POST #50!

WHAT, look how committed I am to blogging. 50 posts. Go me. 

I have been told (by my mother) I have a flair for the dramatic. I apologise in advance for how underwhelming this picture video is, I just couldn't help myself. Please remember I in no way shape or form claim to have a skill for movie making. Know this. Remember this. Appreciate the sarcasm.

OKAY, now that we have that out of the way I feel no need to describe to you my adventure in Hobbiton. Onwards!

If you've been paying attention from the beginning, you will be well aware that I spent the first month of my life in New Zealand living in a magical place called Tauranga. Here I lived with some of the loveliest people to walk to earth and here I left them with my winter attire from my travels in Japan. The chill is setting in to New Zealand and I took the opportunity to head back to my roots, visit my adoptive family, and acquire adequate leg and arm coverage.* Here we had delicious homemade Japanese food and meaningful conversation. I can't post a picture with me in it because some how I look like I weigh 50lbs more than I do in real life in all the pictures and I don't want to freak everyone out.

Here is the only other picture I have from those dinners:

I also can't explain to you how wonderful of a time it was other than to appeal to your warm fuzzy side and tell you it feels like getting a hug from your favourite person when you didn't know you needed one.

After Tauranga we traveled back toward Wellington (Insert summary of a great Air BnB, and driving a lot). Before reaching Wellington we decided to take the suggestion of our Nelson friends and venture along the road less traveled to Cape Palliser and a fur seal colony. On we drove on the side of cliffs where parts of the actual road has recently fallen in to the sea. And on we drove until we became uncomfortably aware of our fuel gauge. We drove, in silence, praying a gas station would appear around the next bend. God heard our plea, and most likely chuckled at our discomfort, and chose not to tear through the fabric of time and place a conveniently located gas station in our path.

No fur seals in sight, eventually we pulled over to eat and at least walk around appreciating the scenery.

We soon discovered some of the rocks were actually fur seals which are giant and adorable but apparently also very dangerous. We kept a healthy distance and silently contemplated the likelihood of us having to snuggle up to those when we ran out of gas on the way out. 

We did not run out of gas, but we did find a gas station that said "Last stop for Petrol" on an inappropriately tiny sign considering the circumstances. 

Alright, cool. I'm really struggling with these recaps of travel because so much happened and I can't (I'm unwilling to) write a post for every single happening. Sorry again about the obnoxious Hobbiton picture video, it was out of my hands. (It was absolutely completely in my hands and 100% my idea and I laugh every time I watch it so, yeah.) 

*For those of you who still don't understand this whole hemisphere thing, here in New Zealand the seasons are opposite of those in, say, the top half of the world. Now we are heading in to winter, which is similar to winter at home only notably less terrible.