Exploits of Geevil

Sun. Nov. 18^th, 1 a.m.  I hop up into the cab of the delta, check with the pax and slowly maneuver the large and surprisingly responsive machine onto the road. It’s my first delta driving trip to Cape Evens*. The delta is a behemoth of a vehicle that sits on huge tires that are comically inflated. In the cab there is room for the driver and a couple of other folks. The back is a box that is separated on an articulated frame. In the back box 17 trusting souls are seated for the trip. Passengers are called pax. Richard and Gaylen, my good friends, are in the front with me. I look out onto the Royal Society range and say out loud, “this is where we live.” And so, it is another night in Antarctica. I love it here. The mountains are not as familiar and home felt, but they are beautiful. They hold the mystery of untouched and unexplored places. The mirages called fata morgaina change the view every night. The sun has not set for about a month now and just circles around going behind some of the mountains allowing for some color in the clouds.  The trip to Cape Evans is about 17 miles and takes nearly an hour to travel. It’s a fun trip with stops along the way to look at seals. The destination is Scott’s Hut from the Terra Nova expedition. Although this is my fourth visit, it never ceases to amaze me. It doesn’t feel haunted - in fact, it feels very deserted. 

*In my desire to stay forever busy, I volunteer for a couple of things. One is Delta Driving. After a few trainings, I’m a delta driver and am allowed to drive people on recreation trips. It's loads of fun.

I'm not even sure where to start. I think that most of you know that I'm back on the ice. And that I've signed a year contract which really means 14mo. Just over one month has passed already. It's great to be back. Here are a few of the early pictures. 
This is a tree with spring blooms that was in Christchurch. We had gorgeous weather. It was chilly, but sunny. This was a lovely parting site before heading to the land of white. 

The flight down certainly didn't hold the same sense of adventure as the first flight. In fact, I slept most of it. Getting off of the plane was great though. It was just after noon and the sun was just rising. Erebus looked great and I have to admit that I had a strange feeling of 'home.'
This is looking out from our hall window toward hut point during the suset a few days after we had arrived. It never ceases to amaze me how the sound is frozen but certainly has the look of open water. You can see some of the Royal Society range in the background. It really is beautiful here.  
Sorry this is a lame re-entry into my blog. I'll get better!

My mom alerted me to the fact that there are no photos and I said that there were. So, here they are with my half -memories of what the places are called. I'll edit the descriptions once I find where I wrote them down (in a paper journal that is updated even less than this one!) 

 This is a rooster. The very first thing I noticed about Kauai when I stepped off of the plane was the crow of a rooster. I happen to love roosters! I thought that I had arrived in some sort of heaven. I'm sure that many people feel this way about Hawaii for different reasons! Anyway, there were roosters everywhere! And a few hens and chicks but mostly roosters. Isn't he lovely! 
 I think I showed you this pic already. This is Haena, the beach where I spent my first night.

 One of the views from Kilauea Lighthouse looking down on Secret Beach.
Kilauea Lighthouse. From the point, I was able to watch humpback whales do head splashes and fin splashes and full body breeches. It was a highlight for sure! It was also from this point that I saw  many great birds! Laysan Albatross, Red Footed Booby, Great Frigatebird, White and Red Tailed Tropicbird, and Wedgetailed Shearwater. 

 Waimea Canyon
Waipoo Waterfalls of Waimea Canyon
Scott on the Awaawapui Trail
Top of Awaawapui (notice the new tat?)
 Top of Awaawapui
   
