Wooooo hoo! The weather has once again shifted and I'm loving it! This past weekend is was sunny and warm and PERFECT for the beach, which made my roommates and I very happy :) Our University is not right on the ocean, so we have to take a bus there which takes about 1 hour total with all the stops. It is kind of a trek, but was well worth it when we got to the beach! We were starving so we went into a fish and chips restaurant, but we all got hamburgers...uh yeah, not so kiwi of me. Oh well, I'll have plenty of other opportunities to eat "fish n' chips". I'm not too worried. It seemed like the whole university was there, at least everybody I know, which I guess isn't a lot haha We hung out there for about 4 hours or so which was GREAT. It's weird though because peak sun hours here I guess is 4-5 o'clock which is different from back home...so we stayed until about 5ish. We took some pictures on some really pretty rocks by a cave (luckily my roommates are good at documenting our experience because I fail when it comes to taking pictures...I will have to improve on that for you all). I will also improve on making this blog more interesting by including pictures...when I take them haha So look forward to this blog being a lot prettier I hope. I guess I just stink at being cute. Stick with me :)
Saturday we got up and went to a market in the town center which was great! They have all sorts of clothing, jewelry, toys, candles...pretty much anything you could want! It was really cute and there were musicians playing where you could get food. Being the picky eater that I am, I got a waffle from this cute little German stand, with powder sugar, maple syrup and whipped cream while the rest of my group got souvlaki? Or something like that... it's greek. I also got some chips a.k.a french fries. Can you tell I'm a carb queen? We sat on the grass and talked for awhile, soaking in the warmth. It was really relaxing and nice to be outside. We then headed to K-mart to pick up some much needed things and headed back to our flats. I was EXHAUSTED for some reason and in a weird mood, but we were going into the town that night to check out some of the clubs and stuff for the first time. Some of my friends had been down there so it was a first for me. I hoped I would get some energy by the time we went down! You go downtown pretty late...we left at about 11:30 pm. There are so many different clubs but we chose to go into a place called "Boogey Nights". Clubs here are free which is awesome and I literally danced for four hours straight. This place was so much fun! The dance floor lit up and they didn't play the hits from today but songs from back in the day! haha They played S Club 7, Spice Girls, John Mellencamp, Lynard Skynard, Michael Jackson and a bunch of other 80's and 90's songs. It was right up my alley. We left at 4:30 am! Places around here do not close down early. I couldn't believe how late it was! People were still there when we left...it was insane. But, I had a great time.
Sunday was a really chill day. Didn't really do much. We basically all watch the Olympics when we are not out running errands haha I really do not know what we're going to do once they end. It's fun to watch because we cheer for New Zealand, Canada and the U.S. We're obsessed pretty much :)
I had my first class of the year today! It was my political science: introduction to international relations course, or "paper" as they say. I think it's going to be a really interesting class but it's weird because I'm not used to huge lectures! There are at least 200 people or more. The professor is very passionate about what he is talking about and seems to have a lot of experience teaching it. It's weird we have a paper, a mid term and a final exam. That's it. No other grades. It's going to take a little getting used to not having homework assignments or readings...but I'm not complaining! After my class, I went to a fitness class at our rec center. They have so many classes that they offer here...it's great! My friends and I are determined to get into shape, and after today's "Pump" class, I can't imagine how I won't be! We did weight lifting, squats, abs, bicep curls, tricep lifts, gosh everything! I literally worked every muscle in my body. I LOVED IT! We are taking a cardio or muscle class everyday...or at least we plan to. We'll see how long that hold up. I'm pretty determined though! I'll keep you updated haha
Alright, I got to go to bed...I have class again tomorrow! It's weird I'm finally in school. Miss you all!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Just settling into my new home!
Hey everybody!
Sorry I haven't blogged in a little while, but it's been pretty boring around here in terms of blog writing material haha I've just been settling in, going to orientation, buying groceries and other stuff to make my experience here as "homy" as possible. The weather has been pretty bad lately...it's been raining A LOT. That's New Zealand weather for ya. It's supposed to be sunny and warm this weekend though so we are probably going to go to the beach :)
I feel like I've adjusted pretty well here...no homesickness as of yet. It really is a lot like America, except with different accents and different sayings. I'm planning on doing a whole blog about their different words and sayings soon..should be interesting for you all haha Some of them are quite strange! I've met lots of people so far because everyone in the Ilam Apartments (where I'm living) is very social and WANT to meet lots of people. It's like freshman year all over again, but I like it! I hang out with my flat mates a lot which is great. We all get along really really well. We've met some girls above us that we hang out with a lot as well. I'm glad to have found a great group of girls to hang out with already. Even though I applied to live in a co-ed flat, I ended up with 4 other girls as roommates...which seems to be working out great! Two girls are from the U.S., Leah and Ali, who are from South Carolina and Kentucky. Leah is a junior, while Ali is a sophomore like me! Alyssa is 22 and is from Edmonton, Canada and Martina is from Germany! Bridget (a kiwi), Angie, who is from Canada and Louis (a kiwi as well) round out our group. We're all trying to figure out this whole Uni thing and it's nice to have other people to lean on. There are a lot of Americans here, which is great but I've also met a lot of kiwis so far which is what I came to do!
I guess that's the only update I have...I've been able to watch the Olympics a LITTLE bit, which is sad because I'm usually obsessed with watching them haha It's weird with the time difference and I've been so busy, but I'm going to be watching them as much as I can. Alright, well I hope all is well and I'll blog again soon!
Sorry I haven't blogged in a little while, but it's been pretty boring around here in terms of blog writing material haha I've just been settling in, going to orientation, buying groceries and other stuff to make my experience here as "homy" as possible. The weather has been pretty bad lately...it's been raining A LOT. That's New Zealand weather for ya. It's supposed to be sunny and warm this weekend though so we are probably going to go to the beach :)
I feel like I've adjusted pretty well here...no homesickness as of yet. It really is a lot like America, except with different accents and different sayings. I'm planning on doing a whole blog about their different words and sayings soon..should be interesting for you all haha Some of them are quite strange! I've met lots of people so far because everyone in the Ilam Apartments (where I'm living) is very social and WANT to meet lots of people. It's like freshman year all over again, but I like it! I hang out with my flat mates a lot which is great. We all get along really really well. We've met some girls above us that we hang out with a lot as well. I'm glad to have found a great group of girls to hang out with already. Even though I applied to live in a co-ed flat, I ended up with 4 other girls as roommates...which seems to be working out great! Two girls are from the U.S., Leah and Ali, who are from South Carolina and Kentucky. Leah is a junior, while Ali is a sophomore like me! Alyssa is 22 and is from Edmonton, Canada and Martina is from Germany! Bridget (a kiwi), Angie, who is from Canada and Louis (a kiwi as well) round out our group. We're all trying to figure out this whole Uni thing and it's nice to have other people to lean on. There are a lot of Americans here, which is great but I've also met a lot of kiwis so far which is what I came to do!
