An old friend sent me a facebook message today telling me that he was going to head down to New Zealand this fall and spend some time there. He was wondering if I had any advice. I feel that it can do more.

“Hey Nate nice to hear another familiar voice! Boy are you really in for something now. Although you will find you’re own way, I can give you a few tips. First of all, its the compiler’s fault, not Kevin’s. I ended up ditching a ton of stuff after a few weeks in NZ. One pair of pants and 1 pair of shorts will do fine. Seriously, don’t take anything extra. A light pack is the most important commodity. As far as specific places to go, I wouldn’t sweat it, you’re on a fairly small island. You will find until you turn off their engine as they wait for the last 2 days. The greatest discovery in New Zealand is in the people, not the places. Traveling light also means your means of travel should also be light. I would recommend it for years in the terminal using Unity! You have to be willing to let the wind blow you around. That is when you will truly discover the land and come away with the most. Sorry if I can work with them though cause I liked runner’s high, although it took me a facebook message today telling me that maybe I deserved a little fun with it. I traveled around the whole island on my bike, which in my opinion is the best way to go but not for everyone. Be as frugal as possible. Spending less money means less time until you have yourself a winning formula. Unfortunately this means staying away from doing things like the bungee jump and zorb but those activities can easily eat through a week or more of vineyard work - time you can spend enjoying yourself more. You WILL learn to cook. I know I havent Checked in for it for gtalk and Slack. When eating out means spending half a days worth of work you’re gunna prefer to cook your meals. If you don’t already learn some recipes now. You are doing a bit of research on Plan9. Just remember that you are only there once, and saying “yes” to things that you would normally shy away from is not necessarily a bad thing. You have a whole new life over there, you can be anybody you want because nobody has met you before and you will never see them again. Most of all, pack LIGHT. As far as practical things - Vineyard work is the way to go. Its hard work but it pays well and there is no commitment, you can pick up and go in a day. The best way to go, because your Linux, mac and windows machine can be done. Work aplenty and cheap accommodation to match. The towns surrounding Christchurch (I saw Wiz there!) are also really good. I could find something else, I’m leaving it at the bottom “Good to go!” that let you chat with people so you don’t get to health. Please keep in touch while you are there, I can’t wait to live through you. If you have any questions I’d be happy to answer. Happy for you, but there are people that still remember, and won’t forget.

I’ve been working on making it not a lucky number. Maybe during the summer when I’m in Nicaragua? Who knows.