Life on the rogue.

My diligence to writing weekly and sometimes daily fell to the wayside as I failed to find Internet and then simply stopped trying. Lucky for me a sunny day with light wind supports the Wi-fi at a local cafe. When it's rainy, or windy, or sometimes even just overcast you can bet the wi-fi will be weak or non-existent. But then on those sunny days with bluebird skies the connection is strong. Which is why I've been quiet, just off in the mountains, or on the coast, or doing anything but sitting in a cafe on my laptop on a sunny day. But this morning I had a few empty hours where I thought I'd sit and catchup. 

But then my car stalled twice. Once while going up a hill in town and once while leaving a parking lot. So a few hours turned into 30 minutes, and here I am typing with purpose about nothing at all. I've settled in Wanaka, found a job, and am still living out of my car and at friends houses. Hopefully not for long because in a few minutes I'm off to look at a potential house. 

I bought a car. A 1987 red 3 door Toyota Starlet named Betty. She's slow to start up but hardy and so far quite dependable. An hour after buying her in Nelson I decided I was going to give her a good test ride and headed East for Whitecliffs, going full circle back to the farm where Kailea and Andy live, and where I started my trip on the south island. With no map I asked my friend how to get out of town and he said go right at the first roundabout, then another right and you'll be on your way to Picton. From there follow signs for Kaikoura, and from there follow signs to Christchurch. So off I went in my new car with a broken radio, leaving me to daydream my way along the coast being sure to follow the signs along the way.

About 300k later I picked up a couple of French hitchhikers that were stuck in the rain trying to make their way to Christchurch for the night. They questioned getting in my rickety old car for a second, then crammed their bags in the back and piled in. Somewhere between Kaikoura and Christchurch I realized that my gas gage read empty and every station we passed was closed. I pulled in to what I thought was a working station but it turned out to be an abandoned station where I found a local helping someone with their car. He told me to pull up to the garage at the top of the hill and wait. A few minutes later the garage door opened to what I realized was a fire station and out came the man with a canister of petrol ready to fill my tank. At this point I think the hitchhikers thought I was out of my mind but 5 minutes later we got a 1/4 tank of gas for free and were back on our way to Christchurch. After dropping them off somewhere just outside the city I moseyed along the last hour until I pulled into the driveway of Toi Toi Manawa, feeling like I was home. 

Yesterday was chock full of planting, gardening, and adventuring. Kailea and Andy are heading to Brisbane for 2 weeks to see their newborn niece Lily, leaving a hefty to- do list. Falling asleep exhausted I awoke to a rainy Monday with no sign of the sun. So it's one of those days, sitting by the fire, catching up on things, writing, and reading. I got to bake the apple cake that Dom made last time I was here and am content as ever staying sheltered from the rain.

Heeding the advice of my wonderful and wise father I decided to take a holiday. While he told me early on in my trip, I now realize that I didn't actually follow through on what he said until I reached Wanaka, let my plans fall by the wayside, and went places for the heck of it. This also meant that I was off the grid a bit more, and off line. So I'm back, almost 2000 kilometers from where I started my holiday with some new friends, a new outlook on things, and as of a few hours ago a new car. I'm writing from the couch of a friend of a friend in Nelson, where I have been staying the past few nights. The campervan, affectionately named Godzillica, and my travel buddy Kate have since left for the North Island but not before sneaking in a few last minute trips.

After Wanaka we put the pedal to the metal and raced along the West Coast, stopping along the way at some truly spectacular campsites. In one day we went from a glacier, to the mountains, to a beach, to the sunny northern region of Nelson. We soaked in hot springs, sipped a lot of tea, and found free range eggs that tasted like a rare delicacy after all of the granola and oats. 

Once up north we decided to take the detour out to Golden Bay and the Abel Tasman. It was one of those places that seemed like a world of its own. Once we got to the top of the mountain and peered down at what was before us it was as if there was a shift in the atmosphere. The energy went from flat to electric as we ambled through town and made our way to a local community garden. It was there that we learned about the communities, and all of the commitment people had to the region. Some fresh veg with the dirt still on it, a couple of grapefruits, and an interesting conversation later we were eating by the beach trying to figure out our next plan. But there was no need for plans as the road led us to all of the best spots Golden Bay had to offer. Camping out in the middle of the Abel Tasman before high season is probably something everyone should do once in their life. With 100's of spots for campers and only a handful around it was serene and isolating in the good sense of the word. That was until we left all of the doors to the van open during our haze of blissful ignorance thinking the world was our oyster. Roughly 500 mosquitoes infiltrated the van, leaving us with few options as the sun set and the warmth of the van lured them all in like a siren at sea. I swiftly grabbed my towel and whipped it into the van thinking it would shock them out of their comfort and force them to flee. What seemed like a brilliant idea ended up backfiring, leaving the mosquitoes in the van, and leaving me with a broken off rearview mirror. Whoops. At least the drive to Nelson was only a few hours, leaving us with enough time to stop in to a repair shop where I bought a $10 replacement that was installed for free. Lesson learned.

After patiently waiting for the sun to come out, we had two glorious days by Mount Cook, trekking around and taking in the glory of the Alps staring down at us. After spending the night in a metal box in what felt like winter in Siberia I awoke to the sun peaking through the van window. Miserably getting out of bed, dreaming of the hot tea that awaited me in the cafe down the road, I slid open the door to find the warmth of the New Zealand sun heating me back up to tolerably cold. After a few more minutes my dreams of a fire indoors turned into a hot cup of tea and some granola on the bench next to the van, watching the sun come over the mountains,  displaying the crisp whites and artic blues across the barren landscape. 

Kate and I packed up shop and started heading south towards Wanaka, where we would spend the night with a friend of a friend and get to know the area a bit. It couldn't have been a better day with clear blue skies, light wind, and a warm spring sun. The lack of sleep gave me that angry morning edge sometime around 12:00 as we pulled over by a river and had some of the smoked salmon we purchased along the way. After a serious nap and some crazy dreams we got back on the road towards Wanaka. After about 45 minutes we were just 15 kilometers outside Wanaka when all of a sudden Kate exclaimed that someone was falling out of the sky. And then another one. In their bright red suits and fluorescent parachutes, a half a dozen people were landing in the field right in front of us. Without hesitating I asked Kate to pull over, went to see what was going on, and found that there was an opening in 30 minutes to jump 15,000 feet out of a plane overlooking the South Island.