On mõnus ekselda õiges suunas

Lost..

Theme song:
The Wanton Bishops - "Sleep With The Lights On"

After Fiji my plan was to crash for a day at my old flat, but sorting out my things took longer and my flatmates enjoyed having beer with me so it already started to feel that I will end up staying there quite a while but after getting myself a new phone (hopefully being waterproof will extend its life) and after quite uneventful student party was finally time to take off from Chch, this time for good.

Took opportunity to take final glance to ocean view that had accompanied me past months here. Got my shit together (and all my stuff) and on my way I was again. I have written leaving places and friends behind before in my blog but it is kind of thing you really never get used to and I find that importance of this feeling is what I still have to mention as long it has some meaning to me. Always there is this small lump in your throat but this is how life works. Buddha was right when he said that nothing is permanent. Life is constantly changing and nothing stays the same, there is no point fighting it.

My destination was back to west coast trough Arthurs pass. First time going from east to west, views were more spectacular driving this direction. After Canteburry flats you can see mountains in distance getting bigger and bigger and eventually you end up driving in the pass middle of the mountains.

I had nothing planned before hand, even didn't book room in hostelworld which I usually do. In Greymouth I went to hostel where I stayed 8 months before with Tanel and asked if they had vacancy. I still love this hostel, it is really nice there, tho quiet and not really lively.

I had a day to chill there and do nothing, I was waiting my friend Joris to come to west coast, plan was to go his parents house near Greymouth for weekend, do hikes and just chill.

While driving to his place I started to think, Joris drives Subaru, has parents house next to sea and owns his own company. For second it seemed weirdly familiar for some reason.

Joris was more into wandering in bush than I excpected. What started as a short adventures hike to follow small stream to upstream ended up being pretty awesome first explorer style tramping trough deep jungle vegetation.
After following stream for a while we had idea that going back same way is too boring and decided to find another stream next to us so we could follow it back to ocean. To get there we had to get to top of the hill next to us trough heaps of plants that has cutting leaves that apparently only grows in NZ that region. When Joris said that we are going to go bush walk we need machete I thought he was joking but it kind of sucked that he decided not to take it with him. There was no track whatsoever, we just decided to pick one direction and just follow it. No matter what came to our way there was no bitching about, we just had to find way. Going trough river and climbing over sharp rocks there, over and under fallen trees, trough cutting leaves, crawling under vegetation, climbing top of the vegetation, climbing up hill and down hill. Joris had the of the role of pathfinder and more than once he ended disappearing front of me and fell to some hole when level of the ground suddenly got lower. Vegetation was so dense that if Joris was further than 1 m. ahead I couldn't see him. He couldn't of course see what was ahead and ended up just falling trough vegetation, all I could see were his legs from ankles popping out the bush. Little bit laughing, helping him out there and on we went. We ended up finding other stream which followed to ocean only to find out that it ended up in 50 m. high waterfall. We hoped that there was way around it and we could take shortcut to the ground by following edge of the cliff. One point it was unclear what was ahead of us and after tramping trough bush for 4 hours we decided not to risk and backtrack to starting point.
Retro perspective it was good idea, as after getting back from our 6 hour hike we saw that we ended up on cliff that was 50 m. high and forest line where we were hanging was getting thinner and thinner. There was probably half a meter to meter soil covered in dense vegetation before sudden drop when we decided to turn back.

In evening Joris showed me one local place, a cave formation next to sea where there is opening in middle of cave but it still had edges forming kind of roof where you take shelter under when it is was raining. Time was for bonfire, bbq, beer and some whiskey, next to roaring ocean with open cave.

Next day it was again time for goodbyes, this time final. That, soft lump and bittersweet feeling.. again. Did I say before that you never get used to it, but the thing is, you kind of do. It always gets you but you get more used to it. Does this make sense?
Joris and Nancy are definitely top of my list of the people from NZ who I would like to see again in future. Good people are hard to find and when you do, you really have to appreciate them. While traveling people come and go probably never seen again. Saying "see you some where on road", has no solid meaning or does not give indication what future brings but it gives some solace.

I took road on west coast to up north, towards Nelson. I can understand why people like NZ west coast that much, I think it was probably one of the most spectacular roads I have driven here.

Tho my destination was supposed to be Nelson, I ended up doing hike and camping at lake Rotoroa with one german girl quite impromptu. After being a year in NZ nature can't impress anymore that much but good company is always appreciated.
I am in Nelson now, perfect place to just chill next to pool. Catch up with local capoeira and BJJ clubs. Practice Estonian with compatriot in sauna. Mindset of a traveler is settling in and just going day by day. Little bit lost, but not really, going some where, but not really.