North of the South

We had a several glorious days on the north end of the South Island. On the way we stopped at a lake near the tiny town of St Arnaud. The surrounding mountains reminded me of a mash-up of Kanaskis (Canadian Rockies) and Vancouver Island and the Pyrenees. Maybe a hint of Alaska too. There is a reason that New Zealand feels so familiar :) Everybody took care of their health and wellness on their own terms!! I went for an awesome trail run. Felt soooo good. Loving the crisp air. Loving it. Justin is working on agility, mobility, and strength as road biking has taken a backseat during the RV tour. We parked next to an actual playground. Candy for everyone. A giant eel was swimming around the dock.

More scenes from the quiet roads of NZ.

Will and I spent a sunny day on the Abel Tasman trail and banged out 24km over rolling lands. Will suggested we might both hike solo (uh, heck no), and we did a bit, but mostly we hiked together. Will insists he’s not chatty except with me :) I am here for chatty Will all day long. What a treat. What an absolute treat. I looooooove hiking with Will.

While hiking we covered all the bases: the trip, the future, life in your 20’s, camp, camp gossip, must-see TV, and deeper thoughts on life and relationships. Will’s insights and observations always blow me away. I think it took me many decades to process some of the things it seems that Will has already gleaned about people and life. Yeah, we absolutely grew up in different times and different worlds but that doesn’t explain all of it. Most of it is just Will.