Hey everyone! Well, it has been a little while since we wrote, but fear not, we are still breathing! We survived the Routeburn hike. It was a little over 3 days and the first two we had nice weather. The last day+ we encountered rain. Overall we saw lots of waterfalls and pretty mountainous terrain. There was a stretch where the forest was covered in moss too, that really reminded us of Lord of the Rings. The huts that they have for hikers were well equipped. They had running water, flush toilets, bed mats, bed bugs, and gas stoves. Chad wasn’t real fond of the bed bugs, but they sure liked him! Funny enough, for once there was a bug that likes him better than me! Yippeee! After Routeburn we got picked up and driven to Milford Sound for a day of kayaking. That was nice. It was a slow pace. We would paddle for 10 minutes and then rest for 5. My arms appreciated the breaks, but Chad got a bit restless. Plus, there are a ton of sand flies, which bite and like both of us equally. <Chad> “Yippee” Milford was pretty, the mountains along the sound are pure granite so all rain becomes part of a waterfall. Since it had been raining the waterfalls were pretty spectacular. After kayaking we headed on the bus back to Queenstown. Then the next morning we got on a bus to the farmstay, where we spent the last 2 days. It was easy going. They have 3400 Murino sheep and 100 cattle on rolling hills. It was pretty. We went to a sheep auction on Valentines Day, isn’t that romantic?! Then horseback riding. That was wonderful countryside. Now we are in Oamaru, hoping to see penguins tonight.