South Island Madness

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Well, NZ is colder and rainier than I thought (Montana-like summers), but it's really quite beautiful and being on the Kiwi Experience bus has turned out to be very interesting. I feel about 10 years younger from hanging out with all the kids travelling. It's a party every night and lots of interesting stories come out the next day... It's fun to have a 2nd childhood with no responsibilities (well at least for the next few weeks). I'm part den mother/part active participant in the festivities, but it is tiring to be up late and awake early the next morning to get on the bus again.

I'm fully recovered from suspected bronchitis, except I strained my knee a bit on a 70 km/4 day hike around the Marlborough sound (fantastic and sunny for 4 days straight!) It's almost healed, but has slowed me off some of the activities (every day there's some other crazy way to spend your money and put your life at risk). I should be glacier hiking today, but instead am wandering around Franz Josef town and hanging out with my Brit busmates - lads all of them.

On the way to Wanaka and Queenstown in the next few days which is the center of outdoor activities on the South Island. I plan for another hike on the Routeburn track in about 4 days if my body holds up. You'll be relieved to hear that I'm assiduously avoiding peer pressure to try the the tallest bungy jump at 130 some odd meters, as I have no wish to participate in that. But there's jet boating and river kayaking and all sorts of other things calling my name. Cheers, Elizabeth