Part of our intention with this blog is to chronicle “everything,” but some thoughts don’t fit neatly into a narrative. For instance:

There’s something unique about the light here in New Zealand. It’s mystical and mystifying. We are constantly finding breathtaking views that need to be appreciated, and the light in those moments is almost inexplicably steamy. Even when there are no clouds in the sky, the light seems to leave its mark on the coloring of a scene in a way that our camera can’t seem to capture.

We are eating and spending pretty darn responsibly. During most vacations, I also allow my spending behavior to take a holiday, but we have been frugal and healthy throughout. Our daily meals are mostly eggs in the morning, an Arbonne protein shake after, apples and PBJ for a snack, dinner leftovers for lunch, then some sort of easy and cheap dinner we make at the hostel. Sadly, Elysia finally caved and bought Nutella the other day, so I think the abundance of sugary sweets here in NZ is starting to break us down.

By the way, the eggs here are phenomenal. The yolks are basically orange. Same goes for all apples and meat. Some other food notes: While cider is starting to gain some popularity in the states because of the gluten-free fad, cider is extremely popular here. They sell two-litre bottles of cider alongside wine bottles and six-packs. They also have alcoholic ginger beer, which is awesome, and the only American beer I’ve seen is Budweiser. For those familiar with the iconic L&P soda that is “World Famous in New Zealand,” it’s as ubiquitous as Coke in the U.S., and they even have an L&P white chocolate that tastes a little like lemon meringue pie.

I just finished Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath, and while it wasn’t my favorite of his books, I absolutely love the concept of strength through adversity. Next on the reading list is Think like a Freak.

Also, during a terrible rainstorm, Elysia and I went and saw a Kiwi comedy called What We Do in the Shadows, which stars a couple of the guys from Flight of the Conchords. It’s a mockumentary about vampires living in Wellington, and it’s seriously funny. If/when you can find this movie in the U.S., go see it. It’s hysterical.

The Nissan Bluebird is holding up well. We have already put on nearly 1,000 km, and it seems to be pretty fuel-efficient.

There are heaps of awesome Kiwi-isms that we’ve been collecting. Elysia will do a post about it soon.

As far as whom we have been meeting on the road, it’s mostly Europeans; in fact, we’ve only met two Americans so far. There are a ton of Germans and Asians here. Also, at the backpacker hostels, there’s always a world map with pushpins that denote a visitor’s country of origin. I’m sorry to call out our Midwest friends and family, but your part of the U.S. map is almost always bare of pushpins. Time to renew your passport and get out here.

I’m going to get killed in fantasy football this year. American football is nowhere to be found, and internet is always a challenge.

The NZ scenery is shockingly diverse. One moment, it feels like you’re in northern California; the next moment, you’re in Ireland. You’ll be driving through a rainforest, and then you’ll come across the Alps. You’ll start the day in New England and end the day in San Diego. It’s easy to see why film is starting to take off in NZ because they truly can offer just about any backdrop. I think the only eco-system we haven’t come across is desert.

If you’re wondering where Ricky Martin has been hiding, he and will.i.am are judges on the Australian version of The Voice. Also, I sort of incorrectly assumed that Lorde would be massive here, but she’s not.

Not sure if this is just because it’s winter here or because it’s free at the hostels, but we have tea like four to six times a day here. All the free coffee is freeze-dried and gross.

We are leaving the north island without a ton of clarity on where we would want to live when our traveling is over. Taupo and Wellington seem to stand out so far but for very different reasons. We also don’t really know if or where we will WWOOF again. Hopefully one of the cities ahead will sink its teeth into us, and the decision will be clear.

What lies ahead for us in the south island:

→ Nelson, the Marlborough region, and all the wine — We are very excited to spend some time getting familiar with all the NZ grapes.

→ Abel Tasman National Park — I didn’t read much about Abel Tasman before we left, but everyone down here says it’s a must-see attraction. Apparently, it’s one of the most beautiful places in what I would consider one of the world’s most beautiful countries. We have been told to get out on the water and spend the day kayaking around the park.

