I have internet and a constant cell signal :)

Well that's embarrassing. Actually was at Westport. Not sure if auto correct or if I was just not paying attention. I stopped in town for gas and supplies and was going to search further south for a camp ground. I ended up going to a motor park in Charleston where I could have a shower and do my laundry. On the way, I saw signs for seal colony and wanted to go. Since it was late, I went in the morning.

The colony was in Taronga Bay, a small drive off the main road. It was a paved/board walk pathway leading to a large platform overlooking the seals. Due to rough seas and the time of year, most were sleeping among the rocks. Some younger ones were playing around and I have a video of a group swimming and playing in the water behind a large rock that created a relatively calm pool.

After the platform, the pathway became more of a dirt path. Leading towards Westport and a lighthouse.

Afterward I traveled south again and stopped at Punikaika and the Pancake Rock trail. It was another paved trail but a cool rock formations. Thought I had more pictures but can't find them at the moment.

That night I ended up parking on a beach, listening to the waves crash all night.
 I spent some of the next day there and had a nice late start to my day. Stopped at some lookout on the way and just enjoyed the cliff views of the coast.

That evening, it ended up starting to rain hard and go dark early. I was in Greymouth and so I decided to stay local. There was a small free car park close to the wharf.

Spent some time watching the waves and standing in the rain. 

The next day it cleared up and I continued my slow drive along the coast. Stopped around noon for lunch and a hike at Mananui Lake. From here the drive moved more inland among the mountains.

That afternoon, I saw a note about dig your own hot pools off the main road called Amethyst  Hot Pools. Unfortunately with no cell service and very minimal info I couldn't find them. Ended up walking along the river a fair distance. It was a great walk climbing the rocky shore.

I stopped at some lookout and the small town of Whataro before ended up at a camp site on the shore of Lake Mapourika, just north of Franz Josef. 

That night amd the most of the next day, it poured rain on and off. Franz Josef is built at the base of the mountain and have a lot of hiking, kayaking, and expensive trips up to the glacier. With the weather, everything was closed so instead I went to the Glacier Hot Pools. It was amazing to just relax in the hot water.

(Stole the picture from the internet)

Late that afternoon while looking for where to stay, I saw mention of another seal colony. It was about an hour drive, half off road and through the mountains at Gillespies beach. I got there in time to try and watch the sunset and cook dinner. 

The next morning I went for a hike looking for seals. It was listed as a 4.5 hour return.  A lot of ups and downs as the path wandered through the forest along the coast. The path was also flooded in many places. I randomly picked up a walking stick along the beach which saved me multiple times along the path from sinking ankle deep into muck.

Once I made it to the beach, it was a 20 minute walk to find the seals; I stumbled upon them accidentally and startled one. Ended up sitting on a rock 100 m away watching them as I ate lunch. The beach was great, every flooded part of the path became a waterfall off the cliff. There was approximately a dozen in the 20 minute walk.

I considered spending another night there, but it was early and the sand flies were coming out and so I decided to continue my journey. I again took my time driving, stopped at a few look outs. By evening, I was again on the coast and was passing Knights Point around sunset. I stopped, along with a dozen other people, to watch. The sky was clear and it was a gorgeous sunset. 

Finished the evening in Haast at a motor park where I could cook really food and shower.

 The next day I stopped at the information centre to ask questions, and I decided to go to Jackson Bay. The bay itself wasn't what I expected. It's a small fishing community with a few boats out in the bay. Smelt strongly of fish. There was a short hike to a beach where I climbed along the rocky coast again. Supposedly there is a breading colony of penguins in the area, but unfortunately I could not find them. There is also a Kiwi management program. But it was not accessible and they are nocturnal so I wouldn't see them here.

What was amazing is that as I was leaving, I saw something jump out of the water down away from the fishing boats. It ended up being a fairly large old of dolphins that were playing by the shore and hunting.

Unfortunately I mostly took videos of them and without my laptop I cannot upload the videos. 

I then made my way south again. Stopped at half a dozen waterfall look outs and a couple short hikes before ending up at the blue pools. I spent the night down the road. The next day I ended up in Wanaka. It took me about three weeks to travel a little over 1000 km to get here. Before heading to Queenstown , I decided to spend a few days here. Found a nice little hostel named Billy's. Spent my first day doing laundry, cleaning my car and some other errands. Around 4 pm, one of the other guest returned and we started talki ng about activities I can do. So that evening I bought a package, proper clothing and the next morning. 

It was an amazing experience. The package includes the rentals, lift pass, and lessons. I arrived in the morning after driving 1.6 km up the mountain to be among the clouds.

I hadn't skied in over a decade. But going down the first green hill before my lessons, and it mostly came back to me. The lessons were really good, correcting my mistakes and helping me improve. It was a tiring but fulfilling day. 

This brings my up to date on my time so far. Today I slept in a bit and will find something small to do in the afternoon. Tomorrow, no idea yet. Depends on the weather. Unfortunately  I haven't had positive job responses but am not too concerned. Only a little over 2 months into my time here, with summer just getting ready to start soon.

It rains a lot.

