Many Meetings - Many Partings

I'm so filled with mixed emotions. The closer to my departure date I have gotten the increasingly more excited to come home but also increasingly sad and upset that I'm leaving I have become. That has now gave way to just being rather forlorn and at the same time in disbelief that it is all over.  I know that I'm getting on a plane today and leaving New Zealand for the foreseeable future and yet most of my brain thinks that I'm going to wake up here, in my bedroom, again tomorrow morning. Thankfully this has resulted in me not being too stressed out over the flight and all that entails. But I know that I have to go home, because a little paper in my passport tells me this, and the spare days that I have not been travelling (those that I have had to pack and rest) have been a little torturous. Now that it has come I feel like I've had to psyche myself up and just want to get it done and over with. I know it's going to be painful, but can we rip it off quick like a band-aid? But I've had to sit here and count down the days. 

I've spent all this time preparing to come here - a year to be exact. I've researched nursing, travelling and living in New Zealand. You do all this work getting your brain set up for coming and living here. Then, when you finally do get here, all your energy goes into settling in. You get involved in events, you explore your town and the surrounding areas, you meet people - so many wonderful people - and set out to get to know them. You work on finding meaning and belonging in your workplace. You take advantage of the fact that you're here for a short time and become comfortable, making new friends (and family). 

And then this message in your diary creeps closer and closer. "Depart from Wellington. Back to Canada." Leave New Zealand? But this is where I live... Heaps of preparation to come here - no preparation on leaving here. My brain feels a little shocked and confused. Deep deep down it has known all along that I am going to be leaving eventually. But the longer I've been here the deeper it has become and I think, "Already!?" now that the date is fast approaching. I cannot believe that it is already December or that I am already having to leave. At the same time, I feel like I have been here for such a long time. I know, because of this, that I have made the most of my time here. I don't regret any of my decisions - even the decision to not see different parts of the country, but I now feel like I belong here and the plane ticket that tells me I do not throws my brain into a spin. 

I'm absolute rubbish at goodbye's to begin with, but the lack of belief and urgency has made it difficult to properly say them. I don't want to say goodbye and therefore I don't. I think, but "I'm coming back" as if it is as easy as hoping into your car and driving 10 minutes down the road, when in reality I have no idea when I will be able to return. All I know is that I want to - most definitely. And I want as many people as possible that I know to experience this amazing country. New Zealand is a most spectacular, almost magical place and I am definitely going to miss it. 

So I will leave you with a quote:

"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."

INSIDE INFORMATION

It feels really surreal. I got to see the last chapter of my favourite movies come to an end, just as my time on this adventure is coming to an end. I got to see it in New Zealand, on my birthday (which would never have been possible in Canada), and only days after visiting Hobbiton. I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday. This has truly been a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so so so grateful. I've come to that point in my trip where you think, "Is this real?" And I'm so terrified that when I go home, it will feel like I'm waking up and it was all a dream. But I'm confident that just as these movies will live on in my heart and never get old, that my time here will too. 

I don't know if this was just in New Zealand, considering it was thanking Kiwis, but there was a bit of a recap of the journey starting with Rings and then the Hobbit. It was really beautiful and sad and happy all at the same time and a great way to end the last of the series, so hopefully it makes it on to the bonus features when the videos are released.

I'm just going to start out by raving about how amazing Martin Freeman is in this film. He plays Bilbo absolutely brilliantly and I loved every second of his performance. I do not think there could have been a better actor to bring Tolkien's character to life. He (Bilbo) is without a doubt the star of this film (good thing too because the films are kind of about him) and that is only made possible by Martin's acting. People complained that a movie called "The Hobbit" was actually about 13 dwarves, but when you look at these films in their entirety it is obvious who the main character is - who shines through. Like I said, I absolutely loved it and at the end of the film just wanted to give Bilbo a hug and say, "You are my hero; I love you Man."  

The movie was amazing. To be completely honest I did expect just a tad more sentimentality. Maybe it's because I'm just really sentimental as I am leaving or maybe it's because there has been a lot of sentimentality over the past few weeks on the part of those involved in producing the film, but it did feel a little like it kind of just ended. It is appropriate that they changed the name of this film from There and Back Again, because they're already there and there isn't a whole lot of back again, comparing to the 6 hours we've spent getting there. **

But it is definitely epic. It is action packed. It is intense. I might have cried a little bit. In my estimation, the rumored 45 minute battle scene is an understatement - let's be honest this movie is called the Battle of the Armies. For everyone who complained that An Unexpected Journey took too long to get going, you have absolutely nothing to complain about. Fasten your seat belts. 

