddy. She said that right before our first hut we would have to make it through some mud. Then she said that our second last day would be really muddy coming down the hill to our last hut. She informed us that people often skip the last 2 days and come out of the freshwater landing. We figured that would be a waste of money just to avoid some mud and decided to just go for it.

You might want to visit the track map at this website to get a better idea of what im explaining.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/southland/southern-islands/north-west-circuit-stewart-island-rakiura/track-description/track-map/

The first part of the track was about 5km of roads. This ended up taking a little over an hour and soon we were on great walk track. Then what was apparantly suppose to take 3 hours was 2 hours for us. The track was relatively flat and boring. We took a quick lunch at the first great walk hut and kept going on our way. About 15 minutes into the second half of the day we came across our first bit of mud. We found that we could easily skirt around it through the forest while only taking about twice as long as it would have to do that 20 foot section. We figured that it wasn't to bad because we would only have to do it a couple times. Were we ever wrong. Within another 15 minutes we realized that whole track from here to Bungaree hut would be muddy and difficult. Within the hour we were just marching through the mud, relying on our gaters to keep the mud out of our boots. At least the mud never came up to our knees and only usually only half ways. When we finished this part of the track that was to take 3 hours in 2 and a half hours we were exuasted. The mud drained you. The day was only 18km but it felt like thirty. We met the other people that we would be sharing huts with throughout the hike, had supper, and had an early sleep. The next morning we set off at about 10:15, over 2 hours after the other people in the hut. The next section was about 12km or 6 hours. Again like yesterday there weren't many views and a lot of mud. After 3.5 hours we met up with the other group and in 4.5 hours we made it to the next hut, Christmas Village hut. At this hut we talked a lot more with the group. There were 4 people in this group. 3 older NZ people and one young guy from Scottland. When we first got to the hut we found some peoples items already there. After about an hour a couple walked in and said that they had choppered in to hike the mountain on Stewart Island. It was really neat because they then called in their helicopter to pick them up and the chopper came and landed right infront of the hut. We decided to go out and collect some Puau for supper. Puau is a very valuable shell fish that resides in the NZ waters. Look them up, they are very neat and have great shells. The Puau shells when harvesting need to be at least 12.5cm or fit in your hand or more to be legel. To take them of the rock you have to be very quick and strong or have something to pry them off with. We weren't ever quick enough so we Needed to use Murry's(the guy from Scottland) knife. I figured that even though I think I'm allergic to fish I would try these because I had already tried mussels and didn't react to them. After teaching us how to gut and tenderize the Puau the older man that was in the group fried them in garlic and butter. They were rather tasty but kinda link chicken or something. After we were done eating them they informed us that if we had purchased them it would be about $200. The Puau was good but I would have prefered a nice steak and there was only about 1 per person which wasn't that much because they were hard to find. The next day we were going from Christmas village to Yanky River. This day was so similar to the day before. We left at 10:30, hiked the 6 hours in 4.5 hours, met and passed the people that left 2 hours before us, and hiked 12km. At Yanky River hut we did Puau again except that this time we managed to find enough for everybody to eat as much as they could. We also saw a whitetail deer. They were all pretty excited but it was a really young doe, not much to be excited about. They are an introduced species on Stewart Island. The next day to Long Harry hut was suppose to be shorter. Only 8.5km or 5 hours. It still took us 4.5 hours but that was because we had a really long break on the beach. Because of our long break the other group managed to beat us to the cabin. That evening we ate our own food and the older people went to bed. Jordan and I got a lot more aquianted with Murry. We found out that he was hiking with