Adventure is a funny word. FOr so many, to feel like they are really adventurous means going somewhere where no one has gone before. THere aren’t too many places like that left, so I figure you might as well settle for doing something that sounds pretty cool to you.
When I was in Scotland, my big goal was to reach the top of a proper mountain. Though frustrated on several occasions, I achieved the goal & it was cool. I was an adventure dude! In NZ the big goal has to reach the summer snow line. I thought it might have been a bit too lofty a goal (no pun intended), but I found myself with the chance just days ago at the top tunnel entrance to Milford Sound.
I pulled aside because the tunnel that runs straight through a mountain was currently running in the opposite direction. As I looked out over the amazing vista (photos to come) I looked out across a valley of broken rocks & spied an amazing waterfall. At the foot of the fall was the holy grail, a big spot, maybe a hundred meters square of beautiful white snow!
OK, my right leg aint in the best working order & my ankle in particular has a reputation for twisting, breaking, dislocating etc. but as I was faced with this opportunity/challenge, I couldn’t allow such doubtful thoughts to creep in.
I was off.
40 minutes to scramble over to the snow. Hard work, up hill, but I made it!
Of course, only one hour ago I had been low enough in elevation that I had been surrounded by steamy ferns and the like, so that meant I was wearing my Teva sandals. Cool sandals, comfy sandals, good for climbing rocks in, NOT so good for standing in snow in.
I got some pictures though… very cool.
36 hours later, I have picked up the boys from the end of their walk (succesful, no injuries, high spirits) driven them to Milford Sound & then we have all driven back to Queenstown enroute to Mt. Cook this afternoon!
I wont say this will be my last post for a week & a half, but I wont make any promises I can’t keep either!
TCG.>.

So I am driving along the two lane highway at 100km an hour. The highway itself has been cut like a scar through the side of the mountain, meaning steep hill on one side & a cliff on the other. As I speed along at pace, the sun, struggling over mountain itself occasionally sneaks through low points on the cliff to my left, so that the light flicks on and off then on and off, just like an old movie reel.
It was then, more than ever, that I was struck by the movie-set feel of New Zealand, and especially the mountain areas of the South Island!
Of course, it had all started when we found a park in the dark, having driven out of Christchurch for a couple of hours. We were up into the mountains &, having little idea about where we should camp, we decided to pull off at the next dirt road and just look for a flat place somewhre. One turn & a short drive up a questionable dirt road later, we had success!
The next morning, we had a small taste of God’s providence. We had managed to find a free site set next to a lake fringed with mountains! The view was amazing!
That day we did a couple of short hikes to see some waterfalls, then drove into Greymouth so that Matt could get some emergency dental work done (No movie would be ready without at least a couple of twists in the plot). we got him fixed up and then powered on to Franz Josef in preparation for our glacier walk the next day.
We ended up going down to Fox Glacier & it was a cracker of a move. Slightly less busy, but just as pretty! we spent 5 hours hiking on the glacier with our guides Matt & Tamra. Sometimes we were on paths through the ice, sometimes they would use their pics to cut stairs into the pinacles that we would climb! It was awesome & I took a heck of a lot of photos while I was there.
Another drive into a mountain pass, and another camp site. It was less successful than our first one. We had to pay for it, the view was only average (which is still amazing by every day standards) we scored a fair bit of rain that night & WAY too many midges, that are little blood sucking buggers!
All was forgotten when we were back on the road & styling our way through the mountains. Another little piece of excitement was wondering whether or not we had enough fuel to actually make it to the next town. Fortunately, the answer was yes. we had some breakfast & pushed on through Wanaka & up down to Queenstown via (surpise surprise) some more amazing mountains!
Matty C went on the shotover boat & Steve, Dave and I waited in town, where we got to sample some of the local beers. Then we drove up to Glen Orchy to stay the night.
So I dropped the boys off this morning. They are trekking for two days, along the Routeburn path, coming out nea Milford. hence I find myself driving along my mountain road, listenin to the best of the Supertones & lost in movie thoughts.
God is a creative God, and I am a lucky man.
This is the life…

I would love to leave some mystical statement that kept everyone guessing (like Craig) but the problem is that everyone knows that I am just heading to NZ. Looks like we will be spending a majority of time off the beaten track, so my ability to leave blogs is going to be somewhat limited. Have no fear though, I’ll give you a proper rundown when I get back!
Be good people….
See you on the 18th, if not before…

A couple of days in the Hunter to relax….
A couple of photos of really old cars….
A couple of chances for some bees to sting me while I photographed yellow flowers…
A couple of cool people who bought be a new Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey for my 30th (My team!)
A couple of days till I head to New Zealand!!!!!
Rock….. oh yes, Rock on!!!

