life in middle earth

wow, im sorry, im quite awful at writing frequently, aren't i?

let's see, last time i wrote i was just about to do bungy, eh? february 1, ah yes. i did the nevis bungy jump the next day. i think i mentioned it in my last post, but it was 134 meters, or around 440 ft. i honestly wasnt scared about it beforehand, but only due to my avoidance of thinking about it completely. i went with a couple israeli girls, marina and anush, that roberto and i traveled with for a while. they were terrified, and i felt awful, but they were actually forced to go first. you've gotta jump in order of weight so that the bungy sretches out appropriately. marina screamed the whole way down. anush was so frightened that she actually couldnt utter a sound. she was shaking afterwards. and, just to build up the anticipation before your jump, the glass panel in the floor of the gondala gives you the opportunity to watch your friends fall helplessly into a jagged, rocky abyss. how pleasant.

i got my legs strapped in and was escorted to the edge. you can't really move your legs that well when strapped to the bungy, and you really have to inch right up there. so despite my best efforts i was forced to look down. and that's when it hits you - you're going to die. the guy counts '3, 2, 1..' and you're off. for that very first split second, i think for the first time in my life, i truly believed i was a goner. you have no hope. there's no turning back. and somehow the guy definitely forgot to attach something the right way. you're not goin back up.

but then you come to your senses and realize that it's all gonna be alright. and it feels so incredible. at the nevis you freefall for 8 seconds and get up to 80 mph. which may not seem like much, but when you're hurdling towards rock, well..you get the idea. ha, jepp here does a good job of demonstrating: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJLBiDI4Xgc

we spent that night in queenstown and went out to the pubs. there's a really great bar seen there with all of the travelers and whatnot. roberto and i met up with a couple canadian guys, cody and rob, that roberto had met a while back. we all had a good time, despite the fact that we woke up with empty pockets. it's a good time, but queenstown can be hard on the bank account.

the next day the girls left early for queenstown and roberto and i headed out to walk the next three days along the routeburn track, throughout the fiordland area. it started off as a pretty normal hike through the rainforest for the first couple hours as we made our way to the campsite. on this particular hike, and a few others throughout the country, you can't just camp anywhere, but only at specific designated areas. our first night was spent in the presence of enormous snow-capped mountains, along the warm, sunset-lit shores of an enormous field (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302939906348100450). we shared the space with only a few others, who gathered together as the moon rose and the night slipped over us, sharing stories of travels and our other lives, back in the real world.

the next day was more challenging, as we clambered hundreds of feet up the steep, rocky slopes of the mountain. after two hours of steady uphill hiking we happily reached the treeline, where we were presented of the most magnificent views of middle earth. it was lord of the rings; vast expanses of sheer openness, rocks and boulders scattering the rough, barren surface (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302941217882247906). being coaxed up the jagged slopes by the sweet smell of mountain wildflowers and the thought of lunch, we made it up to the summit in only another hour or so. right next to the cabins there's a small 45 min. hike up to the top of conical hill, which was easily the hardest part of the entire journey. it just goes up, and up, and up. but the reward is breathtaking, the view spanning across the valley to the alps, leading to the beautiful southern fiords on one end and all the way to the tasman sea on the other. we ate lunch and continued on across a winding rocky ledge that led across the steep slopes of a few mountains to reach the second campsite, miles away. upon arriving in the mid-afternoon, it only took us moments before diving into the clear blue mountain lake, suspended high above the salty ocean and civilization by the snow-covered peaks of the alps. it was freezing, but oh so refreshing.

we were less fortunate the next day. heavy winds throughout the night almost blew our tent away and dragged in the clouds and rain, which started sometime during the night and lasted all day. the entire three-hour walk on the third day was spent rushing, skipping over rocks and streams through the rain and dense fog to arrive at the warm, cushy seats of the bus on time. there was no view, only the tall trees of the mountainous rainforest enshrouded in fog and falling water.

we got a package deal. we took the bus to and from the trek and got to check out milford sound before heading back to queenstown. it was incredible. the grandeur size of the mountains exploding from the crystal waters of the fiord is breathtaking. unfortunately, said rain and fog blanketed the beautiful coastal waters and kept our eyes from reaching all the way up to the jagged summits. nevertheless, i was there. and it was cool (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302944137206848418).

roberto and i returned to queenstown with empty bellies and tired legs, but somehow found enough energy to suck it up and hit the pub. our next couple days followed as such: wake up, enjoy the warm rays and cool winds of queenstown, walk, eat, etc., then head out to pub/club/rob and cody's hostel. any of these in the last bit can be exchanged, switched in order, etc. to accomplish the same effect. we left queenstown, our pockets a little lighter, smiles a little wider, and headed off to dunedin on the east coast.

we were only there for a couple nights - its mid summer, all the students are gone, and we arrived on a sunday. it probably goes without saying that the place was dead. what is most likely a pretty cool city during the later months of the year was dark and desolate. i mean, empty streets by 6 pm. we were going to explore the coast the second day, which is host to everything from the giant albatross to seals and penguins. but it rained of course. actually, it poured, all day. so i went to the public art gallery and a tiny vegan restaurant instead. it sufficed. there was a huge exhibit by a famous kiwi painter, i forgot her name. it was interesting but i wasnt too impressed. the food, on the other hand, was definitely worth mentioning.

