the adventure begins...

Hello everyone! I've made it to New Zealand and I'm having the time of my life!
Last Thursday I flew out of DFW through San Francisco to Sydney and from there on to Wellington which I got into at about 11:45pm on Saturday. I spend Easter putting my bike together and riding the ferry from the North Island to Picton on the South. The ferry ride was spectacular, the Wellington bay is really beautiful and this was the first time I had been on a boat at sea so that was really neat. I had to aquire a helmet in Picton, apparently it's illegal to ride without them, as my nice cop friends in Wellington tell me. After that it was off to Blenheim, veeeer hilly area which you don't really notice in a car but I am happy to report I am developing killer muscles.

I joined up with Erika and Kristen who were already at the vinyard I was heading to just outside of Blenheim. There were seven wwoofers (willing workers on organic farms) total when I got there so it was quite a party from the very start! (Two Swedish kids, one German girl, and four American girls -including me). Not to mention the three sons of the family and the couple themselves. It was a very full house and the water went off the first day which made it even more interesting. I still haven't really gotten the chance to catch up on some sleep, things are happening fast.

After a day and a half there my cousins, Cosi, the German girl, and I left to hike the Queen Charlotte Track. It was so intensely strenuous. I did not realize how many mountains we would be climbing with the packs and all but it was worth it no doubt. The views from the top of the track into the bay were absolutely beautiful.

It is so beautiful here, I keep stopping in my tracks and telling myself out loud that I am in New Zealand. It doesn't seem real. The mountains are very beautiful and it smells earthy and green and delicious everywhere I go.

Right now we are on a sheep station north west of Kaikoura. Yesterday we went to our first rugby match and then rode on the bus with the team down to the sheep station where we'll be for the next few days. 'When KR and Erika were riding through this area a few weeks ago they met the couple who runs this place and they invited them back. Their son plays on the rugyby team so it worked out really well since his match yesterday was in Blenheim.

So far every day has been a new adventure, and I can''t wait to see what happens next.