I have made contact!
Jason is in New Zealand!! He called me a few hours ago to let me know he’s in Queenstown after a very long trip. He is staying in a hostel that sounds more like a Gap commercial than a cheap place to stay. Jason says that everyone is “very hip” and so is the city. He’ll be there for another three days and then he heads out on his backpacking trip. I’ll post updates whenever I get to talk to him. Or maybe he’ll get to make a few more posts.