Apollo Bay

So I took a couple of days and left Melbourne. I was trying to decide what to do and decided on the Great Ocean Road. There weren't many places to stay along the coast, so Apollo Bay was it. This involved a train from Southern Cross in Melbourne to Geelong. A pretty short train ride, but then it was time to get on a bus. And if you are driving along the rough, but beautiful coastline in Australia, you can expect a lot of curves. And that is what I got. It ended up being fine (not so much on my return trip), but I wished I had gotten a seat on the left hand side. I was sure to be on the correct (ocean side) when I headed back to Melbourne.

Bus ride to Apollo Bay.

It was so beautiful all along the coast. However, in certain places, you could see where fires had destroyed some of the bush. There was so much that it's hard to imagine a fire that big. Stuff like this happens in California due to the very dry conditions, but I've never seen it except on TV. It was nice to see some growth in a few places, but it's going to take a long time for the area to recover.

Bushfire aftermath.

I eventually made it to Apollo Bay. I met a girl from Germany who was going to the same hostel as me, so we walked there together. She was actually trekking the Great Ocean Walk and camping along the way. I thought about doing that, but I would have had to get a tent and some gear. Although if I had known I was going to meet her, I may have tagged along a bit longer than I ended up doing.

After settling in, Barbara and I headed back into town to figure out our respective plans for the following day. Like I mentioned, she was walking, but just needed to button up her plan a bit. I on the other hand had no idea what I was going to do. I thought about hiking out and back for one day. Maybe doing a tour. Or something else. I was still pretty undecided that night as I was chatting with others at the hostel. But at some point, due to costs and companionship, I decided to tag along with Barbara. 

After getting our information, we headed to the beach and I went into the water. I had to check off a new ocean, and that is what I did. It wasn't quite beach weather and the water was a little chilly, but I went for it. I have now officially been in 4 out of the 5 world's oceans. In order, I've swam in the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian (most recently), and now the Southern. Someday I'll get to the Arctic assuming it's possible. It would be a very extreme Polar Bear Plunge. 

Southern Ocean swim.

We walked around a bit and checked out the nearby harbor. The water was so clear. So unusual for a harbor with a ton of boats. We checked out the start of the walk as well. I would actually get a sneak peak on my run that evening, so knew exactly where we needed to go. We made a plan for the morning and eventually went to bed.

Harbor.

Of course it was raining when we woke up. Our plan of leaving by 9am shifted to 10am. At that point, we just decided to go for it. So after grabbing a few items, we hit the road. On our two feet of course. And the sun came out. We were in luck. 

The start of the the Great Ocean Walk.

The first leg of her journey (and the only leg of mine) was supposed to be 10 kilometers from Apollo Bay to Elliot Ridge. Although my Fitbit did tell me otherwise. We headed out of town and eventually hit the Marengo Holiday Park where I had to make my first bathroom break. Not knowing when the next one was and the tea at breakfast required the stop. We cut through the park and made our way onto the path that would take us along the water.

Art or something important?

We continued through the park and walked along some farmland, which was private property. It reminded me a bit of the path along the ocean on Nantucket in 'Sconset, where you can walk behind people's homes. We explored the various rock platforms and walked along them, as well as some beaches. Obviously at low tide. We stopped for a snack break before heading into the bush. 

Checking out the rocks.

We climbed a bit through the bush and found a great spot to eat lunch on Bald Hill. All along the way, we didn't encounter any other hikers, but we did come across some workers. They were ensuring the paths were clear for hikers. I appreciate them since I'm sure their mowers scared away snakes. Where we stopped was pretty popular since the workers also stopped there to take in the view. And what a view it was.

Can it get any better?

After lunch, we headed back down the hill and followed the track along for a bit. While I was on the lookout for snakes, Barbara was on the lookout for koalas. And she spotted one! It was high up in the tree, but we finally saw one. And then we saw 2 more. She spotted the 2nd one and then I spotted one. Although at first, I thought it was the one we just saw. She convinced me otherwise. 

The koala is there. I swear

We walked some more in the bush, along the beach, and on some more rocks. It changed enough that it was still interesting. And then things got real interesting. I spotted a snake. Barbara was in front of me, but I saw it first and gave her a heads up. Of course it was in our way. But no worries, we took a WIDE circle around. It almost looked dead, but I think it was just sunbathing. I think it was a Tiger snake, one of the most fatal snakes in Australia. Good thing I was watching out for them. And I was definitely not getting near it. We continued on our way and I kept watch for the snakes. 

