July 29th, 2011

First Souvenir of the trip!

Dan Carter!

Jarrad Hoeata

The All Blacks had a signing in the adidas store, luckily I have no class on fridays and had nothing stoping me from going. They have a game against South Africa tomorrow night to start the Tri-nations Tournament.

July 27th, 2011

Westpac Stadium

First live game in Westpac stadium! The Wellington Lions played Canterbury on Wednesday night, luckily I knew the rules already! Got a ticket half price from some woman who bought too many, plus the stadium was so empty we got to chose where to sit.

After the game we also got autographs from the players. It was a mass of little kids plus 6 americans...I think we kind of stuck out.

 I think I could get used to this sport

July 20th, 2011

Trail through the botanical Gardens

All of us at the top looking over Wellington

Random hike afer class one day. I couldn't really tell you where we went but it started through the botanical gardens and up to the first radio town in Wellington.

Veiw during the sunset

Overlooking Wellington...the bay is on the left while the coast is over on
the right

Me

Hello Wellington

Wellington from the Botanical Gardens (the red roofs to the left are Everton)

Arrived in wellington, without our second peice of luggage which was supposed to arrive early, apparently they couldn’t find any of them (of course). So we were driven to our respective halls sans half of our luggage...they did find them later that night in a random storage room  in the airport. I arrive, after climbing up a few hills, to my flat in Everton. I live in a 5 bedroom flat, but only one person, mike, was home. Most local students were visiting home because the semester hasn’t started yet.

My bedroom...little messy (sorry)

I live with a kiwi Liam, who is studying Japanese and Spanish. Sarah a 3^rd year law student from New Zealand. And Mike, a international student from Ireland. The last room has gone through a few people. It started with a girl, Amy. She moved out after a week. Next was Cam, a 3^rd year kiwi who only stayed a week. He apparently is taking a trimester off university and moved back to Christchurch. Basically, my 4^th roommate is up in the air, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the rooms just curse.

Little bit about everton... as far as I can tell its kind of a semi-studious hall. I seem to be one of the few people in my program actually living with kiwis too. Most live with all international student, mostly americans.  I am about a 10 minute walk (up hill of course) from campus. And a five minute walk to town. Basically town is at the bottom of the hill by the waterfront, while campus sits on top of a hill. Everton is essentially right in the middle of the hill. Pretty good access to most things.  

Looking up at Everton....My building is the top red one.

The food is pretty amazing as well (that also just might be because I LOVE food). Most of the little local restaurants are asian. A lot of Thai, Japanese, Sushi, Indian, and Middle eastern food. We also cook as a flat. Each week night a different flat mate cooks dinner for the rest of us, and then we have the weekends to fend for ourselves. The system works out pretty well. Need less to say, all of the hill walking is definitely negated by the copious amount of food.

Bye Rotorua

Today was pretty lazy, mostly full of good byes and making plans to visit. Most of the other schools, Otago, Waikato, and Canterbury left pretty early and we weren’t scheduled to leave till late afternoon. So we basically stuck around to say good bye, headed to town for some lunch, then just played cards and hung out.

Not quite the best picture, but you could spot out the few mountains and lakes throughout the north island

The airport however was a trip. Almost everybody’s bag was over weight (except for mine of course because I packed absolutely nothing), but apparently nobody got charged except for one guy. The Security consisted of paying a $5 departure fee and getting a stamp and that was it. The flight was gorgeous though. The sun was setting over New Zealand, and you could point out the different land marks on the North Island. It was the best 40 minute flight I’ve ever had (not to mention our plane was almost completely full of australearn kids which was fun).

Repelling to the inside of the cave

Last Day at the Kiwipaka, not too sure whether i’m happy or sad to be leaving. Either way, today was caving! We were heading to Waitomo, which was known for it's caves. The other half of the group had their caving day when we volunteered and then switched. They came back raving about it! Needless to say we were all pretty psyched. There were to options, an "extreme" cave in which you repel down and end up getting completely soaked, and a "rigorous" cave in which you repel down and zip line. Everybody said both were amazing, but I chose the zip line option (even though now I want to go back and do the other option too).

Our caving group

Looking down into the cave



A formation in the cave

Our group, of 9 girls, not the most adventurous girls (which made the trip quite entertaining), were bussed to the site. The cave was located in the middle of the sheep pasture. Most of the caves int eh area were owned by private farmer and leased the rights to caving companies. We, basically had to climbed down a steep sheep pasture; the guide had to hold one of the girls hands down (yeeah, that adventurous). We reached what looked like a sink hole, the cave entrance. One by one we repelled down half way, stopped and repelled down the other half. The cave was amazing, the guide pointed out different structures and formations, there histories, how they came to be...I was in love! We hiked through a lot of it until we got to the zip line, and one by one we zip lined across what was called St. Bens Catherdral (the patron saint of caving (I think)). The ground was full of Stalagmite formations, so the zip line was more so we wouldn't ruin it. But the experience of zip lining through was really cool. Towards the end there were quite a few screams, the caves contained one kiwi bug which are grasshopper/spider looking things that can grow to the size of your palms, which apparently like to hang out right by the exit. Despite the jumping bugs, the caves were definitely an awesome experience. Even more unique is you climb out and you straight in the middle of a field, I never would have guess something that amazing was lying right below our feet. After unchanging from our quite stylish jumpsuits, we meet the rest of our group and the Waitomo kiwipaka (10X nicer than ours kiwi paka) for a pizza lunch before we all headed back.

