This is it! I am done! I can't believe I am leaving when it feels like a few days ago when I was twiddling my thumbs in a Chicago airport waiting for one of the many legs of my journey over here.

Tonight I am staying in Te Anau to get a bus to Orapuki where I will wander by myself in the southern coastal prettiness. Friday we are heading to Doubtful Sound (like Milford but more remote and supposedly more beautiful) for an overnight kayaking trip!

Two days later I will be boarding a plane to another country.

Tomorrow is my last day of work in Milford Sound! I have mixed emotions, mostly very excited, but also thoughtful and aware of the amazing experience living in Milford has provided me. I just realized how ironic it is that before leaving home I titled my blog "Open Roads" and then traveled around the world to live at the very end of a dead end road.

I have gained confidence and work experience and life experience and love experience and have created friendships that I know will last a lifetime. I have met incredible inspiring people, and had the privilege of watching how they live nearly every facet of their lives. It has been challenging here, in many different ways, but I have learned each and every day.

Sad to leave that behind. A goodbye is worthless unless there is some loss felt.

Ok, off to a party. Woohoo.

Truth be told, I began the countdown over a month ago. Now, with just over two weeks and 12 working days left in Milford, it is all becoming very real. I am not the first to leave. The last several weeks have hosted more departure drinks, cruises, parties and hugs than the rest of the season combined. I don't feel sad. I feel ready. And it is not because I am anxious to leave En- Zed, merely that I am excited for what is next. ( Australia, Fiji, South America oh my!)

It took me 6 months, but I finally completed one of NZ's "Great Walks", the Routeburn Track. The tramping culture in this country is enormous. South Islander's are a tough lot. They are farmers and fishers and hunters who feel comfortable in the mountains and all seem to know how to catch their own food and survive in the mountains for weeks on end. It could be a bit intimidating, but daily I am witness to 70 year olds who stumble off of the Milford Track all smiles and laughs.


Because hut prices are pricey during peak season ($40 per night! Much more than any hostel you will stay in) we decided to do the track in 2 days rather than the recommended 3-4. We meant to leave by 7 am, but of course made it onto the trail head closer to a quarter to ten. No worries. We were committed.

We had heard that the Routeburn Falls Hut was one of the nicest huts in NZ, we chose to walk a whopping 22 k's on day one to barely make it there by sundown. We lucked out with amazingly perfect sunny cool weather and spectacular views of the entire Lower Hollyford Valley. It was absolutely incredible and one of the highlights of my NZ experience. We began the track in Fiordland and the lush rainforest green that I live in, and walked to Mt. Aspiring Nation Park, encountering more woodsy vegetation and different colored mountains. When we reached Harris Saddle, the sun was about to set and we were the only ones on the top to view the colors and clarity of the height.

Needless to say, we were slightly exhausted upon arrival in the hut that night. We somehow managed to make pasta which we devoured instantaneously, but I remember little else before I stumbled into my bunk, buried in 18 layers of clothing.

Day two was an easy hike technically, but being sore and tired made it even harder. It was another beautiful day though, and very interesting to enter into a different national park and to notice all of the changes along the way.

Check it out:

http://www.doc.govt.nz/explore/002~tracks-and-walks/Great-Walks/Routeburn-Track/index.asp



So anyway, I spent the next two days enjoying civilization in Queenstown... eating and drinking and being merry.

Truly excellent days off. NZ is a beautiful country, in case I have neglected to mention that yet.

Spanish lessons are not going so well. Er... oops. Spending two months in Spanish speaking countries will truly be a wonderful challenge though, and I am committed to learn to communicate basic pleasantries with local people without making a complete ass of myself. In case I didn't mention it, I am going to Costa Rica, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador with my very lovely friend Meg this June.

:-)