Tiger snake.

We made it to Elliot Ridge campsite where Barbara was spending the night. There was no one else around. She thinks there were supposed to be others there, but I'm sure they were coming later. I hope so at least. I don't mind camping at all. But the idea of being alone with the snakes (and leeches!), was not comforting. And with that, I left her. I may have walked much quicker now that I was alone. I didn't want anything startle me. I headed out on the Elliot Ridge Loop path in order to get back to a road we'd seen earlier. There were a few cars parked, so I was hoping I could catch a ride back to Apollo Bay, or at least get to the Great Ocean Road. 

Alone in the wilderness.

Fortunately a family came along right away. And they gave me a ride to Apollo Bay. Of course the mother asked if my mom knew I was hitchhiking. I said, 'not exactly, but she did it when she was younger.' That wasn't a good enough response, but they were a friendly bunch. Apparently they holiday in Apollo Bay every year. They dropped me off at my hostel, which was perfect. And then of course I went in search of a beer to celebrate my hike. 

Local brew.

The following morning, I got up for a quick run along the beach (and a swim) before catching my bus to Geelong. I made sure I was on the right side of the bus. The ride out was a bit better. For one, the sun wasn't out. And two, I wasn't feeling so great with all the curves. So my eyes were closed for a good part of the ride. Oh well. I saw some really great things while hiking, so no worries. 

Spotted on my run.

When I got back to Melbourne, I decided to do one last touristy thing before leaving the next morning. It was my last opportunity to do the Eureka Tower, and I didn't have time to go to a sanctuary and see kangaroos (unfortunately). So I put my bag in storage and took a walk along the Yarra River. 

The Eureka Tower.

I headed up to the skydeck and spent some time taking in the views down below. 

High above.

After my tour of Melbourne from above, I headed to meet Robbie and Claire for my last night in Australia. We didn't do much, which was perfect. I had to pack my stuff up and do a few things. We had some beer and watched The Castle, an Australian classic. It was pretty good, although I'm sure I missed a few jokes. 

I had such a great time in Australia and was sad to go, but knew I'd be back some day. There's still so much to see. 

Melbourne

Back to Australia! When I was planning the Melbourne portion of the trip, I was seeing what made the most sense from a flight and the Australian Open point of view. It looked like there was a high possibility of having a layover in Australia when flying from New Zealand to Denver. So I figured I'd have it extra long and stay for the Open. So back to Australia I went.

I was also visiting an old friend from high school. Robbie moved to Australia years ago, met his wife Claire, and has since made Australia his home. I got to spend time catching up with him, and getting to know Claire and their adorable kids. And the first thing on the agenda was going to the Australian Open.

It was questionable for a minute whether I was actually going to be able to go. I thought about buying tickets months ago, but didn't have a solid plan on when I was visiting Melbourne. And then weeks ago, I looked into it again, and yet again didn't buy tickets. I finally arrived in Melbourne and still didn't have tickets. But no worries. We were able to secure last minute tickets. Literally an hour before the session started. So we got ready and headed to Rod Laver Stadium. We had the day session tickets and it wasn't too crowded. Also, the weather was a bit questionable. But I didn't care since since it meant the tickets were cheaper. And the stadium could be covered. We walked around the grounds and grabbed lunch before Serena Williams played Agnieszka Radwanska from Poland. Timing worked out as it started raining right before the match.

Serena crushing it.

I've never seen Serena played, even though I've been to the US Open a few times now. I've only seen guys like Murray and Federer. It was great to see her play, and of course dominate. Serena blew through the 1st set. The 2nd set was a little more interesting but Serena pulled through with the win. Pretty amazing to watch her in action.

We took a break and I got some rose to drink. It was the Open and the sun had come out at that point. So rose time. We then watched the 2nd set match where Angelique Kerber from Germany faced Johanna Konta from Great Britain. Well if anyone was paying attention to the Australian Open, they know Kerber won this match. And then of course went on to beat Serena in the Championship match. We almost left before the 2nd match, but so glad we didn't. We ended up watching the future winner of the tournament. Even though I was rooting for Serena.

Kerber for the win.

Throughout the coming days, we'd watch the various matches on TV and watch Novak to go on and win for men's singles. Pretty exciting and it would have been amazing to go to any of one of those matches, but the prices just skyrocketed. I'm glad I got to watch at least a couple of matches, and they were semis.