This movie is basically one massive climax for the whole series. It does literally start off exactly where we left off at the end of The Desolation of Smaug. That emotion and character development is still there, but because it doesn't follow the normal rising crescendo to a climax (because the whole movie is one) when just watching this movie stand alone it doesn't necessarily stand out as much as in other Middle Earth movies. So I would highly highly suggest watching at least the Desolation of Smaug, if not both movies before watching it, if you can. Trust me, you will get so much more out of this movie if you do. 

**Note: I did really enjoy how Peter Jackson really worked to tie the story of the Hobbit in with the Lord of the Rings. And the story definitely comes full circle ingeniously (you'll see what I mean). I think the goal (with this movie and the whole trilogy) was definitely to make it possible for [hard-core] fans to be able to sit down for a marathon and watch An Unexpected Journey straight through to The Return of the King. So that being said, a long drawn out sentimental conclusion wouldn't have really been appropriate.**

Looking at these films as a series, they are absolutely brilliant. I can't wait to watch this film again and seeing the film today just makes me want to go out and watch the others. I hope that you all enjoy the film as much as I did and hopefully will not be too sad that it is all over. 

Cheers!

QUEER LODGINGS

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms or an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

*cue theme music*

On Wednesday, I visited the much loved Hobbiton. They say never meet your heroes (which technically Hobbiton is a place, but whatever). They were wrong. Can I just say... I took well over 100 photos, of which I can only show you a small handful on the blog, so if you want to see more, you'll have to come talk to me later. 

Getting ready to leave, I was actually nervous.Travelling up to this point this last week, and most of the other places I've gone over the past few months, I haven't really cared... up until yesterday. It was like when you're going to meet an old friend and you kind of want to make a good impression, but what if you don't get on, what if they're not as interesting as they used to be? Will seeing the real Hobbiton ruin all of the magic of the movie... 

I never really ever dreamed that I would be able to come to New Zealand, let along Hobbiton. The movies quickly became an all time favourite after, as an 8 year old, I convinced my mother that my 6 year old sister and I were old enough to watch it and would not be scared. When the Return of the King was released, we were finally both old enough to see one of the movies in theatres. My dad owned a grand total of 6 movies, 3 of which were the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings movies... and my sister and I watched one of them almost every other weekend... for several years. It would not be unreasonable to say that combined with the 2 Hobbit movies (considering I saw the Desolation of Smaug 4 times in theatres) that I've probably seen them 100 times, maybe more. Through all of this, I can never remember thinking, "I want to go there some day," because I think (until about a year ago), I generally did not think it would ever be possible. It was like a dream that was such a dream that you don't even think of it afterwards. But Hobbiton has definitely worked its way into my heart, as it has for many others, and to say that this was a dream come true is such an understatement (as many of you will understand). So I think I had the right to be a little nervous. 

Of course, all of this went away as soon as we started driving over the rolling hills, speckled with sheep and cattle. The landscape around Matamata itself is worth a drive around, again the classic rolling hills, winding roads, lots of sheep and the Kaimai ranges in the backdrop. 

The set is on a fully functioning, family run sheep farm. The father has now retired, but two of his sons keep up the farm. One manages the sheep and cattle and the other the tourists. Because of it being on a fully functioning farm, the tours are guided, but it is a relatively casual guided. They bring you to different areas where there are a number of different Hobbit holes or things to take pictures with, so it isn't exactly "You have to come here and see these things." The tours, gift shop, cafe and maintenance crew employ (at least this is my understanding from something my guide said) around 150 people and most of them are from Matamata and the surrounding areas, so the community itself has really benefited. The gardens, you can wander through and the gardeners get first pick of the produce, followed by some of the other employees and all the rest goes to the Green Dragon. There is a hobbit hole that you can open the door, play with props in front and basically get more interactive with - whatever your little hobbit heart desires. Hang out in the party field under the party tree and play 'the party field game'. Take a picture in front of Bag End and then head on over to the Green dragon for a pint (or a ginger beer). 

