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Okay, I know I have catch up to do. So, I'll try in as little amount of time to give some direction. I travelled the North Island all over the place. Good places to go on the north island....Wellington is a sweet as little city. I loved it. It is nestled in between the green hills and the beautiful blue harbor. It was breathtaking. I also thought Hamilton was a nice city. It was quaint and very clean. Rotorua has the amazing luge and that is really about it. The thermals make the entire place smell horrid. South Island high lights were the ferry coming over. I recommend it to anyone. Abel Tasman was Amazing!!!! We went on a 3 day tramp over the beaches and mountains. I can't believe how paradisical it was. I absolutely loved the scenery. We got to Anchorage Bay for our night of camping. As soon as we set up camp the rain came down in torrents. It was a beautifully horrible storm. We were sitting under the awning of one of the huts when the ranger came over to check our reservations. She then got a little perturbed with the fact that we were tenting it and using the porch of the hut. She thought that we were going to rush in and take over the place-very realistic with the 20 of us that were travelling together. Another hilight was Christchurch. Probably my favorite city in New Zealand. We were there for 3 nights-all of which the World Buskers Festival was going on. There were street shows all over the place. I figured, heck, I've got something to offer. So, I started my own variety show while we were there. I didn't register or anything I just went for it. I had a huge crowd entertained and watching me. I actually made 150$ off of it and probably could have made even more if the police hadn't come and ruined everything. Apparently you are supposed to register for festivals or something. While there I also got breath-a-lized. I got breathalized in New Zealand!!! I was driving around trying to get lost when I pulled onto a one way street-going the wrong way. When I tried to fix it I got myself in even more of a tangle. Well, the police were there again and pulled me over. They didn't believe my niave little story and gave me a breathalizer test. When I passed they finally believed me and let me go with a warning. I don't have an international drivers liscense so I could have been in huge trouble and jail! We also had some break ins in christ church...we lost a lot of stuff. But, I am still diligently looking for the hosers that did it. Ok, not really-I didn't have any of my stuff stolen. After that I went to the most amazing and tasty place of all. Dunedin-the home of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. No surprise if I have to roll off the plane when I get home. Any way, the entire town smelled of chocolate. It was delicious. Then we actually went on a tour to the factory. Willy Wonka, Move over!!!! Then I arrived in my new home. My family is awesome. All the people in New Zealand have been great. They all are so helpful and more than willing to help. When you say thank you they just say 'okay.' I dont' know if I will continue to say thanks, or whatever. Any way, I have already had some near death experiences here. I have some awesome friends that I have made along the way and I feel like I know them all so well. Today I went kayaking in one of the local rivers. It rocked pretty much. I didn't even tip my first time out. The beach here is awesome. I was there last week and there were a couple of little kids playing in the water when all the sudden I saw this massive whale coming in at them. Well, I don't know if he thought they were penquins or what, but I had to run out and grab them before the whale struck. It was a close call, but everyone got out nearly untouched. New Zealand really is somewhere you all need to see. The sights and experiences are unexplainable. You just can't capture it in words.

Okay, Auckland was amazing. I recommend it all for everyone. We spent a night in a nice hostel called Base X. It was a block from the docks and a block from Queen Street-the equivalent of Michigan Avenue. Lots of shops and tourists. We blended right in. We walked all over town and saw as much as we could. Sky Tower was amazing. Any way, next morning we packed up and went to the Bay of Islands. It was so beautiful and very tropical. We spent the day on the beach and riding mopeds around town. We stayed at the Bay Adventurer Hostel. It was lovely. We rented scooters from there and toured the city for a couple of hours. The Haruru Falls were gorgeous and only a short ride away. In all the sun I got a bit of a sunburn, but nothing that can't be managed. Then we travelled all day yesterday and came to Waitomo. The Glo Worm caves. It is amazingly beautiful. Cows frollicking in the field keeping us up all night, but really it is so green and lush, who can complain? Not I. We drove through Hamilton-it was such a pretty clean town. It was very safe feeling, almost like home. But, the whole country is very nice-I don't feel scared about anything. I have wandered off more than once. --The fish and chips: Awesome. Blackwater rafting is on the Itenerary today. I recommend this to all!!

Today is Wednesday before I leave. Hooray! Thus far I have finally got my ticket in the mail. Passport...Check; Visa...Check; Ticket...Check; Packed...uh, give me a minute-I still have a lot of gear to buy. The count down has started-well, it started a while ago but at least now I can do it on my hands, and starting tomorrow I will be able to on a single hand. The sleepless nights are starting to come back. I am so filled with excitement that I am as antsy as a child on Christmas Eve. I am waking up in the morning as excited as ever. Who knows what adventures wait for me! I know this is kinda corny, but I figure it is the best way to keep my family up to date and let them know I am still alive-I found a way to work the system of avoiding emailing my mother every day. Mom, now you can just look at this, and I'll keep pictures posted so you don't have to pull out my box and I can avoid getting my picture taken before I leave.