Traveling. One day at a time.: New Zealand Day 14-18 (dec 8th

The first week on Stewart Island. Only about 350 people live on Stewart Island. There are only road on a small part of it, most of it is a wilderness reserve, and fair amounts of the island are only accessful by boat. The weather here is often like Vancouver, gray and rainy and in the 60s. It is coming into summer though, so there is more sun and we have only had a little bit of rain since we've been here. C's friend N. was here for a few days as well. He'd been traveling for 5 months or so all throughout Asia and was just finishing up his stint in NZ.

Over the past few days we've done quite a bit of stuff. We went out on the boat and both R. and N. went spear fishing. I just snorkeled around. The water is so clear here. It is crazy. It is very, very cold as well. But super clear. They caught a few fish, and my dinner for the evening! I learned how to fillet a fish, although we did not have a very good knife to do it with, so my first attempt at this was not the best. I will try again though.

We've gone on a couple of hikes and I've been running and been able to use the community center's gym, which has been amazing and I'm so appreciated of C for letting us go there. I had missed lifting weights. We also played golf one day on the 6 hole golf course. You have to play 3 times around to do 18 holes. We had a BBQ on the course, and only made it through like 5 holes. It was my first time playing an actual round, and I kind of sucked, but got better techinque as we progressed.

We've received so much hospitality here and been fed very well and shown around. We've had time to read books and relax and I've obviously had to time write. We've drank lots of beer, eat abalone, fresh caught fish, and some amazing crays. Poor R. has been at his most miserable w/his allergies, but they are slowly starting to improve. Thank goodness.

Stewart Island is definitely a little piece of paradise. It is so relaxing and laid back here. It is beautiful, but the weather makes the beautiful wane and burgeon on any given day. There are inlets galore and hidden beaches abound. There are white sands and greenish blue bays. There are wooded trails leading to magnificent view points and rolling hills covered with lush greenery.

Apparently, most New Zealanders don't ever come down here. That's a shame. I think they are probably missing out on one of the most beautiful parts of their country.

We shall be here for a while longer. And I'm looking forward to the relaxation and to experience more of the beauty and peace this island has to offer.