Here's a picture of part of our group outside of Emma's party. From left: Matthias, Your's truly, Natalie, and Jeremy -- some of my closest friends in Dunedin.



Another shot of part of our gang in Christchurch -- a beautiful and well-kept city. From left: Your's truly, Matthias, Tara, Natalie, and Jeremy.



The manly man himself! Emma's dad cooking on the "barbie"!



The tents we slept in at Emma's.



The inside of the gorgeous Christchurch cathedral.



A gorgeous shot of the snow-covered mountains on the way to Mt. Hutt.



My kiwi-host, Kate, Natalie, and me at the Mt. Hutt overlook.

I have enjoyed a beautiful and relaxing Monday back in Dunedin. The weather here is still pretty hard to beat -- usually 60s and sunny with a few storms and a little wind thrown in. It gets a little cold at night, but fortunately hasn't been too bad yet.

We had a great weekend in Ashburton and Christchurch. Natalie, Katie, Kate, and I left Thursday night for Ashburton, Kate's hometown. It was fun to meet her mom and experience a typical Kiwi home. We went for a nice drive up Mt. Hutt on Friday before the other part of our gang arrived Friday night. We all left Saturday morning for Christchurch, the biggest city on the South Island. It was a great afternoon of exploring Christchurch cathedral and the downtown market. After several hours and small purchases, we headed about 45 minutes north of Christchurch to the birthday girl, Emma's, house. Emma's family lives on a farm so it was an awesome experience. I continue to be amazed at how hospitable everyone is here. Her family had tents set up with cots in them for us upon our arrival. Even though the drinking age is 18 here, the 21st birthday is still a big deal and a huge family occasion. They rented out a hall, had an open bar, speeches, etc. It was so much fun to be a part of. On Sunday, her dad (arguably the manliest man I have ever met) cooked us sausages on his home-made "barbie", complete with a beer cap as an end marker. We started our 5 hour trek back to Dunedin in the early afternoon and arrived home Sunday night.

Some folks have asked for my address here in Dunedin, so it is as follows:

Ginny Wescott
2A Forth St.
Dunedin, New Zealand, 9016

I believe that's all for now. If you are still reading at this point in my journey, I think it's safe to say that you all are the dedicated readers and I appreciate it so much.

XOXO.