We are starting the final week of our 22 weeks of travel.  I have not missed a day of blogging.  Admittedly, I did not post every day, but I write even when I had no internet connection.

As a rule, I have avoided writing blogs just to keep the record going.  Instead, I want to share something that will amuse or inform.

Today is an exception.

We woke in Queenstown.  Today was a day of exertion.  In each of our two previous trips here, we did a long tramp called the Ben Lomond Trail.  It is a 6 hour walk that climbs almost a mile up and covers over 6 miles.  Susie and I call it the Marriage Shaker.  We took it 9 years ago and learned an important difference in our personalities.  When I experience exercise related pain, I tend to push harder to speed the ending.  Susie, on the other hand, does something that is completely bizarre.  Track with me on this.  When she is tired, she rests.  I guess somethings are just too bizarre to understand.

When we came 3 years ago, Terrill had asthma problems, so she Susie and Virginia did not complete the circuit.  Since it is a round trip, they just turned back early.

Today, we made the circuit in 3:45 - 4:15, substantially inside the estimate of 5-6 hours.  We are all proud of ourselves.  Perhaps our Nepal fitness levels have not worn off completely.

We then got into the campervan for a 5 hour drive.

We are still driving and I am writing in a parking lot in an old gold town that has inexplicably provided free internet in its city limits.

It is 9PM and we want to put 50-60 kilometers more behind us, so I will leave you with this important observation from Liam.  After covering multiple important topics, he shared an unexpected insight:

“New Zealand would be the perfect place to be during a zombie apocalypse.”

I am not saying that we will have a zombie apocalypse, but I must agree with his assessment.  It is isolated, full of food and self-sustaining energy.  And, as an act of love to our readers, I share this with you.

No, there is no need to thank me!

Steve Sir