 The Kalalau Trail
KalalauWarnings
Hanakapiai BeachHanakapiai Waterfall and  End of Trail. Here I have to tell you a little fact about myself.  I'm not exactly sure why, but I am not very fond of swimming. I can swim, but, if I can't see the bottom or if it's murky I start to lose it as soon as I can't touch. I can talk myself into just about anything and when I start out swimming, it's fine. It's fine, I say. Then a feeling comes from deep within and my toes start to search for anything (unless its a bit of seaweed or something similar and slimy) and if I can't touch solid ground, I start to hyperventilate and, despite my mind saying its OK, I start to panic. I can barely doggy paddle at this point and I'm lucky that I haven't drown from shear terror. ( My Mom has a theory that it started when I was two and was terribly afraid of the 'toe monster'. It turns out that on my first visit to the California coast she warned me about the undertoe. From there I created a very real monster that grabs toes and drags the innocent under.) Anyhoo, when I got to these falls I was very, very determined to swim under them to the other side of the falls, I mean Isn't that what you do with large waterfalls in Hawaii? So, I get into the water. People from the shore are yelling to me that it's very, very cold. I laugh. One, the only place to swim at home is in high mountain lakes that are near freezing ( not that I go in past my stomach!) AND I'm a two time polar plunger (look for more on that during my 'antarctic flashback series). I kick off and am swimming. So far, so good, I'm not panicking and I can see my target. Then, it starts to happen, I'm close to the falls, but I can't touch anything. I start to gasp, my smooth stroke turns into something that does not have a name. Shit, I'm going to drown in a little pool in Hawaii with a bunch of people telling me that it is cold. Just a little bit more, and I am close to an edge. I reach and grab a rock. Thank Pele!!! But, I'm still not behind the falls. My eyes are foggy and I am still gasping for air. I kick off again. And I reach my goal. Behind the falls there is a natural rock bench. I couldn't believe that I made it. I laughed and laughed and hooted and hollered! Luckily the falls are so loud, I don't think anyone could hear me. Truth is, I was almost crying. This was actually a big deal for me. I laugh now, but at the time.... After I made it back to the other side of the pool, more people went it. I said it wasn't that cold, I got a few curses for that comment! Here is a picture of the other brave souls to show how big the falls are and how small I was. Imagine me behind this roaring water!  Look beyond the woman, do you see those little white dots to the left of the falls, those are heads. Here is another falls pic.  I have to also mention that one of my favorite parts on the trail to the falls was a couple of bamboo groves. The bamboo was very thick and tall. It made the most amazing noises! I tried to record a video, but the sound didn't turn out. Here are a couple of pictures of the hike back down.        
And another beach shot.   Overall, I really enjoyed Kauai. And, it wasn't really a bad idea about just sleeping on the beach and eating whatever fruit there was hanging from the trees. I was just a bit too early, the mangos, papayas and guavas were all just about ripe. Next time...

When in Hawaii, you have to go with the flow. That's the way they do it and to resist is futile. That first morning on Ha'ena beach, I took a few deep breaths and reminded myself to just go with it. I drove to town to find peanut butter. I figured that some mangos and papayas were ripe and there was plenty of fresh water. I would be fine. On my way to town, I picked up a hitchhiker. Aaron, a cute surfer on his way to yoga. I then got coffee and overtipped the barrista. I gave my last .50 to a guy who needed bus fare. I picked up another hitchhiker - Dunnie, a one-eyed homeless man. I probably don't get much karma credit for picking up cute surfers. After I dropped him off, I went to the free internet place. AND lo and behold, there was an email from Scott. Scott, the Jerry playing guy from Shambhala (NZ). He lives in Kaua'i and offered his place for as long as I wanted. Great, off to Scotts. Luck would have it that he is a hiking guide. Here are the photos from my days on Kaua'i. 

somehow this entry ended up at the bottom of the entries. don't mess with dates, i guess. I wrote it on April 12.

 Driving in my car. It’s dark and wet. Luckily the speed limit on Kauai hardly ever goes above 30mph. If I turn to the right, I’ll find a place to sleep. I’m usually very good at finding inconspicuous places to park and sleep. Ah, a right turn. Down a long road, speed bumps, large houses with lawns lined with banana trees and palms. There’s a light ahead – a public restroom. There is a dirt parking lot. I pull in. The first thing I see is a car with all of its windows smashed out. Then, a TV that is burned out - the screen gone, leaving a large dark nasty hole. I start to do a U turn and in the corner of the lot, a car with 5 or 6 kids (?) they all look at me like startled animals. Startled, dangerous animals. I swear that I can see dilated pupils that reflect the light of my headlights. Not a nice place to park and sleep. Back up the road. What a good reminder that I’m not in OZ anymore. It’s funny how this feels much more like a foreign country to me than NZ ever did. I drive many more miles before turning right again. Finally, off to the right, a car park with a couple of normal looking cars, no animal teens. There is a grassy area just in front of the car. This is where I’ll sleep. An acrid smell hits me when I open the door; a smell of earth/mud. Then the smell of the ocean covers up all over scents. I pull out my therma-rest and start to lay down no blanket and no sleeping bag because it’s hot and muggy.  It’s dark here too. There are clouds covering the stars, the moon hasn’t come out yet. On the other side of the road I just make out a large dark shadow of a mountain. The loud crashes of the waves are magnified by the cliff face of the mountain across the road. A car door slams. I jump up and climb in the back seat and lock the doors. Damn, I haven’t made a decision out of fear in a very long time.

