The night before we left, the weather took a turn for the worse. There was a cyclone in Australia and New Zealand was feeling the aftermath. We were able to make our bus to Christchurch and our flight up to Wellington. I landing in Wellington on my way down here initially, but I did not remember seeing Gollum before...
We were able to spend the whole day in Wellington (NZ's capital) walking around and seeing downtown. We were soon quite aware that we did not fit in with the rest of the business dressed people walking around. We were each carrying hiking packs, looking like typical backpackers. I came across this sign outside a shop that could not have been more fitting...
This was on board the inter-island ferry that took us from Wellington to Picton. It was pretty amazing, with a cinema, shops, and restaurants. Because of the bad weather, we were one of the last ferries to go out that day. The "wave-o-meter" read 4 meter waves, the last notch before 'storm'. Everyone on board felt the wrath of the cyclone that day. Sick bags and ice chips were being handed out like candy. Luckily, I took motion sickness pills before hand--otherwise I would have been one of them. 
This was the quaint hostel we stayed in for the night in Picton. It was such an awesome place with a "gypsy-like" vibe to it. They supplied us with free dessert and breakfast in the morning. If you are staying in Picton, I would recommend staying here--such character! 
T
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We made our way to Nelson the following day where we were going to meet up with the other 5 who were coming on a bus from Christchurch. While we were waiting we meandered around and I came across this gem-- the location of the very first rugby match in New Zealand! It is still being used as a sports field and the trail head to 'the center of NZ'.
We waited as long as we could for our friend, but when they never showed up we started to get worried. We tried contacting them, but all their phones were going straight to voice-mail. We found out that because of the storm many buses had to turn around. It turns out that they were stuck half way to Nelson and the storm took out all of the cellular towers. We couldn't believe the chaos that was going on. The locals kept saying they haven't seen a storm this bad in year... just our luck. We had booked a shuttle and made the hour journey to Marahau where the track of Abel Tasman starts. The original plan was for all of us to sea kayak the first day, so we went ahead without them. It was such a cool experience and we were able to see things that you wouldn't normally see on foot, like Split Apple Rock shown here. 
We finally contacted the rest of our group and they said that they were going to be able to start the track one day late, but would meet us at the second campsite. We were a little skeptical on starting without them, but we realized there was nothing more that we could do. One our way in the first night we noticed that tons of people had written things with rock during low tide and they were all visible. Someone from our program (who knows how long ago) had written GlobaLinks! We were not alone :) 
The track itself was incredible, taking us along the coastline and through some subtropical forests. It rained the majority of our time on the track, but that didn't make it any less beautiful. 
The next evening we finally met up with the rest of our group! They had to take different modes of transportation to get there and hike extra distance the first day, but we were finally all together. We shared our crazy stories from our first few days of break over dinner at the campsite that night. The sky was surprisingly clear which made for ideal star-gazing conditions. Oh man, the stars! No photograph or words can describe what they are like here. You can vividly see the Milk Way and all different constellations than the Northern Hemisphere. It is absolutely breath taking.
The following morning we set out on the track again, this time as an 8-pack. We came across some really amazing swing bridges and even completed our first tidal crossing. 
We all watched as the sun went down and splashed warm colors all through the sky. It was so peaceful, I hope to remember that moment forever. 
We woke up one morning to this horrendous screeching outside our tent. The other two girls in mine were not about to check it out, so I volunteered to defend us. I came across two of these rather large birds poking around at all of our stuff. They didn't seem to be bothered that I was there, so I ended up chasing them away.
Abel Tasman is such a pristine and relaxing walk on the northern coast of the South Island. The views are remarkable, I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to see it. 
This track is not a circuit, so we hired a water taxi to take us back to the start of the track when we were finished. It was such a cool way to end the tramp (hike), being able to see where we hiked from the water. 
Our next stop....
It made Lonely Planet's list for a reason!
Pancake Rocks
We stopped along the coast and hiked into a back country hut, hands down my favorite accommodation yet.
I read the visitors book in the morning with my cup of coffee before anyone was awake. I always wondered what it would be like to live in a place like this... I think I could definitely do it (at least for a short period of time). The visitor's book was filled with great comments and details from past travelers. We had a long trek in the night before, stumbling through mud and over fallen trees in the rain. George Thompson probably put my feelings into words better than I could in his entry... "In euphoria I laughed looking up at the sky, letting the rain wash away my stress. This is why I'm here, to believe in the unexpected, to share the beauty of the world" (Blue River/Blow Fly Hut)
We stopped at a few more locations on our way down the West Coast...
Once we finally made it to Queenstown, we were in need of some real food. What better place than Fergburger?! This is a world-renowned burger joint right across from our accommodation! 
GlobaLinks provides its students with a "free" excursion to use at anytime during their study abroad. I chose to use it in Queenstown. This included accommodation, a cruise through Milford Sound, gondola ride, luging, and free breakfast. Oh and we saw some more sheep...
This was the boat that took us through Milford Sound
I swear the rainbows were following us our whole trip
While we were on break Anzac Day happened and we were able to watch a parade go by. This is similar to the American Veteran's Day.
The view of Queenstown from the gondola 
We also got a screaming deal on tickets to the ice bar. This place was made entirely out of ice! They provide you with parkas, gloves, and boots to keep you warm. This was an 'ice hockey table' inside...
This was one of the last pictures from our journey back to Dunedin. Autumn is here and it is my favorite season. I can't wait to see what the rest of the semester holds! 
CHEERS!
CA
