Ten months ago, New Zealand wasn't even a point of interest for me. It certainly wasn't a place to avoid but I really just didn't think anything of it. It was, speaking as a generality, an island off the coast of Australia. As true as that may be, New Zealand (at least the South Island) is a beautiful part of the world with some of the most hospitable and adventurous inhabitants. Truly a world of its own and yes, very close to the bottom of the world.
Kegan and I spent the last 27 days circumnavigating the South Island; Christchurch to Christchurch. Circumnavigation within a circumnavigation. A sort of "circumnavigation inception" as Kegan so fittingly put it.
We really made an effort to do as much as we could in the short time we had and yet there are still so many things we didn't have time to do. That small, semi-forgotten about island in the Tasman sea is packed with heaps of adventure that left me wanting more. I'll be back some day, New Zealand. Can't say when or with whom, but I will be back.
So what's next you might ask? Well any true followers might recall a certain post regarding a spontaneous plane ticket being purchased for a rather hefty price back in Honolulu. Well that ticket is for today and that destination is for Kuala Lumpur. In four hour and twenty six minutes I will touch down in Malaysia. This is the furthest I will be from Massachusetts but, ironically, also one step closer to the place I call home.
But as for now, I dab my face with a warm rosemary scented towel and eat braised pork with shiitake mushrooms. Loosened my belt, put my seat back and ordered a complimentary glass of cognac. I peered out over the never-ending stretch of clouds and raised my glass to the east. Cheers to you New Zealand. Cheers to the bottom of the world.
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