Goodbye Christchurch….Hello Homelessness (Part II)

As of last week, the Yoloers have left Christchurch and embarked on round two aboard the Tragic Bus (conventionally referred to as the Magic Bus). Christine opted to hold back for a weekend to work (lame, she knows), while Nick, Maggie, and Caitlin began the adventure- first stop, Greymouth. Things accomplished sans X: Touching the Tasman Sea, free Jade on the beach, tour of Monteiths Brewery, rental car excursions.

With Christine still working, and rain in Greymouth, what else is there to do but to pay ten dollars to take a tour of a brewery (with free samples) and enjoy the ten minute open bar. This is Bradley- a temporary replacement for Christine for the weekend. He’s from Michigan and doesn’t wear shoes.


The original tramping plans were cancelled on account of rain, so Caitlin, Nick, and Maggie improvised, rented a car, and drove to Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks).

Pancake Rocks. What you can’t see is when strong waves crash, water shoots up through the rock formations, creating a blow hole effect.







With a rental car, comes the ability to camp, FOR FREE. Times are hard, and we thought we’d take our homelessness to the next level. We scored this prime real estate with an ocean side view, jealous? And who needs the Sounds of Nature Disc 2 when you have the waves crashing behind you. Don’t lie- homelessness is looking pretty good.






We pick up Christine and first stop- Shantytown! X is uber excited. Shantytown: NZ’s attempt (pathetic) at Frontier Land.





Shantytown was so inspiring, we decided to drive the extra 20 miles, offroading the whole way, to explore some old gold mining caves. We weren’t fully prepared with flashlights, so we did the next best thing- we lit the caves with camera flashes. Christine’s fear of the dark was captured, and Maggie realized it was extra dark upon exiting the cave and realizing her sunglasses were still on.





After Greymouth, we got on the Magic Bus for the first time (again) and took it to Franz Joseph. Franz Joseph is famous for its temperate glacier. We took a tramp the first night in Franz Joseph, and came upon this reflective pool. The mountains and the glacier (big white icy thing in between the mountains) are being reflected in the pond below it. This photo is courtesy of Ansel Corr. Crazy gorgeous.



Caitlin, Nick, and Christine, decided to fork over the wad of cash to spend the entire day tramping on Franz Joseph Glacier. Nick is all geared up for the day (notice the people already beginning to hike up behind Nick- this would be us in two hours).


X and Caitlin on the glacier. Only full day hikers get ice picks halfway up- we put it to good use. Notice the HOT fanny packs we are also supplied. Yes it is possible to be fashion forward while climbing a glacier.




NZ Presents: Yoloers on Ice. We made it to the top, so we can officially check “hiking glacier” off the things to do in life list. Good thing we did it before global warming took it away.







So while the others were destroying a glacier, Maggie was completing every other tramp Franz Joseph had to offer.
Suggested Completion Time of all Tramps (according to book): 15
Hours it took Maggie to complete all tramps: 8.25 hours
The fog was supposed to have burned off, but Maggie arrived 2 hours earlier than suggested. The view should have been of the glacier, and the rest of the yoloers hiking it- despite no view, Maggie still found a friend to take the picture of her.

From Franz, we got back on the Tragic Bus for one of the longest bus rides of our lives to Wanaka! After getting dropped off at a hostel, having lied to Magic saying we were staying there, we walked to a camp groud to pitch a tent for the night. Little did we know the ground was made of rock and the wind was uncontrollable. So after many attempts, a few minor breakdowns, we had to ditch the tent idea-but what to do now that we had planned on spending only ten dollars to sleep? LIE! Maggie and Nick posed as a couple and paid for a cabin for two- in which Caitlin and X snuck in and squatted for two nights. Two nights (four beds were in the room, how perfect was that!) for 10 dollars/person/ night. Lying is sweet. YOLO.


Our first communal homeless feast- no, we are not eating garbage, there is food in the bags. Please notice our luxurious two person cabin (for four) in the back of the trailer park. Want to see the feast up close?



Well, you know what they say- when in Rome….or in our case, when in the trailer park, do as the trailer trash would do.










One of the highlights of Wanaka, is catching a flick at Cinema Paradiso. The theatre does not have typical movie seats, but rather very comfy couches. Here we are enjoying intermission during Casino Royale.





Go ten second timer. Yoloers in front of Lake Wanaka.

When you can’t celebrate Christmas with your family, you…..

1.Buy a $20 Christmas tree from the Warehouse (where everyone gets a bargain) and craft all the ornaments to decorate it yourself and by forcing all your friends who come over to help support the cause.

2.Bake, build, and decorate a gingerbread house.





3.Buy stockings from the $1 store, decorate them, and then hang them on the wall because fireplaces are illegal in NZ.














4.Go to the beach, because let’s not forget that it’s summer down here.


Nick and Mags basking in the intense NZ sun after playing in the waves.











5.Go to midnight mass? No!!!!! Midnight trash! In NZ we partook in the kiwi tradition of getting wasted on Christmas Eve, even though some of us were working.



Nick, Christine, and some Dux friends taking celebratory jaeger bombs at work.


Caitlin triple fisting it and getting in the xmas eve mood

6.Wake up on Christmas morning, nearly 3 hours after having gone to bed, to open the much anticipated packages from home. Maggie’s xmas was a little more bleak when she opened her package only to find a letter informing her that a “fresh coniferous sprig” (aka part of her fam's xmas tree from home) was detained.


Christine opening her first present of the morning, which turned out to be the last sight of the bruise (aka her car)









7.Invite everybody you know in the city of Christchurch to the best Christmas party this town’s ever seen!!!!!




Note the mistle toe dangling above Nick and Jordi

Taking jello shots early in the night, while we maintained some classiness in our drinking style.