Beauty and wonder in New Zealand

10:53 PM 2/5/2011

I sit in my tent in the Abel Tasman national park as I end my day, and I realize that after a little more than a week, I've written nothing so far about my experiences in NZ.  Every day has been a full experience, rich with adventures, colorful people, epic scenery, and moments of stillness and peace.

After landing in Auckland with some GI problems, I stayed at a hostel for a night to get my bearings.  Skipped dinner and slept for 15 hours or so.  Took the bus to the town National Park in the morning, where I hitched into Whakapapa, trailhead for the Tongariro Northern Circuit.  This is one of the "great walks" of NZ, and setting out that same afternoon, I quickly realized why it is named that.  For 4 days, I walked through stunning wilderness areas with stark contrasts: lush forests, wide-open grasslands, heaps of lava rocks that felt like the surface of the moon, sulfer vents and emerald lakes.  After summiting Mt. Tongariro (across the way from Mt. Ngaurahoe, aka Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings film), I scrambled down the back side off-trail and finished late in the evening at my place of origin.  I had met a guide, Bruce, on the track who invited me to stay at his place and join him for a beer, but I accidentally went to the wrong meeting place, too far away to connect.  So I had a burger alone and a couple beers, then crashed in the woods before continuing in the morning.  Caught a ride with a French traveller, then got picked up by a very kind French couple whom I had met on the track (Bruce was their guide).  We travelled together to Wellington, stopping for a picnic along the way.  Very pleasant day.

In Wellington, I visited *the* museum, called Te Papa - very well-done place.  It covered natural and human history in many facets.  My favorite part was going inside a re-creation of a Maori temple, where I sat and meditated in the dark room and let the faces and images on the wall move me with their ancient stories.

The next morning I took the ferry to the South Island -- considered by some to be the most beautiful ferry ride in the world.  It was easy to see why.  I spent the entire 3 hours absorbed in the scenery, as the North Island faded away and we entered the luscious sounds of the south island, full of mountains and trees and breathtaking cliffs in the bays.  Arriving in Picton, I caught a bus to Nelson, where I proceeded to make my way to Marahau, the trailhead for the Abel Tasman hike.  I only made it half-way, and so as dusk came and I wasn't able to hitch a ride, I visited a nearby farm to see if I could pitch my tent on their land.  The older Kiwi couple, Brian and Hillary, were very warm and even offered me a room in their home.  They are cow-milk farmers.  I enjoyed chatting with them over a cup of delicious home-made apple juice before turning in to my tent.

In the morning, I went out to the road in effort to make it to Tasman, and an Austrian man, Toby, stopped his van to give me a ride.  We were going the same way.  We're the same age, and have lots in common, including that we're both beekeepers.  Toby works as a goldsmith half the year and a shepard in the summers in Austria.  We decided to be companions for this walk, and I'm so grateful to share time with him.  We also met a young German woman, Anne, who is traveling NZ by bicycle.  Toby caught red snapper fish and we had an excellent breakfast of that this morning.  And today we crossed paths with another young German, Paul, and so the four of us walked today and enjoyed a delicious meal of mussels (found on our crossing of the bay at low-tide) along with rice and lentils in a delicious curry sauce.  I feel so rich to receive such gifts from the sea.  Tomorrow we'll head a bit further north, and take a day to rest -- we've been walking quite a lot, and need to remember that we're on vacation :)  It'll be nice to take the day tomorrow to read and stretch and slow down.  In the rush of new experiences, it's quite easy to forget the wisdom I learned in Fiji about slowing down and experiencing "Fiji-time."

So that's at least a practical summary of what I've been up to in the past week.  On the 12th I'll be in Christchurch to meet up with my friend Dave and we'll travel together to the Fjordlands and maybe even climb some rocks. Then on the 19th I'll go to Korea.  It's all happening so fast, but I'm just trying to give myself permission to relax and enjoy this unique experience in life.  NZ is so full of magic and unmatched landscapes and moments.  Abel Tasman is an especially unique "great walk" because it follows the coast of the S Island.  It's incredible to look out to the ocean and see the cliffs, and islands, and the sun... I've taken a million pictures because it's so amazing.  I was worried that it would be too crowded here, but it doesn't feel that way at all.

I'm unable to do justice to explaining this place without pictures.  I'll try to put some up on the internet when I am able.  I definitely recommend this tramp - it is simply unforgettable.

I'm excited about Korea, and I've been preparing myself mentally for the roles of instructor and researcher.  It will be such a new experience for me, and I am very willing to fully embrace all the challenges and opportunities there.  I have a feeling that this is going to be an awesome experience, and possibly life-changing.  So grateful to have the opportunity to go to Korea.  I need to start gearing up my Korean phrases, and brush up on my physics as well.  Hopefully I'll have some chance to do all this once I arrive.  It will probably be some very full days out there.  But for right now, I'll be present with my experience, and joyfully await the next chapter.