The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of mild chaos. Becoming temporarily destitute in a foreign country is a little unnerving, but thankfully, having amazing friends to lean on saved the day. One is never truly without shelter when owning a sweet van though! So, it was just a shitty situation-turned-awesome, because I got to live with a hilarious group of friends and enjoy the feeling of living with good people again.
During this week-of-fun, 3 of the 5 flatmates/friends and I took a bit of a trip, if for no other reason than to say we did. With Connie and Rich traveling in coach aka The Back Seats, I got to sit shotgun as the copilot to Captain Lydia, our elected pilot for the adventure. We chose to aim northwest in our pursuit of new views, the end-point being in Haast, right on the ocean. In between Queenstown and Haast, there is endlessly magnificent topography: towering peaks, meandering rivers, tumbling waterfalls, and a lone tree on a sandbar.
Armed with cameras, several grocery bags of food, and fresh coffee, we were well prepared for any side excursion we cared to venture on, and ultimately our picnic on the beach. The weather cooperated for most of the trip, but in true eNZed fashion, as we approached the coast, the skies went from overcast to downright dark and stormy. This was perhaps for the best, as we had the beach all to ourselves as far as the eye could see once we arrived. After frolicking in the surf, pensively starring out towards the horizon, and searching the seashore for seashells, we returned to our landslip and set off on the return trip – as if on cue, the rain started and stayed with us until the clouds could no longer climb over the mountains into the interior of Otago.
The views from start to finish never grew old, and the roadside hikes were an excellent added touch en route to the intended destination. Being able to get out of town and visit somewhere new is always exciting, and it was wonderful being able to enjoy the day with close friends. Sharing an adventure is something I revel in, and I think the spontaneity and intrepid spirit that getting out and about fosters is something that everyone should actively seek.
A special and heart-felt thanks goes out to the Fernhill crew for having me on such short notice, and being gracious with their accommodations!
Stay tuned for more, this place has a lot more to share!
[Note: mixed photo credit between the four of us.]
![[A stripper joke was just made]](https://i0.wp.com/thestartgate.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/c65t4675.jpg?w=202&h=302&ssl=1 "[A stripper joke was just made]")