these people because he had been living with a family while on a orchard and they knew people going. The suggested he go with them. So he met them on Stewart Island and did the hike with them. We then found out that this group of people were all almost 60. Geeze we were impressed and I decided that if I could do that hike when I was 60 then that would be a miracle. The next day to East Ruggady was to take 6 hours. It was only 9.5km but it had lots of steep hills and some quicksand. We started off the day with 3 consecutive hills. After that we climbed down to the beach. After chilling on the beach for a couple hours we headed up for a while. The incline was long and draining but worth it because when we got to the top there was our first viewpoint of the trip. The view was one of the most dynamite views we had recieved in all of NZ. It was great. Just before we had reached the top there was a Kiwi that I had managed to see. I was super pumped because most New Zealanders have not seen a wild kiwi. Jordan was stuck in mud so he didn't manage to see it. After the view we had to hike all the way down to the other side. At the bottom we reached a beach with a river to cross. The whole river and the banks around it was made up of quicksand. You had to be careful of where you stepped or else you could be sucked in. You wouldn't go past your knees but still, wet boots. We started trying to cross but soon realised there was no good way across. We both ended up with wet boots. It was still fun and all part of the experience. After hiking 20 minutes through sand dunes we made it to the hut. Here we met a group of 6 hunters that were out here for a week. They were the most red neck Kiwi's(New Zealander's if you didn't know) ever. One guy invited me and Jordan to come to his house after we were done the trek but decided not to because he was really weird. The next day was to Hellfire Pass hut. That describes it so well. While only being 14km it was suppose to take us an entire 7 hours. So far everyday on the track had been muddy all the time. Luckly it hadn't rained yet, which was a miracle because Stewart Island has 275 days of rain a year, so it wasn't as bad as it has been. Apparantly coming up to the hike there had been a ton of rain so thats why the track was so muddy. The day was really long with big ups and big downs with muddy tracks making the climbs and decents mean. Both times we enjoyed the beaches we came down on for a short while. We even caught up the other group on the second beach (they always left 2 hours before us). The pass from the last beach up to the hut was cruel and unusual but we managed and finished the day in only 6 hours. When we got the this hut we met a girl from Switzerland who was going to do 14 days of hiking(going on to the Southern circuit) but decided only to do the Northern circuit. She had spent the day relaxing on the beach. We had a nice evening getting to know her and relaxing. The next day was gonig to be the hardest day. Again it was to take 7 hours and it was going to be 15km to Mason Bay hut. Jordan started off the day sick and we just started walking. This day was finally a little drier on the track and we were going up to the altitude of 400m. This day was my favorite day because the track was decent, I felt good, and there was some stunning views. The first part of the track followed a ridge up and down to Little Hellfire beach. Here we relaxed for an hour and took in the sun. Then we had to climb up a steep hill up to 200m and back down. It was extremely muddy on both side and combined with steepness it made for tough going. Once we were over we were on Mason Bay beach. about 5km of beach walking. Luckily most of the beach was hard sand. We walked halfways down the beach and then inland through the dunes to the hut. Here we crashed really early because we were so exuasted. The day took 6 hours again. The next day was to freshwater landing. It was 15km but was only to take 3-4 hours because of its extremely flatness. I nailed out this hike in only 2.25 hours and was happy to be done. Jordan and both agreed to take the water Taxi out that day. The next day was suppose to be a huge hill with such steep muddy sides that it was actually dangerous. Everybody was boating out at Freshwater so we decided to as well. The river rose with the tide and they could boat all the way inland. It was a cool ride out lasting about 30 minutes to an hour. That was that we were done the hike and happy to be done. The hike was hard, muddy, trying, and tiring. We were both glad we had done it but wouldn't do it again.