Sleep comes and goes. I’m hot, my ankles are still swollen. I toss and turn. Have to pee. Out of the car over to the bathroom. There is a single light bulb that leaves a lot of corners unlit. I step back out and look up. The stars are out now.  A feral cat slinks under a bush. I can now see a couple of tents. It turns out I’m at a campground. Chuckle, chuckle at myself. I try to walk toward the beach and stub my toe on a large rock. Right, I should just try to sleep. More tossing and turning. The moon comes out. I read a little with the dome light. Finally, I feel sleep coming. Off with the light, a quick good night moon and I curl up to sleep – the temp. finally cool enough.

In my dream, just in front of the car is a pool created by reef. There are surfers jumping in. Everyone is laughing. A couple of bugs fly by my eyes. They are shaped like moths but have yellow and black stripes and transparent wings like wasps. And they have little human faces. They are beautiful. The two hover in front of me and kiss. Their little perfect lips touch and OW! Something is biting me. I look down and there is another little bug and it’s biting me above me knee. It’s like a horse bite! I mush it and there are now greenish bug guts all over my legs. I look up and the kissing bugs are looking at me with their human type eyes first total surprise then anger - they start after me.

“They’re biting me” I say as I get the Knock Knock on my window. The light is hazy and I see a cop knocking. I quickly open the door. “Do you have a permit?” I’m not sure what I said. Something about late and arriving from NZ and I’m sure I threw in Antarctica because it seems to be a get out of jail card. It turns out he’s not a cop but a ranger. Tony. Very nice guy. He doesn’t charge me or give me a citation. On the island of Kauai, it’s against the law to sleep in your car at the beach except, luckily, at the beach where I was parked, but I need a permit.  Another guy, Jeff comes over and offers coffee. It’s a little surreal. So, I sit on a bench with Ranger Tony, Coffee Jeff, Telluride Emily and Local Steve who is drinking a coors. It’s about 6am. They inform me of lots of things. A drug called ICE (? a smokable form of crystal meth) is very popular among the young crowd. Most beaches are not safe at night. The one where we are, Ha’ena, has been cleaned up. Usually, it’s the beach for crack heads. “Have you seen this girl?” Ranger Tony asks us holding up a picture of a young girl. None of us have seen her. I ask about wasp looking bugs that have human lips?
This is the beach that I woke up on (well, parked at) Ha' ena 

The flights from Chch to Sydney to Honolulu were long, friendly, sleepless, fairly uncomfortable, long and long. I landed in Honolulu at 9:30 on April 11.  I left Chch on April 11^th at about 2:30 in the afternoon. I love gaining a day. I had some splaining to do at customs. I put midwifery down as my profession. They wanted to know what a midwife was doing in Antarctica. I guess I’m wondering that too. I got my heavy bags and lugged them down the sidewalk up two flights of stairs to the Inter-island counter and bought a ticket for the first plane out of Honolulu. I landed in Kauai a little after noon. I was hot and sticky with cankles that you have to see to believe! And I was very, very tired. So, so, so tired. It costs two dollars for a luggage trolley in the US. In NZ it is free. I stood outside the Kauai airport apparently looking kind of lost. Two different guys offered their numbers in case I need to call someone or in case I get into any trouble. ‘Trouble? What kind of trouble?’ I think as I smile nicely and wave them on. At some point I realized that I was just standing outside the airport surrounded by my heavy bags. I put on the backpack, slung the one bag over my shoulder and dragged the large duffle behind me as I hobbled across the street to the rental car place.

