One month in the South Island

For the entire month of June I have been travelling in the South Island.

I have been spending time with friends, I have been spending time alone, and mostly I have been spending time with my partner Luke.
I have been snugged up on cosy couches and ate homemade wholesome food, and I have been sleeping in the back of a car freezing my butt off and survived on dehydrated meals for longer than I ideally would have.
I have collected seashells on spectacular beaches, sunk knee-deep in snow, drunk lots of beer in lots of spas, and not showered for more than two days in a row.

Overall, it’s safe to say that this has been one of the best trips I have ever taken.

These are a few things that I have been reflecting on.

1. Travelling is life. Exploring is life. There are very few other things I want to do than climbing mountains and going for adventures.

2. You really only need two outfits: one for hiking, and one for sleeping.

3. I will however get bored of wearing the same exact outfit every single day. I don’t need a lot of clothes, but I need some sort of variety.

4. You could spend a lifetime in the South Island and you wouldn’t be able to see all of it. One month was definitely not enough and I can’t wait to take Shid down there and explore every little corner while taking my home around with me.

5. I don’t journal when everything is fine. In a whole month I’ve only journaled once, when I was having an existential crisis. If my journal stays blank, it’s a good sign.

6. You may have an existential crisis when you least expect it (in my case, it hit me real hard in Golden Bay, while living my best life). Having a break from real life is great but can sometimes create space for doubts and confusion. But at least you can have a breakdown with a stunning scenery.

7. It’s always worth asking people if they have a shower you can use. When we came back from the Lewis Tops Track, sweaty and muddy and freezing and tired, we drove to a hostel in Kaikōura, walked to the reception, and told the receptionist that someone had told us they had a spa we could use even though we were not staying there. They said yes. They also said we could also use the shower. So we paid $5 and got all nice and clean again.

8. Luke and I make a flipping good team. We saw each other’s face every single day for the whole time we were down south (well, to be fair, we have seen a whole lot of each other since we got together) and still get along. We lived in a car for a month without killing each other - in fact, not only that, but we had a pretty dang good time too. We manage to share small spaces even when we don’t shower very much, we have the most fun when wearing shorts on top of tights possibly in snow storms, and we navigate chaos like a boss.

Getting back to reality has been hard, but this break was much much needed. I’m already here planning what the next one will be! What is everyone been up to in the past while?