Me on the zip line

Rafting and Redwoods

Everybody in the group had adventure day, basically 6 options different options to chose from. I chose the white water rafting option. Which in the morning, I admit I was reallllllly not looking forward to. I had been freezing for the past 5 days and now I was expected to get in an ice cold river! But regardless I put on my bathing suit and boarded the bus. All together in my group there was about 15 people going, and mostly guys. Seeing as there was a whitewater rafting plus spa (sitting in hotsprings) afterwards options, most of the girls seem to pick that. Go figure. Either way, it ended up being a blast.

We got to the shop and got fitted into a fleece which goes over full pants wetsuits and booties, plus a water proof pull over. Everybody looked quite funny, but I was not once cold, FINALLY! Now the river we were going on was rated as class 5 rapids, with 2 waterfalls. One was basically a practice one, 2-3 meters high, and then a 7 meter high waterfall (about 20 feet), apparently the tallest commerically rafted waterfall in the world, essentially i’m about to pee in my wetsuit at this point I'm so nervous. I started off in the middle of the boat, but mid ride I moved to the front spot because 1) the girl in front could not seem to get the hang of a paddle, and 2) it was easier on my knee when you had to crouch down to go over a waterfall. If I wasn’t nervous before, now me and this other guy were the first people to head down this waterfall, with an entire boat and 5 other people waiting to fall on top of us.

After a few instructions on how to actually crouch down without getting hit in the face with a paddle, and the procedure for what to do if/when the boat flips over at the bottom, we stopped in some dead water and pulled to the shore next to a path going up a hill to the road. They explained this was the “aussie” exit  (kiwis always make jokes about the Aussies). It was the last place on the river you could bailout (“for those who don’t have the balls” as our raft guide told us), the rest of the river was in a forested canyon and the only way out was the river, which looks like it could have been a scene straight from Jurassic park. It was more or less peer pressure that everybody stayed in, but in the end it was a blast!

Not my boat, but another australearn group later in the day

 2 of our 4 boats flipped at the end of the waterfall, thankful not mine, even though looking back on it, it seems like it would have been fun. After a few more rapids and some fun tricks, (they let us rapid surf and go down a rapid in the water just hanging on to the boat) the ride was over! Everybody wants to go back and repeat it! Unfortunately, there photographer was out “sick” which our raft guide said was just a bit hungover from last night, so there is not photographic evidence of me going down a 20 foot waterfall. I’m quite disappointed!

Group in the Redwood forest

"Damn that's a huge tree"

When we got back to the kiwipaka a group of us decided to walk to the red wood forest. As they told us, it was one of the only other climates that redwoods could grow beside California. The reception staff claimed it was a 30 minute walk. In the end it took us an hour! It was completely worth it though. Again it was a scene from Jurassic Park, looked untouched by humanity. We hiked around till it started getting dark, luckily we had a forestry major from northern California with us. He could spit out facts and stories about redwoods and nature for hours, which was pretty entertaining, and I learned a few things too.

Beach Bums and Modern Maoris

Our group of 100 split into two depending on the schools you were attending. My group was scheduled to do  volunteer work involving beach restoration, the much better deal in most of our minds, because the other group was helping with a railroad station. We ended up driving about 2 hours to the East Coast, with long sandy stretches of beach, compared to the West Coast which is much more rocky because of rougher seas. We arrive on Whatamanga beach, which stretches, uninterrupted, for 28 km.

Victoria and Waitako kid after volunteering

Newly planted dune grass

We met with an organization christened by the government to have rights over protecting and restoring the beach environment.  They told us today we would be restoring natural dunegrass, in places which houses are starting to encroach upon the public land. After about 10 minutes of weeding, which I became pretty professional at by the end, I had to take off my jacket and first layer (the first time since being here that I wasn’t cold). We then moved to planting 3 different types of dunegrass, all of which i forgot the Maori names of. The gorgeous day just got better when we got a 45 minute break to just sit on driftwood and eat lunch. The lunch was from the kiwipaka so it was nothing to brag about, but the setting definitely made up for that. Afterwards, we finished the rest of the planting and headed back k to Rotorua.

Later that day we were scheduled to go to Maori Village, basically a performance and authentic Maori dinner. It was outside and at night, so i decided to be prepared and wear all three pairs of pants that I brought.

As a random side note, I pack horribly. For the first week we were allowed to pack a lighter “essentials” bag. While our huge non essentials bag would be waiting for us at our respective schools. Being the idiot that I normally am completely under packed for the weeks and seemed to ignore the fact that it was winter. I only had a light hoodie and a shell for jackets, and brought only one pair of jean, sweats and leggings. But don’t worry, I managed to pack a few pairs of athletic shorts and a sundress. Do not ask me what I was thinking because I honestly have no idea. Needless to say, I was freezing the entire week.