“13.90,” says the woman behind the counter. “13.99?!” I ask. “13.99,” she says. “Sign me up,” I say with a chuckle. I can only imagine that at this point I look a little crazed. I try to appear normal as I snicker to myself. ‘What luck’ I think, 13.99. “Insurance,” she says. Hmmmmm. I didn’t think that the motorcycle insurance that expired a couple of months ago would cover a rental car. “sure, “ I say. I sign on the dotted lines , initial here and there and sign my cc receipt. Wait a minute. My sleepless brain does some quick adding and then does some slow adding. “How much was the car rental?” I ask. “Like I said, Thir-tee ninety nine.” Shit, and damn. My chuckle is now more like a gasping sob. I was so tired and my bags were looking even heavier. I grabbed the keys and went out to get my car.

 

It has been a long, long time since I was in the drivers seat of a car. I drove Laura’s a little in Austin. And Kate’s once or twice in CB but it’s been a long time. Eh, it’s like riding a bike, right? When was the last time you saw Vive on a bike? Hell, I can operate heavy equipment! I can drive anything!  I slowly let off of the brake and then slam on the brake. Fracken automatics… and I drive in circles around the airport. And I drive in a few more circles around the airport until I finally see the sign that leads me out. Then, I drive in circles around Lihue until I find how to go down the road where I drive in circles around Kapaa. I wasn’t really sure where to go or what to do. Right, the beach. I parked in a shady spot and went to the beach. I don’t have a suit or a towel. I put on a skirt and just kind of passed out. A couple of hours later I woke up covered in sand. I still have sand in my hair and ears and between my toes. I can’t seem to wipe it all off. I managed to make it into a coffee house with wireless and a jazz band. I stayed there until 8pm. And then, back in the car. Straight lines, up the coast to find a place to sleep.  

 

I finally hooked up with Amy Schweim! Schweimers! I burst into sobbing tears when we hugged hello. Incredible how much emotion came with seeing someone from home. I take that as a good sign; that I'll cry with as much joy when I see my little home. We hopped into a car with English Peter. Another super nice Englishman. He is a young man that is going to help save the world by living in an ecological friendly way. Whew, I love meeting young people that have a good vision. Anyway, we headed back to the west coast. It goes against my 'no backtracking' rule, but I've kind of done that the whole trip. We camped across the street from the Pancake rocks at Punakaiki. I really love that area. In fact I really love the whole South Island! Schweimers hanging out the wash. 
Rainbow and blowhole at Pancake rocks
Typical west coast view
another

I left Amy and Peter in Greymouth and hopped on a train to Christchurch. The train was a complete splurge! I love trains.

I stayed in Christchurch with Kirsty of Couch Surfing. She is fabulous! If you haven't joined yet, please join couchsurfing.com now. It's a great opportunity to make friends with travelers and have a comfy stay while traveling! 

I spent my last hours in Christchurch walking around the gardens. I wanted to do some last minute tourist shopping for those friends that haven't gotten anything more than a postcard. It looks like they will have to be content with postcards:) 

I had to go to the CDC to pick up my other bag. Here are our dear Big Reds resting. 

Good Bye New Zealand! 

From  Shambhala, I went back to Nelson and back to Judiths. I ended up staying for a couple more days before heading to Mark and Lisa's. They had Chez and Meghan wwoof for them almost two years ago. They are a family of four with two little ones - Jay who's 21 months and Carl who is just 4 months. Damn they are cute kids. I mean really cute. I almost wanted to take the biological clock off of snooze! Nah. I painted most of a fence for them before the paint ran out and then did some landscaping. On one of the days, Mark and I took kayaks out around the island that they live on. It was very nice.

