Catlins Forest Park, New Zealand - Polarsteps

The plan for today was to hike in the national park. We started around 9 am and decided on the river walk. The forestry was very pretty and versatile. It changed from rainforest to alpine in a matter of 300 m. We completed almost the entire loop in search of "the wisp" which was never actually found and to this moment we still have no idea what the heck a wisp even is. The hike was a lovely work out though we decided that mountains are more of our thing. Also, I was in a weird zone for majority of the hike. I think I spoke a total of 5 words to Pete the entire time. He even tried to que in the chit chat which some spontaneous conversation starters. Including "yo wtf is up with airplanes", which I think I simply replied with "idk man, crazy shit". As well as "what do you think happens after we die? Like, do you think there is an afterlife?". This one really got me talking. I provided my complex opinion.. "nothing, you die and its all over". Speaking of dieing, soon after I got a bit cocky which standing on a slippery fallen tree. My supporting leg slipped out from under me before I could put the other on the ground, resulting in a squeal and a not so graceful splat onto the ground. I didn't think too much of the fall, I was just glad I wasn't graced with an immediately painful stimulus. We trekked on, and on, and on for what felt like forever. Man, we went up and down and up and down along this river for at least 3 1/2 hours each way. Having a summit or increase in elevation makes the one way up worth something, a nice goal to set and a point to push for. I mean, the wisp was the goal but we are still a bit bitter about the lack of a wisp and not sure if we are ready to talk about it yet. The hike was great exercise and the shrubbery was really really cool but I mean, we are mountain people fer sure. We chatted with a DOC man back at the campsite/car park. He told us not to worry about the yummy black spewing toilet situation that Peter had the privilege to experience that AM, cuz he fixed that blocked pipe right up. He seemed impressed with the trek that we had just did. He said we "must be mad or something". Which, ya know isn't completely inaccurate. We left the National Park and drove out to the coast to take a peak at nugget point, tried to catch a glimpse of the penguins coming in for the night but I think we missed them by a bit. Since tomorrow is the day we meet up with Jordan, we thought it would be a smart idea to get a campsite for the night to take a much needed shower. Pulled up at Hillside Campervan Park. Man Oh Man... I freaking love this place. Owned by a very pleasant couple of farmers. Pulled up onto the grass of their farm, right next to their goat and sheep and for $10 we were able to use their amenities. This pretty much consisted of an outdoor sink and bathrooms, just about all we needed. So the shower wasn't exactly included. For "5 minutes" of water pressure you had to insert a 2 dollar coin into the machine. I did just that but I'm telling ya there was absolutely no way that was 5 minutes. The warm water shut off while I was mid body sudsing and pre-hair conditioning. So as ya do, I wiped the suds off my body with my towel and somehow managed to get a brush through my unconditioned hair back in Jucy while Peter went for his 2 minutes of water. It's all good. No harsh feelings towards Hillside. They had a wide variety of DVDs to borrow for free due to the amount of Jucy campas they get rollin up to their farm (Yep, the van also has an entertainment system in the back. I mean, jeeze, what doesnt this van have). They also provide free magnum condoms for any frisky Jucy-ers.. We chose Sherlock Holmes, which we enjoyed while cooking up our dinners. Twas a good, good night and a great sleep on the farm :) Highlights of today: - friendly gas station Kiwi's for the win - owners assume Peter and I are a hot item.. lolz - overly friendly black cat - I think there is still soap in my butt..