"I feel like I'm back at the Green Dragon... after a hard day's work"

I can now verify that  not only does Hobbiton look amazing, it also smells, feels, sounds and tastes amazing. No really, walking around the picturesque hobbit holes, I couldn't get over how lovely it smelt. 
Peter Jackson has got a reputation for being probably one of the pickiest directors ever. All of the painstaking work and attention to detail is probably one of the things that has made the Middle Earth saga so famous and wow! has it paid off! I'm not going to go over too many of the details, such as what makes the tree over Bilbo's home so special, why the pond was such as pain-in-the-rear or the sheep "problem" - that's to be saved for the tour (and is probably available somewhere out there on the internet already anyways). But it is definitely evident that the Lord of the Rings was not just a Peter Jackson accomplishment, it was also a New Zealand accomplishment - just from the sheer number of Kiwis involved from those working at Weta, the crew, the extras, the NZ army, to the university students who picked very single piece of fruit off all the dwarf apple and pear trees in Hobbiton so plums could be hand wired on to them, because that's the fruit mentioned in the books, so that's what fans will be expecting. Honestly, so much effort from so many people went into making these movies painstakingly perfect (... and beautiful) that I think it is deserving of the cult status that it has achieved. Hobbiton is absolutely gorgeous, so detailed and so believably real. I want to go back already! Best day EVER!

 

Cheers!

ROCKY LOOKOUT

Also in October, I had the wonderful opportunity to do a little bit of tramping on one of the mountains near Masterton with the super cool Amy Munn. She posed the idea of doing one of the day walks to many people, but since no one from the young adults bible study was free and since her other friends had to back out due to last minute changes in plans, she was left with me. Poor Amy...

Everything started out as you might expect. After we had been walking up a bit, we both got a little bit breathless. But for some reason, I found the bottom of the hill more difficult, and once I got going became fine. Unfortunately, this did not happen for Amy, who increasingly became more and more out of breath the further up we got. It wasn't like climbing up this hill was easy for me, but my respiratory system didn't seem to get the memo. There were a couple of times when I tried pretending to be more tired and out of breath than I actually was in an attempt to make her feel better, but I don't think it was really helping. 

It was at this point when I tried to verbally make her feel better. Anyone who knows me really well, knows that the second I decide to open my mouth in an attempt to console someone, it becomes a bad idea. I don't know why I thought this would help, but I decided to talk about my experience climbing up to the caves in my first year in Mexico. I think I thought that it would somehow convey that I understood what she was experiencing... I still don't know why I thought that would help. Aii, poor Amy. Looking back, I feel so bad - Amy is puffing away, thinking that she's going to die and looking dauntingly at the endless amount of stairs we have to keep climbing and here I am chattering away about how I've climbed mountains in Mexico. Good one, Natalie. 

But we made it to the top, eventually. The view was spectacular and after we ate our lunches we forgot about the difficulty we had climbing up there (until we woke up the next day with sore legs). Amy, if you ever read this, I'm sorry! I fail socially and thanks for an amazing experience!

MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS

A few... okay, many weekends ago I got the chance to do a bit of travel on my own. So, I packed a bag and hopped on a train down to Wellington. Friday was great just wandering around Wellington at my own pace. The youth hostel needed a paint job, but it had the comfiest beds ever... and let's be honest, they're much cheaper than hotels for a reason. 

Rise and Shine!

Saturday, I got up bright and early and boarded the Bluebridge ferry to Picton. Not that there is anything super exciting about Picton, but to get there one must travel through the Marlborough Sounds and I since I'm still not sure what I'm going to do in my last two weeks, if I'm going to go to the South Island or not, I thought it would be nice to at least say that I'd seen some of the South Island - even if it was just Picton. 

Jellyfish!

If you're ever planning on traveling by ferry, everyone will be fixated with advice about how you can avoid motion sickness... but honestly, my advice is, unless you have really short hair, bring a hat... for 2 reasons. One: on the way to Picton, it was a bit windy, which resulted in my hair feeling like it had been backcombed even though I had put it up. Two: on the way from Picton, I sat at the balcony/seating area at the back of the boat which in my opinion were the best seats in the house, but which also happened to be in direct sunlight and sunglasses were not quite adequate. 

But all minor frustrations aside, this was an absolutely amazing experience. On the way back, I even saw dolphins and the albatross were diving into the water around them. It was spectacular. Unfortunately, cameras aren't always the greatest at capturing these things, so you'll have to take my word for it. The Marlborough Sounds are amazingly beautiful and so. worth. seeing. 

Picton from the ferry

Cheers!

THE WAY IS SHUT

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are Dead, and the Dead keep it, until the time comes. The way is shut." 