Up next on the Melbourne agenda was a run and a brewery tour. The following day, Robbie and I went for a run on the Tan, a track that goes around the Royal Botanic Gardens. It was cool and a bit drizzly, but perfect for running. I wasn't sure if Robbie was going to be able to maintain my normal pace, and surprisingly he did. And he didn't even run track with me in high school. We actually had a pretty decent run. 

Running the Tan.

And since we went running, we had to get beer. They go hand in hand. So we hit the Carlton Brewery. We had the 2pm tour so we grabbed lunch at the brewhouse and then started our tour. Just like in NZ, we had to be sure we were wearing our closed toed shoes and safety vests. 

Always safe.

The tour was very comprehensive and actually took a while. The property is pretty large, so we took a bus to the various spots. We started at the beer fermentation plant and then made our way to the bottling plant. During the tour, there were many questions and hence the longer the tour. It was all very interesting and a bit better than other tours I've been on. Finally it was finally time to try some beers. We made our way back to the brewhouse and got the lowdown on all the beers offered. We then were able to choose 6 tastes from the selection. To be honest, the beer wasn't my favorite. Although I'm still glad I did the tour and tried some more Australian beer.

Carlton Brewhouse.

The next day was a little low-key. I needed to do laundry and Claire was so helpful. So while we (her) did laundry, I relaxed and eventually went for a long run. Yes, long run. The first longish run since the marathon. It was a good run and decided to extend it while I was out there since I wasn't in any rush to get back. I found myself in Yarra Bend Park and ran on the trails along the Yarra River. Of course when I headed out, Claire warned me about the snakes. I'm like, 'wonderful'. Fortunately I didn't come across any. I have to say I may have run a bit faster in certain places, just in case. The park was very beautiful and it was fun running on some of the narrow trails. 

Watching out for snakes.

We headed into downtown Melbourne for dinner and had some delicious Thai food at Choo Choo's. The kids came with us and they were so good. I think the promise of ice cream helped. Yes, we got ice cream after at Max Brenner. I didn't realize there were other locations outside of NYC, but maybe I should have. It turns out it started in Israel and the first cafe opened in Sydney, Australia. I guess it's a good thing we went since there are more locations in Australia then anywhere else. I got a cookie and ice cream. Of course. 

Max Brenner dessert.

We spent one day visiting Mornington Peninsula outside of Melbourne. Unfortunately Claire had to work, but Robbie, the kids and I headed out for an outing. It was a little bit of a drive, but not so bad. We stopped at a few places along the coast to check out the view, and I got flake (gummy shark) and chips for lunch. My last fish and chips in Australia.

Flake and chips.

We continued on our way and went for a walk to check out the Cattle Jetty in Point Nepean National Park. It was really beautiful as we got closer to the coast and the walk was pretty. Melbourne was way in the distance. If we had more time, I would have liked to get on the ocean side, but the bay side was still beautiful. 

Cattle Jetty.

We wanted to hit up some wineries, but we were running out of time. We were only able to stop at one, T'Gallant Winery. We were able to taste a nice selection of wines before they closed up. Their pinot grigio was pretty good. I wish I could have brought some home, but I really can't travel with wine. I just need to remember where I went and keep an eye out at home.

T'Gallant Vineyard.

On Monday, I went into work with Claire. It was kind of fun to see how Melbourne residents do their commute. Totally doable. A few days prior, I had gone into Robbie's office really quick and it was definitely a little weird. Going to Claire's was even weirder since it was more similar to my old office in NYC. Working in an office for over 10 years and then going into one for the first time in over 4 months was a little strange. I felt like I needed to sit down at her computer and check my email. I didn't stay long though so the feeling passed. I checked out the view and then went out to explore Melbourne.

The Eureka Tower and Port Phillip in the distance.

I started off my tour of Melbourne with a walk down Hosier Lane. I heard about all the graffiti art, but happened to come across this as I was walking and spent about 15 minutes photographing. I love that they encourage graffiti art, especially down various alleyways. It makes them less boring and threatening. There was a group of Asian students on vacation as well. You know what that means. Selfie sticks galore. But seriously, you can tell they were excited to be exploring the city and were having fun with the graffiti art.

Hosier Lane.

I wandered around and made my way to the Royal Botanic Gardens. I ran around it, now it was time to explore. I didn't get a chance to explore much of the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens, so wanted to spend a little bit of time in this one. I checked out the cool lakes, the beautiful flowers, and spectacular views of Melbourne.

Botanic Gardens.

I then walked to the Shrine of Remembrance. The memorial was built for the soldiers lost in World War I, and serves as a memorial for all Australians who have been at war. I walked around a bit and went up to the balcony to get more views of Melbourne. 

