New Zealand 78 Totaranui

 Today was our last day on the track and, even though we had had a great time, we were so excited to get back to our van and real food and hot showers (ahhhhhhhh, the luxury). We had a pretty short walk back to Totaranui (home of the sand fly) where we would catch the water taxi/ cruise we had arranged with Wilson's Experience. We positively bounced back down the mountain and arrived early for our departure. We lay on the beach for about an hour until our taxi arrived and then happily boarded for the relaxing three hour cruise back.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 77 Star-Gazing

 But they were great fun and we had a really good time just talking to them about the different things they had done. The funny thing is, we never even got their names. It turned out to be a late night as we eventually went outside and star-gazed (the stars out here are amazing with no pollution and all different because we are in the southern hemisphere). They were familiar with the constellations and pointed out several to us. We went to bed late after a really awesome day.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 76 Super-Human

 But to add to it, he had biked clear across the United States coast-to-coast by himself as a "break" after graduating high school. They were currently hiking the entire A.T. Track that we were doing plus the inland A.T. track in the same amount of time that we were taking to do the first portion. I think Matt and I both felt a bit inadequate and very much in awe, I know I did (they looked like regular people but they were obviously super-human). 

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 75 Really roughing it out here

 After they ate, we all sat around the fire with candles and talked about various travels. I was well into my "we are really roughing it out here" bit and I was lamenting the fact that Matt and I were not used to carrying so much weight and the walk was really hard when the two of them just looked at each other. 

They smiled and he said, "well, we are just on our way back up from having biked across new Zealand". "oh" I said. Turns out this pair biked from the very northern tip of new Zealand clear to the absolute bottom of the south island in two months while carrying all their gear and camping equipment on the bikes. Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 74 Nonchalant

 This thing shot flames 3 feet into the air without even being turned up to high; she literally smoked us out of there. She had some sort of pathetic aluminum shade which she placed around the cooker as a "screen". Yeah, okay, it didn't really screen much of anything. They were so nonchalant about the whole incident (they nearly burned down this hut made entirely of very old wood; it would have incinerated in minutes upon contact) that we all just looked at each other and had a good laugh.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 73 Flames shooting to the ceiling

 We jumped up in a panic just as the fire alarms (all of them) began to go off. The kitchen was completely filled with smoke and the guys were running around opening doors and windows trying to clear the air. Once the smoke was under control the alarms stopped their incessant bleating and we were able to determine what had happened. The girl was trying to use what she called a "gas cooker" and what Matt and I call a blow torch.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 72 Whoooooosh

 I was so impressed; I could hardly believe they had actually walked all that way (20+km) with the tremendously heavy packs they were carrying. This young couple from Holland was such a trip; I turned out to be so glad they showed up. About 5 minutes after they arrived, the girl began to make dinner.

Matt and I continued to play cards, not really paying attention, until whoooooosh!, we turned around and there were flames shooting all the way to the (entirely wood) ceiling.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued)