Lew Zealand
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Loading ...Yes, this is quite belated. I’ll explain why in a subsequent post.
linux.conf.au this year was in Wellington, New Zealand. It just keeps getting better! It’s always great meeting people you otherwise only know online. I was especially impressed by the OLPC NZ team.
Immediately following linux.conf.au, I jumped on a plane to Christchurch to embark on a week-long tour of the South Island. Long story short, it was the time of my life! I made some amazing friends. I also saw and did incredible things, including:
- awe-inspiring views of glaciers, glacially-formed landscapes, turquoise-coloured rivers and lakes, beautiful skies and more
- helihike: a helicopter trip onto a glacier, then hiking on it
- a night on a boat on Milford Sound, probably the most beautiful place on Earth
- every extreme activity I could get my hands on, including:
- three bungy jumps (thrillogy combo): Kawarau Bridge (43 metres), Nevis (134m) and Ledge (47m)
- two swings: two of the scariest jump styles — Backwards and Gimp Boy Goes to Hollywood
- a 15,000ft skydive
- the Triple Challenge: a Shotover jet boat ride, followed by a helicopter transfer to rafting on the Shotover river
- a wilderness safari along the Dart River, including walks through forests and a scenic jet boat ride
I have most of my photos online now:
- 2010-01-24 New Zealand holiday, Day 1, pt 1
- 2010-01-24 New Zealand Holiday, Day 1, pt 2
- 2010-01-25 New Zealand Holiday, Day 2, pt 1
- 2010-01-25 New Zealand Holiday, Day 2, pt 2
- 2010-01-26 New Zealand Holiday, Day 3, pt 1
- 2010-01-26 New Zealand Holiday, Day 3, pt 2
- 2010-01-26 New Zealand Holiday, Day 3, pt 3
- 2010-01-27 New Zealand Holiday, Day 4, pt 1
- 2010-01-27 New Zealand Holiday, Day 4, pt 2
- 2010-01-27 New Zealand Holiday, Day 4, pt 3
I think what surprised me most was how adventurous I can be when I’m not in my ‘natural habitat’. I’m not normally a thrillseeker at all, but in NZ I made the decision to take a holiday from myself as well as from work and home. I even made a concerted effort to not touch computers at all. My phone was offline for most of the trip (I was using it as a camera). I never thought that being cut-off could feel so liberating.
