hasta luego, middle earth!

the last two weeks in the big N-Zed have been... many things. frustrating, inspiring, anxious. we split into two smaller groups and i went with one and spent 5 days in Golden Bay, which is a super-cool small community on the northwest coast of the South Island that has a shown us some of the best examples of "localization" that we've seen so far. for the first time on the trip, we were in a town where, after 3 days of visiting different people and places, we could recognize faces in the town center and really get a feel for what a close-knit community feels like here. there are all kinds of different people, from permaculture agro-yuppies to f--k-the-system hippies to 4th-generation dairy farmers to wwoofers galore.

every day there was packed with activity, yet we didn't seem to get too exhausted because it was all so interesting. some of the highlights were definitely the Autumn Farm, a self-described "paradise on earth" that incorporates sustenance organic horticulture with a chic accomodation house catering to gay travelers. another was the Mussel Inn: organic micro-brewery, folk music locale, restaurant, and prime hang-out spot. also, we visited the sustenance garden of a guy named Pedro who grows everything without irrigation or tilling or outside fertilizers. we got to pick our own veggies for dinner: huge beets and carrots (see picture below) and potatoes and squashes and greens. they were delicious.

granted, not everyone in the area is a back-to-the-land type progressive, but there is a real sense of symbiosis and reciprocity. the strong tourism industry in the area doesn't hurt, either.

overall, the week was incredibly inspirational and optimistic. it really gave us all some palpable examples of creative people who have actively changed their lives and their communities for mutual benefit. one of the mottos of our group is lovingly acronymized as TATA - There Are Thousands of Alternatives - as opposed to the dominant rationale provided for mainstream trends in globalization, TINA, or There Is No Alternative. hope is a much-valued asset among us, as it is often hard to come by these days.

after Golden Bay, we reunited outside of Nelson for our retreat and country synthesis. there's been a lot of relaxing in the sun, drinking wine, and doing homework. and sleeping on the trampoline under the stars of the southern sky.

if you want to read more about New Zealand, i can toot my own horn and recommend that you visit www.ihp.edu, mouse over "News" and click on "Letters Home." for the first two countries, our student fellow wrote these letters, but for NZ i thought i'd try my hand out and give her a break from what can sometimes be a monotonous task. so check them out - they're probably more interesting than the narrative dribble to be found here.

oh yeah: in two days i leave for MEXICO!! ¡ay caramba! ¡dios mio! ¡andale, guero! ¡mis pantalones estan en fuego! ...[disclaimer: the words written here do not necessarily represent the SANE tanner welsh. please don't judge him too harshly]