Maoris performing a dance

Anyways, I decided to layer up, with basically all the clothes I had, which most people laughed at me for. In the end however, I was still freezing! Which again people laughed at me for. But the night was still alot of fun. It was pretty comparable to a Hawaiian luai/ pig roast. When we arrived the tourists had to chose 3 “chiefs” from among them, who then had to be accepted by the Maori chiefs, which was basically a lot of chanting and war dances and a haka. Once accepted and welcomed in, we travelled around a mock Maori Village, where they described their culture: food, education, war, ect. After wards, we all gathered to watch some dances, hear some of their songs, their stories and a haka to end the show. Afterwards they unveiled there authentic meal, which is cooked in a pit underground, much like a Hawaiian pig roast. When ended with the meal indoors, thankfully, eating the delicious meal they provided. As a last farewell, the original “chiefs” which we chose earlier had to demonstrate the all blacks haka.

Cooking pit

Can't live without the kiwipaka

Thermal pools throughout Rotorua creating steam

Most of the next morning was spent driving to Rotorua, where we wold be spending the next 4 nights. The drive was so gorgeous, you felt guilty if you slept and missed it. It was endless rolling hills full of sheep pastures and/or fields. We finally arrived in Rotorua, a small town full of geothermal activity, which made the entire town smell like sulfur and rotten eggs. However, there were several pools quite close to our hostel and scattered throughout the town to make things interesting. We were told not to walk through parks and rugby fields at night for fear of stepping into a scalding hot pool. I don't quite believe that would happen though, because every one I’ve seen is roped off with a wooden fence.

In front of the Kiwi Paka Sign

The Kiwipaka, our home sweet home, was a hostel packed with multiple study abroad groups, tours, and different rugby/soccer teams.  The rooms (more comparable to closets with bunk beds)  left something to be desired but the rest of the place was pretty nice. The kiwipaka offered a little cafe/restaurant area, a bar (which was more or less the hang out room for everybody), a little TV room and old school computer lounge, plus for an added bonus a huge geothermally heated hot tub. Overall, the kiwipaka wasn’t too bad to hang out at for a few days.

Haka outfits (the boys are in the back)

After exploring a little and settling in, it was time to learn the Haka, and learn how to play rugby. After a quick history lesson of the Maori Culture and the purpose/meaning of the Haka, we got a quick tutorial of the moves and words. To top off a quite embarrassing display of a Maori Tradition, we were forced to dress in “authentic” clothes. The girls had to were a long black skirt, with a halter top, while the poor unfortunate boys were forced to wear essentially loin clothes. In smaller groups we had to perform in front of everybody else and to a video camera (a video which nobody will ever see, if that's what you were hoping for). In the end it was pretty fun, and I'm glad I do know the words for when the World Rugby Cup rolls around in a few months.

We were on our own for dinner, so most of our group decided to go into town, where there was a night street fair to get some food. I had the most delicious lamb Kebabs with fried noodles and a dumpling from one of the vendors ( I figured I should start eating a lot of lamb see as there are 10 sheep to every person in NZ). Later we walked to explore the rest of the vendors, the town and the different bars in Rotorua.

Adventures in Auckland

After about 24 hours of travelling, our plane finally arrived in Auckland at 6:00am, still pitch dark out seeing as it's winter (a fact which I seemed to ignore while packing). Luckily our plane was full of about 100 kids doing the australearn program. Knowing there was 100 kids just as confused, sleepy, excited and grumpy as I was, was definitely a comforting fact. I met 3 girls on my flight from Chicago to LA: Andreana, Lauren, and Ariel. So knowing some familiar faces helped.

Ancient Volcano Cone with Downtown Auckland in the distance

 To keep us awake we drove to the top of an ancient volcano cone (Auckland sits on 44 of them).  Took pictures..walked around. However, being outside early in the morning in a freezing mist with no sleep and in the clothes I was wearing since Chicago is not the first thing you want to do once you get to New Zealand. Either way, the first day was pretty laid out. Meetings about culture clash, do’s and don’ts, how to deal with getting phones and money…ect. After, we got a few free hours before dinner to actually go get the phones, money, ect… and to explore the city.  I was amazed by the amount of hills you have to climb to get anywhere, hopefully I come back with some toned calfs. Pooped out, a group of us decided to sit down and have a pint at what advertised itself as “the oldest pub in Auckland”. After a group dinner (very chaotic with 100 people in a little Italian restaurant), some of us decided to stop in an Irish pub near our hotel. We figured a live singer and a few drinks might help to stay awake, but with all of us feeling quite lame, we left at 9 to go to bed.

First Off...

Hello to anybody reading this. I just wanted to start by saying I am neither a good writer nor a interesting story teller so bear with me as a describe what should be an awesome next couple of months. And thanks for visiting my page!