My arrival in New Zealand was smooth and very welcome. After traveling for 26 hours, 17 of that in the air, I was ready to be stationary for a night. Customs was a breeze, stamp stamp, follow the arrows and I was to the bus stop. From there I took a bus to a train and a train to my hostel, where a very nice young woman from Austria showed me to the house.
Fat Cats Hostel is such a warm and welcoming place. I arrived around dinner time and after a short tour of the grounds I was eating with 27 other travelers from France, Sweden, Germany, and even another Joe from Seattle. The rest of the night was getting to know people, and keeping the fire going for everyone. As the night started to settle down I started up the fire bath they had setup outside. I stoked the fire underneith my bottom as I watched the moon travel through the northern sky. From my hot bath outside, I smiled at how much like a dream this all seemed. Then took a deep breath and listened to the strange new bird calls around me and grew deeply grateful for this moment in time :)
