New Zealand - South Island

Wednesday, October 21st

I am in the larger and supposedly even more remarkable south island of
New Zealand. I so enjoyed the North Island that I can't imagine how
it can be better. But everyone has said that to me.

So I woke up before my alarm and packed my bags in the hallway so I
wouldn't wake my dorm mates. My car was where I left it last night so
I repacked my backpack (I left it in the trunk and had to still put my
hiking poles & sleeping bag in).

I gave myself 45 minutes to get out of the city of Auckland and to the
airport. I promptly got lost. I seem to have trouble with bus lanes
(you can't drive in them but that was the lane I needed to go
straight!). Then there was construction...so I pulled over and figured
out where I was and made my way to the airport. I made it but only
after not refilling my petrol and having to walk from the rental cars
at the International terminal to the domestic terminal AND looking for
Virgin Blue Airlines that in the domestic terminal is called Pacific
Blue. Ha ha. I made it.

We landed in Christchurch which is on the East coast - I picked up the
3rd (and oldest) car on this trip and promptly headed west. Um, I
passed a field of hogs and heaps and heaps of little hog houses! Weird.

All of sudden I could see snow covered mountains. They appear so
suddenly! I drove for the next 3 hours through gorgeous valleys,
mountains, rocks and by some lakes. I am staying in Arthurs Pass YHA
which is right in the middle of the mountains. As soon as I entered
Arthur's Pass the rain started...

I am pretty sure I will continue west tomorrow morning because it is
supposed to continue to rain/ snow most of tomorrow in this area. I
have a general plan for the next week but don't really know what I
going to do. I am hoping to hike on some glaciers and in the
fiordlands.

I spent time today thinking/praying about my identity as a child of
the King...but I haven't got the words to explain it at the moment.
Cept to encourage any of you to remember that is who you ARE- not what
you do or what others think of you. We get so easily bogged down by
things that don't really matter. Or...I have lately.