~

Had the coolest most fun packed weekend.... last couple of weekends actually.  Saturday morning my host and I got up, packed some lunch and a copious amount of water into a chilly bin, loaded up the car and hit the road. Destination: South Wairarapa! Putangirua Pinnacles, Cape Palliser, Lake Ferry... basically the southern most part of the North Island.

The great thing about New Zealand is that even getting places is exciting. Passing though the town of Martinborough, travelling on country roads between farmland (and thousands and thousands of sheep), over rolling hills, along the coast - it's pretty much the epitome of enjoyable and it's incredibly beautiful.

First stop: The Pinnacles. 

View from the Pinnacles Lookout 

They aren't exactly a breeze to get to - you have to walk about an hour up a rocky riverbed/stream then up and up and up a rocky hill, totally exposed to the sun - but it's totally worth it. Once you get up you can walk through the eroded columns of stone, being mindful that they could technically collapse at any moment, crushing you or starting a rock slide... but they are far too beautiful for thoughts like that. In the picture above, they look quite flat... far too flat in my opinion. Believe me you are constantly walking up hill, even when walking through them. I probably have a hundred photos of rocks on my camera after this; just warning anyone that has thought about asking to see photos of my trip... Ignore all thoughts following the paths between the pinnacles to the very end. On my way up, pulling myself up over obstacles had been done by holding on to rocks on the sides of the pinnacles with my hands, since there came a point were I could no longer trust the rocks under my feet.There may have been a point where I was suspended like a tree frog, unable to go up because if I moved I would start a slide of rocks and then slip back down the slope of rocks and unable to go down because the rocks I was holding on to on the sides couldn't hold my weight enough to allow me to lower myself down the slop. Images of starting a rock slide which would inevitably bury my unassuming host who had the sense to stop long below were conjured up in my mind. I considered how the signs coming up the hill which said, "Caution: Rock slides" and "Do not climb the pinnacles" would probably negate my medical insurance. I'm still not entirely sure how I got out of that situation, but I got down most of the rest of the slope on my derrière.

For my less nerdy viewers, who possibly might not get the reference at the beginning, this site is one of the filming locations for a scene in the Lord of the Rings. It was a passage called 'The Dimholt Road.' In full sunlight and without the dramatic music it was much less creepy, but there is something eerie about walking alone amide towering rocky towers so I can see why they chose this site for the scene. My host was constantly commenting on our long ascent up to the pinnacles how, "Peter Jackson probably wouldn't have walked up all the way up there. He probably had a helicopter." 

Of course I couldn't leave without leaving a little bit of Canada behind! 

Next Stop: Cape Palliser 

(But only after stopping in Ngawi for icecream! Passionfruit mmmmm....) The walk up to the light house was a little bit daunting, but we made it! 

Cape Palliser Lighthouse

Climbed all 253 of these!

The whole time up the steps I was thinking, "Don't turn around; don't look down." The way down I had to hang on to the rail with both hands! But the view at the top was spectacular. You could see all the way down the coast, the rocky beaches and jagged coastal rocks on one side and the black sands on the other. I've never seen black sand before. There's something almost mystical about them. It can be bright and sunny, but when you looks at the beaches it almost seems overcast, I can't explain. 

And in case the spectacular views, fresh sea breeze and calming noise of the waves crashing against the rocks were not enough, down on the rocks below were New Zealand's fur seals. It was just another lazy day for them. We watched them for a while and wandered among the rocks searching for shells. 

Last stop: Lake Ferry

Lake Ferry (this is a town not an actual lake) is on the shore of Lake Oneke which is separated from Palliser Bay by a sand bar, which is black like the other beaches in the area. This area is not the safest to swim in due to the rips created by the lake draining into the bay and the undertows have carried people away. 

We walked along the sand bar and then stopped at the pub/restaurant/hotel near the beach. I decided to try the whitebait fritters, which are essentially whitebait fish (an anchovy-sized fish, sourced locally) in an egg mixture fried like an omelette. I thought they were delicious (although my host thinks they "taste like nothing"). It's true, they don't have a strong fishy flavour, but I think the texture is part of what makes this dish popular. 

*If you are easily grossed out, skip this next bit*

After we get our fritters, I had already taken a bite when my host leaned over and said, "I don't want to put you off, but did you know those are it's eyes?" 

I didn't think they were gross; I happily finished my fritters!
You be the judge. 

After our fritters were finished, we decided it was time to head home. With all that hiking and sea air we were confident we would sleep well. After putting her in the car before eating dinner, the dog refused to get out of the car and once we started off she didn't move an inch from this position:

Tired Pip? Someone's had a full day!