Shrine of Remembrance.

I was going to check out one last view of the city from atop the Eureka Tower, but decided to hold off. I was getting hungry and I needed food. I went to Arbory right on the river, per Robbie and Claire's recommendation. I asked about the New England lobster roll and needed to make sure the lobster wasn't coming from New England. It wasn't. So I ordered it. It was pretty good, especially with some beer.

New England Lobstah Roll.

I then went to do what most people do when they go visit a large city. Go shopping. Yup. I bought a few more things. I rationalized that since I was headed back to States soon, I could ship some stuff home for not very much and I only needed to carry it around for just a little bit longer. I bought a few warmer pieces of clothing that I figured I'd need in Denver and then parts of South America (well the cold parts that is). And the US dollar is doing well. 

After spending probably too much money, I met up with Claire and we headed back home at the end of the day. It was a pretty good day of sightseeing, but I was tired. I also needed to figure out my plan for Apollo Bay, where I was headed next. 

Christchurch

It took quite a while to get to Christchurch. Early that morning, Verena drove the hour to Nelson and dropped me off at the bus station. We said our goodbyes and parted ways. It was really great spending a week road tripping with my new friend and I wish her the best in her travels. 

Farewell.

I boarded the bus and made it to our next stop, Picton, in good time. And the layover was long enough to grab a glass of sauvignon blanc from one of the local wineries we passed in the Marlborough region. If i wasn't going to visit a winery, I may as well as enjoy a glass outside while I wait for my next bus.

Marlborough wine.

I headed back to the bus station with plenty of time, and of course the bus was late. By an hour. Wonderful. I could have had a second glass. We were finally on our way, and I made sure to be on the left hand side of the bus. The ride down to Christchurch was supposed to be beautiful. And it was. We made a few stops, and at one, we had a chance to take a 30 minute break to walk around. Naturally I went straight to the beach and stuck my feet in the water. There are some similarities with the West Coast of New Zealand, but not with the other side of the Pacific Ocean in California. The coast was complete rocks. Actually a little rough and not good footing. But like I said, I had to get my feet wet.

East Coast.

After some delays, we finally made it to Christchurch, more than 2 hours after our estimated time of arrival. Unfortunately this meant I had even less time to explore the city since I only had one night. I decided to walk to the hostel to at least see some of the city. It was pretty quiet, which wouldn't be too different from other smaller cities.  But the 2011 earthquake is still affecting the city, and the sight of the ruins and construction, you realize that this isn't normal. I guess it's the new normal, but hopefully with time, the city can return to what it was formally.

City art.

I grabbed some dinner and called it an early night. I had a few things planned for the next day, and wanted to get some sleep. I started off with a drizzly run through Hagley Park and the Botanic Gardens. I made a lot of stops for photos and couldn't help but smell the roses.

Beautiful roses.

After packing up and checking out, I grabbed a bus to Hanmer Springs. For my last day in New Zealand, I booked a bungy jump. But even before I did that, I had some time to kill, and enjoyed the Thermal Baths. I relaxed in a number of baths, including one that was 41 celcius (105 farenheit) and with sulphur. And yes, it smelled like sulphur. Since the day wasn't super warm and it was still a bit drizzly, it was actually pretty nice to hang out in the baths. 

Hanmer Springs baths.

Since I was jumping at 12:30, I had to leave and get myself to bungy location. Fortunately I was able to get a pick-up. Of course the guy was trying to scare me, and was messing with me. I was trying to not really think about what I was about to do. I knew I was doing it, but was avoiding the thought of the actual action. And before I knew it, I was strapped in and standing at the ledge. There was no one else jumping. Which may have been good or bad, depending on how you look at it. I was waving at the people driving across the bridge as they took photos. I also had an audience back at the building.

Standing at the ledge.

So there I was, on the ledge of the bridge. I was imagining myself jumping, but not the free falling portion. The 2 guys counted down for me. And I didn't move. I may have jumped if there were others waiting. But I think I made a conscious decision to not jump at the first countdown. I requested another countdown and I jumped. Or fell. At least that's what it felt like. I was going to dive down, but somehow ended up going feet first. Which is actually how I jump into water, so I guess that makes sense. Even though it's not really recommended. I started screaming and had my eyes closed for a couple of seconds. And then I told myself to stop screaming and open my eyes so I could see what was around me. And it was cool. But still a little scary. I bounced a few times and was dangling, with the river below me. The blood was definitely rushing to my head as I hung upside down.