Shambhala turned out to be wonderful. The lodgings for backpackers were OK (the lodgings for the paying retreat guests are very nice). There is a feel to the place that is much more welcoming than any of the others I have been to. Everyone seems to hang out in the kitchen/living room area. As you might expect, there are guitars and drums so the musically inclined can strike up a song when ever. Looking back, it was really the people that made Shambhala such a great place. While I was there, there were mostly Americans staying there. It was actually so very nice to be with them! Here’s a quick list of the folks I hung out with. Tia, of course, was one of the highlights of being there. She and I get along very well and make good roommates. In fact, we are planning on being roommates on the ice next season. Kristen is from Mass and is a yoga instructor. She is very fun and we got along splendidly. She, Tia, and I spent time together having great talks and laughing. We also went to see an incredible movie – Go, Live and Become. See it if you get a chance!  Scott is from Kauai HI. He was the first to pick up the guitar and strum out some Jerry. You knew that was coming, didn’t you. He reminds me a little of the rick moranis character in ghost busters. He is very funny sometimes without even knowing it.  He and Jules also played the chorus from spooky little girl over and over and over again until threats were issued. Jules is the guy that I know from Austin. I feel bad for calling him freakish. It’s just that he is not the type that my friends and family would gravitate toward (except for Kate and Chez). He is 53, has white hair that goes long past his shoulders and a little white soul patch thing on his chin. He is always wearing some sort of loud cowboy hat and shirt.  He is very kind and can play much more on the guitar than the dead. There were others, mostly from Germany, that I didn’t get to know very well. One of the days we were there, we went to the best beach that I have perhaps been to. I can’t remember the name but it was pronounced something like Faraferetti. It was pretty amazing!  The things that I really liked about Shambhala: location (above very nice little beach), Mussel Inn (just up the drive great beer), the glow worms (walking back from Mussel Inn they were in lots of bushes off of the trail making their own constellations), staying the last night in a little bungalow to make up for the tipi. Things I wasn’t crazy about: the tipi and the composting toilets. I love sleeping in tipis I really do. This one wasn’t set up the way I’m used to. It didn’t have a fire pit or an ozan. When it rained, it leaked on us. The funny thing is that I was still pretty damn content even with the rain the bugs and the slugs. And the composting toilets – well, usually I’m a big fan. These smelled really bad though. Ok, I think that’s it about Shambhala

So, I was in Takaka wondering if I really wanted to go out to a place called Shambala. I know the scene oh so well and wasn't sure if I really wanted to rejoin the oovey groovey set that I was sure that I would find there. The intuitive voice that I used to count on took a holiday a couple of years ago and only sends postcards in my dreams. 'Come on,' I think, 'just give me a moment of ...? je ne se pas?  some sign that I should stay in Takaka and see a movie or go to Shambhala.'  'Get in the damned van!'  I guess I wrested the voice from somewhere. I get on and talk with the driver. "From Colorado? I know someone from Colorado, a place called Crested Butte."  And so it goes. She knows Connie. While we were going over how wonderful Connie is, she tells me that we are waiting for another person before we drive on. "Ah, here she comes now," says the driver. I look over to see Tia! Yippeee. With many smiles laughs and good strong hugs, we were off to Shambhala. 

Due to rising costs of internet cafes, this posting will have to be cut short and resumed at a later date. Sorry for the inconvenience.

OK. Our last episode ended with our fearless heroine in Nelson... I stayed for a couple of days with Judith. She is a wonderful woman who is 69 although she keeps saying 70. I tell her to enjoy 69 as long as she can (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). We got along very well and laughed a lot. I helped her prime and paint a fence. It was really more like a visit than a work exchange. I will stop back by her place on my way to where ever it is that I'm going next.

