Is this real, or am I dreaming?

I don't even know where to begin with this weekend. The entire thing was absolutely extraordinary. I feel like I say these extreme things a lot and I know I tend to be an extreme person. But seriously. Everything that I describe doesn't even come close to comparing to the real thing. I literally don't understand how, but it keeps getting better and better.

It all began on Thursday, as usual. You people would be proud of me, I actually did the responsible thing and skipped out on snowboarding and went to class. Mainly because I had to meet with some professors about my upcoming papers. And I needed to figure out my bank issues. This turned out to be a much better idea since the weather was pretty bad and the people who ended up going paid the normal price but only got to snowboard for like an hour. Also, I got to talk to some of my favorite people from home on the phone. Super weird since I rarely talk on the phone here. Either way, productive all around.

Later on in the day, we hung out with Courtney's flatmate and her friends for a while and thought about heading into town and then decided against it in order to go for a bonfire on the beach. Definitely made the better choice. We ended up going to this small beach called Taylors Mistake. I probably would have never even heard of this place if I had not gone to the beach that night. It was great. We got to sit around a bonfire, listen to music, run near the freezing cold water, look up at the stars (or lighthouse haha), etc. etc. The drive there had some crazy windy roads and you could see the lights of Christchurch from the road. Once again, beautiful. All in all, a really great night. Also, my camera randomly broke. So all the pictures I have, I have stolen from other people. Pretty depressing scenario. Hopefully I can get it fixed soon. A camera is probably the worst thing to be broken in New Zealand, let me tell you.

This great night was only to be proceeded a wonderful next couple days. Beginning with an epic car ride to Nelson. It's about a 6 hour drive there... so we rented a car and began our ROAD TRIP! I feel like it goes without saying that the ride there was spectacular. We were literally riding in between these giant hills. It felt like we were in Lord of the Rings or something. The landscapes never cease to amaze. This ride was no exception. Oh, and the most exciting part of the ride, I got to drive on the wrong side of the road! Yes, my friends, they let me drive. Driving in the States is going to seem mediocre at best when compared to this driving experience. It was definitely weird to get used to at first, but it was so cool. I felt too legit to quit while driving here. And especially driving in the middle of all of this incredible scenery with a great song playing. That moment could not have been better.

Upon arrival in Nelson, we realized we were starving. So we went to McDonalds. That's right guys, I had McDonalds in New Zealand and normally I hate McDonalds, but this one was not too bad. Then we checked into the youth hostel which was actually pretty legit. The beds were really comfortable. After some hilarious conversation about Chucky, Alice in Wonderland, and creepy Friday the 13th texts, we decided to check out the town of Nelson at night, which ended up being pretty lame and desolate except for this one place that had some really awesome live music playing. And that place ended up being awesome. Overall, a really great day followed by a really great night.

The next day we all woke up and checked out the town of Nelson during the day. The place was hoppin. There was this really great farmer's market going on that we checked out. They had some delicious apples and some of the best jam I've ever tasted. So after getting acquainted with the town, we got in the car and rode to our destination of Abel Tasman National Park. What a ride! It was excellent to have some amazing music playing, beautiful scenery all around, and the windows rolled all the way down. A time that I'll never forget, for sure.

Once we got to Abel Tasman,
we parked the car and were on our way for the hike, which was 4 hours and a little over 7 miles long. It was a foggy day and, I must say, it was still completely stunning. It felt like we were in King Kong or something. We had a beautiful view of some amazing mountains as we walked along the coastline and saw some beautiful beaches. Then we would hike more inland and be inside of a rain forest. There were heaps of little waterfalls throughout the entire hike. Seriously, this hike was extraordinary.

But nothing can compare to getting to the top of this mountain. I was literally speechless when we got there because of the landscape. And every little bit that we walked it just got better and better. I wish pictures or words could do this place justice, but it just can't.
The sun was just starting to set and the sky was astounding. Let me just say, it was a beautiful place to rest. Looking onto that landscape, I think we could all feel that this moment and this place was so much bigger than us. And it was a really wonderful feeling. I don't think it can be topped.

Walking down the mountain to the huts we were staying was surprising. The hut was a lot different than expected. There were two long boards with mattresses side by side all across them. As in, you could potentially be sleeping next to a stranger - very very odd. Also, there was no electricity and we didn't discover the drinking water until the next day. But it was right on the beach so there is really no need to complain.


The beach was beautiful. We all sat and ate our dinner of PB&J's, put our feet in the freezing cold Pacific Ocean, stared at the sky turning all these different colors, and were just happy to be exactly where we were. We all stayed on the beach once it got dark and listened to music, danced around, did whatever. Unfortunately, we didn't get to look at the stars because the night was so cloudy.


Either way, a couple of us decided that we were going to sleep outside on the beach. Excellent idea, if I do say so myself. So Lindsay, Shona, Max, and I headed outside with our sleeping bags. It was completely pitch black because even the moon was hidden behind the clouds. So, on our way to find the perfect spot Max was like, "Look, the sand is lighting up." I was thinking that he might have been a little crazy, but it was true. When we dragged our feet across the sand, there were all these little sparks that would light up. So we all just started dragging our feet around and staring at the ground, laughing and having absolutely no idea what we were looking at but enjoying every minute of it.

We laid our sleeping bags on the beach and listened to the ocean as we drifted to sleep. And then, we felt the raindrops. As we made the sad decision to move indoors we stared at the ocean. And we were all thinking the same thing, but Max voiced it. He was like, "Okay, am I crazy or are the waves lighting up?" And they were. We decided to throw some rocks and logs in the water and when we did the ripples would light up too. I wish we could have captured that moment, but I'm kind of glad we couldn't. I feel like it was too awesome to be captured. We were all basically astounded at the ocean lighting up in a way that we had never seen before. And we all knew there was some logical explanation to it all. But just for that moment, just for that night, we decided that this was the first time that anybody had seen this and it wouldn't ever happen again. Surreal, my friends. That is the only way I could describe that night.


The rest of the evening was significantly less peaceful. Mainly because out of nowhere in the middle of the night, the fire alarm went off waking everybody in the hut up. Probably one of the worst ways to wake up, but makes for a hilarious story. The next day, we got up and got ready to hike the 7 miles back. It was a stunningly clear day and the hike back felt like a completely different hike. Everything that we saw the day before, we saw in a different light today because the fog was gone. Some parts of the trail were even more beautiful in the fog, which I was surprised by.

We decided to take a short path off the trail to eat our lunch the beach. So worth it. The break was much needed and the view was gorgeous. Sometimes I forget how crazy my life is and that I am living here. It blows my mind, literally. So we decided to head back to the trail, but soon realized that we didn't think about the changing tides and it was now high tide. Our walkway to get back to the trail was now under water. So we improvised and tested our skills by climbing around on the rocks. I led the way, of course. Just kidding. But seriously. The rest of the hike was gorgeous. And it was amazing to finally get to the end of it all. A great feeling of accomplishment.

The drive back to Christchurch was also gorgeous. I was so tired that all I wanted to do was nap, but the astounding sights forced me to stay awake. It was worth it, for sure. But by the time I got home, I was exhausted. And I had a paper due the next day. So instead of working on it, I chose to ignore it and hope it went away. The next morning, I realized that had failed so I spent a couple hours working on it and turned it in. Hopefully it didn't turn out too bad.

I realize that this thing is pretty much a book, but seriously, what a perfect weekend.