On the road again

Wowsers, how in the name of all things organic has such a long time passed since i've blogged? seriously folks, time does fly when you're...thistle grubbing?

So after leaving kaikoura, land of seals and whales galore, i hitched north to picton (rode with a lovely older couple whose truck i feared at first may fall to pieces, but later was more concerned that neither could see too well and it was raining...oy, also a school teacher with whom i had a fantastically upfront conversation with regarding views of the Maori population, a group of wanna be psuedo hippies in their 20s *it was so classic they were even in a VW bus* and last, but not least an old curmudgeon military driver in his 70s, whom i only managed to win a smile from towards the end of our short car ride)

Picton was a drag, stormy and less friendly than other places...and fittingly i ended up at a backpackers called the The Atlantis (the irony here is that this is also the name of a large casino in reno, the biggest little city on earth that i generally loathe...) From picton, i took a ferry (and by ferry i mean really large enormous boat) to the north island en route to wellington and my next WOOFing farm stay.

Wellington...wellll, it actually reminded me quite a bit of Ptown, set into hillsides with fantastic parks and lovely rail system (AKA MAX). Plus their was a hilarious street performer from Canada juggling fire while skateboarding ...etc...AND what really REALLY made me feel at home...(have i built enough anticipation yet?) was seeing this crazy weirdo riding a bike that was far too creative to be an efficient mode of transport AND he was wearing a cape to boot!

So i went to Te Papa, the country's national museum and had nowhere near enough time to see it all (they kicked me out at 6pm...seeing as how it was closing time...doh!) the next morning i spent walking around Wellington's botanical garden with my life...that is my backpack..strapped on nice and snug. The gardens were incredible! My botanically nerdy nature again took over with full delight! Everything from the endless native bush trails to the greenhouse creations and generally amazing plantings...were grand. My favorite was seeing a Cork Oak, with whose bark old school corks are made, without hurting or killing the tree at all because its cambien layer remains fully intact!... super rad, big dork, fully embracing it.

After spending the morning at the garden, i decided to head out of town. as much as i liked wellington, after a few hours of walking around the city, i decided i'd had enough. The country suits me and i prefer it. Twill be interesting to see how i react once again to streetlights when i get home ;)

So i spoiled myself and bought a train ticket (instead of hitching) north to the little town of Plimmerton just a quick 15 min ride away where i'd heard there was a nice little backpackers. And dear lord does it every pay to follow intuition! The moment i arrived i instantly felt better and more sane than i had in wellington. Plimmerton is on the coast, slightly protected and the backpackers i hiked over to (Moana Lodge) is run by an amazing couple. I had been there all of 10 minutes and was asked if i'd be interested in going out sailing....hmmm, lemme think on it....no wait....little more time....pondering almost complete.....i'd say......fuck yeah :)

So the owner took me and another inhabitant from germany out on his beautiful self made sail boat (it was a decent size, but really couldn't comfortably hold more than the 3 of us plus a small underfed child). Super fun, was quite windy and we got quite wet from the splash and the spray as the boat turned on its edge and we got some good speed; by the end we were tacking quite well and having a blast! That evening was quite lovely and i spent a considerable amount of time with this incredibly intelligent German couple who were also staying at the backpackers. The next morning i woke up early and went for a run in the sun under a brilliant blue sky. Felt amazing....to digress, i decided that on this trip i am not allowed to run more than twice a week and many weeks i haven't run at all...and i must say i feel quite good and am able to run a hell of a lot longer without any ridiculous orthopeadic problems in awesome terrain...ah shit, now what was talking about?

Ohhhh yeah, so i basically dawdled around the backpackers (AKA heavenly hostel) all morning, not wanting to shove off so quickly, but i had promised (ok maybe not promised...or pinky sweared...but agreed) to meet my new WOOFing family in martinborough (land of vino tasting).
So back on my pack went and i bid adieu to the most wonderful hostel i have yet to experience. After 2 trains (with lovely scenery) and a bus, i was in little martinborough, once again in search of my next destination, my new home, and my unsuspecting family ...surmise what you will....mwwWWAA ha haa!