Pictures here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/URiagyWLaJgCocLU9
I think if I were to write a book about my trip that's what I would call it. They're everywhere and they seem to travel in pairs. Every hostel and every tour I've been on has included a pair of chubby Canadian girls. But I digress.
Last e-mail I said that I was about to go whitewater sledging. I am happy to say that thankfully I am still alive. You all know that I am prone to exaggeration, but seriously that was the most terrifying activity I've ever done. Worse than bungy, skydiving, motorcycle, or anything like that put together. I wasn't expecting it so it sneaked up on me. I should've known when we started putting our gear on and they gave us some kind of lacrosse helmet with a face shield. We spent half an hour in the river in the calm current just figuring out how to turn and how to turn over if we flip. The slegde is a plastic sled about 3 feet long with a handlebar on the inside. The golden rule is hold on no matter what.
So I wasn't taking it too seriously until the first rapid, which was class 3+. I've done river rafting before, so how hard could it be? Well, let me just describe it as a combination of sledding and drowning, with slamming into rocks is also involved. After the first rapid I wasn't sure whether I wanted to puke or crap my pants. Luckily, I was able to control myself and just wept uncontrollably. We had two more rapids, one of which was a class 4. Oh, by the way, says the guide, there's a waterfall on the right at the end of the class 4 which you want to avoid. The fun just keeps on coming! At the end of it all, rather than the sense of accomplishment that I had when I went skydiving, I just had a sense of relief that I wasn't dead.
I headed to Wellington next, which is a very cool city. It's full of cafes, bars, restaurants and clubs, and its city center is small and walkable. It's right on the water so just hanging out at the harbor on the waterfront is a cool way to chill. I spent a couple of days wandering around Te Papa, which is the national museum of New Zealand. It's fairly new and modern and is very interactive. There's heaps of exhibits on Maori culture and on the Treaty of Waitangi. Overall, I'd have to say it's the best museum I've ever toured.
I hooked up with this cat named Wairemu (Maori for William) on the bus ride on the way down to Wellington. Cool guy, but I wonder if he has ADD because he was constantly changing subjects. He's a chef who works at a restaurant called Fidel on Cuba Street, which is a sweet area in Wellington that has tons of little shops, restaurants, and cafes. Lloyd always said I was a communist so maybe I'm just drawn to it for that. Anyway, I managed to weasel a free dinner at his restaurant so I can't complain. There's supposedly a tattoo museum in Wellington that I went to look at, but it's just some guy's tattoo parlor with a bunch of pictures of freaky tattoos. I also checked out the Embassy Theater which is where each of the Lord of the Rings movies has had its world premiere. I saw Return of the King there... it's plush! They have assigned seating so I got a premium seat which is like a leather recliner in the middle of the theater. Plus you could get a beer in the theater. The only thing it's missing is... never mind. My mom's on this distribution list.
I finally got some good weather in Wellington, but when I was on the ferry crossing over to the South Island it turned to shit again so I couldn't see anything. I headed to Nelson where I stayed for a couple of days before heading out sea kayaking in Abel Tasman national park. It was a 3-day trip up the coastline of the park which was absolutely awesome! It's easy to see why it's the most popular walking park in New Zealand. The forest comes right out to the sea, and you get a really cool perspective from the water. I lucked out with the weather because I got two days of sun and one overcast day. The only rain we had was the first night which made it hard to get to sleep in the tent but otherwise it was all good. We paddled out to some of the small islands and had lunch and coffee on some tiny beaches. My guide was a dude named Leigh who does sea kayak trips in the summer and is a snowboarding instructor in the winter. His real passion is his rock band where he plays the drums. This guy's got the life! They're about to record an album and shoot a video so I told him if they ever tour in SF that they can crash at Ang's place. Ha ha!
Anyway, I'm back in Nelson now to chill out for a couple of days and save up some cash. Nelson is supposed to have the most days of sun in NZ so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. So far, so good. The hostel here has a pool and a hot tub, but they told me the pond would be good for me (come on... Caddyshack reference). I'm trying to eat as much venison as humanly possible while I'm down here. I'm also addicted to milk bottles, which are milk candies that are like those White Rabbits. Remember Woo when I ate that whole package over at your place and almost got sick?
As always, the dude abides.
Dave
