Joshua Malina

I’ve completed my study abroad experience. I’ve arrived home in Miami after a long 50 hours of traveling (10 for layovers). I’ve slept and eaten cuban food with my parents and petted my pets. I am, perhaps, back.

Abel Tasman National park is New Zealand’s most visited tramping grounds, and for good reasons. Unlike the mountainous Tongariro, or the black sanded landscape of the Waitakere Region west of Auckland, Abel Tasman is white sand and rolling hills, dolphins, penguins and low-tide hiking routes.

I left the beach before the sun came up, and drove north along the southern island’s eastern coast. The clouds were broken by the rising sun and the seals were just starting to stir.

It is hard to miss how close the mountains are to the coast. They were unbelievable large and beautiful, with snow on all their peaks. It made my kayaking adventure that much more magnificent, to do it with the backdrop of beautiful mountains in the background.

No sooner had I turned out of the city than did I find that majesty of South Island beauty that I came here for. The rolling green hills of the Banks, of Akaroa, and the deep yellow sunlight warming my car and those hills–I knew I was where I was supposed to be.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve seen quickly retreating glaciers, snow-capped mountainous peaks, native new zealand fur seals, crested penguins, Milford Sounds, and an oddly energetic Kiwi halloween.

Today, Sunday, has been the first day in nearly two weeks where the sun is shining without even a threat of rain. It’s no longer cold, and the clouds have dissapeared from sight. The birds are constantly hears up ahead, and the grass seems to vibrate and reflect the sunshine’s rays. Everyone is happy it seems, in the city of Auckland.

So that’s my plan for the next few weeks, with perhaps a weekend tramping jaunt of too, and then my final adventure to Christchurch, and my sad but sweet journey back to the United States on November 20. But don’t worry, you will hear much more from me until then.