I guess that's the only update I have...I've been able to watch the Olympics a LITTLE bit, which is sad because I'm usually obsessed with watching them haha It's weird with the time difference and I've been so busy, but I'm going to be watching them as much as I can. Alright, well I hope all is well and I'll blog again soon!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Those crazy kiwis...
Hey!
Sorry I haven't updated in a few days...I have been running around doing orientation with my program IES Abroad. They have had us busy! It's been great but I'm ready to get into the groove a little bit! I'll just fill you in on what we did yesterday and today, even though we had another day in there as well...it's not too exciting though :)
Yesterday we left at around 9 o'clock and headed towards the town of Springfield, a little town where we will be staying at a Youth Hostel with the whole group (22 of us). It is a really cute place called "Smylies" and they cooked a TON of food for us. Keiko, the wife of the owner, is a chef so she made tons of food for us while we were there. First we went to see a "farm show" at a local sheep farmers place. We got to see some sheep, watch how the sheep dogs are trained to herd the sheep, take pictures with Alpacas and sheer a sheep. I got to sheer part of a sheep! We didn't use the electrical razor but I did use the huge scissor like sheers. It was really cool! We then went jet boating on the river near the farm. It wasn't as exciting as the "Shotover Jet" that I did in Queenstown but this scenery was beautiful and it was still a blast. Some people went swimming in the water afterwards but it was so cold by that point I didn't want to! The weather changes SO FAST here. It started off cloudy and a little chilly, then go really really sunny and burning hot, then got really windy and the clouds rolled back in and it stormed. I was changing clothes like crazy. Then we had dinner and went to the pub to watch the Canterbury Crusaders play in a rugby match which a few of my friends from my apartment building were actually at (I was really jealous I wasn't able to go). It was supposed to be a quiet bar ith just some locals but it ended up that there was a bachelor party going on and all of these guys from all over the country were there drinking like crazy haha A lot of them were like late 20's, early 30's who played on a semi-pro rugby team together! They were INSANE. I've never seen people so crazy! It's true when they say Kiwi's like to party. They were very friendly and outgoing and I talked with a lot of them for the 3 hours we were there. It was definitely a great way to talk to some locals and get a sense of the Kiwi life which is why I'm here! They were pretty funny. I doubt half of them will remember me though haha So we got back at around 11 o'clock and watched a New Zealand movie "Second-hand Wedding", which is Eunice's (my IES director/leader) favorite New Zealand movie. I love this woman, she is so adorable! She is the nicest lady ever. So we watched that and then went to sleep since we had to get up at 7:30am. Ugh. I have not been able to sleep in at all since I've been here! I've had to wake up by at least 8 am everyday for orientation...not the most fun.
We got woken up by a cow bell this morning, had some breakfast and headed out to Castle Hill, a place where huge limestone rocks are on the sides of hills where we could explore. They were really pretty neat and the mountains were surrounding us. We then randomly cut down some pine trees and were not supposed to be there but the seedlings got blown onto this man's land so we were helping him out by cutting them down (they'll probably just grow back so I'm not sure how that helped but oh well...Eunice says pine trees are growing where they aren't supposed to so we're helping out New Zealand she said..who knows?) We then saw were some of Narnia was filmed! The rocks where they run down after the big battle scene and where Edmund almost dies or whatever haha The huge field where the battle scene was filmed was just over the hill but we didn't have time to hike up there since we did the pine tree thing (I was very upset about that haha).
I got back, went to the store to get some stuff (Groceries and everything else is SO EXPENSIVE HERE, it is craziness) and then went to speed meeting, which is like speed friending. I met a lot of people but we had only like 30 seconds to talk so I don't think I even remember anyone's name. We left early and went to get some groceries ( but this time I was with my flat mates) and came back and just hung out in my flat for the rest of the night. I am so so tired though...meeting people and traveling around is really exhausting but I have to get up tomorrow morning pretty early for international student orientation for the actual university...ugh. I feel like a freshman again...not fun! Oh well, it'll be done soon. Hope all is well! More to come later :)
Sorry I haven't updated in a few days...I have been running around doing orientation with my program IES Abroad. They have had us busy! It's been great but I'm ready to get into the groove a little bit! I'll just fill you in on what we did yesterday and today, even though we had another day in there as well...it's not too exciting though :)
Yesterday we left at around 9 o'clock and headed towards the town of Springfield, a little town where we will be staying at a Youth Hostel with the whole group (22 of us). It is a really cute place called "Smylies" and they cooked a TON of food for us. Keiko, the wife of the owner, is a chef so she made tons of food for us while we were there. First we went to see a "farm show" at a local sheep farmers place. We got to see some sheep, watch how the sheep dogs are trained to herd the sheep, take pictures with Alpacas and sheer a sheep. I got to sheer part of a sheep! We didn't use the electrical razor but I did use the huge scissor like sheers. It was really cool! We then went jet boating on the river near the farm. It wasn't as exciting as the "Shotover Jet" that I did in Queenstown but this scenery was beautiful and it was still a blast. Some people went swimming in the water afterwards but it was so cold by that point I didn't want to! The weather changes SO FAST here. It started off cloudy and a little chilly, then go really really sunny and burning hot, then got really windy and the clouds rolled back in and it stormed. I was changing clothes like crazy. Then we had dinner and went to the pub to watch the Canterbury Crusaders play in a rugby match which a few of my friends from my apartment building were actually at (I was really jealous I wasn't able to go). It was supposed to be a quiet bar ith just some locals but it ended up that there was a bachelor party going on and all of these guys from all over the country were there drinking like crazy haha A lot of them were like late 20's, early 30's who played on a semi-pro rugby team together! They were INSANE. I've never seen people so crazy! It's true when they say Kiwi's like to party. They were very friendly and outgoing and I talked with a lot of them for the 3 hours we were there. It was definitely a great way to talk to some locals and get a sense of the Kiwi life which is why I'm here! They were pretty funny. I doubt half of them will remember me though haha So we got back at around 11 o'clock and watched a New Zealand movie "Second-hand Wedding", which is Eunice's (my IES director/leader) favorite New Zealand movie. I love this woman, she is so adorable! She is the nicest lady ever. So we watched that and then went to sleep since we had to get up at 7:30am. Ugh. I have not been able to sleep in at all since I've been here! I've had to wake up by at least 8 am everyday for orientation...not the most fun.
