i have sand in my crack

New Zealanders are definitely the nicest people there are. I was told that this was the case on several occasions but I most recent outing greatly affirmed it.

One of the beaches in the South Pacific.

Yesterday we decided to head to the beach, it being summer time here and all. Having been recommended Akaroa bay we jumped in the Vista and headed towards Bank's Peninsula to see what we might find. After a breathtakingly beautiful drive over a couple of mountain passes with ocean vistas we arrived in the town of Akaroa. Although very beautiful, it was quite touristy and wasn't quite what we were looking for. After we had had our fill of fish and chips we decided to head towards some more remote beaches to see if we could find a place to camp.

We found ourselves in the Peninsula's countryside surrounded by sheep. We met some of these sheep farmers via wandering onto their property (likely to get you shot in most places) and every farmer that we met was more than generous. I have decided that I want to be a sheep farmer here in New Zealand because they are just the happiest people I have ever come across. They were more than happy to stop what they were doing to help us figure out where we could camp, give us directions, enquire about our trip, call up their friends, and give us permission to hop their fences and walk on down to their beaches. Chris, Pinecone (nickname affectionately given by Chris) and I spent last night in the sand on one the most amazing beaches I have ever been on.

Sunken Car Beach.

I have a lot to learn from the Kiwi pace of life. They are never in too much of a hurry to stop and oblige a question, tell about their favorite spots, or just have a little chat. Without fail they ask us about where we are from, where we are headed, and what we think of their fair country. They are never conceited, rushed, short, crass, or rude and I love them. I have been quite surprised at the receptiveness to us. I guess I assumed that they would be less than excited to have us romping around on their land doing the tourist thing, but instead they are quite excited to tell stories and show us their incredible countryside.

We have 5 of our 6 flatmates. I am very excited to write about each of them, but that will come later. If you are reading this and not emailing me please do so, I really want to hear what all of you are up to. Also, I am learning how to format the pictures...hopefully it will be better next time.