Franz Josef, NZ - Sweet As

Made the switch from the north island to the south island, which means less people, heaps of sheep, and even more spectacular scenery. Stopped briefly in Nelson and then headed over to Abel Tasman National Park, a stunning area of coastline famous for the brilliant blue waters and golden beaches. I opted to sail to a drop-off point and hike back home. The Kiwi I sailed with had a truly amazing story; two years ago he and one his best mates flew to CA and bought and fixed up a 35' sailboat. Then they spent five months sailing it from Long Beach to New Zealand with numerous stops in fabulous south pacific islands. My new hero....someday, someday. Plus, he had really wonderful things to say about the people he met in California which is always nice to hear.
Hiked back along the Abel Tasman trail with a retired Air Force pilot from Washinton. He was in New Zealand visiting his son who is abroad at uni here (and whose major is American Studies...hmmmm) Actually haven't met too many Americans here. Loads of Germans though.

Headed south to the town of Greymouth, mainly because I couldn't get to where I really wanted to go in one day on the bus. Hitching here is really common and people have hilarious stories (like getting picked up by a flamboyant ex-ballet dancer and going antiquing all day) but it just seems risky for me on my own. Greymouth is an old gold-mining town, currently a fishing hub, and well...grey. However, I ended up having one of the more interesting experiences of my trip talking to a commercial fisherman who looked well over sixty but turned out to be only forty-five. A few of us from the hostel ended up back on his fishing boat drinking beer after the bars closed.
Wow.I now know why the expression "mouth like a sailor" exists. Sidenote: I would never want to be on that boat with waves pounding over the side. What an incredibly dangerous, crappy job.

Spent a night in Hokatika, an area known for the massive quantities of greenstone (jade)in the hills. Not too much else there. Took the bus down to Franz Josef village and spent an entire day climbing/walking in crampons over the Franz Josef glacier. This is the only area in the world where glaciers descend directly into rain forests. So spectacular! I've never seen or done anything like it. My tramping group lucked out with the weather. The morning was beautiful and the sun even broke through a little bit at our highest point. It started raining on the way down, which was pretty miserable, but apparently it rains almost every day on the glacier so we were lucky to get the small window of good weather

I've been impressed with some travelers' budget abilities. I feel like I'm traveling pretty cheaply, but some people have really mastered the art. For example, this Engish guy I met hitches everywhere, cleans for a couple hours a day at the hostel to get free board, and eats off the "free" shelf in the hostel kitchens (basically the food leftovers from other travelers who have moved on). I couldn't do it, but there are a lot of people who can and do.