We got woken up by a cow bell this morning, had some breakfast and headed out to Castle Hill, a place where huge limestone rocks are on the sides of hills where we could explore. They were really pretty neat and the mountains were surrounding us. We then randomly cut down some pine trees and were not supposed to be there but the seedlings got blown onto this man's land so we were helping him out by cutting them down (they'll probably just grow back so I'm not sure how that helped but oh well...Eunice says pine trees are growing where they aren't supposed to so we're helping out New Zealand she said..who knows?) We then saw were some of Narnia was filmed! The rocks where they run down after the big battle scene and where Edmund almost dies or whatever haha The huge field where the battle scene was filmed was just over the hill but we didn't have time to hike up there since we did the pine tree thing (I was very upset about that haha).
I got back, went to the store to get some stuff (Groceries and everything else is SO EXPENSIVE HERE, it is craziness) and then went to speed meeting, which is like speed friending. I met a lot of people but we had only like 30 seconds to talk so I don't think I even remember anyone's name. We left early and went to get some groceries ( but this time I was with my flat mates) and came back and just hung out in my flat for the rest of the night. I am so so tired though...meeting people and traveling around is really exhausting but I have to get up tomorrow morning pretty early for international student orientation for the actual university...ugh. I feel like a freshman again...not fun! Oh well, it'll be done soon. Hope all is well! More to come later :)
Friday, February 12, 2010
I'm finally here!
hey!
Yesterday felt like the longest day of my life! My mom left at about 4:30 am and it was really strange to really be all alone of all a sudden. I was on my own now. Ahh! It’s a strange feeling for sure. I have never been a place where I don’t know a soul so it’s a new experience for me. I went back to sleep until about 9:30, where I woke up, took a shower and went downstairs to catch the shuttle to take me to the University. Now, I left my room at 10:50. The shuttle was supposed to get there at 11. I came down and he was just getting in the shuttle to leave! Thank goodness I just caught him. He said he asked the hotel if there was a “Johnson” here and they said no, but that was because my mom had checked out earlier that morning! That would’ve been bad and an unlucky start to the day. Thankfully I made it on and there was no turning back now…I was heading to Canterbury.
Of course the road was closed because they are doing construction on the street where my apartment is, so he had to drop me off and I had to walk with all my luggage down the road which was kind of hard haha I’m really not that strong! I checked in and Amy, and RA here, brought me to my room and showed me around my “flat”. My room is on the end of the flat which is kind of nice because it’s a little bigger of a room and it’s the farthest from the common room so it’ll maybe be a little quieter. The window looks almost right out on to the street where all the construction workers are so hopefully they’ll be gone soon. Amy said they were having a barbeque at 12:30, which was about an hour from when I got there and to come on by. So, I unpacked all my stuff (it looks like I have nothing in this room since I couldn’t bring that much clothing due to the weight limit on luggage) and tried to set up my internet. You have to set up an account, and then top up by putting in money per GB through you credit card. Sounds easy. I have had so much back luck with this thing. It did not work. Something about authentication failed. That is not good. I’ll touch more on that pain in my side LATER. So I decided to leave it and come back after the barbeque. The barbeque consisted of huge sausages being put in a piece of bread with ketchup haha But, after walking up kind of awkwardly by myself to big groups of people talking, I luckily got in line to the sausages behind three really nice girls. I stuck with them and a few other people that I met through out the whole rest of the barbeque. There was Sondra from Egypt, Chloe from Tahiti and Adriana from the North Island of New Zealand. I also met Arelli from Indonesia, two girls from South Africa, one girl from Germany, a guy from Pakistan and another boy from New Zealand. People come from everywhere around here! It was so cool to meet so many people from all over. Everyone was so nice as well. People here are very open and willing to meet people….it’s great.
I came back from the barbeque at like 2:30 because I had orientation starting with IES Abroad at 3 o’clock. I decided to check my Internet…still not working. I typed in my password and username to check my account and it said I had the wrong password. I did NOT have the wrong password. I wrote it down and I made sure no caps were on. I was so confused. I was getting really REALLY frustrated so I went to the office and asked about and they said I had to call Snap prepay, which is the company our internet goes through. I had to go to orientation so I hoped that would still be open when I got back (when I called later they weren’t of course).
Orientation was alright. There are some really nice people in my IES group but of course all the activities we were doing were the getting to know you, speed friending kind of stuff, which is good but gets kind of boring. After that we went to a buffet restaurant and stuffed our faces basically. A lot of them had just flown in today and had not had a lot to eat so people were starving. It was really good food actually…it filled me up! It was kind of neat talking with Americans in a place where there aren’t a lot of us. Apparently there are 200 Americans studying here this semester, which is more than I thought.
I got back at around 8 o’clock and realized I had no bedding. I called the RA on duty and she said there were others who didn’t have it and to go to the office. So, I go there and they ran out of bedding! Of course that would happen to me. So, they said they would drop it off later. I figured I would just be chilling in my room all night since none of my flat mates had come today (or so I had thought). I was waiting around trying to figure out my internet (I made another account and password, put MORE money on and it still didn’t work. I have no idea why and it aggravated me A LOT), when I heard a knock at my door. Assuming it was people with my bedding, I opened up the door and there was a girl standing there. She introduced herself as Angie and told me that one of my roommates moved in and is over next door if I want to come over and meet her! Angie is so nice and friendly and is from Canada (yet another place people are from). I said that I was waiting for my bedding but I will come over as soon as it arrives. I was really anxious to meet my new flat mate. As I was waiting for my bedding, a girl opens the door and comes walking down the hallway yelling “Hi! My name is Ali!” haha Ali is from Kentucky and is really sweet! It’s really nice to have another American to connect with. I hung out with her and a girl named Bridget who lives above us for a lot of the night (they waited for my bedding with me which was so sweet). Bridget is a kiwi, which is a great friend to have to get to know the culture and everything. She is very friendly and outgoing.