So we managed to stop off at a town over Christmas. It was really good to stop somewhere for a couple days and rest up. The hostel was one of the best rated hostels in all of NZ and we were able to stay there for only $20 a night. The hostel was really nice and had a completementary Christmas dinner. While we were in Greymouth I got a new camera. Its smaller and waterproof so I can get pictures on hikes a lot easier. Our hostel had free golf clubs to use so we played 2 rounds of golf while in Greymouth. I also went fishing twice. The first time I caught some dog sharks. The second time I caught some Kaurui and Jordan and Jon ate them. We also went Kayaking down the river on the free kayaks at the hostel. Once while kayaking I saw an eel swimming by. It was really cool. I also made some really nice food while in the hostel and ate lots of chocolate like your suppose to for Christmas. After Greymouth we drove down to the Franz Joseph Galacier. It was really pretty. Didn't do any Glacier walks because they were really expensive. We had a nice little hostel to stay in for the night. The next day we started the drive to Queenstown. 2 hours from Queenstown we had a blowout. After driving an hour on the spare we found a town with a tire shop. We had to buy a new tire but at least that was all. After we got that put back on we were off to Queenstown. When we arrived we booked into our hostel. We only managed to get one night in the hostel and then for the rest of the time in Queenstown we have to stay in a campground because it is so busy for New Years. We booked our Bungy for the next day.

