The Grand Finale

Well, I guess all good things must end.  So, let’s get into it—my last blog covering my 9 day road trip from Dunedin to Auckland.

On day one, I just hired my super flash campervan from Christchurch and drove all the way up to the start of Abel Tasman—almost 14 hours of driving.  It never ceases to amaze me how generous people are though.  I had a guy in Christchurch walk with me to close to where I had to go then another randomly offer me a ride

because my bags were so big!  Then, I’d been keen to pick up a hitchhiker all along, but never had a chance.  About 4 hours away from Abel Tasman and nearly 3 from Christchurch, I passed a young kid with a sign to Abel Tasman, so I gave him a ride and he kept me company, so it worked out great!  We got in to Marahau around 10:30pm, so I slept in the back of the camper at the Abel Tasman trailhead.

On days two and three I hiked along the Abel Tasman coastal track.  It’s very different than the rest.  I took

a water taxi about halfway out then would walk back, but it just follows the coastline with some amazing beaches.  I took several opportunities to go for a dip in the ocean and just relax in the sun—it was hot!  I passed one friend from Uni along the track, then coincidentally was staying at the hut with another one (who I ended up hiking out with and giving a ride to Nelson).  The coast here was so beautiful—white granite cliffs, golden beaches and blue oceans.  Along the taxi ride, we even saw two dolphin pods, a seal colony, and heaps of little blue penguins!  What a great start and such an amazing, yet different part of the country.

On day three, after hiking out, I drove on to Picton following the scenic Queen Charlotte Sound—one of the many sounds that make up the Marlborough Sounds.  Again, so beautiful with green rolling hills and bright blue water heading out to the sea.  Once I get into Picton, a little early, I got on the standby list to take the n

ight ferry, rather than wait until the morning.  While waiting I met a very friendly guy from Vermont who was here visiting his daughter who also did exchange at Otago.  I was able to get on the ferry that night meaning I would meet up with my mater in Wellington on the North Island that night! 

The following day, he showed me around Wellington—NZ’s capital.  It was a very fun city, with lots of young people, right on the harbor.  I checked out the national museum of NZ , Te Papa, and walked up Mt  Victoria which overlooks the city and was where some of Lord of the Rings was filmed.  The next morning, bright and early, we were off to Tongariro National Park to do

another Great Walk.

This walk, once again, was extremely different than any others.  It’s in a very barren, desert-like landscape formed by volcanoes.  It would be empty barren rock, then out of nowhere a snow covered, volcanic

mountain.  The first day was raining extremely hard, but after that, the weather was great!  There are also “emerald lakes” there, which are literally turquoise colour due to the minerals from volcanoes.  On our final day, I climbed Mt. Nguaruhoe, which got famous for being Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings.  After three days of walking (nearly 10 hours the last day), we stopped in Taupo at natural hot pools and spend the night relaxing and sleeping in the camper there.

Now, for my last trip, it was on to the Coromandel Pensiula.  While we only had a day and a half and one night, we still got to see and seim at Cathedral Cover.  This is a beautiful beach made famous by being in the Narnia movies.  We then camped by Hot Water Beach, which was really unique.  During low tide, you can walk out on to the beach and dig into the sand and there are puddles of hot, and I mean really hot, water.  This was very unique, but Andy and I preferred swimming in the ocean rather than spending too long in the hot tubs.  The next morning, after one more dip in the Pacific, it was on the airport.  We had outstanding weather the entire time and it was really amazing to see how varied the landscapes are around Aotearoa.

This is probably the last blog I will write, and I do it with mixed emotions.  I am thrilled to see everyone and not be travelling for a while, but saying goodbye to friends and the landscapes is miserable.  Going abroad has changed me completely and opened my eyes to the world.  It was the most powerful thing I’ve done, and tested my comfort zones at time, but at the end of the day, is the most rewarding and memorable thing I have ever done. 

Before I went abroad, I read an article about how, after living abroad, you almost lead two lives because a part of you will stay there.  There is a part of me tied to the friends, the beaches, the mountains, the lakes, and the deserts that make NZ amazing.  I feel so fortunate for having had this opportunity and support!  Cheers for reading all along and I hope to see all of you in the next few days or weeks!  Hopefully I’ve encouraged you that there is so much more to see outside of America, and people are amazing, and the world really is accessible,

so go see it!  As the hut warden in the Welcome Flats Hut told me—“just follow your compass.  Don’t worry about what society says you should do, do what you truly want to do and you’ll never have regrets.” Captions: my van, a tropical beach in Able Tasman, Queen Charlotte Sound, the Beehive, Emerald Lakes, Hot Water Beach, a rock in Cathedral Cove