Last Leg

It is true - we are on the final leg of our journey in New Zealand. Hard to believe. We left Lake Taupo Christian Camp last Saturday, after a few tearful goodbyes. We felt so blessed to be a part of the community there, and miss them all!! It is now just over 5 weeks until we board a plane back to Canada. We are really looking forward to being with family and friends again, as being away reminds you of their importance.

Since leaving camp, it has been a bit of an adventure, to say the least. After 10 weeks of comfort (a warm bed, excellent food, etc.), we are back in the world of constantly setting up and taking down our tent, cooking in one pot, reading by candlelight in our car. The constant rain during the first few days of our travels added to the adventure. We left Taupo in an absolute downpour, and it seriously didn't stop for days! We headed toward the East Coast, one of the more remote areas of New Zealand. It isn't on the top of most visitors' "Must See" list, but we like to get off the beaten track as much as possible, and this has definitely been off any kind of track. Here's just a small list of what we experienced over the past few days - a man on a motorcycle saluting us with a rifle strapped to his back, flooding rivers, roads partly washed out or covered in landslides, washing dishes and sleeping in a puddle (we didn't pick the best spot to set up our tent one night!) wild cattle, horses, pigs and goats, and the list continues.

It has been filled with some beautiful moments as well - towering 100o year old trees, collecting shells on a deserted beach, drying our stuff out in a fisherman's cabin called Hairy Dog. We also celebrated Dave's birthday last night, a few days early. As a going-away/birthday present, LTCC shouted us (NZ slang for gave us) a night at a classy hotel in Gisborne. And wow, after being sopping wet for days, it was a wonderful treat! We ended up hanging our wet tent and sleeping bag over the balcony, which was a bit of a sight for all of the other guests. We didn't exactly fit the typical customer profile, but we loved it anyways!

We head up the East Cape tomorrow, so we're looking forward to more adventures. Apparently, there was a tsunami warning here today, but we're safe and sound! We'll try to update again soon, but make sure to check out some of our photos - www.daveandesther.shutterfly.com