It has been a big week.
It has been a weird week.
I fear it is going to be a long post! Strap yourself in if you are up for the ride (since I am writing it at 3:40 in the AM, it could be a bumpy ride!)
#1
Monday. Greek Exam.
An experience somewhat like having teeth removed without the pleasant effects of any anaesthetic. Still it is over & I am free from that & that is a good thing.
I surprised many (including myself) by staying in after having finished my exams. I didn’t feel like heading down to the pub. I have been there several times since though, as I shall outline.
#2
A visit to the Royal North Shore (RNS) Hospital.
Dinner had been eaten. Dave (commonly known as “poochy”) threw something at Rachael. She splashed him with water, so he picked her up & started to carry her to the fountain.
Rach, a spirited lass, swung out with a leg, manageding to connect a glancing blow to Dave’s head. Not enough to really hurt him or anything, but enough to shock him, causing him to drop Rach & for Rach to land on her head!
One cracking sound, two anxious nurses (one of whom is her boyfriend) and three minutes later & I am heading off to the hospital with Rach, Steve (the boyfriend & my good mate) and Rochelle (another Nurse & friend & college).
Of course, there are hospitals that are closer, but the RNS happens to be close to my favourite pub, the “Great Northern” and Steve & I were hoping that we would be out fast enough to score a drink or two aftewards! That was not the case…. 6 or more hours it took! Luckily, Steve brough my Narnia Series books with him (He & Rach had been reading them) so I got to read about 50 pages aloud to the other three (The Magicians Nephew) and we got to goof around a little in the hopital.

#3 The Tour of our dorm by the girls.
Next year, the girls are going to end up in the dorm that we are currently in & we get theirs. It was decided that they should get a tour of “RHG” on the thursday morning. We of course, wanted to make sure that it was a good thing for them. We cleaned up a fair bit & made the place look nice.
We also got a picture of one of the girls, photocopied it 130 times & stuck in on every available bit of wall space in a guys room!
It looked pretty freaky. I also printed out a “LIz’s Favourites” list, that went through things that she liked & we highlighted a week-planner with all of her classes listed on it. The effect was a room that looked like a shrine. The plan was that as the girls would come down the hall, all the rooms would be locked but this one. The tour guide (my mate Cam) would lead them past the room, but not stop there, choosing instead to head down to a room further down the hall. All it took was for one girl to look in and the job would be done.
The chicks saw it. The chicks freaked, the chicks laghed. It was good times…
Liz, however, was a little freaked by it. We picked her, cause she is very well adjusted. We were thankful that we didn’t try it on someone less so….

#4 The Party
So I am Thirty. I had a little gathering to celebrate the fact!
The day before? Pouring rain.
The morning of? Bucketing rain.
Twenty minutes before the party started? The sun rears its head!
The duration on the party? Sunny and happy!
A couple of hours after the party? The rain sets back in.
God was gracious in regard to the weather, though my friend Caz who was having her thirtieth that night might not have felt so….
It was a great day & a good opportunity to see a lot of friends, even if I didn’t get to catch up with any of them well enough. I also got to hang out with the Nieces and Nephews which is ALWYAYS a valuable things!
(Would you believe that I didn’t take a single picture the whole day!!!!)
#5 So here we are.
I’ve just about moved out of my room at college. I will finish the job tomorrow morning. Then it is off to the Hunter Valley for a couple of days, before back for Youth Group, hanging out for the weekend, CHurch, then off to New Zealand on Monday!!!
Good times!
Still here? I applaud your patience!

Oh, have no fear, I’m still alive!
But there are big things afoot. Things I can’t talk about right now, that will be discussed very soon.
Yeah, I’m definately alive….

Birthdays that fall in the middle of exams… bah!
It creeps up, crafty, silent, vulpine, then strikes!
You work with youth, you love hanging out with kids, you still buy your clothes at fashionable places.
Face it brother, it is gone, any idea that you are still a “young adult” has been thrown out the door.
30 has struck. Where do I pick up some sensible pants, prescription glasses and heavy mortgages?
Or can I do it? Can I continue to convince myself that I am young.
Hmmm, I guess time will tell…. but time is running out.