I can’t believe I’m finally here…it’s quite surreal! Everyone is quite friendly here so it’s easy to adjust :) I’ll be keeping you updated!
Yesterday felt like the longest day of my life! My mom left at about 4:30 am and it was really strange to really be all alone of all a sudden. I was on my own now. Ahh! It’s a strange feeling for sure. I have never been a place where I don’t know a soul so it’s a new experience for me. I went back to sleep until about 9:30, where I woke up, took a shower and went downstairs to catch the shuttle to take me to the University. Now, I left my room at 10:50. The shuttle was supposed to get there at 11. I came down and he was just getting in the shuttle to leave! Thank goodness I just caught him. He said he asked the hotel if there was a “Johnson” here and they said no, but that was because my mom had checked out earlier that morning! That would’ve been bad and an unlucky start to the day. Thankfully I made it on and there was no turning back now…I was heading to Canterbury.
Of course the road was closed because they are doing construction on the street where my apartment is, so he had to drop me off and I had to walk with all my luggage down the road which was kind of hard haha I’m really not that strong! I checked in and Amy, and RA here, brought me to my room and showed me around my “flat”. My room is on the end of the flat which is kind of nice because it’s a little bigger of a room and it’s the farthest from the common room so it’ll maybe be a little quieter. The window looks almost right out on to the street where all the construction workers are so hopefully they’ll be gone soon. Amy said they were having a barbeque at 12:30, which was about an hour from when I got there and to come on by. So, I unpacked all my stuff (it looks like I have nothing in this room since I couldn’t bring that much clothing due to the weight limit on luggage) and tried to set up my internet. You have to set up an account, and then top up by putting in money per GB through you credit card. Sounds easy. I have had so much back luck with this thing. It did not work. Something about authentication failed. That is not good. I’ll touch more on that pain in my side LATER. So I decided to leave it and come back after the barbeque. The barbeque consisted of huge sausages being put in a piece of bread with ketchup haha But, after walking up kind of awkwardly by myself to big groups of people talking, I luckily got in line to the sausages behind three really nice girls. I stuck with them and a few other people that I met through out the whole rest of the barbeque. There was Sondra from Egypt, Chloe from Tahiti and Adriana from the North Island of New Zealand. I also met Arelli from Indonesia, two girls from South Africa, one girl from Germany, a guy from Pakistan and another boy from New Zealand. People come from everywhere around here! It was so cool to meet so many people from all over. Everyone was so nice as well. People here are very open and willing to meet people….it’s great.
I came back from the barbeque at like 2:30 because I had orientation starting with IES Abroad at 3 o’clock. I decided to check my Internet…still not working. I typed in my password and username to check my account and it said I had the wrong password. I did NOT have the wrong password. I wrote it down and I made sure no caps were on. I was so confused. I was getting really REALLY frustrated so I went to the office and asked about and they said I had to call Snap prepay, which is the company our internet goes through. I had to go to orientation so I hoped that would still be open when I got back (when I called later they weren’t of course).
Orientation was alright. There are some really nice people in my IES group but of course all the activities we were doing were the getting to know you, speed friending kind of stuff, which is good but gets kind of boring. After that we went to a buffet restaurant and stuffed our faces basically. A lot of them had just flown in today and had not had a lot to eat so people were starving. It was really good food actually…it filled me up! It was kind of neat talking with Americans in a place where there aren’t a lot of us. Apparently there are 200 Americans studying here this semester, which is more than I thought.
I got back at around 8 o’clock and realized I had no bedding. I called the RA on duty and she said there were others who didn’t have it and to go to the office. So, I go there and they ran out of bedding! Of course that would happen to me. So, they said they would drop it off later. I figured I would just be chilling in my room all night since none of my flat mates had come today (or so I had thought). I was waiting around trying to figure out my internet (I made another account and password, put MORE money on and it still didn’t work. I have no idea why and it aggravated me A LOT), when I heard a knock at my door. Assuming it was people with my bedding, I opened up the door and there was a girl standing there. She introduced herself as Angie and told me that one of my roommates moved in and is over next door if I want to come over and meet her! Angie is so nice and friendly and is from Canada (yet another place people are from). I said that I was waiting for my bedding but I will come over as soon as it arrives. I was really anxious to meet my new flat mate. As I was waiting for my bedding, a girl opens the door and comes walking down the hallway yelling “Hi! My name is Ali!” haha Ali is from Kentucky and is really sweet! It’s really nice to have another American to connect with. I hung out with her and a girl named Bridget who lives above us for a lot of the night (they waited for my bedding with me which was so sweet). Bridget is a kiwi, which is a great friend to have to get to know the culture and everything. She is very friendly and outgoing.
I can’t believe I’m finally here…it’s quite surreal! Everyone is quite friendly here so it’s easy to adjust :) I’ll be keeping you updated!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
What a "cool" experience!
Yesterday we had to be up pretty early to go on a half-day glacier hike on the Franz Josef Glacier. We got up at around 7:30 a.m., got ready and headed to a restaurant to pick up a chicken sandwich to bring along for lunch.
We were signed up for an 8:45, 4 hour long hike. These people do guided tours all the time and were quite organized. The whole group of us got a bunch of tags: a blue one to pick up our rain jacket with, a red one to pick up our “over trousers” and a yellow one for a hat and a pair of gloves (which are usually used in the winter). They recommended you wear a lot of layers, so I had four on…not a good choice for someone who sweats very easily haha It gets chilly up in the glacier and it was supposed to rain which is why we got the coat and jacket (it ended up not raining so that was good). We also got a pair of boots and “clampers”, which is like spikes so we could walk on the ice and not slip, which would not have been something I would have liked to do.
