Southern Alps Travels

As of yesterday, Hannah and I made a quick change in our plans. Instead of going to live on a farm we are going to live at a resort. Our only problem was getting there cheaply... After a few days here, we have quickly learned that hitch hiking is the way that backpackers get around New Zealand. After many chats and lots of tips, Hannah and I decided that we are going to go for it! 

We had to add the "please" sign to keep our "Minnesota nice" reputation going. We walked about 30 minutes from our hostel with all of our stuff and still had a long way to go to get to the highway where someone would pick us up. Some kind soul ended up picking us up and dropped us off at the edge of town where we could hitch a ride easily to the West coast. He was very kind and talked about his daughter and gave up some safety tips about hitch hiking. 

It wasn't two minutes after we were dropped off that a giant semi truck that 

was carrying milk waste picked us up. This ended up being a better trip across the mountains than we could have ever hoped for! Since we sat high in the truck, we could see everything! And Worrick ( the truck driver) knew absolutely everything there is to know about the area! He taught us about farming, geology, history, and so many other things about what we were driving through. He talked with an incredibly thick accent, the locals talk really fast and tend to mumble, so there was a little of nodding and smiling going on. He was so helpful and friendly and told us where we should go next and places that aren't worth seeing. I'm telling you, this is the way to get around! A free ride AND free knowledge. The following are some pictures as we went through the Alps:

This area is actually a scene from Lord of the Rings... according to Worrick! 

Worrick dropped us off right outside of a little town called Hokitika, which is about two hours from our job. It's a very cute town, mostly filled with tourists and backpackers, but it's right on the sea, so Hannah and I had a good time frolicking on the sand. 

Lots of drift wood on the beach! 

At the end of the day we went to see the Glow Worms, most places around NZ it costs a lot of money to see them, but these ones were free! We had to go up a very dark path up the woods to see them because they live deep in the forest along the forest walls. 

We are staying in a hostel tonight in this town and tomorrow we will complete our journey to the resort! Wish us luck!