Fording the River

Oregon Trail fans should make their way to the west coast of the South Island if they would like to experience “fording the river,” New Zealand style. Last night it rained more than 250mm in one night at the glacial village of Franz Josef, more than a quarter of the rainfall the notoriously damp city of London receives in an entire year. Rain on the west coast is no joke and can impede some sightseeing opportunities, as well as flood roads on a regular basis. Our intrepid bus driver made it through this crossing and our busload of international travelers cheered as we could venture on to the prime west coast destinations of Wanaka and Queenstown.

In other news, I hiked a glacier yesterday. No big deal, just another day here in NZ. =) The mammoth Franz Josef glacier was awe-inspiring. Being surrounded by that icy wonderland and cool air reminded me of home and wintertime.

*Note: I wrote this post about a week ago and have just now found some wireless internet so I can post. Sorry for the delay and few and far between updates. In other news, I just accepted a job in Wanaka (a town on the South Island, not far from Queenstown). I'll be working at a hostel for just a month and am looking forward to a bit of a rest from traveling. I'll be working with some great people and it's a very nice area, so I'm excited. This week I'm in Palmerston, near Dunedin WWOOFing at a very nice farm owned by a young Kiwi couple. I'm working here with two fun girls from Canada and have been enjoying some delicious food and good times, learning more about gardening and just started to knit an ear warmer with some NZ wool.

Traveling can sometimes be a drag...

Like last night, when an ATM machine in Nelson decided to eat my debit card for no apparent reason. I was supposed to leave for Greymouth and begin the west coast leg of my South Island adventure early this morning. Now I need to wait around until Tuesday, when the bank reopens, to hopefully get my card back. Frustrating. On the upside, this downtime has given me a chance to organize some of my pictures and remember why traveling is definitely worth enduring the occasional headache. So, here's a glimpse of what I've been up to for the past month. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for all the comments, e-mails, love, and support. Wishing you all a very happy 2010 and hoping your year is filled with much happiness and many adventures!

New Zealand!

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