the mountains then the sea...

one of the great things about new zealand is the closeness of the sea. one is never really more than a couple hours away from a magnificent beach and so driving from big mountains to the sea in an afternoon is easy as pie. it's a stark contrast to the states, where hiking the big mountains of montana, well to get to the sea, it's a long road trip away...

here are a few shots from when luke and i drove to the banks peninsula, a beautiful little spit of land east of christchurch, a place where one can get easily lost and find great hostels, like the onuku farm hostel seen in the last few shots.  our neighbors where two very randy peacocks, or at last the one in this last photo, who kept putting the moves on the other peacock by the little cabin we stayed in. though i didn't get to see these peacocks mate, i did get to see this very blue one try his (i assume) darnedest to get the lady to dig his moves... it would have been great to see some mating too, perhaps the next stay...

tonight i'm off to a land of even bigger mountains... stay tuned...

love and health to all...