Au Revoir Shoshana

28th Feb 11'

I am finally leaving NZ. Last night I departed my dear friend Adaleine jusqu'à ce que nous nous reverrons à Paris! Spending the last couple of days with her, made me realize I speak a lot more French then I thought. Now just to translate the underwater mumbling I hear that is the French Language being spoken to me. Au Revoir Shoshana! 
I left the horribly boring industrial city of Invercargill (Pop. 50,000) for the airport in Christchurch today. 8 hours later I finally arrived. The complete and devastating wreck that claimed the heart of CHC has wide spread effects. Most stores are out of water, toilets are not to be used ie. "if it is yellow let it mellow". Worst, every Hostel/backpackers/Motel Hotel Holiday inn is completely full for as far as I am willing to pay for a taxi. So last night I joined the elite group of airport sleepers! I have always wondered what happened to people that got stuck at airports overnight. I had to carry my guitar and pack at least 15 minutes before I found a "Kosher" place to sleep. There must have been a few hundred people sleeping there. Oddly however, they are all like me and have sleeping bags prepared. Maybe they couldn't find space in a hostel, maybe they know airports are free roof's with television. Regardless the lights are constant, which shouldn't be a problem from Antarctica, TV's always shouting, people always shuffling by and every 15 minutes, NZ's safety administration has to remind me to stay with my bags. Say Goodnight Dick.


p.s. if there is confusion with the timing of this, it was taken out of the journal from last night, and I am writing it across the street so it is confusing for me to write it in the future past prefix adjective participle thing. 


p.p.s.s.p.s.Q? After being woken up by a nice lady telling me to wake up because it is about to get real busy in here, I found out that there were about 10 aftershocks last night, the biggest being about 3.6 on the Richter scale. I don't feel a thing. That is probably for the best. 


Cheers! Internet is too expensive to post pictures. Will do so in a conclusion.

Earth Quake

A large Earthquake just rocked Christchurch for the 3rd time in a couple of months. There have been many aftershocks since the first one in September, and a lot of damage done. But this one was especially bad because the buildings had been weakened previously. Many people have been killed and the "Unconfirmed reports" state that up to a few hundred may have already died. There are many people still under rubble texting and emailing friends, And let us hope that they are found in time. It is the biggest disaster I believe NZ has ever had to face. May everyone stay safe, be found alive, a let this be the last quake.

West Coast

Sun Rain Sun Rain More rain and beautiful mountians. NZ has everything Colorado has except more water. The trees are tall, but the mountains are impassable, unless you are a kiwi in which case they don't believe in switchbacks and point to the top of the mountain and don't ever divert from that path. I am now sitting in a grocery store in Te Anau (pop about 1000 which is huge for the west coast) writing this and will probably do an overnight kayak tour to doubtful sound tomorrow. Been hiking about 1500 meters of vertical every day and about 15 kilometers. Figure it out in American units...Mur'ka. Oh and I have a guitar on my back to help the situation. Rambling is rambling however and it is rainy today. The Fjords are abruptly rising out of the lake next to me with such stark contrast that it is a miracle the trees are able to take root at all. There is either flat or cliff in NZ. Flat glacier carved valley turned swamp, or cliff with eroding vegetation and old swinging 1 person bridges erected years ago. Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, Hokitika beaches, and now Te Anau Fjords. All I can say negative is STAY AWAY FROM QUEENSLAND! Unless you enjoy hanging out with 18 year old Americans who want to party harty, and even then they don't even party with style. The exuberent display of annoying that is everything an 18 year old American who is paying 600 dollars for skydiving one day then going on a 1000 dollar cruise the next, then renting a mountain bike for a week? I want their job...Aside from Queensland, NZ is everything. Cheers! Leaving in a Week for Australia which I hear is one big Queensland with more Germans...

Arthurs Pass

Right now in Arthurs pass. Internet is expensive, but camping in bush is free so choose which and eat the rest. Saw my first wild parrot today! Kea, google it. Absolutely flat then 85 degree rise in MOUNTAIN! then flat river bed then MOUNTAIN! Most diverse range I have ever seen. Trees and green and animals everywhere! Will write more when have more minutes and stuff and stuff.

Wonderful overload on senses

Warm humid air rushing through the plane. Light is no longer visible from the outside. My first step out. Darkness, and dampness. It is lightly raining. Smells. Smells no longer from the bathroom or cafeteria of which both smell the same. The shuttle back was a trip through reality. Slapping me in the face and waking me up from a societal dissaperance. Only to return. But New Zealand is not normal US society. Enough pretentious BS though, because I am certainly happy.

Today I saw my first flower and hugged my first tree. I also saw one dog. A border collie. He was trapped in a Land Rover. I tried to talk to him. He barked very loud. Kinda of upsetting, but when I come across a nicer dog I pity the human accompanying it. Rolling through the itchy grass. Picking leaves of of trees. Sensational. Warmth and sunlight upon my skin for the first time in Months.

Orange juice. Orange juice. I had 8 glasses of Orange juice this morning, and it was not nearly satiating to the thirst I have developed drinking watered down Raro or Tang. I love Orange Juice.

Off to buy cheap tents and sleeping bags and begin the Journey to the West coast of mountains, trees, and hot springs. Cheers!

Snowy hike

After a large snowfall I decided to take a walk about into the wild of the valleys where nobody else would be. I was correct. A certain stillness prevailed and I was free of all thoughts positive and negative. Almost a purgatory that is beneficial to sanity. Here is a compilation of my thoughts that day.

Pausing after I finally reach the glacier I listen. It is as if I were in a sealed cave experiencing complete dark. But in this case there is nothing...Gently falling snowflakes but make a thud when touching down Since brought here from the ocean. A thumping soon appears and I notice it is the rhythmic pattern of my heart beat after hiking uphill for some miles. Breathing is steady as well but better controlled than a heart. I must be the only living thing bigger than a single cell for a distance. Only me, the glacier, and still air. When CRASH! An piece of glacier calved. If a glacier calves and only I am there to hear it...Then I am reminded that there is always something special in nothing.

1882 through the clouds

Rene Witte

So on Couchsurfing I had a request sent to me from a dude in Germany. He asked that I write "Jarina, Antarctica is waiting" Somewhere and send it to him for his girlfriends birfday. I figured I was in the middle of nowhere and everything was around me, so I did.This is what I wrote...

The wind always whispering,
Sometimes howling
Singing a song from far away

The streams gently flowing
Sometimes raging
Delivering no more than the pureness of age

The turquoise glaciers in suspended animation
In time will complete the same paths as the streams
Carved by all of natures forces
Sans rain

These valleys hold time hostage
Awaiting nothing new

Jarina, Antarctica is waiting

At Lake Vanda

At one of my many secret spots

McMurdo town

Stuck in McMurdo once again. It seems this place is either a click or cliche. For me however I changed my schedule to depart here This Monday and spend the next 6 weeks hitchhiking and couch surfing over New Zealand and Australia with maybe some organic farming trades for housing and food in the middle. For the remaining time here I am washing/cleaning/inventorying everything. Wow inventorying was a word! Who would have thought. Well off to dinner...Today we have 3 different types of shepards pie which are all the last weeks food thrown in a pie crust. Tomorrow it will all be stew or soup...Damn the food sucks here...