It was 2:31 on my cell phone clock when I woke up to the sound of a train barreling down on my little orange and white caravan, shaking her, senselessly unaware of her sleepy inhabitant. Instead of counting the seconds between lightening and deafening thunder clap as I am used to, I would brace for the rock and twist of my van as I heard the wind storm in on me. The rain came in bursts, heavy and pelting followed by a distrustful soothing patter. By 2:41 I was out of bed peering into the trees that were whipping my rooftop and contemplating running next door to Tara's van and the safety of two people huddling in the storm. At 2:42 I was back in my bed... this time with socks on in case of flooding, thinking better of waking my lovely sleeping neighbor. By 2:44 I was up again, shaken violently and reconsidering Tara's sleep. At 2:50, after another brief attempt at going back to my bed I was wading in 2 inches of water outside of my door with pillow in hand and barging into Tara's van and her sleepless eyes. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to come over."

Her van was worse, much larger and getting hit directly in the middle with the massive gusts, we decided to go back to mine, a little less shaky. After running into the lodge and back out in the hail, we were both drenched and shivering. There was little chance of sleep and lots of comments of "oh shit!".

Two days ago my boss Adam was very closely watching the river behind my van. A few more hours of rain and we would have had to evacuate. Fiorldland has some pretty amazing weather. This morning it is partly sunny and offers no evidence of the wind and rain pelting of last night. The puddle that was inches deep outside my door is now fairly dry mud. I wonder if it was all a dream, but the dark circles under everyone's eyes tell me it was not.

I am already thinking about how much I will miss this place when I leave. That being said, my tickets are booked for Australia. I will fly with Tara to Melbourne on April 25, then to Sydney on the 29th where I will hang out for a week or so until my 25th. After that, travel up the east coast until Matt is forced to fly home.

My boss lent me his South America guide book so I have been reading up on Ecuador/Peru/Bolivia... what a change it will be from NZ. It is exciting to read about museums and churches and thing of cultural significance. I picture a lot of color but maybe just hope for more color as I am surrounded now by all shades green.

I am on days off now, and I don't have much of a plan but to see the horizon. Thanks for all of the emails of late. I am loving hearing news of home.

There is a Simpson's marathon on right now. Not a bad way to start my days off!