We all got on a bus to drive out towards the glacier and I honestly did not know what to expect! I was going to walk on a glacier…in summer? Not typical. We got off the bus and walked on a path through trees and reached a big valley filled with rocks and rock “dust” as they call it (it looks like sand basically). The Glacier was directly in front of us, and seemed quite close until one of our guides, Nick, told us that the Glacier is actually 2 and a half kilometers away (I THINK that is like a little over a mile…I’m still trying to figure out how to convert all the stuff over here to what I understand haha) but it’s pretty far. He said the valley is so vast and large that the glacier seems much closer than it is. We were then split into groups, group 1 would be going fast, group 2 was the middle paced group, and group three was the slower one who consisted of people who wanted to take lots of pictures. I thought my mom would want to be in group 3, but surprisingly she opted for group 2 where our guide was Dean. After we separated, we still had to walk to the glacier, so Dean lead groups 1 and 2 ahead but half of our group, including my mom and I, go separated because he headed up into this forest area above the rock below but we didn’t see him take the turn. We were ditched basically. I’m not sure if Dean realized but Nick and the slower group saw us and took us to the Glacier. As we were learning to put our “clamps” onto our boots, Dean walked up and we joined up with him again. He didn’t say anything about us being left behind…guess we weren’t missed! After we got our stuff on we had some time to kill because another group was going up the carved out steps, but had stopped while their guide hacked at the ice to give them more of a step. These guides are constantly making pathways with these big ice pick things that they carry around. It’s crazy. So we went around and said our names and where we were from. Our group had a lot of variety! There was a couple from Holland, another couple where the woman was from Germany and the man from Switzerland, 2 friends who were from Sweden, a couple from England and Dean who was from the U.K. We were the only Americans in our smaller group! It was cool to have so many people from all around the world. New Zealand seriously has so many different people from everywhere that come and travel. You meet people from all over. It is really neat. To be honest, we haven’t met that many Americans here that I thought was kind of surprising.
We eventually started our trek up the glacier, first going up these really steep steps of ice, then going over a really seep hill of rocks that were formed by the glacier moving forwards and backwards (it melts and rebuilds all the time). We finally got to the actual glacier where we went into some crevasses that were so sweet. You were just surrounded by walls of ice! The ice was a very cool blue in some places, which I wasn’t really expecting. We hiked for a while then stopped at a flat part to take some pictures and have some lunch. But, Dean got us moving real quick and it wasn’t much time to eat. Our descent back down was kind of tough because a lot of people were afraid of slipping and some of the rock was very flimsy. We did survive surprisingly enough. You can breathe a sigh of relief. Our hike back through the valley was rough. I was HOT. I had so many layers on and was sweating like a pig. It was gross and I felt gross. That was probably the worst part! Everyone was hot and uncomfortable but I suppose it was worth it to have the layers on the glacier. Another work out for me! Hiking is tough work around here so I’m hopefully burning a good amount of calories ☺
After we got back to town we headed to the “4” supermarket (supermarkets here are really small here compared to ones back home) and got some snacks for the 5 hour drive to Christchurch. We also bought some really cool jewelry! My mom buying a really cool ring and I got a little necklace with a kiwi (the national bird and why the people are called “kiwi’s” here) and the paua stone making up the middle. That stone is everywhere here. It’s really pretty and is made up of blues, greens and turquoises…perfect for me!
Our 5 hour drive was long but the scenery was gorgeous as always and my mom has been getting faster and faster behind the wheel so it was all good! Being back in Christchurch has caused our trip to come full circle and my traveling to come to a halt for the time being. I’m starting orientation on February 11th so I’ll be in Christchurch for a little while! We drove by the University today and checked out the outside of the apartments and where they are. I can’t believe I’m going to be moving in there really REALLY soon. It’s crazy.
Alright, well next time you hear from me you’ll be hearing all about SCHOOL. Weird!
We were signed up for an 8:45, 4 hour long hike. These people do guided tours all the time and were quite organized. The whole group of us got a bunch of tags: a blue one to pick up our rain jacket with, a red one to pick up our “over trousers” and a yellow one for a hat and a pair of gloves (which are usually used in the winter). They recommended you wear a lot of layers, so I had four on…not a good choice for someone who sweats very easily haha It gets chilly up in the glacier and it was supposed to rain which is why we got the coat and jacket (it ended up not raining so that was good). We also got a pair of boots and “clampers”, which is like spikes so we could walk on the ice and not slip, which would not have been something I would have liked to do.
We all got on a bus to drive out towards the glacier and I honestly did not know what to expect! I was going to walk on a glacier…in summer? Not typical. We got off the bus and walked on a path through trees and reached a big valley filled with rocks and rock “dust” as they call it (it looks like sand basically). The Glacier was directly in front of us, and seemed quite close until one of our guides, Nick, told us that the Glacier is actually 2 and a half kilometers away (I THINK that is like a little over a mile…I’m still trying to figure out how to convert all the stuff over here to what I understand haha) but it’s pretty far. He said the valley is so vast and large that the glacier seems much closer than it is. We were then split into groups, group 1 would be going fast, group 2 was the middle paced group, and group three was the slower one who consisted of people who wanted to take lots of pictures. I thought my mom would want to be in group 3, but surprisingly she opted for group 2 where our guide was Dean. After we separated, we still had to walk to the glacier, so Dean lead groups 1 and 2 ahead but half of our group, including my mom and I, go separated because he headed up into this forest area above the rock below but we didn’t see him take the turn. We were ditched basically. I’m not sure if Dean realized but Nick and the slower group saw us and took us to the Glacier. As we were learning to put our “clamps” onto our boots, Dean walked up and we joined up with him again. He didn’t say anything about us being left behind…guess we weren’t missed! After we got our stuff on we had some time to kill because another group was going up the carved out steps, but had stopped while their guide hacked at the ice to give them more of a step. These guides are constantly making pathways with these big ice pick things that they carry around. It’s crazy. So we went around and said our names and where we were from. Our group had a lot of variety! There was a couple from Holland, another couple where the woman was from Germany and the man from Switzerland, 2 friends who were from Sweden, a couple from England and Dean who was from the U.K. We were the only Americans in our smaller group! It was cool to have so many people from all around the world. New Zealand seriously has so many different people from everywhere that come and travel. You meet people from all over. It is really neat. To be honest, we haven’t met that many Americans here that I thought was kind of surprising.
