Part of the beauty of using internet in hostels is that you have to measure the worth of what you do in increments of 10 minutes.  I'm currently paying more than I would like for this internet, so I will make sure to spare you of the boring details from my recent experiences. 

Boy, I've had some great adventures since my fall break has begun,  My mom came to visit me, which was really great, and we got to travel around throughout Wellington, and also visit the South Island.  We went to Kaikoura, where the highlights included: taking a Maori tour and learning about their history and use of forests and plants; visiting a cave where we had a great guide who creatively pointed out that the different formations looked like parrots or the Queen of England or the Eiffel Tower; sheep shearing show; and staying at a lovely cottage that produces lots of lavender, so everything smelled like lavender (even the lavender honey which tasted a bit too soapy).  Kaikoura was great and relaxing. 

I also went to an area slightly north of Wellington, where I had some of the best ice cream ever from local cows and really creamy... yum.   Also, we hiked on Kapiti Island, a wildlife reserve housing beautiful and unique birds like the weka and kaka.  Joey and I actually fed the kaka while it stood on our heads, which was awesome!  I will try to post the video sometime soon...

There were too many other exciting things to mention from my trip with my mom, but it was such a lovely time.

Now, Joey and I are in the South Island.  Our flight to Dunedin was rather pleasant, but I was completely shocked that we didn't have to go through any type of security to fly there!  That was really a crazy experience, just walking onto a plane like you would on the city bus.

We went horseback riding for three hours in Te Anau yesterday, which was something I haven't really done before.  It was a great experience and I loved riding through local farmland and seeing vast fields, but I must admit that I am still feeling quite sore!  A highlight of that experience was that our guide had some great NZ expressions she used.  I was blown away when she referred to a horse that she combed but its hair got all messed up from the rain, and she said that the horse now looked "growy as."  Lots of New Zealanders say "sweet as" the way Americans would say "sweet" or "awesome," but saying "growy as" just took the crazyness of that phrase to a whole new level.

Today, Joey and I drove to the Milford Sound, where we had the great fortune of meeting a Kea bird on our journey.  It's apparently New Zealand's only alpine parrot.  On the way back from the Sound we had to stop at a traffic light for 15 minutes (it was a one way tunnel), and in the mean time, the Kea decided to jump on the hood of our car and take a peek around! It was so neat!  It even came to my side mirror and just stared me in the eye for a while. 

In the Milford Sound, we took a lovely three hour cruise, where we got to view lots of waterfalls and other natural scenery, as well as seals and a stop at an underwater observatory.  It was absolutely beautiful. 

On our drive back, Joey decided he needed coffee.  So we stopped in the only town that had anything open (population ~100).  It was really nice and quaint, but don't tell anyone you went to Athol.  Especially if you have a lisp (try saying it). 

Tomorrow, the plan is to go check out some kiwis and to ride the gondola to the top of the mountain here in Queenstown.  Stay posted for pictures (when I get back to Wellington) and other  fun adventure stories!