I left Judith with my rucksack on Sat. early morning and caught a bus to Marahua. From there I hopped into a kayak and started into Abel Tasman. WOW. It is pretty much gorgeous beach after gorgeous beach. We kayaked for a bit then stopped for tea then kayaked for a bit then stopped for lunch then kayaked for a bit. I 'landed' at Anchorage Hut and stayed the night in a very crowded and noisy hut. I wasn't very impressed with my first hut experience. The next morning I was very tired, but eager to get on. I walked from there on. From the beach there is an orange marker. At the orange marker there is a path that looks like it's going into an enchanted forest. There is so much growth that it looks like a green archway that curves over a path that twists just out of site. What a great way to start a tramp! The path did twist and turn and at just about every turn, there was a little bridge crossing a little stream with a waterfall somewhere thrown in because this is New Zealand. There are waterfalls everywhere, it seems! I stopped taking photos of the water falls weeks ago because you just can't get them all. In the enchanted forest, there was something blooming that gave the air a very sweet smell and when I stopped, the air had a constant buzz to it from all of the bees. After a few hours of the forest, the path swooped back down to the beach at Bark Bay. The sand is golden colored with gold flecks in it. And the water is a turquoise color. It is so clear! I didn't see any dolphins, but there were stingrays all along the shore. It only took standing for a minute before the greedy little blood sucking flies were on me again. Of course, I didn't have any DEET laden product. The hut at Bark Bay was much better! I found a quiet little empty room that no one else discovered. I ended up having a room to myself. It was so nice! (A quick note about the huts - they are a great resource, there is fresh water and running water toilets. The rooms usually have a bottom bunk and a top bunk. Each bunk is a platform that holds 7-10 people. There are little plastic covered mattresses that line the 'bunks'. So, people just sleep next to each other on these pads. It's very interesting.) Anyway, from Bark Bay, it was back into the enchanted forest that hugged the coast so that there were always glipmses of the ocean and beaches. The next night was at Awaroa and the last at Whariwharangi (pronounced far-e-fare-angi)The trail was the same and different and really, the beaches are just beautiful. The viewing screen on my camera broke somewhere along the way, so I won't know if any of the pics turn out until I start to upload. I did have a little splurge around Awaroa. There is a great resort that costs more than a year's wage to stay in that also has a little cafe off of it. The idea of a cold beer was just too much to resist. I ended up having an organic salad with goat cheese and cold kumara soup. I also bought a botanical bug repellent that smells wonderful, works and has good skin stuff in it. It was costly, but what the hell. I don't want to say that the whole trail was the same because each section had wonderful little unique bits like seal viewing or more beaches than the rest. Overall, it was wonderous. The last hut was great. It was an old homestead from the turn of the century (1900 not 2000 :)) that has been converted into a trampers hut. I again found a little room off the side that no one else even looked into. It pays to open little doors!

Now I'm in Takaka. It is a little haven for artists and natural types ie. hippie like folk. Of course, I love it so far except for the occasional patchouli smell. I love the organic foods and coffee and I've only been here for the hour that I've been on the computer. I am meeting up with a freakish type guy that I actually met in Austin Texas. I saw him at the Nelson Market and will probably catch a ride with him back down to Nelson. Although, I think I might like to go just a bit farther up this coast before heading down. Who knows? I'll let you know once I do. That's it for this up date. Cheers.

Kiwis are very polite. At least they don't stare outright. I'm sure Americans would make a face if they saw me coming at them. I have long lost the razor. For my family, they will laugh and remember a time that I would not shave because, why should I? I think that was about the time of Sarah's wedding. You all were so grateful that I shaved my pits. Ha, how times change. Now I feel a conscience of my hairs, and of the many hundreds of red bumps all over my body. I thought I was somehow immune. But, alas, no! Those sand flies, they love 'em some Genevieve. I look like I have a condition that you might see in a medical text but never thought you would see for real. Welt upon welt under unshaven hairs! EEWWW. Alright, it's really not that bad, but I feel like it is. Anyway, I still get rides and with a smile.

I'm back in Nelson for a day or two. I met a very nice woman at the Nelson market last Sat. who needs help with some fence painting. I figured some paint on my clothes will add to the look that I'm creating for myself. I'm also hoping to meet up with Amy Schweim from CB. She's somewhere in the area. I have to admit that seeing a familiar face will be so very nice!

In a few days, I will head back up the road to Golden Bay. I am looking forward to that! I'll post when I get there.

TEst, 123, test. Hello, I realize this is a new venture and that I don't update enough (yet). I need to know that someone is out there. I could start writing terribly embarrassing things about my times with you - thinking that you'll never read this. So, go ahead, drop me a comment.

Today is St. Pats day. I realized this as I was pulling on the teats of Honey. She is really quite patient with me. Her teats are smaller than those of 'white goat' and, so, harder to get a good stream from. Anyway, I laughed thinking of all of those friends drinking down a pint and here I am more content than you can imagine, milking a goat. It's not the first time and I hope not the last. I'm actually getting better at it. One thing I've learned is that goats milk is very sticky. It's better if you get it in the pail not on your arms. I'm currently staying with a fantastic family at the recommendation of Chez. They are wonderful. I am helping with the garden, chores, and painting. Anything we can think of. There is such a wonderful feeling of 'home' that for the first time in many months, I'm actually considering getting 'home-sick'. It's still just a consideration, but that's a start. I guess I will have to think in that direction soon. For now, though, I'm eating the best feta cheese I've ever had. Yummmm.