We eventually started our trek up the glacier, first going up these really steep steps of ice, then going over a really seep hill of rocks that were formed by the glacier moving forwards and backwards (it melts and rebuilds all the time). We finally got to the actual glacier where we went into some crevasses that were so sweet. You were just surrounded by walls of ice! The ice was a very cool blue in some places, which I wasn’t really expecting. We hiked for a while then stopped at a flat part to take some pictures and have some lunch. But, Dean got us moving real quick and it wasn’t much time to eat. Our descent back down was kind of tough because a lot of people were afraid of slipping and some of the rock was very flimsy. We did survive surprisingly enough. You can breathe a sigh of relief. Our hike back through the valley was rough. I was HOT. I had so many layers on and was sweating like a pig. It was gross and I felt gross. That was probably the worst part! Everyone was hot and uncomfortable but I suppose it was worth it to have the layers on the glacier. Another work out for me! Hiking is tough work around here so I’m hopefully burning a good amount of calories ☺
After we got back to town we headed to the “4” supermarket (supermarkets here are really small here compared to ones back home) and got some snacks for the 5 hour drive to Christchurch. We also bought some really cool jewelry! My mom buying a really cool ring and I got a little necklace with a kiwi (the national bird and why the people are called “kiwi’s” here) and the paua stone making up the middle. That stone is everywhere here. It’s really pretty and is made up of blues, greens and turquoises…perfect for me!
Our 5 hour drive was long but the scenery was gorgeous as always and my mom has been getting faster and faster behind the wheel so it was all good! Being back in Christchurch has caused our trip to come full circle and my traveling to come to a halt for the time being. I’m starting orientation on February 11th so I’ll be in Christchurch for a little while! We drove by the University today and checked out the outside of the apartments and where they are. I can’t believe I’m going to be moving in there really REALLY soon. It’s crazy.
Alright, well next time you hear from me you’ll be hearing all about SCHOOL. Weird!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
I'm SO extreme!
I have internet again! Yay! More blogging for ya'll.
So, yesterday we woke up at our hotel in Queenstown, checked out and drove to "Shotover Jet". It's one of the most famous jet experiences in the world apparently. We had heard a lot about it so decided to do it. It's basically a jet boat that goes really fast through this canyon on a river that at places is only 6 inches deep! They pretend like they are going to run into the rocks and the sides to freak you out. They also do multiple 360 degree turns! haha It was a blast. Not too scary or anything just pure fun. I liked it a lot. You got really wet as well. We had a lot of screamers on our ride as well so every time he would almost run into the rock wall people would scream at the top of their lungs. Including me just for fun ;)
We then hit the road towards the town of Glenorchy, where a lot of the Lord of the Rings filming was done apparently. The thing is when they say this, the places are so big you have no idea where they specifically filmed it. So, we could've seen some places they fimed...maybe not haha We decided to hike up towards a waterfall, which we thought would only take an hour and 40 minutes but realized it took like two and a half hours to get there, which would mean like five hours total of hiking which we didn't have time for. So, we turned back around with out seeing the falls. We did see some great scenery though. Every where in New Zealand is gorgeous so we weren't at a loss. The whole hike is one of the top ten best hikes in the world...if we would've of finished the WHOLE thing...which would've taken us a day. OH, this next thing was an experience. We were driving a long out of Glenorchy (sheep grazing everywhere of course) and all of sudden we come to a part of the road that is blocked by a huge group of sheep! I had seen pictures of sheep blocking the road and now I was actually experiencing it. But, that's not all. We were waiting there not sure what to do when all of a sudden the sheep turn towards us and start to run. They were stampeding us! It was hilarious. My mom was freaking out that they were hit the car but they just trotted around us on all sides. The guy and his dogs came up behind and he gave us a wave to go ahead. I took some pictures of it! I finally figured out how to post pictures on my blog, so I'll be posting a few pics here and there on here. Most of them will be on facebook though!
We drove back towards Queenstown and headed up towards the town of Wanaka, a pretty town right on a lake. It was really quiet there though because it was a Sunday...not much going on! We stayed at a really old motel (for only 80 NZDollars though! That is really pretty cheap for NZ hotels) with partly carpeted walls! We went out to eat where I got pork loin and mash (mashed potatoes) and I met a girl who goes to "Uni" or University in Dunedin. She said that University gets pretty crazy down here. Uh oh! Not good for my mother to hear. We'll see how Canterbury is. We got back to our hotel room, watched some Burn After Reading or something like that and fell asleep. Exciting.
Today, we drove from Wanaka up to the town of Haast, stopped at the beach which was really pretty. We're on the West side of the country now, which is much more rainforesty. It's really coo how different New Zealand is in different regions of the country. We continued driving into Fox Glacier, had some food (we hadn't eaten all day) and continued onto Franz Josef Glacier where we are just hanging in our hotel room for now. We are going to take a guided hike (4 hours long) up on the actual glacier tomorrow which should be cool! Even though it's summer, there's a glacier here. I guess the mountains keep it cool.
Alright, more later! Thanks for reading everybody :)
So, yesterday we woke up at our hotel in Queenstown, checked out and drove to "Shotover Jet". It's one of the most famous jet experiences in the world apparently. We had heard a lot about it so decided to do it. It's basically a jet boat that goes really fast through this canyon on a river that at places is only 6 inches deep! They pretend like they are going to run into the rocks and the sides to freak you out. They also do multiple 360 degree turns! haha It was a blast. Not too scary or anything just pure fun. I liked it a lot. You got really wet as well. We had a lot of screamers on our ride as well so every time he would almost run into the rock wall people would scream at the top of their lungs. Including me just for fun ;)
We then hit the road towards the town of Glenorchy, where a lot of the Lord of the Rings filming was done apparently. The thing is when they say this, the places are so big you have no idea where they specifically filmed it. So, we could've seen some places they fimed...maybe not haha We decided to hike up towards a waterfall, which we thought would only take an hour and 40 minutes but realized it took like two and a half hours to get there, which would mean like five hours total of hiking which we didn't have time for. So, we turned back around with out seeing the falls. We did see some great scenery though. Every where in New Zealand is gorgeous so we weren't at a loss. The whole hike is one of the top ten best hikes in the world...if we would've of finished the WHOLE thing...which would've taken us a day. OH, this next thing was an experience. We were driving a long out of Glenorchy (sheep grazing everywhere of course) and all of sudden we come to a part of the road that is blocked by a huge group of sheep! I had seen pictures of sheep blocking the road and now I was actually experiencing it. But, that's not all. We were waiting there not sure what to do when all of a sudden the sheep turn towards us and start to run. They were stampeding us! It was hilarious. My mom was freaking out that they were hit the car but they just trotted around us on all sides. The guy and his dogs came up behind and he gave us a wave to go ahead. I took some pictures of it! I finally figured out how to post pictures on my blog, so I'll be posting a few pics here and there on here. Most of them will be on facebook though!
