My Trip to Eurafriaustralisrael

Two dudes holdin hands on a mountain top? - awkward!! haha A victory stance like no other, after ten days in the backcountry of the Fjordlands, through knee-deep mud, relentless sand flies, scorching sun, sharp alpine winds, wading through lakes and streams of glacier water, we climb the last steep hill and are treated to a sight like no other. Completely surrounded by alpine lakes and glaciers, in the distance we can see the waves of the Tasman Sea crashing on the western shore of the South Island.

I can't really describe to you how crazy amazing the whole journey of the South Island is... I hike the Abel Tasman coastal trail in the north of the island in four days and then hitch hike my way down through Christchurch and Dunedin before catching a ride west to Christchurch and meeting up with Will. We get food and equipment and we're off for ten days adventuring in the Fjordlands. I'll have to tell you more stories next time I see you, but here are the pics of the last leg of my Grand Tour odyssey:

Abel Tasman Marshlands

This dude sees I am hiking with my blue guitar and busted out some blues riffs

I traverse many of these beautiful creeks running into pristine blue ocean water

I have to wait for low tides to cross a couple of basins

Sunrise on the Abel Tasman Trail

Whenever the trees clear on my right, this was the view

Now for some Fjordland Hiking Pics!

I guess New Zealand was almost called Fernland, also it is the last remainder or the fauna found on "Gondwana" the super continent of lore.

Definitely feels like Lord of the Rings sometimes

We get out of the forest and into the Alpine section of the Kepler Trail

Awesome alpine landscape!

Never seen flowers like I seen on this mountain

just, wow.

Next to the wet and wild Hollyford track. Mud and rain and clouds for half, sunny and warm and spectacular for the other.

Some amazing moments in between sun and rain.

Did some good lake fishing!

The color of glacier water serves as a reminder of how freakin cold it is!

We are pretty exhausted and hurting at some points during our journey, but our surroundings help us along

When we do get a break, we have some amazing views. I think Will is praying here for the below freezing glacier water to turn into a muscle-relaxing hot tub.

Delicious!!!ly poisonous

I go fishing again with some string and bread and a safety pin, too bad no fish are around to laugh at it!

I've never seen this before and don't think I will ever again, a sunbow shows us the way one evening.

And that's the end of my journey! Well, kind of. We hike out of the glacier-carved mountains onto a bus to Queensland, then on to a coach to Christchurch and a night of celebrating before a pre-dawn flight back to Brisbane, Australia. A last day with Will before I fly to Sydney, then Singapore, then London, the Rome, then Greece, and finally to Tel Aviv where my sister and her Israeli beau pick me up at the airport at 3:30 in the morning.

Tel Aviv is where I call my home for the time being, but I am looking forward to exploring Israel by bike, bus, and backpack soon. I am excited to start Hebrew classes here in a few days. The Purim holiday here is like a week long Mardi Gras and the beaches are just insane with beautiful people - all Jews! My sister rocks, I'm tired, but happy, and the beach will be the perfect place for me to chill out for awhile. Thanks for reading my blog and following me around the world! More adventures are sure to come; I hope all is well wherever you are, and till next time.

New Zealand! The last leg of my trip. It has been an adventure so far, but Kiwiland has been one of my meccas since getting into backcountry hiking in Arizona a while back. The Great Walks here are stuff of legend and the extreme scene of bungi and skydiving was practically born here. The Maori people give a whole other dimension to the experience as their culture is widely celebrated here and many cities and streets have Maori names. Ok enough intro let's get to it!!

My first stop is in Auckland to visit my former AuPair Emily and her husband Kevin and baby Billy! It's crazy she was 18 when she was talking care of me in seventh grade. We have many awesome conversations about what it was like and what I was like and various observations on BoGo family life back in the day. It's great seeing her and her 1-year-old baby boy and Kevin gives me a taste of the Kiwi disposition: no worries mate

I then take a bus to Rotorua, central North Island, and find myself riding world-class mountain biking trails, specifically made for mountain bikes!!! No horses, no people, no animals; just dirt and tires. I spend the whole day on the mountain before my legs can hardly pedal anymore.