WETA WORKSHOP

This post has been a loooong time coming. It has occurred to me that some of the people reading this blog may have never seen the Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit and that much of what I say may have been lost on them. All I can say is that is very unfortunate. So for those of you who don't know, 13 years ago this December the first film of one of the highest grossing film series of all time was released and the world changed forever. Based on the novel, The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, the films made their way into cinemas around the world and into many many people's hearts. The films were considered to be one of the biggest most ambitious film projects ever undertaken and were partially created by these guys: 

Weta Workshop. Founded by Sir Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger in 1987, Weta Workshop embodies the Kiwi 'no. 8 wire' can-do attitude employing many master craftsmen, many of whom are self taught. Named after the infamous New Zealand weta (basically a VERY large cricket), Weta has brought fame to New Zealand through it's work on projects like The Lord of the Rings, The Last Samurai, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, Distict 9, Avatar, The Adventures of Tintin and The Hobbit. Basically it has become a mecca for nerds all over the world traveling to New Zealand to make their pilgrimage and, up until the last couple of years, stand outside the gates and peer through and hope to see something. 

Luckily for us, 2 years ago, the founders saw the financial gain in opening up a small part of the workshop for pilgrims to be guided through explanations of the work the company does and look through into a couple of parts of the workshop to see parts of the creative process. And it is definitely worth it. Starting from sketches up to the final painting of the prop, the guide explains how everything in the movies are made, different materials used for different shots and even how they make replicas. He discussed the digital process, sword and armour crafting, 'bigatures' and much more. We went in there expecting to just get shown some props and how they were made - and we did - and came out with a lesson about life. 

It perfectly mirrored a conversation I had just had with 2 college-aged girls (college in NZ is the same as high school) the Sunday prior. Somehow we got on the topic of future careers. One of the girls was saying that she wanted to be a brain surgeon; the other that she had no idea what she wanted to do. We talked about how it's okay to not know what career path you should follow, that university is over-rated and that you shouldn't necessarily be focused solely on getting there (unless of course you want to be a brain surgeon). I told them that just because you've decided a career path does not mean that you know what you want to do for the rest of your life. Other choices crop up. The one everyone is asking me now is, "So what type of nursing do you want to do?" This revelation came as a huge shock to me because all through high school and much of university I thought I had this whole career path sorted, having chosen to pursue nursing and studying at McMaster. We discussed how so much of education and energy, as children and youth, is focused on getting kids to figure out what they "want to be when they grow up" but not enough time is focused on helping them enjoy their childhood. You can always work on being more grown up; once lost you can't work on becoming a child. I told them to do what they love, are interested in learning and have passion for and to try to make a job out of that if possible. It fit in so well with what our guide discussed about his own personal experience. 

I got this quote from the Weta Workshop website and it pretty much sums up what we talked about during the tour: 

      "Working at Weta is about as good as it gets," Matt says - "We get paid to have a hobby and play with weapons at work. I carry around a Japanese Katana when I do my tours... where else can you do that?" 
      Matt also says what so many other artists at Weta tell us, that the most important thing you need to work in a place like Weta is passion and a desire to be the best at what you can do. What school you attend or what qualifications you hold comes second to the passion for your art. 
      "It's never a bad thing studying. I would never discourage anyone, but it really isn't the only way to get a job, at least not here in New Zealand... Not everyone is cut out for higher education - financial reasons, learning difficulties or dyslexia may mean it's hard to acquire a formal education, but the very same things may well increase your chances of becoming a great artist and the lack of education shouldn't stop anyone from being allowed to pursue their dreams."

ONE MORE STEP

Okay, so I kind of passed that point a long time ago... But I've had a new milestone this week (and I just wanted an excuse to use this quote): I am now OFFICIALLY moved in. I know it probably isn't that big of a deal for all of you. But although I'd taken most of my clothes out and put them in some drawers, nothing was super organized and I was still living out of my suitcase. My room, even when organized, looked a little chaotic with 2 suitcases lying around and piles of shoes books around them. As of Thursday, I've re-organized my drawers, started utilizing the closets, put my books in the book space under my nightstand and hid the suitcases in the closet. When I first got here, I didn't bother fully unpacking because I thought, "It isn't like I'm going to be here very long. I can handle living out of my suitcase for a little while." But now that I'm settled and gotten used to living here, I realized that that was silly and was just a symbol of how a piece of me was holding on to things back home. 

