What the hell is Aoteoroa?

Aoteoroa is the Māori word for New Zealand, where I will be spending 5 weeks backpacking, tracking (kiwi for hiking), bungy jumping, sheep herding, and possibly hobbit hunting. I am going to make an attempt to update this blog with stories and pictures from my travels, but I can't really promise you guys much.. After all, the last thing I want to do while I'm down there is to be sitting in front of a computer! But having said that, I will do my best to keep this thing relatively up to date with a post and a picture or two every couple days.

Māori is the language spoken by the.. Māori, the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. It is one of the official languages of the country. The Māori arrived on the north island sometime before 1300 and play a large part in the cultural makeup of the country, so I thought it'd be fitting to name the blog after their word for New Zealand. I have learned a lot about the Māori while doing research for this trip, so you will probably hear about them again before this thing is over.

My flight leaves Detroit on Monday at 4pm. If you're bored, you can check out my travel plans and what gear I'm bringing with me, which should all be accessible via tabs near the top of the page. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to finish those pages before I leave, but have a look around.