after dunedin we headed to lake tekapo, a gorgeous lake in the center of the south island whose water has been turned a glowing bright blue by the presence of rock sediment. riding from dunedin, i knew i was close to the lake and its neighbor, the amazing pukaki, before even 10 miles away (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302944765216063762). the overcast skies in the distance shown a bright blue, catching the reflection of the vibrant waters below and sending a message of hope to drivers hurdling along the desert highway. rolling into the crunchy gravel parking lot of the tekapo lakeside backpackers in the early afternoon, the clouds rushed to hide behind the mountains in the distance and let the sun reclaim the open sky.

we spent a few hours just roaming around the lakeside and taking countless photos, enamored by the beauty of the crystalline waters (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302945326495408226). i took off by myself after a while to explore around the lake on my bike. the views were stunning, especially from on top of the local mountain, next to a public observatory; the rolling hills of the desert gave way to the dark purple-blue silhouette of mountains in the distance, offering cover to the quickly setting golden sun (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/KiwilandPartI#5302946352750653682).

i got back just in time to make dinner and join in the good company of other travelers, who huddled around the picnic tables in the open sky to share stories and drinks. i met another american, a few english, welsh, a scottish girl Carol who had been traveling in sync with roberto and i, and teresa, a german girl. teresa and i stayed up and watched the moon turn from a feint, white sliver to a bright yellow globe that seemed to fill half the night sky. oh, we also met a nice little hedgehog fellow, who was sniffing through wrappers left around after dinner. very cute.

teresa and i both went to christchurch the next day, leaving roberto to spend another relaxing day along the beach of tekapo. i spent the next 3 or 4 days in christchurch, exploring, dancing, etc. roberto joined me later and we met more germans, katharina, teresa, and friends. [there are so many germans here, more than in germany, i believe]. its a cool city with quite a bit to do so i had no trouble filling a few days. we luckily arrived just as the weekend set in and were able to enjoy markets in the streets for a few days in a row. i also went to the art gallery there and was truly amazed. there were a few great exhibits, but the best was easily that of australian artist fiona hall, who reimagines and reshapes the uses, functions, and appearances of synthetic consumer crap. using soda cans, tuna cans, pvc pipe, soap, beads, and american dollars, among other things, she reinvents her objects to reflect our culture and society, beautiful species of plants, and the human body. her work was really really amazing, and you should see too: (http://images.google.co.nz/images?q=fiona+hall&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=D2iiSfT7DIKOsQPQvr2_CQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title)

roberto and i left the canadians behind and took off on the same day, both headed in different directions. while i just took a short drive up the coast, roberto hopped on a plane for auckland to tour the north island for the next few weeks before heading back home. the ride to kaikoura was beautiful, bringing me back into the mountains and hills, only to spit me out once again along the bright blue shores of the pacific. the coast around kaikoura is some of the most beautiful ive ever seen and is littered with amazing wildlife, seals and big birds included. i only stayed one night in the dusky lodge backpackers but managed to witness an absolutely mindblowing sunset and spend some time at the water's edge before the tide came to reclaim the dry, rocky beaches (http://picasaweb.google.com/wrenar/ItSHardBeingASeal#5304740377826779794).

i awoke groggily the next morning and packed up my bike slowly, doing so once again in the presence of lovely south island rain. the 3 hour ride to picton was wet and cold, but luckily short and beautiful. my laziness in the morning gave me little time to reach the beckoning gates of the interislander ferry, but i arrived just in time. a few hours later, the gates were reopened and we poured out of the boat and onto the dry, sunny docks of wellington harbor, my new home.

and for the next 5 days i made wellington my home. i have a nice little single studio apartment only 2 blocks from cuba st., the center of town. its an odd room, contorted into a strange L-shape, with stairs leading down to my bed and kitchenette. but its in the corner of the building, providing me one whole wall of windows that overlook the busy street below. i spent a few days settling in and getting to know the area, which is really great by the way. cuba st. is a lot like the commons, except about 4 times bigger. there is so much music and art here, it makes me so happy. its a beautiful city and will make for a great semester.

orientation was thursday. a large majority of the few hundred students studying abroad at Victoria this semester are American, but ive already met a few handfuls of really great people that i look forward to spending the next few months with. after spending a few hours waiting in line friday to enroll in classes in the most ridiculously inefficient manner possible, i was ready for what the weekend had to offer. from 20-22 of february, wellington gets a little spicier as it celebrates carnival.

i spent the morning of the 21, this past saturday, roaming around the amazing te papa, wellington's museum, with marina and anush, who were in town for the night. its a really beautiful museum and there are a few cool displays up now. the impressionists exhibit is up for a while and features a lot of really amazing works by monet, manet, etc. perhaps more intriguing, however, was the giant squid they have on display. they just discovered it in the deep waters off the coast in the last few months. and let me tell you, that sucker is huge. it's about 30 feet long and apparently has the largest eyeballs of any animal in the world, which are about as big as soccer balls. its wild.

i started the night off with a few friends that i recently met from new york and new hampshire. later that night we left the sweet songs of jerry garcia, the empty bottles, and the empty apartment behind to venture out into the restless city below. it was alive with people crawling throughout the streets, going from one show to another. we ended up at the san francisco bath house and danced along to the funky tunes of a great kiwi instrumental band. we joined the company of a couple hundred other smiling faces and spent the next few hours dancing together, the syncopated groove warming our hearts, enriching our minds.

and now im here - 6 hours from wellington in an alcove of natural beauty. im at the taranaki environment centre, surrounded by gardens and beautiful trees. ill be working here for a week before returning to wellington to start classes. its been an incredible journey so far, and it can really only get better from here on out. check out www.picasaweb.google.com/wrenar for my fotos, which i update much more frequently than these words. ill try to write again soon. miss you all.

love