fox glacier.

Two days ago I ventured ten hours by bus to a small town called Fox off the west coast of the south island. Home, what I consider to be a small town might have 3,000 residents, but just on the way to Fox we passed through one town with a population of two (plus their dog.) Fox has about 200 residents and one grocery store which is really more of what I would consider a gas station.
Fox Glacier is settled in the middle of a rainforest, and the glacier sometimes shrinks up to a meter per day in the summer time.  Walking onto the glacier, I felt like I must have been transported to another world, or at least another half of the world I thought I was on-- after spending two weeks in warm farming mountains, I was suddenly surrounded by rocky cliffs and glacial streams.

At some point, it dawned on me that this was the most special place I'd ever been. I tried to cherish the few short hours I spent on the ice, but already I'm wishing I was back there. No photos or words could do the magic of this place any justice.

new zealand.

I made it, I'm here, almost ten thousand miles from home. or anyone I know really. it feels strange but like home, too. it's hot, and I spend my days hanging laundry on lines and reading in open fields and chasing sheep, who I thought would be a little more friendly than it turns out they are. I thought I made really good friends with a horse, but then today he went and punched me in the face. I know for sure I've made good friends with a cat, though. I've been here six days, and I'll be here six more and then I move southward to Te Anau.

I've already shot four or five rolls of film, and I brought twenty-four and I thought that would be plenty. I am going crazy though: every which way you turn is something beautiful to take in, something I want to remember.

The family I'm staying with is kind and busy. homeschooled children including two two-year-old twins with the blondest hair. We're on a farm in Tapawera, surrounded by mountains and thousands of sheep farms. They all have the sweetest accents and use of language which I'm picking up quickly..

Here's some things from recently:

All the sheep sit underneath of this tree a bit sunken into the ground with rocks under it and they remind me of mermaids in a lagoon a little bit.

and by the way, I changed my url to beehaves. I'm not sure if that's what it'll stay as though-- I wanted beehives but that was obviously not available and thought this was kind of fun(ny). i could be wrong. i need to think about it for a while.