This is a jump that I almost completely wiped out on, but I made it!

It is mostly just me on all these trails so I had a bunch of time to fawn over the fauna!

What a view!!! I have to bike uphill for hours before I can bike all the downhill trails.

One of many not so glamorous but insanely thrilling jumps:

There are jumps on this mountain that are ridiculous world-class wearing a helmet and I am sponsored by eight bike companies so when I win a medal for doing this I get paid tons of money jumps...but I didn't go on them.

Luckily for my legs there are Polynesian Spas in Rotorua! The city is actually on top of a huge volcanic crater, which gives off a wonderfully eggy smell wherever you go. Sulfuric pools are around many corners, and the spas use the water in their pools of heavenly egg-smelling relaxation.

It's also my birthday and Obama's inauguration in Rotorua, so I go out and celebrate the old-fashion way with a few Canadian friends - toga party!! I actually had quite the toga on, but unfortunately it was ripped to shreds earlier on the dance floor, ha!

I also explore the really amazing Rotorua Museum there with lawn bowling on the outside and an amazing amount of Maori cultural items on the inside. It also has a very well done display on the huge volcanic eruption that leveled the town a hundred years ago. After a Maori ghost ship was seen on the lake by a group of old-school tourists, the local elder said it was a sign that their culture had been lost to the expanding tourism trade... and that people should be prepared for a catastrophe of epic proportions. Two days later, the volcano explodes and hot lava shoots miles into the air and decimates the town, the tourism trade, and the Eighth Wonder of the World: the Pink and White Terraces.

http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/volcanic/terraces/

Lawn Bowls, so classy:

Historical Spas/Museum:

After rockin' Rotorua, I hitchhike to Wellington. Hitchhiking is surprisingly easy and an awesome experience here. I got two rides: one from a hippy mom with all her kids and another from a plain-spoken kiwi tour guide.

Once in Wellington I hit the bar scene and check out some mediocre music, but think my time is up when the party/thrill tour scene arrives and gets rowdy. I ask one of the participants who is looking glumly in her chair what's the deal with everybody taking their shirts and shoes off and dancing on tables to music videos on tv screens? She says it's been like that every night since they started the trip, eight days ago! I guess I am getting old, 'cause that is just not my idea of a vacation!!! hahaha.

From Wellington I get to take the ferry across the Tasman Strait to the South Island. Everyone I had met in New Zealand told me to do it, and I of course take their advice. On the map, you can see Wellington Harbor on the right and the strait in the middle; you can also see the line the ship takes through miles(kilometers) of inlets before it reaches the South Island:

One word: wow. The Ferry ride is breathtaking, windy, intense, and a really amazing experience that you've got to do if ever in New Zealand. Most people just stay inside the huge ship, but I face the elements for the four hour journey with a few other brave souls and some thrill-seeking youngsters.

My first look of the South Island:

And I arrive on the South Island...windswept and wowed, awed and amazed. I made it! I cover my nappy, salt-sprayed head and ready myself for some true adventuring.

This image particularly hit home for me. Still seems like a dream, but it's a great dream indeed. Similar to the one Martin Luther King had a few decades ago I'm sure. So this is what pride for country feels like eh? Interesting feeling I think I like it. Trust me, we still got a long way to go on international relations. We are definitely going the right direction now though, finally. I'm sending my best along with millions of pats and ex-pats all across the world. I have really felt at home during these last few days through phone calls, emails, Facebook, and the occasional inspirational Obama YouTube video It has been great to hear from everybody on my bday and inauguration day, and I'm glad I could share a part of the moment with you! Much love from summer in the southern hemisphere... GOBAMA GO!! And heck yeah people we did it.