Half heaven, half hell

---

I have survived Hell! There is a god.
Nelson -- the sunniest place in New Zealand!! North part of the South Island, home to beautiful sounds and wine regions. But what really draws the visitors here is Abel Tasman National Park, a place that leaves you open-mouthed at the sheer wondrous beauty of earth that was splashed on this corner of the globe.
Abel Tasman is on the northern coast (I'll be putting pictures up soon) and looks like the beaches in Thailand. The sands are golden, the hills are amazing shades green speckled with weird giant ferns, and the water is a shade of teal that I cannot describe unless you see it in person. I met a woman named Lauren from San Diego, independent and crazy, and we went to do a one day hike, camp overnight by the ocean, and spend the next day sea kayaking.
The first day was absolutely fantastic, with hikes and views that left me feeling all woozy with romanticism. Waterfalls, chirping birds, tropical rainforest stuff, la la la, life is great. That night we cracked open a bottle of 2 buck chuck merlot and watched the stars. The night sky is so unfamiliar, with the Southern Cross being the most prominent constellation out there. And, get this, Kiwis call Orion's belt and sword "The Saucepan." Crazy Kiwis.
Okay, now day two was really hell. Sea kayaking, wonderful! I've always wanted to do that, and what better place than in this paradise? Yeah, right. Instead of being all woozy with romanticism, I was woozy from seasickness that had punch enough to make a sailor cry. We were on the water for six hours with one break and our guide, a blonde dreadlocked nature boy, was running at full speed. There was something about bobbing out there in the sun, stuck on a little craft for hours in the middle of the ocean and doing that annoying paddling that was just too much for my senses to take. I actually passed out twice, all trembling and gross feeling. Er, I also puked over the side of the kayak, which was so tragic.
Enough about me, let's talk about the Kiwis. The men are really a rough-and-tumble lot, very outdoorsy and friendly. People run around here barefoot alot and are really happy and say "Cheers" instead of "Thanks," "No worries," in place of "You're Welcome," and have all these crazy expressions like "Sweet as!" or "Solid as!" (At first I thought they were commenting on my ass, which I liked.) Everyone is "Bro" or "Sister."
I'm staying in a funky hostel tonight called Paradiso which is a Victorian style converted villa. The internet lounge is actually up in a loft accessible by a wooden ladder that leads into a hole in its floor.
Sweet as, Mate.
Tommorow I head south to Greymouth on the West Coast, home of the Pancake Rocks and Franz Joseph Glacier.

---

Photos

Camping in Paradise
Lauren and I after drinking two buck chuck merlot

Happiness
Day one = Heaven. You know, before the kayak-puking.

Abel Tasman from above
Ain't it purty?

Waterfall by the Sea
Yes, this place is real!