Well, here I am on a train station in Greymouth, NZ, on the west coast of the South Island. I just spent a week living twenty feet from the Tasman Sea, watching the ocean crash against the cliffs, and rise up on the sand. I took walks along the shore every day. I also found myself in the home of a former gourmet restaraunt chef/owner. There were huge gardens, and I ate like a king every night. Coffee and cigarettes, and plenty of cookies and desserts.

And all I did to deserve it was some light gardening, weeding shoveling and the such. But deserve it I did, having come out of the mountains to the north from a five day hike across Richmond Forest Park. I was completely pooped after that one, having climbed from sea level to 1700 meters and back. I had an exciting yet horrible day on that trip climbing a mountain in the wind and rain.

But It was exactlty what I wanted, after having hitchhiked through half an island the days before. I have come to rely on the wonderful people here, and revel in the new experiences that hitchhiking leads you to. Mostly it's just rides and conversation, but sometimes you meet a really great person, and craziness ensues. Thats how I saw my first cricket game in Wellington. The girl who gave me a ride told me to come on and see the game that night since I had never seen  one before. And to add to the experience, we were given free tickets by some other great people at the gates. Cricket is godawful boring by the way.

Before that I hiked through Tongariro National park, and actually clibed Mt. Doom. That was pretty cool. And before that I was wwoofing a week at a retreat, also with great gardens and good food.

So, it's going well, and now I have to figure out what is next. I'm starting to miss all you back home! Cheers!