Hanging around.

The boat came and retrieved me and I made my way back up the hill on wobbly legs. My audience cheered me on as I approached. I did it. I jumped off a bridge. Yeah, it wasn't the tallest jump in New Zealand. And may have been the shortest actually. But you were still free-falling 35 meters. A little nuts. But I can now cross it off my list.

I did it.

I lingered for a few minutes after my jump, but then had to get to Christchurch. Since the bus I took up wasn't leaving until later, and I had a plane to catch, I decided to hitchhike. I know. I know. Some of you may not like to hear this. I had no other way to get back to Christchurch, and since Verena and I had picked up a few hitchhikers and New Zealand is known for helping out hitchhikers, I figure it would be ok. And it was. I got to meet some locals and chat about my trip. The rides went by very quick and I got back to town with a little bit of time to explore before heading to the airport.

It was still pretty quiet like the day before, but I did see a few people out and about. The weather wasn't actually helping since it had rained on and off all day. I passed by the Christchurch Cathedral and even though I knew it was destroyed, it was still hard to fathom that nothing has been done to fix it in the last few years.

Christchurch Cathedral.

It was nice to see the graffiti art throughout the city. I love seeing artwork like this in different cities.

Graffiti art.

On New Regent Street, I had a pint of local brew, before heading back to the hostel and then onto the airport. It was time to escape the rain. 

New Regent Street.

Thorpe

After departing Greymouth, Verena and I started our 5 hour journey to the Abel Tasman National Park and Nelson area. We had an Airbnb booked for somewhere in between the two, but before we got there, we headed straight for Abel Tasman. Like I mentioned before, I was hoping to meet a friend and running teammate from NYC.

Our ride up the West Coast was pretty uneventful. There was one point where I wanted to check out the longest swing bridge in New Zealand, but there was a cost associated with it. Forget about it. We didn't want to linger too long and didn't want to pay for it. So we continued on our way, and had a picnic nearby along the Buller River, one of New Zealand's longest rivers. But no swing bridges were in sight. Throughout our drive, we marveled at the changing landscape. So many times I felt like we were in different places, like Colorado, California, and even at home in New York. Further evidence as to why New Zealand is a top destination. 

The Buller River.

We made a couple of more rest stops, but got to Abel Tasman, right around the time we expected. After inquiring whether my friend was at his accommodation, we started our hike, with the hopes of finding him. A lot of people hike along the Coastal Track for a couple of days and camp along the way. It was something I was going to look into, but didn't pursue it. We were at one end of the park, and started walking from Marahau and headed towards Apple Bay. It was really nice out, the first time I actually wore shorts while not running. The landscape was also very different from what we had seen before. Definitely closer to what I've seen in Australia and Southeast Asia.

Abel Tasman National Park.

I kept my eyes peeled for Ilan and we eventually came across him! I was thinking we'd miss him and since he's on a tour, his timing is pretty set in stone. This was really the only chance we had to catch him. And we were successful. He turned around and joined us as we continued our hike to Apple Bay, which wasn't too much further. We caught up on running, NYC happenings, and our travels. It was a very quick visit, but really glad I got to see him. He was continuing on his trip south, where we had come from, and would eventually head back home.

I found Ilan.

After our hike, Verena and I drove to the middle of nowhere to our accommodation. And I mean the middle of nowhere. We were where we were supposed to be, but couldn't find the house. After turning around a couple of times and saying hi to some cows, we found our place. Well I should say, she found us. Our host had seen us drive around and flagged us down. She welcomed us into her home and showed us around. 

Looking for our Airbnb.

We were looking forward to our stay since it meant we weren't going to be in a hostel dorm room. But we also weren't in a room in a house. We were actually staying in a yurt. I had never heard of this before, but it seemed like a step up from camping. A yurt is a portable, circular structure with a bed and other furniture, and electricity.

A yurt.

And space. So much space to spread out.

No bunks in sight.

Oh, but not a flushable toilet. We were using a compost toilet down at the house. It actually wasn't that bad. There was a smell, but not a gross smell. Just something different. Compost-y. Verena and I went with the flow. 

Follow the instructions.

We both needed a bit of downtime, so this was the perfect place. Verena was looking for a job and I needed to do my normal catchup. We slept in and got fed by our hostess. She was so nice and provided breakfast for us each day. After our catch-up, and a run for me, we decided to go hit up a nearby winery. We stopped at Neudorf Winery and tried a few different local wines. Since it was getting on the late side and figured we wouldn't get to another winery in time, we decided to get a bottle and have a glass outside. The rest of the bottle was for later. It was such a nice day and a beautiful setting. 