Bungy jumping is insane. Bungy jumping on the Nevis is stupid. It is 134m. It has a freefall of 8 seconds and you jump out of a cable car suspended between to cliffs, diving into a valley. The jump cost $250 but it was easily worth it. When we got to jump site they gave us these big harnesses to wear. We had to get into a little cable car to get to the big cable car where you jump out of. First up was Jordan, then me, then Jon. After Jordan jumped and they pulled him up they asked me to sit in the chair. They strapped my feet in and gave me some instructions. Then you get up and walk to the edge. The count 3-2-1 and you just jump. It was so high but you had to just go for it without thinking. For the first 2 seconds it felt like a ride at the fair where you are falling and your stomach feels funny but then it changes. The next 6 seconds you get to look around and look at the ground but you don't feel any fear really just a lot of extreme fun. At the height of the second bounce you pull a cord so that your feet are released and you are attached by you waist. Then you bounce a little more and they reel you up. When you get back up to the top then you just climb back in. We are in Queenstown until January 2nd when we leave for the Milford Sound

This blog post is about the most epic of hikes that we have completed sofar. It wasn't the most epic for the scenery, although that was really good. Itwas physically challenging and mentally challenging. On a normal weathercondition this wouldn't have been as challenging but because 3 of the 5 days ofhiking were in rain and we were on the mountain, it became really epic. Afterraining a large amount on our first day where we only had to walk an hour wemade it to the first cabin, Cold-water. Thankfully we got these hut passes for60 bucks so we could stay in the huts. If not we would not have been able to dothe hut. We spent the rest of the day chilling out in the hut. The next morningwe left early. I put on my gators (if you don't know what that is, it’s awater/mud guard for your lower-legs and boot holes) and was really glad I did.The trail was really muddy. The only sure place you could step was on a rock ora root or a log. We walked for about 4 hours until the John Tait hut where wehad lunch. The trail all along the way had a ton of mountain creeks that hadflared up into streams that were a little more difficult to cross. We rested upand hiked another 3 hours up to the Upper-Traverse hut. On our way there wepassed a family and a lady who would be joining us in the hut that evening.When we got to the top I was the only person with dry boots. What a relief thatwas, knowing there was 3 more days of hiking left. The Upper-Traverse hut wasin a gorgeous little mountain plain. It looked out across a grassy bog. When wewoke up the next morning it was hailing and blowing. This was the day we wereplanning to do the traverse which was the highest part of the hike at 1800meters. The crossing was suppose to take 6 hours which meant we would have toleave before 1:30 if we wanted to do it with time to spare if anything wentwrong. At the top if there is gale force winds the crossing can be reallyrough. At 1:00 it looked like the weather had been good for an hour so wedecided to punch out and at 1:15 were on the trail. We had to climb 400 metersand then go down a further 1000 after we reached the summit. The up was ok. Itwas raining pretty hard and the trail was a creek but we could walk beside itfor about 150m vertical. After that it was climbing over rocks and bouldersusing all your limbs for another 100m. After that is was walking over meadows,rocks, and snow. Once we got to the top the wind really picked up. It was goingto be really cold until we could get back down into the tree-line. We decided topush on and started to go down the other side. This was supposed to be thehardest part of the track because it was such a steep drop. It was crazycombined with the rain because once more the trail was a creak. I decided tostick to trail though because my gear was so waterproof and it had good rockholds. Even so I still fell a couple times. Once we got down that steep sectionthe track was sort of carved out of the mountain and it went down at a fairlysteep angle until it came to the tree line. We walked in the tree thinking wewere done the hard bit until we came upon a huge avalanche path. It wasstraight rock scree. Here the trail markers disappeared and we decided that theonly path must be down the avalanche. It was really steep for a long time. Luckilythere were lots of rocks so we had good grip. After walking down for a whileand crossing some really difficult rivers we managed to make it down. Accordingto the map it would be a long flat stretch until the hut, so we figured itwould be easy walking until the hut. We couldn't have been more wrong. The rainoff the mountains had swelled up all the rivers, creeks, streams, and tricklesso much that any flowing water became a puzzle on how to cross. There was oneriver we crossed where a tree had felled across and the river was so raging theonly way across was this tree. It was about as big as knee. I was just bigenough to hold us. There was another branch that was a handhold. That rivercrossing was super scary. The rest of the day was river crossing after rivercrossing until we made it to the hut, which we reached 2 hours early. We did itin 4 hours. When we got in the West-Sabine cabin I was again the only personwith dry boots out of the other 7 people there. Thanks to my rain pants, gatorsand boots. Nice little cabin and good company for the evening. The next day we trekkedon. It was a repeat of the flat section from the day before. At one point wehad to stop take off our boots and stuff and wade through a river up to our underwear.Ice cold. At another point an avalanche had come down the path in winter andleft super steep scree. Normally this wouldn't have been such a problem but theriver was so high it covered the path by a couple feet and it was ragging. Wehad to walk across this avalanche scree. At one point there was 2 meters withno solid footing we had to fun across while sliding to a log that was buried halfwayto grab onto. Super sketch but we made it. Had we fallen it would have been agood swim. After a light 4 hours hiking we made it to the next hut, Sabine hut.We had the same company as the last hut minus one person plus a family. Afterdrying up again we set off for the last day. We hiked out 5 and a half hoursalthough apparently it was suppose to take 8 hours. The hike was thankfully dryfor this day. We had some really nice views and a nice hut called the Spear-Grasshut to stop for lunch. At one point there was a boardwalk that went over aswamp that must have been at least a kilometre long. When we got to the end Ihad to walk an extra 2km to get our car. Then I had to go back and grab Jon andJordan. Then we went off to Westport for 3 nights. Then we went onto the Heaphytrack for the next couple days. We decided to do a light walk into the HeaphyHut campsite. It took us 3.5 hours. We set up camp and enjoyed the rest of theday, and the next day at the campsite. On the second day we walked a littleways up the track and discovered and stream coming out of a small cave. Mostpeople would stop because normally they are going from one spot to the nextwith their multi-day bags. Because we only had day bags and nothing else to dowe decided to go in. Once we half crawled into the entrance we found the caveto be a lot longer than we realized. Jordan and I went back to camp to grabsome torches. We then hiked back and went in the cave. After wading fromchamber to chamber that we could stand, in we got to a spot that was deeper. Itwas about 2 feet wide above the water and 3 or four feet under water. The watercame up to chest height in the section. When we made it through we came toanother big chamber. This chamber had really nice stalagmites and stalactites.We thought this was the last chamber but then we realized it went on. We had tosquat in water so that it came up to our necks and shuffle through to the nextchamber. At the end there was another really nice chamber that was big and openagain. All in all we must have gone in about 100 feet or more. The next day wewoke up to rain. We packed up in rain and walked back in rain. That hike onlytook 3 hours. There is nothing like a little rain to make you hike faster.