Caroline & I enjoying the Sydney view
It has been a good weekend all in all. A fair bit of study done, and a couple of good opportunities to catch up with people. As you can see above, I got to catch up with my friend Caroline, a Swedish girl I know from Scotland. Not to be confused with the only other person who has visited me from Scotland… Caroline the Swedish girl….
So I know two Swedish Carolines & they have both been in Sydney in the last couple of months. It was great to catch up with this one. To maintain some kind of symmetry, I did some similar stuff with this Caroline as I did with the other. Off to the “Australian Hotel” for some great Aussie beer, then off to Ball’s head (after walking over the Harbour Bridge) to enjoy a great Aussie view. We certainly had the weather for it too!
Straight after that, I was off to Blue’s Point for a farewell picnic for Darren & Simone, one of our ministers & his wife (not forgetting their 2 kids) who are heading off to another church. It was a great time to spend hanging out with a bunch of families & their kids. I really have an awesome church with lots of great people in it. I will have to post some of the pictures that Grace (all of 16) took when I let her play with my camera for a while. The young shoulnd’t be so talented.
So, this is not a particularly inspiring update. I guess I am trying to save all my real creativity for the 4 exams I have this week & the one next week. Wish me luck!
In the mean time, check out this great bug that sat with my while I studied yesterday. Click on this or any other photo to follow a link to my flickr photo site where you can see more pics of the bug & more pics in general.
Adios

( Chelsea and Craig enjoying breakfast at Bondi after a job well-done.)
I’m the first to admit that I’ve called it an “Un-Godly hour” before, but I take it all back. I’m not saying it was easy to get up that early. Having gotten to bed around 12:30ish, I was a little worse for wear when the alarm rang at 4:30 on Saturday morning. Still, a hot shower & and a can of “V” energy drink & it was all good.
As I walked down to the car, heavy-laden with all my camera gear, I have to admit that I was feeling pretty good. It’s quiet, there is the faintest chill in the air (but still warm enough to be happy in shorts) and the world is still in blessed repose.
The stereo started on, but got turned off after a minute or two. It was nice enough to just soak in the lights, the air, the quiet. It’s all beautiful.
It got me thinking.
It’s a busy time, not just physically, but mentally. I’m doing all kinds of stuff & I am getting ready for the exams. All kinds of crazy things to think about… The question of justification in the ‘new perspecive’ on Paul & whether or not it is a soteriological or ecclesiological issue, resurrection reference and the OT, or tackling those dang aorist and future passive indicatives. It’s great to ask all of these big questions, but as I flashed through empty streets on an early Saturday morning, I was aware that I was in danger of loosing focus.
Everyone has heard the quote about “not seeing the forest for all the trees”, and that very thing is the danger that I realised I live. All this theology. Struggling to come to terms with God. Great stuff, but dangerous if it means that you loose focus on the most simple of truths. Christ died for our sins & came to life three days later, defeating death and giving hope to all those who “confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead” (Rom 10:9).
“Simplify, simplify, simplify” said Thoreau, “our life is frittered away by detail”. It’s not the first time that I have thought about this stuff, but it seemed to hit me with new clarity. Empty streets speaking to a mind that needs to be emptied of clutter.
My morning proved to be cathartic in this way. Tubeo & Chels turned up on time & despite a lack of actual dawn (dang you clouds) the morning was lovely, the conversation flowed easily & the sculptures themselves were pretty awesome! It was simply a matter of enjoying good company & being moved by man’s little interpretations lying amongst the splendour of God’s awesome creation!
From there we moved to breakfast in Bondi (followed by breakfast again for those who were keen) and more chat before it was back to the real world.
Of course, I need to be passing exams, but it is good to be reminded that we need to spend time not only memorising, but marvelling. The earth, despite the destruction we wreak on it, is an awe inspiring creation!
If you’re in Sydney & you get the chance to swing by Bondi, go check out the efforts of man too…

I’m working on a longer post, after having spent an awesome morning with Craig & Chelsea in Bondi. In the mean time, I’ll leave you with a pic & a teeny-tiny question inspired by some emails with a good friend of mine in the US. Read it how you will.

Do you know who you are? Have you got your own masks? Do you feel like you are really “known”?
It’s good to think about these things….