So I know that I am already back from NZ, but the previous posts I have made only cover about 1/8 of my trip, so I figured I would continue to share pictures and adventures... Here is a random selection of fun tidbits and
TMI from my trip.
View from the drive into Wanaka
You might all know this by now or have guessed it, but maybe
not… I hitch hiked most of my way across
the country. Like thumb out on the side
of the road, getting into cars with strangers heading the same direction that I
need to go. It was pretty
fantastic! I’ll save the stories of some
of the characters and experiences for a different post though.
I have blisters on my blisters, and my feet honestly want to
fall off.
Angelus Loop, my last overnight hike. Probably the coldest
I've ever camped... my tent froze over that night. The girl that took
this at sunrise was staying in the hut with all the other sane people.
I am most likely in the tent at this point thawing out my feet.
There are a large amount of Asians visiting and relocating
to New Zealand. Which is mildly humorous
in that their really fast-moving lifestyle with a “GO!GO!GO!” mentality is a
complete opposite to the laid-back, enjoy your environment style of the
kiwis. It’s rather entertaining to see
the cultures mix.
Ha...
For those of you that know me well: There was a spider on my
sleeping bag, and I simply brushed it off.
I SIMPLY BRUSHED IT OFF.
I am directionally challenged. And yet, in NZ I managed to give at least
three people accurate directions! I’m
not sure if that means that I am getting better with directions, or was more
because the road systems here are extremely simple…
Whitebait, hoohahah!
I have determined the gender of my backpack (female), but no
names yet…
I poked a hedgehog
There is something that kiwis, Maori, and travelers all have
in common. No one actually knows how to
pronounce the word “Maori”. I kid you
not, I’ve asked about 20 kiwis, including Maori, and they all pronounce it
differently. Such pronunciations
include: Mahdy, Mowdy, Mowry, Mahry, Mawri, Moori, etc…
I love that this makes me think of Star Wars....
My favorite NZ foods: rhubarb yogurt, real fruit ice cream,
and lamb. If I should ever commit a
crime that requires euthanasia, these will be present for my last meal, and I
have also found my death sentence chef.
NOM NOM
I was doing some wine tasting in Nelson, and had just gotten
to the second vineyard. I sat down at
the barstool, had a sip of chardonnay, and then all of a sudden I felt this
huge sense of vertigo and pitched forward on my stool, feeling like I was going
to fall off. I immediately panicked and
did an assessment on my wine intake…I had had less than a quarter glass of wine
(trying to be a responsible DD for myself).
I then went through the thought process of “Am I drunk already?! No… there’s no way I’m that much of a
lightweight…So then is there something wrong with me?? That definitely wasn’t normal…Maybe I have an
inner ear problem, I should probably go see a doctor when I get home.” I was later informed that there had been a
pretty high-level earthquake in Wellington (southern tip of the North island),
which you could very vaguely feel in Nelson (northern tip of the South island). Whew.
CARDBOARD CATHEDRAL!!!! PAPER NERDS UNITE!!!!!!
Built after the earthquakes in Christchurch nearly demolished the city.
Carrying all of your crap on your back for prolonged periods
really makes you question the necessity of the little things; like why do I have
deodorant and mascara?? I literally have
not worn either since I got to NZ. I
have also realized that I own entirely too much. I have made it for almost 7 weeks rotating
between 3 shirts and 3 bottoms. And a
dress that I’ve worn like 3 times (mainly when I get the opportunity to do
laundry…) I shaved my legs for the first
time in about a month, and I am not going to tell you how many days I have
referred to “Wet Wipes” as “Shower”.
Jaclyn, this picture is for you. Guess how many weeks
it has been since
I last shaved?
Not taking a shower for a very long time makes your hair
super disgustingly oily. Everyone’s
strategy; cover it up. So when a braid
doesn’t work or I’m simply feeling too lazy, I resort to my hat. Which makes me feel a lot like Meg from
Family Guy. Every once in awhile I
wonder if something is growing under there…like an apple tree from all the
seeds I’ve eaten in order to reduce weight that I carry around, or an alien.
