The Station Backpacker Blenheim

... and taking drugs, and that bores me. I also lost another poker game, but lasted much longer this time.

Things are starting to heat up a bit around here, finally. The job I was supposed to start Monday disappeared mysteriously Sunday evening with no more of an explanation than "something happened", so I used the beautiful, cloudless day productively and played my first-ever game of golf with a few of the other backpackers at Leeways. On a nine-hole course, I shot ...

... but were careful not to get between the seals and the ocean, or they might charge. They looked pretty happy and lazy, but they can move fast if they get mad! After we saw the seals, we went to a sheep station to learn how to shear a sheep. Peter, the owner of the sheep station, shears two sheep a day, every day, to show people how it is done. He has Drysdale sheep, that have super long wool. First, he introduced us to Ram Man, his ram who is seven years old, and ...

... travelling from Germany, Canada and America and we ended up getting some food together at the other end.When I got home however, I realised I had left my wallet on the bus!Silly Maeve!But no worries as I called the bus company who said someone had handed it in so no harm done at all.......phew!Today Tilly has finally arrived so I'm looking forward to some quality MnM time!love to everyone as always xxMxx

Well our amazing trip is about to come to an end. Our final 9 riding days were spent riding in a rental car as we experienced bike meltdown and had to rent a car in Westport on the north part of the west coast. Although this trip has been fabulous, we have had more equipment failure in the last 6 weeks than on all our previous bicycle trips combined. We have had broken spokes, rebuilt a wheel, broken a chain and a cable. Our tied and true tent, which has weathered ...

... of my time here. (life is rough, I know!). I will stay with Stephen & Tami until the 29th when I will head down to Queenstown for New Year's. Hope to link up and drive down there with Phil Rodgers & Rachel Wagner, friend from the TARS in Halifax who are also visiting during this time! Small world! I will be meeting up with a german girl, Lena, who I met in Raglan for New Year's and then she and I will do the Routeburn trek together from 2-Jan to 4-Jan. The Routeburn ...

... hunting for Debi's target: Knit World. After searching, we find it. It reminds me of the Yarn Shop in Overland Park but Debi sees much more. She and a Kiwi Lady compare notes about how big the heel of the sock she is knitting ought to be and other high tech topics. We buy some yarn and some needles and Debi says that while Yarn World has some items of the same items available at home they also have some different items. Among them, yarn with possum fur ...

... being tight we didn't do much in Picton except enjoy the view. Our hostel was on a hill with a new spa bath outside looking down the hill so we did what anyone would do in this situation and got straight in the awaiting spa! Heaven. This is travelling?!? Who would have knew. We were relaxed and ready for our action packed few days in Nelson. Abel Tasman National Park, here we come!

... upon the environment, our continuing health and that of the planet are directly linked. Seems common sense to me. Ben tipped me off to a guitar maker in Waikawa, a little bay town just NE of us here. Pretty much connected to picton it would appear on the map. I should have walked out there by now but haven't, think I'm going to do that this afternoon. Village Bakkerij ...

... bay towards the centre of town.



By the time we got down to the hiking area the sky was clouding over again and threatening rain, so we decided against the 8km walk, feeling like wimps.

Smug wimps.

Smug DRY wimps ;)
Blenheim, New Zealand al_fey