the joys i have known in New Zealand's South Island are many. what a place. its hard to know whether it really beats the Namib desert or not, but when i think we are talking about so many different places, everywhere i have been in the South Island has astounded me at some point with such beauty, so i reckon as a country NZ wins so far on my tour of this amazing world.
it turns out i really love walking on my own, i just love the peace and contentment that comes from getting out there and seeing it all with all the time in the world to let thoughts come and go, to remember others, to pray and consider life in all its magnificence. then there is the sense of achievement when i get to set my little timer going on the camera to catch me grinning on the top of some beautiful mountain i've managed to climb. i love the way you can feel blood filling up in your fingers and your leg muscles tighten if you walk fast for a while. i love the loud pounding of my heart as i climb fast. i love meeting people in tramping huts who always seem to be the best kinds of people but so diverse with so many interesting stories. i love beating the estimated times for tracks by going for it.
i have come away with so many lovely memories - kayaking on Milford Sound, climbing up to Luxmore Hut on the Kepler track in a downpour, wandering the rose garden in Christchurch with Nikki, sitting on the shores of Lake Tekapo with amazing colour everywhere, silenced by the beauty of ice on Franz Josef glacier.. it has been the best month and has left me feeling so full of joy and peace and so full of life.
i'm back in sydney now in an empty mansion as the family are away on holidays, back on sunday. then its one more week with them all before flying to bangkok the following sunday (dec 3rd). so you will hear more from me soon
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