We drove back towards Queenstown and headed up towards the town of Wanaka, a pretty town right on a lake. It was really quiet there though because it was a Sunday...not much going on! We stayed at a really old motel (for only 80 NZDollars though! That is really pretty cheap for NZ hotels) with partly carpeted walls! We went out to eat where I got pork loin and mash (mashed potatoes) and I met a girl who goes to "Uni" or University in Dunedin. She said that University gets pretty crazy down here. Uh oh! Not good for my mother to hear. We'll see how Canterbury is. We got back to our hotel room, watched some Burn After Reading or something like that and fell asleep. Exciting.
Today, we drove from Wanaka up to the town of Haast, stopped at the beach which was really pretty. We're on the West side of the country now, which is much more rainforesty. It's really coo how different New Zealand is in different regions of the country. We continued driving into Fox Glacier, had some food (we hadn't eaten all day) and continued onto Franz Josef Glacier where we are just hanging in our hotel room for now. We are going to take a guided hike (4 hours long) up on the actual glacier tomorrow which should be cool! Even though it's summer, there's a glacier here. I guess the mountains keep it cool.
Alright, more later! Thanks for reading everybody :)
Friday, February 5, 2010
I'm getting back in shape :)
Okay so I haven’t had internet for the past couple of days while we were in Te Anau, a small town right outside of the Fiordland National Park where the infamous Milford Sound, as well as the Doubtful Sound are. These Sounds were carved out by glaciers and are now a waterway surrounded by mountains, with dolphins, seals and penguins within them. We arrived in Te Anau on Thursday, the 4th and just hung out there for the night. We got some dinner and went to bed fairly early because we had to get up at 7 a.m. to go on our tour with “Trips and Trams”.
So, we woke up, ate some muffins and got picked up by Steve, our guide, along with 5 other tourists. 1 woman was from L.A., two women were from Germany, and a couple was from England. We had a great mix of people in our van and it was a really personal tour. We got on the road towards Milford Sound, which is deep within the national park, stopping at certain points to take pictures on the road. There was a lot of fog and clouds in the morning, which was kind of neat because it added something to the mountains and the pictures. The first part of our tour was to go on a Nature Cruise on the water to take a look at the sound. It was fairly cloudy when we first were going out, but the sun was peaking through so we were hopeful the sun would heat up the ground and lift the clouds and fog. It did for some of the clouds at the beginning and we got to see the peaks of some mountains but as we progressed the clouds were covering the tops of the mountains, which was kind of disappointing. There was a naturalist who was telling us all sorts of information along the way about the sound, how it was created, the animals, etc. (There are actually only two native mammals of New Zealand (bats), the rest are birds! They have introduced possums and rats which has partly caused the extinction of over 250 species of New Zealand birds and they are continuing to put their present birds in danger.) We turned around and as we were coming back the sun was out over half the sound and I got some great pictures! We stopped along side a waterfall and got completed sprayed with water, which was actually pretty cool! We got back to the shore where Steve picked us up and dropped four of us off (the other three were at this underwater observatory…it was more money so we nixed that ha) and we took this walk along the shore where cicadas were SO LOUD. It was crazy. We could also hear the songs of different birds. We couldn’t see them but a lot of them sounded like a human whistling a pretty tune. It was really cool.
After that we picked up the rest of the group and headed towards “The Divide” where we would hike! My mom and I decided to go on a self-guided, longer one that was more challenging. It was definitely challenging! With me being out of shape and the trek being constantly uphill, I got a work out! Even though I was tired, I guess I’m competitive because I really wanted to beat the two German women in our group (who were quite fast) to the top. I’m not gonna lie, I was hauling up that hill/mountain. My adrenaline I guess kept me going. I just kept going and hiking… I was going to get to the top. It was tough but I really had a lot of fun. The views were gorgeous and stunning. I still can’t really believe that I’m here in New Zealand, hiking and seeing all the beauty this country has to offer.
So we got back, met up with the other people of the group who went on an easier, shorter hike and had some biscuits (cookies) and tea/coffee. I was in need of some food and energy. We drove home on the bus, said goodbye to our new friends and headed towards Queenstown. I had heard a lot about this town and how awesome it is so I was excited :) We got here (I'm here now) last night and just chilled in our hotel because I was exhausted from the day. It was really busy. Our stay has been interesting so far...we got to our room and I was about to take a shower and it had no shower curtain...odd. Then we ordered room service and got a burger...without the actual meat patty....odd. It was all really random haha
Now for today's activities. We para-glided today. It was awesome! We took off at about 3800 feet and floated down. I was with a professional named Shi or something..he was from Isreal! It was a perfect day, sunny and clear. We could see everything and it was perfect for me because it wasn't scary :) Until he asked if I wanted to do robotics. He said there are sharp turns and a lot of g force. I decided to live a little for once haha It felt like a rollercoaster (which I hate) and we were like spiraling downward really fast with a ton of force on me. It was pretty scary but I actually liked it! Imagine that. It was so much fun. We also walked around Queenstown a little bit and through the gardens. It is really pretty here...it's right on a lake which always adds something special to a place. Now we're just hanging out. I'll hopefully post pictures soon, but I have so many and I need a lot of time to post them and most of the places we go we have to pay for the internet. I'll get on that though!
So, we woke up, ate some muffins and got picked up by Steve, our guide, along with 5 other tourists. 1 woman was from L.A., two women were from Germany, and a couple was from England. We had a great mix of people in our van and it was a really personal tour. We got on the road towards Milford Sound, which is deep within the national park, stopping at certain points to take pictures on the road. There was a lot of fog and clouds in the morning, which was kind of neat because it added something to the mountains and the pictures. The first part of our tour was to go on a Nature Cruise on the water to take a look at the sound. It was fairly cloudy when we first were going out, but the sun was peaking through so we were hopeful the sun would heat up the ground and lift the clouds and fog. It did for some of the clouds at the beginning and we got to see the peaks of some mountains but as we progressed the clouds were covering the tops of the mountains, which was kind of disappointing. There was a naturalist who was telling us all sorts of information along the way about the sound, how it was created, the animals, etc. (There are actually only two native mammals of New Zealand (bats), the rest are birds! They have introduced possums and rats which has partly caused the extinction of over 250 species of New Zealand birds and they are continuing to put their present birds in danger.) We turned around and as we were coming back the sun was out over half the sound and I got some great pictures! We stopped along side a waterfall and got completed sprayed with water, which was actually pretty cool! We got back to the shore where Steve picked us up and dropped four of us off (the other three were at this underwater observatory…it was more money so we nixed that ha) and we took this walk along the shore where cicadas were SO LOUD. It was crazy. We could also hear the songs of different birds. We couldn’t see them but a lot of them sounded like a human whistling a pretty tune. It was really cool.
