Greetings from NZ!

Naturally, I botched my promise to put up pictures in LA, but they'll be up soon. Hopefully.

The trip back to the states was pretty uneventful. Mack and I spent a day and a half in Guayaquil doing not much of anything but getting reacquainted with the world. We used the internet a bit, walked around a lot, had a few good (and very cheap) meals, and got the last bit of Ecuadorian sun.

Los Angeles was an awesome respite from the trip, as well as a great time to see family and ditch/upgrade/buy gear for colder weather. After my uncle picked me up from the airport, we went to a delicious breakfast diner in Manhattan Beach where I had several buttermilk pancakes and a plate of hashbrowns, and upon finishing, went to pick up my Mom at the airport.

The next few days were basically filled with random tasks that I had to accomplish before heading out to Kiwi-land -- I can't thank my family enough for helping me with everything -- among them being going to REI to replace boots and buy/replace some things, repair my glasses, send things to medical schools, return the phone, pack, etc. I also had a great time seeing my cousin Arielle whom I hadn't seen in a few years; everytime I see her, she grows about a foot. And she's as avid a reader as I have ever seen. We actually went to Borders and got her about 8 new books, many being ones that I remember reading as a kid. LA also had three awesome meals: Italian, sushi, and steakhouse. Sushi was definitely the favorite. I think it's fair to say that I stuffed my face while there, but it's probably for the best.

A few days ago, Mack and I met at the airport and headed on our flight to Auckland, NZ! with connecting flight to Wellington. The flight was great, mostly because I actually slept (the flight back to the states from Lima to LA I didn't sleep, for some reason). AirNZ also has a great selection of movies, so I got to watch Slumdog Millionaire and Defiance, both of which were very good. After arriving in Wellington (barely made the plane), we wandered around the city a bit and then caught a train to Masterton, where we were picked up by Tom, one of the guys that works at Pukaha Mount Bruce Nature Reserve, which is where we're currently working. He briefly took us to the grocery store (where we spent an absurd amount of money, but hopefully it'll last us a while) and then to the volunteer house, where we each get a bedroom with shared kitchen and bathroom. The only other volunteer here now is Diane, a French girl who's actually spending about 4 more months here for a college project.

So today was the first day on the job (yesterday, we just got a quick tour of the place and a good idea of what the place actually does. On that note, the nature reserve is basically a refuge for native birds that struggle to survive because of deforestation and non-native mammals that eat them. It's the first nature reserve to show that with enough pest elimination, the kiwi and other birds such as the kokako can survive on their own. The reserve has about 20 kiwi, with another 30 to 100 arriving next year! They also have smaller grounds for ducks and other birds, as well as eels and amphibians). Mack and I each covered two different trails through the forest where there are poison stations and traps for the rats, ferrets, and stoats that are the main problems for kiwis replacing bait, removing the poison, and getting rid of any dead animals caught in the traps. I myself, got about 4 rats and 1 huge, rotting ferret (yum). Very peaceful and relaxing activity for the most part! And we get to see the variety of ecosystems that exists in this very small area.

Anyways, that's all for today (internet access only until 5 pm). Pictures soon!