 So it's been an interesting week and a half; Being homeless and puttering around.  Though my plan hasn't been to sleep in the van, I have been and been enjoying out.  I spent two days between Blenheim and nelson at a free camp site.  It's right by the river where they filmed the  barrel sceen in the Hobbit. Also followed a random small road north of there which had a trail overlooking a bay and small town.

I spent the next two days in a free site south of nelson so I could steal internet and apply for jobs.  Spent two days here also and applied to about 8 jobs.  Some temporary, others full time, but all have to do with my degree. 

Now I am slowly making my way towards the West coast. Spending nights in different small camp grounds.  Found a few hiking trails, drive down random small roads to bays or lakes, and just enjoying the sights.

I am currently up in West Point. Gong to find a campground again shortly. Spring is slowly settling in here but that means it's still cool (especially at night) and rains a lot. Tried taking my first cold shower but couldn't do it. Come summer it should be better. Once I make it to Christchurch or Queenstown, I may look for work again.  Let the weather warm up so I can make use of the beaches I keep visiting.

Beyond that, I'm just setting where I end up.  

I need more data

So I spent a month working and talked with a bunch of people about their time on the island.  And since I was thinking about what I would do next, I was trying to figure out how I was going to travel.  Taking with people here and friends from home that have done similar trips there were a few options:

Buses: relatively cheap but limited times and where you can go.  I would still be dealing with hostels and all that.

Rent a vehicle: since its winter you can get good deals but adds up, especially over a month+ of use.  And still stuck with hostels.  Could rent a camper Van but they get more expensive.

Buy a vehicle: many people here suggested this especially since I have a long time to go before I leave.  I can also modify it any way I want.

After doing research for a couple  weeks I contacted 4 people with vans.  I ended up buying the second one I  looked at.  The owner was local and so I got to test drive it and bring it to a shop for an inspection. Heard too many horror stories of people buying a vehicle and it breaking 2 weeks later.

The van is a 99 Honda Odyssey. It is relatively small but the seats fold up nicely.  After looking at other people's vehicles, I wanted to add a bed in the back.  This is more for emergencies then to use a lot for actual sleeping in it.  The one thing many people commented on is not being able to sit upright since most storage is placed under the bed.  I wanted to be able to still try and use the back seats and sit up.  I looked into a few options like trying to make a futon but the van is too small to make it effective.  In the end I made the bed fold up into 3 pieces. This lets me use the back bench or middle if I want and even made a table.

After that I added a shelving unit to the back to store things and extend the bed to the back.

It's not the prettiest or straightest but considering I built it with a drill and a hand saw in the hardware store parking lot, I'm very happy with how it turned out. 

After buying a mattress, blankets, pillows, and curtains for the windows I was all set for my adventures.

Last time on Derek's life:

So it's been about a month since I last posted. I am going to making this a two parter with part 1 talking about this last month.

Its been a long month but very good for me. I spent it working hard, though making less money then I would like. The work was hard and sucked, but it felt good to push my body. It is also a beautiful part of the country with nothing to do. Working did also make it hard to talk to people back home. I was working during Ontario's evening and when I got home, everyone was already sleeping.
  

As I stated last post, my job was working in the vineyard as as a stripper. Every year, all vineyards need to be pruned, stripped, wrapped, wire dropped, wire lifted twice, and harvested. (I'm sure I missed a few steps.) This is all on top of maintaining the vineyards ( not all are maintained well which makes it harder for us seasonal workers) and installing new vineyards. The vineyards are everywhere, including the sides of some of the mountains. 

This gave some great views to look at. My favourite was Oyster Bay Vineyard. It is right on the coast by Cloudy Bay.

Due to the silt in a to be that joins the ocean. The bay is always dirty, you can therefore get a colour gradient in the ocean. 

By the end of my month, my boss gave Petr ( a Czech coworker I got along well with) and I the opportunity to work at Oyster Bay for a week and a half. I helped the farm manager do some maintenance work around the vineyard. This included removing broken poles and replacing them, adding nails to the poles at the end of each row, and  starting the wire dropping. I made less money hourly then stripping, but it was a nice change.

I also ended up bending the pry bar.

Beyond working, I have tried to find some enjoyment. Unfortunately I took more small videos then pictures but will see what uploads. 

During my trip to Blenheim, I met Ramesh, an Indian from Austria. We ended rooming together for a few nights. He was a little intense but an interesting fellow. Though his main job is as an arbourist, he also cooks and taught me a few things. He also liked to talk to people in the kitchen and got a bunch of us to have a pot luck together. 

I also was invited to an open mike night at the Yard Bar where a Korean coworker wanted to preform. It was a quiet night but fun sharing drinks with some people.

My roommate and other hostel people also fish in the ocean frequently. Though I haven't joined them for that, I joined them on day to go to the beach. We went to Whites Bay. It was a great beach following a nice drive through the mountains. Water was very cold and the sand flies were horrid. I am just getting over the itching two weeks later.

Beyond that, I haven't joined them on the weekend going to the bar, but would sit around with them drinking, talking, watching a movie, or doing a puzzle or game.  We went the one afternoon to watch the McGregor vs. Fairweather fight. 

It's been a good month but I am ready to be done. I've also spent more money than i earned because of this.....