Well Happy New Year to you all, albeit a little late in the month. This new year celebration I spent on a moonless shore in South Australia. Standing on the limestone cliffs it was hard to know if it was sea or sand below you. The only indication was the phosphorescent break of the waves. Around midnight a fiery glow lit up the horizon where the moon was starting to rise, and by the time we walked back to our camp the moonlight was pouring in.
New Year's Eve some climbing friends, Neeson and Verena, and I drove down to the coast, determined to spend the new year next to water. It was a little lonely spending the new year under an unfamiliar sky, and I was thankful to have these new-found friends.
After a month and a half my time in Australia has finally come to an end. I was sad to leave the community in Nati, the community at the pines, the amazing climbers, kind faces and fast friends that I made. A month and a half in Australia and I spent all of my time in a little pin-point on a map, and somehow I found everything I needed and more right there. Reducing my time in Nati to just words seems impossible, but I will try. I climbed, farmed, hitchhiked, drank whiskey, played instruments, laughed a lot, swam in stagnant water, biked in a thunderstorm, drank too much coffee, drank too much alcohol, spoke spanish, tried to speak german, climbed things, fell off of them, stalked kangaroos, chased magpies, made friends, met legends and got back down to the simplicity of things.
Now I am in New Zealand, staying with my high school mate, Megan, showering much more frequently and consequently getting hit on quite a bit less (washing off the pheromones). I have been running around Auckland, trying to figure out logistics and buy a van. Tomorrow Megan and I hit the road to go to the Coromandel peninsula for a week of relaxation, tramping and wine, but on our return it is all adventure. Stay tuned for the next post! It might be sooner than next month.