Lake Mahinapua

After i blogged in Westport i ended up meeting this 45 year old guy in the hostel named Sam. Sam looks like he just stepped out of an 80's hair band. he has this crazy hair and the acid washed jeans and the sleeveless jean jacket... oh the people you meet. well anyway, so i talked to him for a while and it turns out he's been traveling his entire life and has never stayed in one place. he just travels works when he needs money then travels again. He is a musician and i asked if he ever met anyone or played with anyone famous and he proceeds to tell me that he met CHUCK NORRIS and that he was an extra in the movie Renegade. When CN jumps out of the plane, he is the guy that jumps out after him... when i get home i am renting that movie!

So on the way to Lake Mahinapua the bus stopped in Greymouth so we could pick up costumes for the fiesta at the place we were staying at... yeah, who knew there was even a fiesta? the theme was characters from movies, so i ripped off my old dazed and confused costume and was one of the senior girls (for a 3rd time). We get to the hostel which is in the freakin middle of NOWHERE, it's like the move Deliverance only we're at the beach. There is a crazy guy that runs the place named Les and he looks like he walked straight outta Zerns... in fact, i sort of felt like i was at home because the bar reminded me of Zerns (but cleaner). Apparently this place is legendary and that's why they take us there, so it's all in good fun. We all have this huge meal of steak and potatoes etc and then we put on our costumes and the drinking begins DUM DUM DUM DUM (the bartender reminded me of the mother from the Adams Family) so we drink and drink and drink... then we decide that walking down to the lake is a GREAT idea. as we're walking in the dark i'm like hmmm... this is how scary movies start... they bring us to an isolated place, feed us, make us dress up, give us lots of booze, then "take us to the lake" AKA kill us..... obviously i made it and i am still alive, but the thought did cross my mind. i ended up having the time of my life. the new people i met on the bus are hilarious and have dubbed me Team America, even though i am the only American and there is no team. the bar closed down and all the guys start singing god save the queen and all these crazy pub songs which turned into me belting out an abridged version of the star spangled banner. we were all singing and dancing on picnic tables with Andy our new bus driver singing OLE OLE OLE OLE (college flashback) and Johnny Cash's ring of fire. i can honestly say that it was one of the best nights of my life. who would EVER think that being with a bunch of people that i don't know from adam and i'd have the greatest time? definitely not me.

anyway, my time is about out. tomorrow i do glacier hiking then i am here for another nite to just chill... then it's off to Wanaka (rhymes with the jewish holiday) for about 4-5 nights. Keep sending the emails and the blog messages, i can't get enough of them and it's nice to know that you're all thinking about me. oh and i just wanted to give a small shout to my mom and say congrats on your retirement and i can't wait to celebrate when you get to Sydney... and hello to my Dad, i miss you and i have shipped a sheep home for you so you can make sweaters. and Dana, the drivers here would give you a run for your money!!! tell my QVCers i said hello and that i met someone who knows the finn brothers and steriogram!