Seriously, what IS under there??
I am also turning into a raccoon. Everyone here keeps offering me food…I’m not
quite sure why, but who am I to reject their kindness? Especially if it means chocolate. I will NEVER turn down chocolate.
That leads into another point; I will be coming
back to the states fatter than I left. Hiking
these distances has made me crave nothing but sugars and carbs. It is horrible and depressing to think about,
but it is a true statement.
Beautiful life
I do not understand foreign male fashion. I am not sure why guys are wearing short
shorts that barely hide their pearls, but they do. And they have more hair product in their
perfectly feminine Bieber hairdo’s than I have ever worn in my life. And while it is popular for guys to style
their hair, it is equally as trendy for girls to have messy hair. As in I think they purposely mess it up for
that “I just don’t care” look. Granted,
I have no room to talk, considering I consistently rock the “messy, unkempt”
look. But I excuse mine because it is
out of laziness, not fashionability.
Mullets...alive and well in NZ....
Spoiler to the Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dori: she’s in
New Zealand.
If kiwis had a phrase to describe me, it would probably be
“that crazy American that consistently cries on beaches and cafes”. I have been reading a truly inspirational and
extremely heavy book called “Half the Sky”.
If you have not read it, I would seriously, seriously recommend it to
you. In fact, you can all borrow my copy
if you like. It is one of the most emotional, inspirational, tragic, and eye-opening books I have ever read about the disparity
of women in third world countries. Some
of the stories end in tragedy and some with moving endings, but what they all
have in common is that they motivate you to get involved and make a difference
in whatever you find passion in. Read
it.
Moeraki Boulders...One of my favorite side trips
During the intermission between the Watercolours and Lorde
concerts, I entertained myself with a social experiment… So you all know how standing room concerts
can be; the too tall people are always in front, and the short girls are always
trying to find some advantage to see better.
Some resort to shoving through the crowd to get to the front. Other girls band together to not let others
in front of them. Some girls ask their
boyfriends to put them up on their shoulders.
I had found my spot; standing on the power chord covers in order to get
a couple extra inches up. I could see the
stage perfectly. Done. Another girl realized how awesome my spot
was. She was standing in front of me holding hands with her boyfriend with a
decent view, but she wanted better. She
had one of those adorably carefree messy buns that probably took 40 minutes to
pin up, and was obviously used to being babied due to her petite stature. So as she backed up into me, expecting me to
move away, I stood there, planted.
She had moved her way so far back into me, that we were now awkwardly
touching, and her hair kept going in my eyes and nose. So I gave one big puff to blow it out of my
face. She flinched, startled, but stood
her ground, looking to her boyfriend with wide eyes that said Did you see that??
This view is why I wasn't willing to give up my spot...
So I thought, OK, I wonder how long this girl
will stand her ground with me being super awkward behind her. So I started breathing heavily out of my nose
onto her neck. Now, mind you; I realize
how creepy I sound. And I am. But the fact is, I literally had not moved my
feet an inch since I got there. Her head
was an inch from my face, and her back was on my hands that I had crossed in
front of me because she had moved that far back. So this is totally her fault. Every time I reached for my camera or into my
jacket, she flinched like I had burned her on her back. She grabbed her boyfriend’s hand with this SAVE ME look on her face, but remained
stoic. Every time I took a breath, she
looked back at me with that What is wrong
with you?! stare, and then again at her boyfriend going, Seriously, do you see this crazy loon?! Aren’t you going to do something?! It took 20 minutes before she finally
moved next to me and pulled her boyfriend to her and wrapped his arms around
her to protect her. By this point, I had
started laughing to myself (which probably did not help my creepiness factor to
anyone observing), and then the concert began.
What a great way to pass the time.
This was an amazing concert. I thought it would be super mellow, but
turns out, Lorde is kind of baller at getting everyone up and dancing.
For my last bit of rubbing in, and before my afterglow fades away into the gray, wintry skies of Ohio, I want to show a before and after....
(My hair is not really that blonde, but thank you sun
for disguising me as a beach bum...)
