I'm sorry it's been a while since my last update. I have mostly been drinking in the slow pace of life around here and doing a good deal of reading and eating. My new favorite snack is toast with Nutella. I have been eating so much of it, soon my pants won't fit! The relaxation is really nice, but a few days ago I started feeling the need to make plans for my next stop, so I emailed some folks, and I think I'll be headed to a mussel farm on the other side of the northern part of the south island next. The woman I emailed seems very friendly, so I'm looking forward to it. They're a Christian family, too. While I have had time to read the Bible a fair amount here, it's not always the most comfortable atmosphere for it--which is maybe a good challenge for my spiritual growth, but it can make me feel a bit defensive. The people here are generally accepting and friendly, but I don't think there are any other Christians. So I am looking forward to spending some time in a Christian home, as a contrasting experience. We'll see how it goes.
Right now, the tentative plan is to stay here through Christmas and Boxing Day (which will be Christmas in the US) and then head out via the Heaphy track, a 3-6 day walk near here that takes me generally in the direction I want to go. From there I may do a bit of exploring at a national park before heading to the mussel farm.
I haven't been a complete lump this last week or two--a guy named Brad stayed several nights, and he was very generous--he cooked two dinners to share with Sarah and myself (a welcome gift after eating mostly pasta) and he took me along to see the Oparara arch and some caves near it. The arch was really huge--more of a cave with a hole in the top and both ends, really. The caves were pretty small and I didn't get as scared as I thought I might (they said there were spiders in there.) The hiking around here really is gorgeous. The other day I borrowed Raoul and Fabienne's bike and rode up to see the Big Rimu tree. It was a pleasant ride and the walk was beautiful, but the tree itself was rather anticlimactic. Yes, it was big, but I have seen bigger trees. On the way there, I actually saw one that looked like much more fun to me. I'll try to post pictures of the two trees soon!
More WWOOFers have arrived--three Germans. They are all very friendly, and it's nice to spread the work around a bit.
