Rooooadddd Tripppp!

 It has been quite the journey since my last post. After feeling God’s lead with moving out of the city, I have found myself in a beautiful part of the S. Island called Kaiteriteri where the beaches are energized by families, kayak enthusiasts, and the welcoming of new beach goers on several water taxis. I feel as though I am in paradise. I have never lived in a ocean front environment before and I am thoroughly enjoying the experience. Before I get into what I am doing in Kaiteriteri, I should mention that I embarked on an amazing 2 week road trip at the end of December with Emma and her boyfriend Tony. We flew out of Auckland and into Nelson and began our trip on an amazing farm in the middle of the country in Motueka. Tony’s friend Jimmy was renting a house on some breathtaking property.

During our time in Motueka we hiked around Kahurangi National Park, hiked part of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, Kayaked, ate delicious barbequed meats and veggies, went berry picking, and spent a calm New Years Eve playing Cranium.

After our time here, we picked up our rental car and headed South the Greymouth and Hokitika. After being stranded for a day or so due to a massive storm and flooding, we had to change our route and head over Arthur’s Pass. This journey in itself was amazing! The mountains were glorious and showed themselves off as we winded our way through them. We came out to Lake Tekapo and Twizel where we stayed the night. We then took a trip up Hooker Valley Trail and was completely silenced by the commanding presence of Mount Cook, the tallest mountain in NZ. This is the first time I have laid eyes on snow-capped peaks this tall and I was speechless. This is a trail I suggest everyone explore at some point in their life.

After Mount Cook, we headed to Christchurch to witness the devastation of the February 2011 Earthquakes and then some. Most of the city centre is entirely collapsed or abandoned. It is quite saddening and definitely humbled my spirit. Seeing this made me realize how little control we have when it comes to weather and the power of nature. No matter how we made construct out buildings or what preventative measures we may take, nature will do as it pleases and will not yield to anything in its path. This does not make me fear nature, but rather respect and nurture what we have been given.

 The best part was witnessing the Re:Start area of the city which is where they have taken large metal freight containers and painted them bright colors and transformed one of the roads/parks into a section of shops, restaurants and filled them with street performers. It gave me such a feeling of hope and vibrancy. I pray that ChCh will be revitalized.

We scooted up to Hanmer Springs and Blenheim (Marlborough Region) from there and had a wonderful two days of visiting vineyards and having a taste of the delicious wines that are what makes Marlborough so famous around the world. My favorites were Forrest and Larson’s Dry Hills.

We crossed over to Picton for a final hike to overlook the Marlborough Sounds. Looking out over the Sounds made me feel like I was back in NH and VT. 
The ocean meeting the peaks gave me a sense of living back at home with the lake and mountains, but on a much bigger scale. Boats whizzed by one another creating white tails behind them, contrasting against the deep blue color of the sea. Marvelous. The road trip was wonderful and I am so blessed that I was able to see so many parts of the South Island during that trip. I look forward to seeing more in the future!