It's Still Raining

Hey everyone, it has been about a week since I last wrote, but not for lack of internet. Lack of interesting stuff, I guess. After leaving Fox Glacier, we headed to Wanaka, with a gorgeous lake. It was really nice and we just hung around for a few days. The weather was beautiful, so we were on the beach for a bit. I realized that my lack of bathing suit wearing has caused for some really embarassing tan lines. Honestly, I have a major t-shirt tan and my thighs are completely white. Almost florescent. So I couldn't decide whether I should try to even out the tan lines or stay in my clothes. I chose to stay in my clothes and avoid embarassment. Bretton and I wanted to do some more hiking, so we hitched a ride out to this Diamond Lake Track. We walked along a field of sheep for a bit, and then it went very steep. We walked uphill for a bit, then we hit some rocks. We climbed a few, then decided we had the wrong track. This was only confirmed when we saw some people coming up behind us with climbing gear. We walked down the road a bit, then found the track. Turns out that Diamond Lake is a pond. This was probably our fifth straight day of hiking and we could feel it. After making it up to this really beautiful look-out and feeling like crap, we headed back to town. We relaxed for the rest of the day. That night, we went out to see the moon rise. It was a full moon and super bright. We sat for a while, waiting. A Kiwi joined us on the beach and talked to us for a bit. He handed me a bag and said, "Dump it out." I did, and it was full of jade! He said that Bretton and I could each pick one. He had found it on the beach in Fiordland. It was so nice! I got a really cool piece with a fly or something trapped inside. Anyways, then walked back to the hostel and saw that they were playing a movie in the field. Grease! So we went back and watched it, it was awesome. The next day, I played chess with this German guy I met. We were both really terrible, overlooking some major moves and ended up with a tie, after about two hours of playing. Chess isn't as much fun when you're not good, I think. Then we headed to Queenstown. They say it's a town, but when we got there, it felt very much like a city. The streets and sidewalks were full of people and everything was crowded. Both Bretton and I promptly almost got hit by a car, and then a scooter! That felt wonderful. It was so hot that day! We ended up walking around for a bit, then watching movies for the rest of the night. The next day, we browsed shops and walked on the waterfront. It was nice. Then, we went to this Chocolatier place that had ice cream. It was amazing! I had a homemade waffle cone with chocolate in the bottom and some amazing ice cream. It was seriously amazing! Yeah. Then, I found this historical Anglican Church where I could practice the piano. It was a grand. But the church was also open for walking through. That was unnerving, but exciting at the same time. I actually had an audience for part of the time that I was practicing. It felt good that someone actually thought what I was playing was worth listening to. The next day, we headed down to Te Anau. I know, back on the West Coast again! The weather wasn't too bad actually. The first day, it was beautiful. The second day, I had the "amazing" idea that we should leg of the Kepler Track (from the Control Gates to Brod Bay to the Luxmore Hut). It was supposed to be 8-10 hours return. But we also had to walk about an hour to the Control Gates, too cheap to pay for a shuttle. The day was beautiful and the walk wasn't that bad. But by the end of the day, my feet and legs were really really sore. So far, with the hikes we've done (some challenging ones included), I have never been that sore. We still had to walk back too. Once back at the hostel, we showered and slept for a few hours. I felt like a wimp or something, that I was so exhausted after one stupid hike. Turns out we walked over 35km. Eight hours, breaks not included. Now I don't feel so bad. 35km? That is crazy! The next day, we got up early to catch a bus to Milford Sound, where we were doing a cruise. On the way there, I gained a new appreciation for our bus company, Intercity. With a few exceptions, the drivers don't talk that much or stop for pictures, you just get from point A to B with nothing in between. We stopped everywhere! I wasn't sure if we were going to get there on time. And the driver was saying that we could stop at as many places as we wanted on the way back! Once we got there, it was still raining, but today, it really didn't matter. It was so gorgeous! On the way there, you have to go through this tunnel in a mountain (400m long), which was very cool. But there were so many mountains! And there were waterfalls going down all of the mountains in so many different places. I know my words are not even coming close to doing the view justice, and neither do my pictures. Some things are just too beautiful to describe or confine to a picture. I will just try to remember it, because that is the closest thing I have. Now we're in Dunedin. For some reason, I thought since it was on the East Coast, the sky would just open up. The rain would stop, the clouds would go away, and the sun would come out. No such luck. We've left the West Coast, but it's still raining. But our hostel is called "Hogwarts". It so cool! No bunk beds, a guitar, and a PIANO! I really think that people are already annoyed with me. I practiced as soon as we got there, for about two hours. I just got so tied up in it. Not engaged enough not to notice people closing doors and glaring at me while I played my scales. But, I enjoyed myself, even if others didn't. Now we're at the library just hanging out. Dunedin seem like a cool place, but with lots of hills. It's still raining, but I'm smiling inside, because I just got to play the piano! Also, I'm sad, because my family is probably seeing Sam Robert's back home, without me. It will be an amazing concert, so enjoy it! Anyways, I'll write when I have something interesting to say. Bye for now.