Week 6 'Love is in the air'

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Dearest Blog,

Am in Byron Bay now and getting very behind on keeping you up to date on my progress. But before I retrace my steps I just have to tell you about a poem I wrote this morning- yes I think all this journal writing is having a strange effect on me.

Had a dream about my dad, and this poem came to me, anyway I don't want to lose it so i'm going to write it down.

The Fisherman, by Moi.

Down by the riverbank
through the reeds and bullrushes,
I see a man,
sitting,
fishing.

He is motionless.
Like a statue.
Lost in his thoughts,
lost in his game,
part of the lanscape.

Without warning
a sudden movement,
a whirling reel.
He stands up,
the battle is on.

Splashes in the water,
a smile on the man's face.
'It's a big one' he would say.
He struggles with the fish.
Who will win?

He is defeated.
It got away.
He 'had a bite' he will say.
He returns to his seat
his smile remains.

Okay, so enough prose for the moment, but not sure if I have made bullrushes up.

So back to week 6, my last in NZ, and as you may have guessed from the title there was a little romance in the air.

I set off from Dunedin and sat next to an american guy, Dave, who I had kept bumping into over the previous few weeks. Needless to say there certainly was some 'magic' happening on the bus that day (groan).

First we stopped at the steepest street in the world and took a 'stroll' to the top. Now, I used to live on a very steep hill in sheffield, but this just blew it out of the water. You practically needed a ladder to climb it- and people lived up the street, and cars were still able to climb it. Apparently a couple had died a couple of weeks earlier trying to ride a wheelie bin down it. Crazy.

Got back on the bus and travelled through some gorgeous countryside, it was such a beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky. The next stop was the Moerecki Boulders, for a putrid coffee (have become quite a connoiseur lately), and walked down to the beach to admire the boulders, huge spherical shaped rocks lodged in the sand. Quite cool.
Then after that, the scenery started to change, becoming much drier and more barren, but no less beautiful. Had lunch by a lake, and Dave went for a swim (I'm sure he was just trying to impress me with his body!).Finally got to Lake Tekapo after stopping for photos of some of the most amazing views I have seen so far, of Mount Cook. Lake Tekapo is a tiny little place but with a cool hostel right on the lake front. We went kayaking on the lake and then headed back as we were having a BBq with the rest of the magic crowd. Met up with Sarah and Mark again which was cool. After a shower, couldn't believe it, but all the food from the BBQ had been eaten. Was so annoyed, so ended up walking to the shops (accopmpanied by aforementioned american) and had burger and chips under the stars........

The next day, me and the yank (by the way, he is very nice (hates george bush) and not a true representation of your stereotypical american -owed partly to the fact that he has been living with english blokes in Sydney for the last 5 months- although, sometimes his Yankiness does make me laugh) walked up a big hill to the observatory. It took about an hour to get there and was baking hot, but the views were stunning and so it was worth it. Walked back to Lake Tekapo stopping for lunch, having a serious debate about the relative merits of water(!) and fasting as a detox. Would just like to state that we were coming from completely different ends of the spectrum, but I think my well reasoned and scientifically founded arguments won the day. Anyway, swam in the lake for a bit which was freezing. Had pizza for tea and a few beers.

The next day we headed to Christchurch, where we stayed in possibly the most boring youth hostel I have ever stayed in. If it wasn't for Sarah , Mark and the yank would probably have topped self. Had a mooch around CC which is rather pleasant, sat in the park, went for a mexican meal and played pool. Got drunk on 2 glasses of wine (that jet lag), must stay away from wine, it makes me loopy.

The next day, I said goodbye to Dave (he was heading back to Sydney), and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to amuse myself- unsuccessfully I might add.

More later,

Love Foggyxxxxxxxxx

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