That being said, this week was also a week of looking back. My Granda and Gram celebrate 60 years together last week (Thursday) and I was really disappointed that I couldn't be there with two people who I love and respect so deeply. I talked previously about how we don't think of how it will feel when we move somewhere and the food, trees, flowers, speech is different than we are used to, and we don't always think to prepare for these things, because we are worrying about customs/immigration, money, electrical, weather, time, etc. This week, I considered how I didn't really think of what it would be like missing out on certain things back home. My sister turned 19 and my mum and dad and 3 friends are all celebrating their birthdays while I am away. I will also miss Thanksgiving with my family and the ever-increasing-in-length preparation and excitement leading up to Christmas (yes, Cara and I have already had a few conversations regarding decorations and gifts). These are all things I really enjoy and didn't anticipate missing. While I accept this (and am interested in how Kiwis prepare for Christmas), it's just one more thing that I would advise people who are considering moving to a new country to consider. 

JOURNEY IN THE DARK

The crowd around the gates was already a decent size when we arrived and was growing quickly. People were milling around in small groups, chatting to each other with excitement and curiosity. I don't think anyone really knew what to expect. The Botanical Gardens are not exactly well known for glow worms, so I think many of us had low expectations. It must have been an interesting sight to any passerby to see a crowd of people collected around it's back entrance gates after dark.  

They split the crowd into 3 groups and briefly explained some basic information about the incandescent insects. Glow worms are the larvae of a small fly (which in it's adulthood is similar to a mosquito). The species found in New Zealand is not found anywhere else in the world, although there are other species in Australia and Fiji. The larvae are suspended by webs which catch small insects that they feed on and are typically found around water. Since Wellington is windy, these webs are shorter that the glow worms in the Waitamo Caves (a tourist location famous for them) where they are much better protected. The light produced by the glow worm is bio-luminescence which means that it is produced by a chemical reaction within the worm. 

After beginning our walk, we all moved forward in a bit of a clump, further into the forest in the gardens. A lot of people were shining their torches around to see, but as long as you followed the person in front of you, really the only people who needed them to see were those at the front. There was only a sliver of a moon, but it was still quite bright. After some time we could hear the sound of a creek below on our right side and we were asked to turn off our torches. We all stretched to try and look down to see whatever we could of the glow worms. We moved along the path, but let a lot of people pass, because after they had finished looking in the area they were in they would turn on their torch and make it impossible for the rest of us to see the glow worms.The glow worms became easier to see and increased in number as we walked along. The pack of people was dispersed over the length of the pathway and we could meander more freely. Also, a bit further up the pathway, a bank developed on our left side which had the worms glowing away (although not as brightly and in as great numbers as by the river. 

I couldn't take a picture that would properly show you what this looked like (or look like anything other than darkness), so I've stolen a photo from google that hopefully will give you an idea of the ambiance created by the glow of the worms. 

I believe this is probably taken in the Waitamo caves

It was a mystical experience walking along in the dark with the path lit with blue-green incandescent light with the stars and the sliver of the moon. As I said, on the left there was a creek, so the worms were spread out over the different levels of the riverbed and up the sides of the banks around it, creating a slight chasm effect (since we couldn't see the details of the creek or bush around it). These glowed quite impressively. On the left, they worms didn't glow quite as brightly on the bank, so there were clumps of little pinpricks of light in crude lines along the way. Above you could see the sky and the clouds and the southern cross (which is the group of stars on the NZ flag) past the tops of the trees. It was a fairly warmish night and there was only a slight breeze. This came in gusts which would howl as they approached and the ferns and cabbage trees would rust in such a way that it sounded like a wall of rain was coming towards you. At first, because we were not 100% certain that it wouldn't rain, it was a bit nerve-racking, but once you got used to it, it just added to the mood of the evening. It was light wandering through a mystical forest by fairy lights, no word of a lie. It was so awesome. Definitely one of the coolest and most enjoyable experiences of New Zealand so far. 

Wellington Botanical Gardens are very enjoyable to walk around in the day as well. Although, I must add that it is not always very well signed, so it can be easy to lose your way (but don't worry, other than probably a few more hills to climb and possibly going out of your way, you'll find your way fairly quickly). I tried to go back to the spot that we toured the glow worms, just to give you an idea of what the forest area was like and to try to imagine it in the dark and with blue-green glowing specs along the way, but I got lost.... a few times, and took photos as I was walking along, so my the time I got there my camera had died. So here are some photos taken from the gardens, but not in the area we had the tour. 

Cheers!