Guys. I just spent the past week with the coolest person this side of the Cook Strait.

If you’ve ever been dragged along on a hike in the woods (“bush” in Kiwispeak) with me, you likely know that my dream job – after I outgrew my cowboy clothes and gave up on being an astronaut – has been to be a park ranger. Working in the woods, helping with conservation efforts, helping others realize how neat nature is, wearing a goofy flat-brimmed hat…all of it. If you offered me a park ranger job today, I’d be hard-pressed to turn you away.

Amanda has spent 12 years working for the Kiwi version of the National Park Service (DOC), and is extremely hospitable and eager to show off her home and favorite spots in Golden Bay. She opted to spend a week off of work bussing me around to all the highlights (emphasis on high) that she holds dear, all the while giving interesting dialogue of the interactions and delicate balance of various flora and fauna in each ecosystem we passed through. She also ensured I was fed regularly – whether by bush plants like supplejack (think raw green beans) and hen & chicken ferns, or by carrying the bulk of the snack stockpile up the mountain. I’m convinced she’s part machine, as she churns her way up hillsides without apparent fatigue and only minimal breathlessness. My longer legs were no match as I stomped about in shadow of her surefootedness (I only fell on my bum twice, so there’s that).

Icing on the cake was my other hosts, Amanda’s parents Brydon and Linda. Linda quite literally takes the icing, as she masters fanciful cake creations, with a disposition sweet enough to match. Brydon is always ready with a quick smile or a joke, and just as easily delves into conversation about the heavier parts of life. He’s also got a pretty bomb sleepsack that he’s generous enough to loan to cold-footed Americans.

And finally, the cherry on top was easy conversation with Amanda (with pauses on the steep bits so I could wheeze) ranging from travel to home to God to family to how to live life best. We reached depths of convo I haven’t shared with many others; I guess there’s just something about sleeping on the seashore with the moon for a light and no distractions except cheeky weka. (Plus, she has jeans that fit me, and I’m pretty sure that’s a sign of a kindred spirit).

It was a fulfilling, adventure-filled week on the Tasman Sea. Souvenirs include sore muscles from head to heel, layers of mud on my boots, and some extra smile crinkles.

Thanks, H clan. Until we meet again! 🙂