It's been a while since my last post, and for that I apologize. I've been busy with the end of the semester and exams, and the winter season had brought a lot of bad weather that has prevented me from getting out into the great NZ outdoors. Being on campus so much this past month has allowed me to spend a lot of time with the friends that I have made here, and it has been a lot of fun. This may be to my detriment, however, as it will make leaving my friends all the more difficult, and will make my homecoming somewhat bittersweet. To be honest, I don't think leaving New Zealand will be that hard - just leaving my friends will be difficult (who are all North Americans coincidentally). I'm ready to come home and feel very much done with NZ this time round. I've enjoyed my time and there are still a few things I wish I could have done, but now I have an excuse to come back here someday...
Exams went well and my classes were pretty satisfying and rewarding overall. I was disappointed by viticulture somewhat, but you can't win them all I guess. Anyway, having been done with exams for almost a week now, I've been able to do some souvenir shopping and some relaxing with friends. I've also been able to support the Celtics and enjoy my last few NZ beers - keep your fingers crossed for Game 7!
Today, I took my last hike in NZ. My friend Sam and I headed up to Mt. Oxford, which is a small mountain in the eastern foothills of the Southern Alps. To the west are some spectacular peaks, and Oxford provided some great views of them. Being so late in the season here, the alps were all covered in snow, and Oxford had about 4 inches of snow before we stopped for lunch. We were without crampons or snowshoes, so we decided against making the final push to the summit, where the snow was much deeper. It still made for a great day hike, and I think rounded out my NZ outdoors experience pretty well - I had yet to see the mountains all covered in snow (except for the highest peaks of course), and it made the landscape even more magnificent. I hope you enjoy the pictures:
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| Mt. Oxford |
I leave in less than 3 days, and its amazing that I've been here for four months already. I think I've learned a lot in this time; about people, about soil science, about New Zealand, and most about myself. I'm looking forward to coming home, and I can only hope America is looking forward to having me back....
Thanks for following me all this time,
-James
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