Neudorf Winery.

Afterwards, we drove to Mapua, at the suggestion of our host, to walk around a bit. We scoped out the pier, but it didn't take long to explore the small town. Although it was entertaining watching the kids jump in with no fear. 

Visiting Mapua.

Since it took about 10 minutes to walk around, we decided to try a local beer at the Golden Bear Brewery. It was a local spot, with live music. It would have been nice to chill there for a bit, but we had a bit of a drive back to the yurt. 

Checking out the local brewery.

We had one last full day in Thorpe, and decided we should check out Nelson, one of the larger cities in the northern part of the South Island. This is where Verena was looking for a job, and I wanted to check it out as well before heading to Christchurch.

We started off with hiking up to the Center of New Zealand. The hike was pretty short, but we sat at the center of New Zealand for a while to check out the view and eat our lunch. To be clear, the true geographical center of New Zealand is actually 55 kilometers southwest, but Botanical Hill had the first trig station and surveying started at this point. Hence the center of New Zealand.

Center of New Zealand.

We made our way back down the hill and walked around the Queen's Gardens and checked out Nelson. We didn't notice a lot of people around and was definitely quieter than Queenstown. But still a nice place to visit. 

Beautiful gardens.

As we were walking around town, there was a store that looked interesting and we had paused outside for a second. A woman came out and encouraged us to go inside and we found a cute store with little doors in life-sized trees, unique toys for children, and other cute local New Zealand products. It felt like we were in a tree house or in the shire. We went to the back and found a cafe. Even better. So we ordered a pot and relaxed a bit. 

Hobbit-like cafe.

To round out our visit to Nelson, we visited Tahunanui Beach and watched the kite surfers for a bit. It was a little late in the day at this point, so didn't go swimming. Though a part of me wishes I had gone anyway. Next time. 

Kite surfers.

I really did enjoy relaxing in Thorpe and visiting the surrounding area. I think another day or two would have been nice to relax and check out some more wineries and other things (too much), especially as our host was really nice. We enjoyed getting to know a Kiwi and talking about our local countries. I would totally go back and stay there again. 

Our last morning.

Greymouth

Greymouth didn't get a lot of our attention. It essentially was a stopover on our way north. However, we did get a chance to enjoy it a little bit. We arrived in town after visiting Franz Josef Glacier earlier on. We thought about making some other stopovers, but decided to get to Greymouth, hit up the grocery store, and visit Monteith's Brewery. And that is exactly what we did.

Monteith's Brewery.

We arrived at the brewery shortly before the 6pm tour. The cost of the tour included 3 tastes of beer, so we went ahead and got our first one before the tour started. But even before we did that, we had to put our safety gear on. Which included a bright orange florescent vest and rainboots (aka gumboots).

Safety first.

We did the tour, which is pretty similar to most other brewery tours. It went by relatively quick, and was just about standard. The brewery is about mid-size and only does the specialty craft beers at that location. The main beers are produced elsewhere in New Zealand. After the tour, we got to try their American Pale Ale, in addition to the 3 tastes we were able to choose from the bar.

American Pale Ale.

After the tour, we continued to drink the rest of our tastes and then hung out for a while since they had reliable wifi. It's possible we got a little tipsy. I'm not sure how that happened, but maybe it was all that hiking and not enough snacking. That was a sign to get something to eat, not get another drink. So we headed back to the hostel to make dinner, drink some wine, and play a version of Heads Up with some other folks. Definitely entertaining when you have 2 Germans, an English guy, and an American in the mix. Surprisingly TV shows was a good category to play.

Before leaving Greymouth the following morning, I went for a short run around town and to see the Tasman Sea. There were a couple of reasons we weren't staying long in Greymouth. It was pretty much just a town to stay in on the way to the northern part of the South Island and we didn't really hear much about it. During my run, it validated only one night. There really isn't too much going on, even though I think they are trying to revamp the old mining town. This part of New Zealand was also known for the gold rush, and has a deserted feeling to it. But I did take my run to the sea, and it was nice, even in it's bleakness. Quite beautiful actually. Maybe not good for swimming, but cool to look at. 

The Tasman Sea.

I got back and we did our normal routine, and got on the road. We were trying to meet a friend of mine in Abel Tasman Park, and I was hoping that timing would work out. Although we had a bit of a drive ahead of us.