Thanks for all the comments that people have left much appreciated.

Kris

So its been a while since the last post. We left Blenheim a week or two ago. The day we left Blenheim we drove up to Picton. We hopped on a water-taxi and drove out to the end of the Queen Charolette Track into Ship Cove. The drive out was incredable. We drove up through the sounds. Once we got up to the end of the track we hopped out of the boat and we started the walk. The first day was really difficult while we were hiking because we went straight up the hill and then down but it was only a 2 hour walk until the first campsite. All throught the walk there was incredable view to see. We set up camp for the night and had a relaxed evening on the ocean playing cards and such. We ended up going to bed fairly early so that we could get an early start on the hike for the next day. The next day when we woke up it was really gloomy outside. By the time we were almost packed up it started to drizzle. We packed up as fast as we could and threw the bag covers on. We started out it a light rain the next morning. As the day progressed it looked like the rain wouldn't let up at all. As we neared the end of the day the rain eased off and we were able to set up in dry weather. Later that evening when we were down at a lodge that was close by having a coffee the rain picked up again. It didn't stop until about 8:30 when we ran to our tents to settle down for the night. The night before Jordan had left of rain fly at the last campsite so we had to through a tarp over the tent. There was already water in the tent when we went to bed and by morning everything in the tent was wet. We went back to the lodge and looked at the weather for the next couple of days and saw that it was bad weather for the next couple of days so we called it a day and hopped on the water-taxi back to Picton. We drove to Nelson and stayed at a hostel for 2 nights. This gave us time to dry out and get ready for the next hike. It was a really nice hostel so it was fun to hang out in for a couple of days. I picked up a new tent for the next hike in Nelson as well. We decided to book our campsites for the Able Tasman hike and then drove up to Marahau. We found a nice hostel for a decent price and spent the night there. We were going to Kayak that day but the weather was not very good so we decided to wait until after the hike. The next day we hopped on a water-taxi out to Totaranui. We dropped or bags and hiked the Gibbs hill track to the other side of the pennisula and then hiked back on the coast of the pennisula to Totaranui. We grabbed our bags and headed down to Awaroa Bay for the night. We had to cross the tides at the right time so we could only get to the campsite after 4:30. The next morning we got up and quarter to six so that we could catch the tidal crossing. That was one of the hardest parts of planning this hike because there are tidal crossing that you need to take. The whole next day we hiked down to Torrent Bay where we stayed the night. The next day we hiked out to the start of the hike. When we were walking back we went to a lookout point and we saw a pod of 40-60 dolphins. It was increadable. There was so many dolphins and lots of them were jumping out of the water. When we got to the end of the track we were all beat. Everyones feet were done. The next day we got a beautiful day so we went out to a kayak. We kayaked out to Fisherman's Island and Adele Island. We saw so many seals and a penguin. There was seals swimming in the water with our kayaks. It was awesome. We also so some rays swimming in the water. They were massive. Once our day of kayaking was over we drove to Motueka for the night. Then the next day we drove down to Nelson Lakes. We found a nice 4 night hike for us to do. Last night we spent in a campground and tonight is in a hostel. Tommorow we start on the hike. Its called the Traverse-Savine. Pictures will be up as well if you want to look at them.

Kris

Hey team. So its been a while since I have posted anything but there hasn't really been that much to post. Lately we have still been hanging out in the hostel. We have indeed found work though. Mostly so far what we have been doing is bud rubbing. Basically what that is, is you go to every vine and rub off all the buds and shoots of the bottom so when we you spray herbasides the plants won't die. It doesn't sound that complicated but if you want to know what it feels like, run a couple of miles bent over and the sand-paper your fore arms. Luckly you get gloves for you hands, but they cost 5 bucks a pair. Anywho we are still making good money doing that even though it is painful.

Last week we went on a hike with out new British friend Jon. It was a lot of fun. We hiked up this massive hill, and then once we are on top we hiked along the ridge for quite a while. It was quite beautiful and there we some nice views. We were aiming to get to this lookout that showcased a nice view of a dam. Well when we got their the view was ok and the dam was just a dirt ridge. Nobody had been down that trail for a long time and we realized why.

Yesterday we went fishing with Jon's friend. Luckly we already had our fishing tackle so we didn't have to buy any. After picking up some frozen pilchards for bait we went out to the river mouth to fish the ocean for Kahawai. After about half an hour of fishing a caught one. Ten minutes later Jordan caught one. They were nice and big and were really fun to catch. Later that evening Jordan and Jon ate them. I am allergic so I didn't join in. They tasted really good apparantly. I will post some pictures up in the photo section if you want to check them out. There will also be some pictures of the hostel we are in if you couldn't watch the youtube video.

Missing everyone

Kris

So this time I have put my blog into video form. Here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh1tF78iDYU

So we have finally made it to blenheim. It looks like we may have beat the job market by about a week or two. We have decided to hang out a while in The Grapevine which is a backpackers hostel. Right now there is pretty much nobody here and we have been having a good time hanging out with this German guy. Today we managed to get out on the river which is right behind the hostel and do some Kayaking. It was super fun. We went quite a ways down river and then turned around and came all the way back up. Then we went to the beach but the wind was just to cold. The other day just before we got the hostel we went to a campground near Blenheim that was right on the beach. Here we managed to do some shore casting for the first time. It ended up being really really difficult. I could cast a lot farther than normal with my new rod but not nearly as far as needed. We fished all evening but didn't manage to catch anything. The next day was really bad so we stayed in the car and just hung out. Once the weather cleared I went out and did some fishing again. This time I was a little more lucky and managed to catch a five inch long fish. Lol it was tiny but just the same I caught it. Hopefully in the future I will manage to catch some bigger ones. Looking for a job right now, but might not get one for another week or two. Anyway love everyone at home and miss you all.