Stuff Marie Does

6/7/10

Oh wow.

What have I done since this last post?

So much.

I have:
been to Kaikoura, and Bleinheim; seen the most amazing coastline ever; gone on a midnight walk in search of a Kiwi and/or moa; wrote in the sky with flashlights and pretended to be a UFO; learned how to weave flax; gulped down delicious pumpkin soup; attempted to swim with wild dolphins, and failed; seen sperm whales and seals and great big albatrosses; seen two dolphins (!!), but they wouldn’t swim with me; imitated seals while being within fifteen feet of a seal; ate weird icecream (boysenberry swirl, passion fruit, and chocolate orange ahoy!); survived the freezing rain (!!); taken weird pictures by the beach; experienced the most amazing long bus ride ever; eaten way too much food, and lots of good food at that; spent almost no money (!!!); participated in the cooking of a delicious group meal (actually, I sat on the couch and watched Ben & Joe cook); made a few very awesome friends (Megan, Ashley, Hebah, Tabarik, Ben, Joe, Jessica, Crystal, and many others!); gone sea kayaking in a weird lake/ocean/sound thing; seen amazing, amazing, amazing forests (like rainforests!) from my little boat; paddled by seals (!!!) and jumped when they popped up three feet in front of me; hiked gorgeous trails with views over river systems that could be in the Amazon; gotten locked in a bathroom (Joe is my savior!); and not cleaned up my stuff. Which I should do soon.

Tomorrow, we’re off to a winery to work in the fields, get a tour, be fed lunch, and do a wine tasting. All is exciting because, apparently, New Zealand wine is on par with French wine. Or so the Kiwis say.

By the way, who’s interested in putting down cash to buy a summer home down here? I’d recommend Kaikoura, though the Malborough Sounds are pretty much the best thing ever. They just happen to be really expensive.

Guys? I love NZ.

Hope everything is going well back in the States!

See you (not too) soon,
Marie