My Hobbit Hole

Here's the new place!!! I really really like it a lot. I've had fun the past few days organizing and finding places for everything and hanging up all my pictures. It's been a little tricky but i managed to keep one of the many Hamiltopia mantras - a place for everything and everything in it's place.




If you're wondering where the rest of the rooms are - there aren't anymore. My kitchen, laundry, and bathroom sink are in between the two rooms and the shower and toilet are at the entry way. I'm having a hard time adjusting to brushing and drying my hair so close to the kitchen area - hopefully there won't be too much hair in the food.

Here's the outside of the place. My apartment is the back part of a couple's holiday house. It's great because they aren't around during the week. And no, I do not have use of their house while they're gone and they did not leave a key.

I saved the best for last - my backyard. It's a 2-minute walk to the beach. The other night Kathy and a couple of the kids came over. They helped me move some stuff in and then we got dinner. They were going to leave but since the evening was so nice, we decided to go to the beach. The waves were small (which I like) and were peeling beautifully. I got my board, had a couple of good rides but I think I had even better wipeouts. The kids rode the boogie board and jumped waves. Not a bad way to spend an evening.

So, anyone is welcome to stop by whenever - it's small but cozy. And in case you're wondering, I'm still walking around with a big grin on my face.

The Road Home

After Stewart Island, I had one week left on my travels. I headed up the middle of the island and then to the west coast. My first stop was Fiordlands National Park. Apparently, there are huge mountains surrounding the fiords. I couldn't see much because of the constant wind and rain, but I hear there are amazing views on clear days. Even though it was raining, I still decided to go kayaking in Milford Sound. I couldn't see the tops of any of the mountains because of the rain but hopefully you can get an idea how giant the rocks are - hopefully you can see the cruise ship against the rocks. That ship held about 400 people. We were about 2 kilometers from the boat.

We did get to paddle with dolphins- they came right up to our boats.


I hit a low point on the trip at Milford Sound. While I was kayaking for about 5-6 hours, I managed to leave the trunk of my car open. Nothing - thankfully - was stolen, but most everything in the trunk was soaked. When the guide pulled up to my car and saw the trunk wide open, he asked me, "Do you do this kind of stuff a lot?" I smiled and wanted to hit him with one of the paddles, but instead just put my head down and mumbled yes. I ended up sleeping in my car that night - it wasn't very pleasant at all.

The next morning, I was tired of the rain and wind, and a little stiff, so I left Fiordlands and headed to Wanaka. I did a two day tramp into Aspring National Park and got great views of Mount Aspiring.

Here's the hut where I almost spent the night. Once I got to the top and realized that I'd be the only person there, I got a little freaked out and headed back down and spent the night at this hut.


I would love to spend more time there - the views are amazing, the walks aren't too hard, and the mountains are accessible.

From Wanaka, I headed to Franz Joseph Glacier. My last night in Wanaka, it rained and rained and the wind blew the fly off my tent and I got soaked - so around 3 in the morning I had to sleep in the car again. So, when I got to Franz Joesph, I spent the night in a hotel and felt like a human being. It was great.

I spent most of the day Friday walking on the glacier.

The highlight of the hike was seeing Superman's house.


After Franz Joseph, I drove to my friend's house in Neslon, and spent the next few days with them. There was definitely more to see and do, but my trip ended after Franz Joseph. I read a delightful book on my trip - Travels with Charley, but John Steinbeck. He took 3 months to travel across America and at the end of his trip he talks about how some journeys leave you before you're ready. I think that's what happened to me. I still had a couple of days to explore the south island, but I was ready to get home and be around friends again. The last leg of the trip, I didn't look out the window too much - I didn't stop anywhere, I drove through the night to get back home.

So, the trip is over, but summer isn't. I still have a couple of weeks before the school year starts and will be enjoying every sunny day that I get here.

Deep in the Bush - Stewart Island

Well - what can I say about this past week? I did so many things I've never done before. I camped at Stewart Island for the week with some of the best people in the whole world - and I'm not exaggerating. They made me feel right at home as they hunted in the bush, fished, explored, napped, read, ate toast, played cards, butchered deer, cleaned fish . . .

The week started with a ferry ride across from the south island, then we hopped on another boat to take us around the island to Lord’s River.






The landscape is so different from what I've seen so far. The bush is so thick and untouched. You really have to know your way around the bush and the sea to make it out there. I never went off on my own - I'm definitely not feral enough for that.



I’m not sure if I look good in hunter orange, but I definitely know that I’m not cut out for hunting. Apparently, you have to be really really still and try your hardest not to move. I thought I was as quiet and still as a ninja, but Beth said that it looked like I was waving hi to the deer as I constantly shewed the sandflies from my face. Surprisingly, we didn’t see any deer, but I’m sure they saw us. I’m not sure what I would have done if I had seen a deer. I think my initial reaction would have been to yell, “Run for your life - she’s got a gun.” So, it’s probably better that we didn’t see anything.


They did manage to get a few deer, and I even had a bite of venison. But, now that I’m on the mainland again, I’m back to being vegetarian.




Julie and I having morning target practice. This was the first time I ever shot a gun and apparently, according to the experts, I wasn't half bad.



I had a blast fishing. I’ve been fishing before but never caught anything. I couldn’t believe how many fish I caught. It was really easy - just put the line over the side, and they would bite almost immediately.



Stewart was nice enough to bait my hooks but I tried to do a couple on my own.

I didn’t join in the gutting and cleaning of the fish - I just got close enough for a picture.


The camping conditions weren't as rough as I thought they would be. We had a hut to use for cooking and hanging out. Stewart and Beth brought solar showers. It was great to get clean and we had an ocean view while showering. I was a little startled one morning when I realized a seal was spying on me. He was about 10 feet from me and was just staring. He eventually turned around and left but I did feel a bit cheapened by the experience.


We had a relaxed week, but managed to do quite a bit. My camera died about half way through the week - I have more pictures to add but have to get them from the rest of the group.

By the end of the week, I had done so many new and different things - just being there was an adventure for me. The week was full of good conversation, good coffee, good fish, really good toast, and wonderful friends.

Week One

My first official stop was Nelson Lakes National Park. Went for a day hike, some great views, and met up with some fun Israeli hikers.


This guy (no idea how to pronounce or spell his name) wanted me to take a picture with him and his scarf that had the name of his favorite basketball team - and I have no idea what it is. Apparently, basketball is very popular in Israel.

My next stop was Arthur's Pass National Park in the Southern Alps. Did 3 days of hiking and on the last day promised my feet I would take it easy on them the next couple of days if they got me to the end of the trail. I met some Americans and hiked with them for a while - they were great because I started getting really nervous walking across some of the ridges at the top and they were nice enough to talk me through it - I don't think I've ever done anything like this before or ever been that high up. The scenery was amazing and I'd like to say that I pondered a lot of deep ideas as I was hiking - I did for a little bit - but most of the time I ended up thinking about Frodo and Sam and their trek to Mount Doom. At other times, when I was scrambling up rocks and holding on to roots, I felt more like Gollum - only I think he was a little more graceful.



This is where I spent New Year's Eve. I had a one day hike into the shelter and then a very long hike the next day out, but it was definitely worth it.




I'm spending the day in Christchurch - trying to get my car reorganized, taking care of some chores, resting my feet, and heading to the beach. I head off tomorrow for the southern tip of the south island and then over to Stewart Island for a week. I think the next island after Stewart Island is Antartica. I'll be staying with some friends while they hunt and fish. When I asked them what I needed to bring, they said "all the normal camping gear and a rifle." So, it should be interesting . . .