Hitching in New Zealand

Hi all, I've been on the south island now for a little over a week I guess. I started off in Christchurch (ChCh) to get some xray and visa stuff taken care of for my australia visit, and once that was done, I put out my thumb and started heading north. My main reason for north was thoughts of finding the weather a tad warmer since I was heading further from the Antarctic region. It worked out a little bit I guess. But it's not like I'm in a huge country here where I can head to the northlands and get into tropical weather. There's still a little chill in the air that my tender, American skin is unaccustomed to. But I'm surviving. I've found the second-hand clothes stores and there's free clothing at the hostels sometimes. Anyways, my first stop after ChCh was a nice town called Kaikoura where they're famous for whale and dolphin spotting. It took me 3 rides to get there, but I made it finally. I got one ride from a God-talkin' lady who chatted my ear off about the miracles that God has made in her life. I just smiled and nodded along with her. And the 3rd ride was actually a surfing actor. Or an acting surfer depending on how you look at it I suppose. He was an extra in Kaikoura, but we stopped just south of town at a nice rivermouth break called Kahutara I think. It was a pretty big right hand wave that was just powering in from the Roaring 40s. Lots of boulders and board/surfer smashing obstacles, but everyone sat more on the inside and caught the nice shoulders coming in. He offered me a ride on his board after he got out. And as I was contemplating that on the rocks up the slope and eating peanut butter and bread, he managed to catch 2 waves and then his leash snapped sending his board into some rocks on the inside. That was a bummer really. He came back missing 2 fins and with a bunch of fist-sized dings in his board. Actually, in his buddy's board; which makes it that much worse! So we headed into town, and he dropped me off right at the doorstep of my hostel. I took a little 3 hour clifftop walk the next day around the peninsula and then headed out futher north. I thumbed my way up north and stayed in my tent just south of the town of Blenheim...and nearly froze to death that night. It's not bad during the day, but I don't think that the camping options are exactly stelar this time of year. So I may be keeping to the hostels with their thick blankets and warm fires.
Absolutely nothing in Blenheim really (unless you go on all the wine tours and stuff), so I headed up to the Marlborough Sounds region into a nice, little town called Picton. Not much here but fisherman and boats. There'a about 2 bars where the locals congregate some nights, and I had my first NZ beers here. Mac's Gold, Canterbury Draught, Steinlager, Speight's, and Speight's Dark Malt. All pretty good, but I've taken a liking to the Canterbury Draught. Anyways, I found a nice hostel called the Sequoia Lodge where I've found employment for a couple of weeks to pay for my dorm. Just a bit of light cleaning each morning, and some driving to the ferry to pick up the travellers coming in or going to the north island. So I get to practice driving on the left hand side of the road here too. That's nice. And there's some nice folks here "whoofing" like I am. And I'm still getting used to the accent. Of course it's easier than trying to comprehend spanish, but I still miss a sentence here and there. And of course there's words that I don't really use as well. Such as biscuits, for cookies, and rubbish for trash. And things are "sweet as" or "good as" when you like them. And when you're ready to leave the bar...er, pub...you say "I'm over it." Strange. But it's nice so far. Just been taking it easy and doing some nice walks around the towns. I can't get any pics up on this computer, but once I find one that I can, I'll put'em up. There's some nice scenery of the sounds around here, some nice walks through the native bush, and some nice ocean scenery on the coasts. I'll keep you all updates. Oh, and cleaning here thus far has led me to finding 50 cents and an unopened beer. This job is making me money practically! I can only imagine what the ladies in the posh Hawaiian resorts find each day.
Anyways, that's about it for now. The next couple of weeks will be around Picton, the we'll see what I decide next. I hear there are some nice breweries in Nelson up the road that give tours and samples...could be an option. Talk to you all later!