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I bought new hiking boots. They looked nice, but needed to be broken in. New Zealand seemed a good place to go to break new boots in.
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I departed from Los Angeles on my birthday, and arrived in Queenstown on Christmass Day. Of course, Santa Claus was the airport controller.
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Although it was officially summer, new snow fell just for the holidays. The white-capped summits were beautiful.
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Yes, snow-capped summits were beautiful, especially when it was possible to see them through the clouds.
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There were also some very pleasant days when I walked along nice meadows...
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... saw beautiful valleys...
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... enjoyed refreshing waterfalls...
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... and even saw and heard a mid-summer avalanche.
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I felt like a free bird among the beautiful peaks...
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... but in reality I looked a bit different :-)
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I stayed in some really nice huts...
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... but did not avoid civilization as well, since I needed to replenish my supplies.
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Civilization sometimes seemed silly (grace to Kentucky Fried Chicken in this case)...
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... so back to Nature I went.
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I enjoied big rough beaches...
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... smalll cosy beaches...
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... secluded streams...
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... and high mountain lakes.
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I even went to church.
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I walked some very nice tracks...
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... and some tracks that were not as good but still very interesting...
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... and even tracks that were real muddy.
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Water, water was everywhere!
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I realized that my boots were never ever going to be the same.
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Nevertheless, I wanted this trip to continue for as long as possible, so I looked at saving money by taking inexpensive cruises with the locals...
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... and even discovered economy car rentals - unlimited days and mileage for the price of a new key :-)
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When I arrived home, I realized I was nearly broke.No matter what, I had a great trip, indeed!
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I hope that you liked my pictures. Please, fill free to use the pictures as
you like.
