Christmas 2009

Now that it's getting back around to the holidays, I can't help but reminisce a bit, and I now realize that the last two Christmases I had were during the summer... Awesome.
Last Christmas, we stayed in a little house by Waihi Beach. Having lived in Colorado for most of the rest of my life, spending Christmas in shorts and a bikini was kind of confusing... But wonderful. On Christmas Day, we did your typical American Christmas morning, and then wandered on down to the beach. See, my mom has this addiction... To collecting shells. Once she starts, you have to DRAG HER OFF THE BEACH to get her to stop. So, we spent a couple hours collecting shells. My mom had woven a rectangle out of flax, and we were going to mount shells on it to remember this Christmas. It took us a couple hours to argue it out, but we finally got everything mounted, and that display is now proudly mounted in our house in the USA.
Not the most interesting story, granted. Meh.

Top 10 Milford Trek Tips

Alright. I'm really digging into the back of my mind to find any interesting stories about New Zealand now. Not that New Zealand isn't interesting, just that I'm losing my mind... Hmm. Ok.
How about my top 10 tips to an actually pleasurable Milford Trek? Here we go.
1. DON'T OVER PACK.
2. Don't under pack.
3. Bring a camera, you'll want to remember this.
4. If anything, bring extra socks. (By the last day you'll be able to feel every single stone on the soles of your feet.)
5. Don't worry about personal hygiene (except, you know, the basics, like brushing your teeth, etc...). What I mean is, you're not going to have an opportunity to shower. Nobody cares when you're in the middle of nowhere, and you all smell about the same level of disgusting. If your hair gets weird, wear a hat.
6. Stop every once in a while to look around and admire the scenery. You're in New Zealand, for the cryin' out loud.
7. Drink lots of water. (duh)
8. Pack your rain gear. If you live in New Zealand and didn't know that... Well... Wow.
9. If you're a light sleeper, it may be wise to bring ear plugs. Some people may snore. Like a train.
10. It's cliché, but have fun. It's a 4 day challenge that you'll remember for the rest of your life. It is grueling (well, for me it was), it is exhausting, but it's the most gorgeous hike I've ever done and the feeling of accomplishment you have when you finish is enormous. Make new friends, hike with them, stop to take pictures, make stupid jokes, skip up the 5th zig zag, and enjoy the journey.

Oops....

See, it's really funny how quickly I gave up on this. Either due to lack of interest from other people because, shockingly, nobody else CARES about this stuff (no offense, it's human), or due to my lack of motivation. Or the fact that school is DEFINITELY trying to kill me. Meh. Maybe I'll actually try to start adding to this blog again.