Oh lord, I finally posted my pictures.

All the must see tourists sights outside Oamaru were ROCKS. Elephant rocks below and Moereki Boulders above. I nearly died with enthusiasm. As you can imagine.

The cows who tried to block us from getting away from the damned Elephant Rocks.

What happens when I can't sleep anymore. Sometimes I take pictures. Sometimes I try to pray the rosary to bore myself to sleep. Sometimes I get up and start to run around the block.

Here is Jun. Looking all professional.

In the deep south of Invercargill, the cars races horses on the beach.

Me, happy to be alive.

Here is what I got from the University of Auckland for working there last year. Such a handy gift for a nomad that I gave it to Jun that very same night. And he is actually using it!

Still hanging out in graveyards after all these years.

Olive, the 79 year old lady who moved to NZ in her 30's as a nurse, became an old man's darling and stayed in NZ forever. She gold sneakers on.

I never saw a damned kiwi.

Stewart Island.

Never wake a sleeping sea lion.

Jun and a nice Kiwi-Canadian man who helped us get past the sea lion.

Run, Jun, Run!

The bay that the sea lion was guarding.

Stewart Island.

I spy a ghost.

We DID see penguins. :) Score.

At one time, a family of 5 or more lived in here.

I liked this composition.

Me and the lighthouse at Acker's Point.

I used to have this same sign on my fence.

A little mud on the Raikura Track.

Raikura track was actually stairmaster in the forest.

Sailing to Stewart Island

Invercargill (pop. 52,000) feels like Grand Forks, ND. It's flat, quiet and the streets are laid out on a grid system. The sky is big, the air is crisp and the people are kind. Jun, one of my former students, works in Invercargill at an practice with four optometrists. He is one of only three who moved to the south island. I showed up in town the other day and met him at his clinic before we headed off for lunch. We'd planned to wander to Stewart Island (pop. 5300) for the weekend. 

It seemed early when Jun and I took the ferry across this morning at the tender hour of 9:30AM. I really wanted to slept in when my alarm went off at 7AM. Jun picked me up and the two of us took a thirty minute drive from Invercargill to Bluff, the embarkation point for the one hour ferry ride, which was smooth sailing, free coffee and perfect blue skies. We couldn't have had a better day. 

We've landed at a small hostel on Stewart Island. Today we walked around the island and on the advice of a local woman, took a water taxi to Ulva Island, which is a predator-free bird sanctuary about five minutes away by boat- truly an enchanting place. We didn't see a kiwi bird, but did see a penguin and several other native birds. Tomorro Jun'll be going back to Invercargill and I'll head off on the Raikura Track for a couple days of tramping before heading back to the mainland. 

In the Deep South

Current locale: Invercargill.

New experience: Couch surfing. Will explain more later...

I walked around today and talked to people. It's quite cold here. I'm headed to Stewart Island on Saturday morning with a former student via ferry. I'll stay for about 5 days- do a three day two night hike staying in department of conservation huts and then return to the south island via plane. I have a bus to Dunedin on 29 April which cost me $2.29 total. They have these wacked cheap fares for one dollar plus tax if you get lucky on your booking. I did.

Everything's finalised for graduation May 8th. I have a reserved spot on stage, robes rented, etc. So I'm going to be faculty! I'm starting to really appreciate my profession again as I travel- the incidence of eye problems across the population is quite surprising- just talking to people I meet as I move through the world. I feel like my experience in optometry is useful and interesting. That is good.

I've arranged to work at a hostel in the far north Bay of Islands for the last section of my time in NZ- mid May to early June. I plan to fly to Brisbane and see Ursula afterward and then maybe Melbourne or Tazmania. Perhaps come home in August. I don't know.

I may not be in touch for a while, especially once I leave for Stewart Island, so if you don't hear from me until April 30th, don't be alarmed.