so kaleb and i parted ways in wanaka.  he went on to do what i can only guess is probably a shitload of mountainbiking.  i continued to winetaste and drive up the west coast then went for a hike after running out of gas.  all in all it was a pretty good day.

i got to the fox glacier and it was truly beautiful but i was tired as shit and unable to admire it properly.  so i found a campsite, made a bed and had the best nights sleep i had in a while.  then it was back to the glacier to see it like i should have the first time, but i was too distracted by the fact that i lost my car key somewhere among the slate-grey rocks.  perfect place for my key to hide.  bastard.

true to form, i depended on the kindness of strangers who found my key and then i set off for the Franz Josef glacier.  hiked around there for a few hours and even got to walk right up to the glacier itself.  kinda disappointing due to th amount of tourists and the fact that the glacier is the color of dirt.  haha

when it came time to find a campsite there, i realized that there is absolutely nothing to do in that town but drink.  alone.  just you and the bartender, if they have one.  lame.  so i drove up the coast for a few hours and landed at this DOC campsite right on a lake in hokitika.  and they have this truly amazing dive bar that even surpassed the Balboa Saloon and Class of '47 in sleaziness.  amazeballs.  turns out they have been a destination on the Kiwi Experience route for about 20 years and the walls are just coated with the lost dignity and old booze.  needless to say, i felt right at home.

so i showed up there at about 5pm and see these two really, really old men at the bar sharing a pitcher of beer and chatting with a bartender in her 50s.  they turn out to be lifetime locals and one of the owners!  perfect.  they gave me the best scoop on where to go and hike in the area.

the next day was made for more driving along what is claimed to be the most beautiful drive in NZ.  did some touristy things and bought a necklace from an aritsts' co-op in punikariki (sp?).  i finally pulled over in motueka with the intention of spending the next day in the able tasman national park.

the coast tramp there is just spectaular and i spent a good 4 hours there and stumbled across a nude beach.  ill let you decide whether or not i took part in the activity.  afterwards i made my way across the top of the island by winetasting all the way to Nelson.

i was feeling really out of sorts by the time i got there because i had been on the move every day for what seemed like forever, and no one had said anything in particular about nelson, and i had no idea about where to go or spend the night.  that was when i heard some street music.  they were playing american oldies and it was calling my name.  then i was drawn over to a table with some other travelers who could tell i was alone.  we all spent the rest of the day together, ending with a really fab meal and cocktails with alcohols that i coud not name.

the next few days were pretty mild: hiking and camping on beautiful beaches and a lot of driving.

i left picton a couple of days ago on the ferry after spending a couple of great days hiking and lying on the beach getting a tan.  beautiful pics to come when i can find a proper portal.

then onto wellington where i spent i beautiful day and had a really great meal again at one of the sport recommended by my guide.  i think thats the first time ive ever done that intentionally.  funny...

last night i again camped right on the beach in opunake, and i tell you i had a really great night's sleep.  even on the ground while it was raining.  perhaps it was the wine and huge dinner i made myself, but i woke up happy and satisfied.  now i must decide if i want to drive out of my way to see new plymouth before some hiking around the truly stunning mt. taranaki.  (seriously it seemed like it just arose out of nowhere when i was driving here.)

hm, i think ill just head straight for the mountain/volcano and then make my way to the tongariro national park, spend a day or so there before heading to taupo.  im really gonna try hard to do some bungy jumping there and not be a total wimp.


oh man that was a big update.  sorry about that.