Hi Everyone.
Eight p.m. and the sun still hangs, seemingly immobile, above the Tasman Sea, not wanting to leave lush New Zealand for another go-around at blank Australia. We still have enough sunlight to get in 6 or so innings of baseball, if the Kiwis did that type of thing. I'm sitting here in shorts and a t-shirt, occasionally re-touching the much-needed sunscreen. And yes, it's Christmas Eve.
We are spending tonight and tomorrow in Franz Josef, a town at the base of the gigantic glacier of the same name. "One-horse" might be a bit generous for this place -- it makes Middlebury, Vermont, look like Manhattan. Nonetheless, its proximity to two massive ice rivers, their descendant kettle lakes, and even the shore make it a tourist haven (ok, trap) that has left us with some holiday comraderie and stuff to do while the natives celebrate with their families. The throngs of foreigners make it sort of like Christmas at the UN. With mountains.
Before me are palm trees and behind me are snow-capped peaks. To get an idea of the backdrop, pop in the lighting of the beacons scene in "The Return of the King," which was shot atop the range hovering over this town. Sadly, the view from here isn't as magnificent (they were shot from a helicopter), but the peaks are the same. The film speaks for itself, though, in justifying the place's strikingness.
NZ's ecological and geological diversity enthralls me. Three days ago, we were tramping through Abel Tasman National Park, looking down at white-sand beaches and a tranquil - hell, pacific - ocean. A few Miles from there, we passed through wine country and a few of NZ's award-winning whites (eh...). Shortly after that, we cut through some lucious, and yes, misty mountains before landing on the whitecaps of the Tasman. Then, from seemingly nowhere arose the most bizarre shoreline we've ever seen -- the "pancake rocks" (Google that), whose layers, caves, and crevices make the incoming ocean dance every time it hits them. Today, we crossed rivers and lakes that were periwinkle blue, royal blue, and battleship gray. And no, none of the above is hyperbole.
If our luck holds, the next few days will take us through glaciers, plains, fiords, and mountains. All this tucked in one corner of a (comparatively) small island. Ah, New Zealand.
All right, folks. Merry Christmas to all. And because I can say it down here, happy Boxing Day as well.
Matt
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