Moisture, Real Country Darkness, More Pancakes

Oh, hello there.
Today is x-mas eve and I am spending it here in blenheim with two friends, Eddie and Kris. Eddie and Kris purchased a house here in blenheim and plan on staying long-term, so they offered to put me up on my way back through blenheim. Incredibly nice people. This morning I made them german pancakes with an array of optional toppings.
Mark and lachie, my two friends from Australia, are arriving tomorrow, so I have been planning and preparing like a mad man. This morning I went grocery shopping and spent damn near $160..My heart shattered when I saw the total, but I imagine the amount of food I purchased will last a good deal of time, and it's better to be prepared then to be stuck in arthur's pass (the place we are going hiking) without grocery facilities.
I just got back yesterday from a four night trip in Abel Tasman National Park. I went with two german friends of mine, Yvonne and Leila. They were a great crew to travel along with and we had some pretty hardy laughs. The first day of the trip could have been disastrous. It started raining midway through the trek and didn't let up until morning the next day, Heavy Hard Rain. We sought out shelter in a kitchen shelter and ended up spending the night in there. My tent, which I inherited from some friends, would have disintegrated in the rain, that's for sure. Other than that the trek was nearly flawless. The beaches were incredibly scenic and I indulged in more than my share of dipping. Blue waters with sort of borderline lush tropical surroundings. It couldn't have been a better area.
Last night I met with my old friend Chris from Chico State University. He's a native kiwi and by chance his grandparents live here in blenheim, so he was swinging through for x-mas. Here's a story- On the vineyards I worked with an 84 year old man. He did the same job as I. Bending and picking at plants over and over. Anyway, after speaking with Chris for awhile we figured out that the man I worked with was actually his grandfather. Small world indeed.
Well, I hope this festive season is treating you well. Bye.

P.S. The car is driving like a dream. A 1982 light brown dream.