Leaving Aussie to face the chill of NZ

So as our time in Australia comes to a close, we spent our final night in the country embracing a local tradition known as "Taco Tuesdays." It was a bittersweet and surreal experience for two boys from Texas, some 11,000 statue miles from the Lone Star State in the heart of Brisbane, Australia, to be invited to a such an event. The tacos, as expected, left much to be desired, but the $4 frozen margaritas and equally priced watered down shots of tequila were a respectable consolation. Taco Tuesdays is a regular gathering for local and traveling Couch Surfers, so we spent the night with expats from France, Ireland, Argentina, Belgium, Germany, as well as the obligatory cute blond Dutch girl with suspiciously perfect English. Today will be the most temperate and forgiving weather we will experience for some weeks, as we head into the South Island of New Zealand in the late fall, and plan on getting as far south in that island as we can. In checking the weather for Christchurch, which is reportedly unseasonably cold right now, the highs are five degrees Celsius (38 Fahrenheit), with lows of -3 Celsius (28 degrees Fahrenheit). Stender and I have zero winter clothes, as they take up valuable real-estate in backpacks, so our first order of business upon arrival in Christchurch is to hit up an op-shop (thrift store), and stock up on the winter essentials.

On to the land of the long white cloud, and to the home of the Flight of the Conchords. Sweet as.