Dear everyone, thank you for the birthday wishes and nice emails. They mean a lot to me.

Three days ago I finished my second hiking track. Let me tell you, the Heaphy track sufficiently exhausted me. At 82k (51 miles) it is the longest of New Zealand's Great Walks. I had scheduled it as a five day hike, but after the first day realized that I could combine two of the shorter days. On the second day I hiked 27 kilometers over six hours, which I think is approximately fifteen miles. Ouch! It wasn't too difficult as far as the trail was concerned, but it was such a long way through moderately bad weather.

Oh, and did I mention that on the first day it hailed and then snowed on me? The shuttle drivers had assured me on the way over that clear skies were "just over the next ridge!" but it turns out they were wrong. The next two days rained, not horribly hard, but enough to make someone without the right equipment wet and cold. Lucky for me I have the right equipment! All of the things that I bought at REI over the past year have turned out to be good investments. Today, though, I bought extra thermal pants and shirt in case I encounter snow again.

While hiking this time I met two German women, Inge and Ellen, who are hilarious. After spending four days together we were close friends. They gave me their addresses and said that if I ever come to Germany to make sure that I come by for a visit. They also encouraged me to have crushes on German boys. Along with Inge and Ellen, we hiked at the same pace as a guided gormet tour. The tour guide carried everyone's food which was much better than my own. In an effort to save my strained back and shoulder muscles, I have been carrying oatmeal, dried soup, crackers and cheese for my various meals. These guys had fresh eggs every morning, lox sandwiches, and for dinner more fresh food. The last night they had salmon, cous cous and steamed vegetables. And cheesecake and coffee for desert.

I have never been more jealous.

All of yesterday and all of today have been spent on the bus, trying to make it south in time for my next scheduled hike, the Routeburn. This one is a bit shorter, only three days, but in an area with more severe weather and a potential for avalanches. Ahhhhh! It should be fine. I'll make a point of being in contact with the hut wardens to get the most recent update on trail conditions before I set out each day.

I'm in Queenstown today. It's really nice here. The farther south I go in New Zealand, the more dramatic the landscape becomes. I took dozens of pictures today.

Hooray for New Zealand!