On the road again...

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My grape harvesting days have come to a close. Yes, a much more pleasant experience then apples, but I feel the stirrings to move south before it gets too late. I know for a fact that they do not maintain the roads here like they do in Canada, so I'm feeling like I either decide to see the south island in a whirlwind tour, or try to settle in Queenstown if there a job available. I have purchased 2 wool sweaters because it is getting quite chilly, even frosty, but not at the freezing mark yet. My boss Tony, makes fun of Corin and I because we have our toques on. He yells at us " you Canadians and your hats!" We know he's joking though!
A couple of us are going out tomorrow night for a celebratory drink. Hopefully some pub or bar is open past 8! Blenheim is not really the place you'd be if you wanted to go out at night.
Corin is sadly going to Nelson, while I am heading to Christchurch to meet up with Debbie, and nice Kiwi who owns a horse called Cheeky.
I really have only 3 things I want to do: 1. Bungy Jump 2. See the Southern Alps 3. See some more Lord of the Rings locations. Other then that, my agenda is clear!
I'm tempted to stop in a town about 1.5 hours drive south of here. It's known for it's whale watching all year long. Sadly, the tours are expensive and even though it's tempting I may pass by to spend my money on wiser things. It's sad. I think to myself, "Tara, if you spend that money that means a tank of gas for the van". I have offically named the van "Pip". Someone told me it's bad luck not to name your vehicle so I decided it was a fitting name. Fun and good times to be had, but can also be a pain in the butt! Gas has gone up to $1.22 per litre here, which I'm not too impressed about. It was originally under a dollar when I first entered NZ, and that's for diesel fuel. Gasoline is $1.60 per litre!
If you can see the movie The World's Fastest Indian, do so. It's great, and based on a true story in which the main character played by Anthony Hopkins is based in NZ.
Some more pictures for everyone. I hope you're all enjoying spring, because I'm not enjoying fall too much here. I miss the maple trees changing to their brilliant red. There really aren't many trees around here, so it feels wierd. But I'm sure the snow capped mountains will make up for that.

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Photos

Savignon Blanc
A nice bunch of grapes, held by the dirty, sticky hands of yours truly

Like Sardines
This is a typical morning when we all meet at the gas station and pack into vans to take us to the vineyard