→ Queenstown and Wanaka — The locals talk about these picturesque mountain lake towns like Coloradans do with Aspen and Vail: glitzy, touristy, and super expensive. Still, all you have to do is Google these towns to know why we are excited to visit. Bob Ross painted these towns, I swear.

→ Milford Sound — Sounding repetitive, I know, but this was also described as one of the more beautiful places in NZ.

→ Christchurch and possibly Dunedin — Christchurch was nearly destroyed during the earthquake a few years ago, but it’s apparently on the way back to restoration. Dunedin is a university town that has a bit of Scottish influence. Both are on the east coast, and they are two of the larger cities on the south island.

Unforgettable moments from the north island:

→ Complimentary upgrade to the Air New Zealand VIP Lounge in San Francisco — All things considered, the VIP Lounge itself was a little lackluster — a few party subs, free salad and wet bars, some crusty hummus — but Elysia and I could hardly contain our excitement. I remember coming back from the wet bar with a glass of vodka, pineapple juice and 7-Up and thinking it was the most brilliant cocktail I’ve ever tasted. I ate three greasy pieces of Italian sandwich even though I wasn’t hungry. I took at least a dozen photos. The moment was simply ripe, and the purest excitement raced through my veins.

→ Our Thai dinner in Auckland — Don’t get me wrong, our time in Auckland was cool because it all was new, but behind every corner was a challenge we hadn’t anticipated. We were on our heels the entire time, so we treated ourselves to an early treat with a night out at a dumpy little Thai place that happened to be fantastic.

→ The coach ride from Auckland to Hamilton — It was our first taste of the farm landscape, and we were just a wee bit awestruck.

→ Spending quality time with Char in Hamilton — The time spent in Hamilton with Char is definitely different than the other memories on this list because it felt familiar; most of New Zealand has not. For example, Elysia and I had our own room, we ate well, by then we owned a car, and Char showered us with stories about the Powell family and 2104 S. Dayton Street. A little bit of home goes a long way.

→ The Polynesian Spa in Rotorua — It’s been a while since I allowed myself to completely zone out for hours; in fact, I honestly can’t remember the last time I was so void of thought — and I missed that feeling. When we have visitors come, Rotorua is one of those places you sort of have to see because of the geothermal activity and Maori influence, but we will be sending people to the Polynesian Spa for sure.

→ Skydiving and Bungee in Taupo (obviously) — Another feeling I hadn’t felt in a while was the anticipatory fear that built inside me in Taupo. I usually don’t allow myself to feel that type of fear anymore because I have chosen to live a fairly safe lifestyle so far as an adult. But in Taupo, I felt like a kid all over again, physically terrified to the point where I would catch myself on the verge of hyperventilating. And guess what? That debilitating fear turned out to be heaps of fun. Taupo, by the way, is definitely on the shortlist for cities where we may want to live. It just seems like an awesome little summer lake town, and there’s so much to do outside.

→ The sunset in Hokio Beach — Our last night in Levin, we snuck away to the completely secluded Hokio Beach and stared west for the last 30 minutes of a sunset. The photos I’ve posted don’t really do it justice. It was an experience I won’t ever forget.

→ The last night in Levin — Elysia and I got a tiny bit buzzed off ginger wine and plum port, as we helped ourselves liberally to the Celtic Winery’s offerings.

→ The Moana Lodge in Plimmerton — Plimmerton is quiet little coastal town about a 30-minute train ride from Wellington, and this hostel has been the nicest accommodations by far. I didn’t want to leave, and actually, the weekend manager said he’d be very interested in us working there for free accommodation after we finish the south island. It’s definitely an intriguing option.

→ Mt Victoria in Wellington — Sure, it’s a major, major tourist destination, and millions of people have seen the views we enjoyed, but the top of Mt Victoria in Wellington was such a unique experience. Beauty beyond words in every direction.

That’s it for now, but I’m sure something similar will bubble to the surface in a few weeks.

Next on the journey is Nelson…

^CJ