Hello faithful readers,

I know it has been awhile since the last update, and you are all clutching the armrests of whatever desk chair, LA-Z-BOY, or toilet seat you usually sit on to read my little blog.  For this, I apologize.  Allow me to briefly catch you up on Tim Farley over the past few weeks.

After finishing work in the pizza shop in Te Anau, I hiked the demanding but rewarding Dusky Track.  I’ve yet to turn my notes from this epic hike into a proper post, but I will do this before too much longer.

After that, I met up with Brannon and Joy, two friends from Washington D.C., and here are the super-quick highlights of our week of travel:

1. Re-experiencing the comfort and delicious food at the Kinloch Lodge
2. Attempting to hike the Routeburn Track, but being forced back after only one night because of a massive landslide that closed the road from the exit of the track
3. Drinking good beer in Queenstown to make up for our inability to complete the Routeburn
4. Exploring The Catlins, a sparsely-populated expanse of farmland and deserted coastline along the South Island’s Southeast coast known for its wildlife viewing opportunities. I especially enjoyed watching the rare Yellow-Eyed Penguin clumsily emerge from the sea.  Being chased by a Hooker’s Sea Lion down an empty stretch of sandy beach was pretty cool too…
5. Kayaking Doubtful Sound. The solitude and quietness of gliding along this fiord, the third I’ve visited in Fiordland, was unforgettable.  It helped that we had a postcard-perfect blue-sky day.
6. Eating Oysters. I finally got up the balls to try a raw oyster, and these of Stewart Island variety, were astonishingly massive.  They had a briny taste of seawater and the texture of jellyfish, which sounds gross…but they were delicious.

I said goodbye to Brannon and Joy in Queenstown and drove up to Christchurch to meet Martin and Brett, two friends from college.  The three of us somehow managed to tour much of the South Island in just 11 days.  Again, in painfully concise bullet-points, here were the highlights:

1. Tasting wine in Blenheim. After leaving this area 4 months earlier, it was nice to return and casually taste wine without having to work with a firebreathing floor-manager at the factory the next day.  We camped out by the beach and continued our wine drinking while trying to cook three portions of Moroccan lamb on my tiny campstove.
2. Driving the West Coast. The curvy cliffside road along the South Island’s West Coast is really fun to drive, and the views are similar to southern Oregon or California.  A touristy but nonetheless impressive sight was the Pancake Rocks, in which natural arches and blowholes appear striated, as if composed of a stack of flapjacks.  The only downside to all this inviting coast was deciding to go for a swim, and losing the functionality of my camera in the process…
3. Glaciers. On the West Coast, two massive glaciers descend from the heights of Mount Cook and the other massive peaks of the Southern Alps and reach to within a few kilometers of the sea.  We explored these glaciers and found another great beachside campsite to spend the night.
4. Queenstown. Still fun after visiting this place half a dozen times.  This time we tried Mountain Biking in a surprisingly challenging park a few kilometers out of town.  I think I enjoyed this more than Brett or Martin.  Fergburger was, as usual, delicious.
5. Te Anau and Milford Sound.  I’ve returned a few times since officially moving out, but it was nice to show my buddies the town and park where I spent the past few months.  Great weather helps to show off the beauty of this area.  We did the Key Summit hike and were rewarded with fantastic views.
6. The Mueller Hut.  This was by far the highlight of our trip, and probably the best thing I’ve done in my 6 months in New Zealand.  I wanted to show the guys the type of lifestyle I’ve been living, so we booked some spots at the Mueller Hut, an alpine hut at the foot of Mount Cook.  The hike was steep, but the weather was phenomenal and we were graced with stunning views of the entirety of New Zealand’s tallest peak as well as the neighboring peaks and glaciers.  At night, we laid out and looked at the best stars I’ve ever seen, with the occasional rumble of a distant avalanche to add to the ambiance.  I awoke at 4:30am to find the moonlight bright enough to see by, so I decided to hike the nearby Mt Ollivier (the first peak bagged by one Sir Edmund Hillary, of Everest fame)…without the use of my headlamp.  I arrived at the summit while it was still dark and perched myself on a large boulder to greet the day.  It was an unforgettable experience, but without a working camera, I was unable to take photos…so the visual memories will only ever belong to me…sorry guys.

After returning to Christchurch to drop Brett and Martin off at the airport, I made two hasty decisions.  One, I needed to cut my hair (see photo below).  Two, I really need a job, and preferably a “real” one.  So I decided to drive to the top of the island and take the ferry back across Cook Strait to the North Island.

I’ve spent the last week in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and a city I really liked when passing through five months ago.  It’s charm remains; the city is sort of San Franciscan, with an artsy feel and tons of green space between the various Victorian neighborhoods.  There are plenty of cafes and bars, many of which serve really great coffee and beer.  And with a number of museums, parks, and cinemas, there are actually things to do!  More importantly, it has what I’ve been meaning to see since I arrived in this country:  New Zealanders of my age and demographic.  I’ve created a stellar resume/CV and I’m in the process of waiting for feedback.  I have an interview tomorrow.

That’s about it.  Hard to believe I’ve been here over six months now…

Also, please let me know if you’ve ever actually found a toilet with armrests…I’d love to see what that looks like.  Here’s my current ‘do: