Well, the NZ leg of my trip has come to a close. In a word -- BEAUTIFUL. It's like Nature's all-star team--I would love to come back here, as there is so much more. Here's a random summary of my time here --

Most common color seen: Green

Most common feature of land: Hill

Most serene feature of land: Dale

Most impressive feature of land: Mountain

Most commonly heard music on radio: Maroon 5, Jack Johnson, Kiwi band The Exponents

Most unique alphabetic quirk: Calling the letter 'z' -- "Zed"

Best Sychronized Dance by Rugby Players: The All Blacks' Haka or War Dance, done before every match





My most common meal: (tie) ham sandwich, Baked beans and toast

Favorite NZ beer: Tui (North Island), Speights (South Island)

Most common nationality of fellow traveler: British (many)

Least common nationality of fellow traveler: Morrocan (none)

Most unlikely name for an Irish settlement: Hokitika (gold mining town on West Coast, almost entirely Irish when settled)

Favorite spot: Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park

Favorite kiwi phrase: "Sweet as"

Favorite fellow traveler: Alistair Irvine, from the UK. Soft-spoken guy in his early fifties, who had recently gotten divorced. Sold the house, and used some of the money from that to travel around the world, similar to a trip he did twenty years ago. He'll use the rest of the money to buy a flat when he gets back; then he "just needs to find a job".