christchurch -culverdon - kaikora - renwick

We made it to Christchurch on the 12th - had a wonderful visit with our new friend Margo & her mom Jill. They were nice enough to let us sleep in beds....after 8 nights in the mini-van we really appreciated that! Great chats & Christmas cake desert. mmmmmmm. Dropped the van off in exchange for a little rental car.

Headed up to Culverdon to stay a night with another new friend, Hugo, and his family. What an amazing place! Gorgeous farm w/amazing gardens. We played some golf which was hilarious. Both Jesse and i lost balls in the water and went in to get them. Not sure that was necessary but it sure was funny. Great dinner followed by some more rabbit shooting. This time hanging out of the side of an SUV - pretty ridiculous. Good times!

Stopped by Hanmer Springs for lunch & headed to Kaikura for a few nights. We met some great people at the hostel. Kiwi father/son duo let me & Jesse play with their fire sticks. So fun! And slightly dangerous- i think I burned a little hair? Sam & Derek also invited us to join on a snorkeling adventure. We rented wet suits/masks/snorkels and went out into the ocean with them. It was awesome, and a little chilly. The guys dove for Paua (like Abalone in the US) and got 5 of them! The shells are the most amazing colors once you take out the meat. We also saw lots of fish, starfish and sea anemone - which Derek cut open and we tasted while the spikes were still moving around. Hard core! The guys insisted that we keep one of the Paua to cook back at the hostel. They wrote down the recipe for us and while I was in the middle of cooking the fire alarm went off at the hostel! There was smoke coming out of the side of the building and 2 fire trucks came. It was all resolved in 15 minutes or less but exciting stuff. I did end up cooking the paua and I really enjoyed it! Jesse not so much... We went out to the bar and had a fun night - saw somew amazing new dance moves, favorite one we named the "frogger" - and learned from a new Australian friend.

Now we are about to start our week working on a farm in Renwick. Check out www.wwoof.co.nz to see what the program is all about!

i am working with a slight sunburn on my back right now - summer time!