"excuse me," asked a German gent in an SUV, "can you tell me where an Irish Pub is?"
"yea..." And here I am in Westport. I was able to give directions after one pass around town. It's pissng down rain, I'm wetter than a roadkill possum, and there is no good tequilla in all of NZ. The beach is dark with drift wood and washed up tyres. My nose has a familiar sting that comes only with coal smoke. Crazy how normal it all seems. Now I'm off with a pack on my back and a pack on my front and my water pruned thumb in the air. Life is good. It is really, really good.

Dear Mum,
Today I ate a possum pie followed by some huhu grubs, horse burger, worm chocolate, cricket truffle, crocodile, kangaroo, cow udder(fried)and homemade vanilla ice cream with wild strawberries. I thought of you.

The wildfoods festival was loads of fun! I left J, Marty and Kevin there as I headed north with Tony, Tjaden, Andre, Kat and Shaz. We stayed with Grunter in Greymouth. We took the boat out on the ocean to do a bit of fishing (a first) and saw many dolphins! They were little, I think Grant called them Nelsons. After that we decended on Tristan's father for a BBQ. The infamous Mike Bennitt was a wonderful host. From there a drink at the pub in Barrytown and then more drinks at the Dunollie pub. There I met some fabulous locals - Liz, Fred, Judy, Dave, Cheryl. Overall, my time here in the last 24 hours has been an incredible whirlwind. I said goodbye to the rest of the group and will stay this afternoon with Grant to do some shooting of clay pigeons. From here? Stay tuned.

After the hustle and bustle of touristy Queenstown, Wanaka seems the perfect place. I haven't seen Nick Frame yet, maybe today. Andrea left with the van this morning. J, Kevin and I will be heading up north to Hokitika in the next couple of days for the Wild Foods Festival. I think we'll do a bit of kayaking on the lake today.

10 days since we left the ice. it was strange leaving people there knowing that they won't see any new faces for many, many months. I hope that I am among the first on the next flight back down in August?

Traveling through NZ now. Spent the first few nights in Christchurch, mostly hanging with the fire guys. We separated with tears (mine) at the YMCA as they headed to Queenstown and I headed off with another group of friends.

Marty, J., Kevin, Andrea and I rented a van and headed south. The van can only be seen to be believed. I'll include photos once I get to a place where I can. We headed south and spent our first night camping on a bluff over looking the ocean. It was incredible and a great way to start our journey. From there we continued south. I'll make descriptive entries of each stop in the near future. After doing a whirlwind tour of the souther part of the south island, we are now in Queenstown. It is loads of fun! (Every place has been) We'll be here for a couple of nights, then up to Wanaka. I hope to stay in Wanaka for a couple more nights, then, the group will split.

Stay tuned for more soon.

2:00 am. Last shift at the fire house. As usual it's quiet. Thankfully, Andre left me some crack in the form of electronic sudoku.
Firehouse Dispatch

I have spent many hours here - days and nights and nights and more days. Sitting in a fluorescent lit room with no windows to the outside for hours on end was a bit of a challenge for me and my expanding butt.

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hello, my favorite firefighter - andre - took this photo this photo during the winter. now i want to winter, someday, also!

winter is fun!

The first flight from Christchurch was truly awesome. We were in a C-17. There are only a couple windows in these planes. So you have to wait in line to see out. I was lucky and sitting in a jump seat next to the window. I was able to see quite a bit. First was a vast and very turbulent sea. The white caps from the waves were huge! It’s hard to imagine how rough the sea is looking down from the plane. Then, ice burgs. They are really breath taking. I was a bit overwhelmed and find that I can’t really describe how glorious it was to see one for the first time. Then there was no open water. Just a sheet of white. And more white And more white. Then through clouds I started to see mountain tops poking up. Wow. I was looking down on Antarctica. The very thought that I have the fortune to even see Antarctica still makes me giddy. Then, the plane dipped and turned and we headed back to New Zealand because of weather. The next day we flew again and made it. Landing was wild. The plane was on the ice before we knew it. Even while taxiing it felt like we were still in the air. It was very smooth. Out of my little window I could only see black mountains surrounded by white. There was also a man made ball that reminded me of something in Moonraker which is why I thought that it must be somewhat like landing on the moon - such a different landscape. And we were here – at McMurdo Station.

To see where I am and find out why this place exits, visit the USAP.gov site. It is incredibly informative. Google images is also a good resource.