Hitting the road

I've been wondering what to do in this post earthquake limbo: I've finished at uni, my job is currently out of action, and other plans for the future seem a bit up in the air. So somewhere between watching a Marcus Lush documentary and pondering my life in Christchurch, I hit upon the idea of travelling to unexplored lands, within the maxim of 'don't leave home until you've seen the country'.
Given that I've lived in New Zealand my whole life, there are huge parts of the country I've never seen. The South Island remains largely a mystery to me, and now seems like the perfect time to remedy that. I'm planning on hitch-hiking around the bottom part of the South Island for a few weeks, seeing where the road takes me, and experiencing lands anew. And I guess implicitly, relying on the good nature of New Zealand motorists. I'm sure I'll meet some good people. After that, back to Christchurch, before hitting the rest of the island.
I've lived in Chch since 2007, and I always envisaged that I'd study, and then move on. Not get too tied down here. And though I've fallen in love with the city, and it's people, I realise that I can't be afraid to take the next step. I could quite happily live here (and will be back), but for now it's time to experience everything else out there.