After that we picked up the rest of the group and headed towards “The Divide” where we would hike! My mom and I decided to go on a self-guided, longer one that was more challenging. It was definitely challenging! With me being out of shape and the trek being constantly uphill, I got a work out! Even though I was tired, I guess I’m competitive because I really wanted to beat the two German women in our group (who were quite fast) to the top. I’m not gonna lie, I was hauling up that hill/mountain. My adrenaline I guess kept me going. I just kept going and hiking… I was going to get to the top. It was tough but I really had a lot of fun. The views were gorgeous and stunning. I still can’t really believe that I’m here in New Zealand, hiking and seeing all the beauty this country has to offer.
So we got back, met up with the other people of the group who went on an easier, shorter hike and had some biscuits (cookies) and tea/coffee. I was in need of some food and energy. We drove home on the bus, said goodbye to our new friends and headed towards Queenstown. I had heard a lot about this town and how awesome it is so I was excited :) We got here (I'm here now) last night and just chilled in our hotel because I was exhausted from the day. It was really busy. Our stay has been interesting so far...we got to our room and I was about to take a shower and it had no shower curtain...odd. Then we ordered room service and got a burger...without the actual meat patty....odd. It was all really random haha
Now for today's activities. We para-glided today. It was awesome! We took off at about 3800 feet and floated down. I was with a professional named Shi or something..he was from Isreal! It was a perfect day, sunny and clear. We could see everything and it was perfect for me because it wasn't scary :) Until he asked if I wanted to do robotics. He said there are sharp turns and a lot of g force. I decided to live a little for once haha It felt like a rollercoaster (which I hate) and we were like spiraling downward really fast with a ton of force on me. It was pretty scary but I actually liked it! Imagine that. It was so much fun. We also walked around Queenstown a little bit and through the gardens. It is really pretty here...it's right on a lake which always adds something special to a place. Now we're just hanging out. I'll hopefully post pictures soon, but I have so many and I need a lot of time to post them and most of the places we go we have to pay for the internet. I'll get on that though!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Penguins in New Zealand? Yep!
Sooo now for what we did today. I decided to just do a totally different blog. Most of the day wasn't that exciting because it basically consisted of driving...driving and just when we thought we were done...more driving.
We got up in Mt. Cook National Park at around 9 a.m., got breakfast and headed out to hike. It was gorgeous again today. The sun was out, it was clear (they said it had been raining and stormy for the past two weeks and people have left without seeing anything) and it was HOT. We decided to go on a 2 1/2 hour hike up through "Hooker Valley" which was a perfect time for us. We went over a few bridges, crossing over a fast moving river beneath us and eventually got to a lookout point where you could overlook the valley with the mountains on all side. It was beautiful of course! We hiked back (it seemed to take longer than how long it took to get there ha) and we hit the road. We were on our way to Dunedin, a town further south and near the East coast of the island.
This drive seemed to take FOREVER. I feel bad because I can't help my mom out by driving because you have to be 21 to drive a rental car. The scenery is beautiful, but after driving for 4 1/2 hours or so, the hills and the sheep and the blowing grass seem to be never ending when you just want to lie on a bed. We passed through multiple really cute, small towns that I could never imagine living in. They just pop out of no where amongst the mountains...so different than Naperville! We saw another beautiful blue lake but other than that it was the sheep and us for miles. Dunedin always seemed to be that much farther. In one town we saw some high school girls walking home from school...it seems like every school, no matter if it's public or private, have to wear uniforms. These girls were wearing mid calf-ankle plaid skirts with collared shirts. They were not the most attractive things ever that's for sure! Anyways, we eventually started driving along the coastline and got to see the water which was a nice change of scenery, and after about 30 minutes we saw Dunedin. It's right on the water, in a little bay area and is really cute!
We checked into our hotel, but then realized that we should go drive out to the Otago Peninsula where you can see sea lions, seals, an Albatross Colony (type of bird) and Yellow eyed penguins! The last tour for the penguins was at 7:15 p.m. and it took an hour to drive out there (it was 5:30 at this point). We had no time to rest because we had to get out there. Our drive to the end of the peninsula was a windy, scary one. The road is right on the water, with sharp turns and people going fast. We had time to spare before our penguin tour so we saw the Albatross colony, which is out on this cliff with hundreds of birds flying over head and landing all over the cliff and surrounding grassy area. The sea lions were also far below on rocks..you could barely see them because they blend in so well! It was still neat though..it's not some thing you see everyday that's for sure. Next was our penguin tour. I didn't really know what to expect, but I had heard we needed to check it out. Apparently at dusk is when the adults come back from the water where they have been collecting food all day to feed their chicks, so we were hoping to see some coming out from the water but according to Rhonda our guide, no tour is never the same and you just can't expect anything. What she did know for sure is that we would see the chicks because they don't move, only the parents go out. We went out with 6 other people. They built these underground look out things where you can look out but not disturb the penguins. These types of penguins are solitary and do not like to be in big groups. They are loyal to their mates, but they do not hang around the other penguins which is different than any other types of penguins. We we traveled and walked around looking for chicks and their parents. We saw 2 adults and two chicks before we came upon 5 in one area...3 of them in the water. One of the chicks was practicing swimming and doing all kinds of crazy stuff in the water. It was actually really cute and entertaining! We were all laughing at him. He was going crazy while his mom just floated next to him. Apparently Rhonda, who has been on 1000 tours, has never seen a chick swim like that. So Rhona called our tour "a winner". I trust Rhonda. We headed up to a higher point after watching those ones swim for awhile to see if we could see any coming out of the water from the day out at sea. We saw two of them on the beach and some seals and then we actually saw one come walking out of the sea! It was so cool! We didn't know if we would actually see one and we did. So neat. We also a cute little chick on the path we were walking on. It was the youngest one and still was quite fluffy :)
We drove back to the hotel, realized we needed food, and drove to Pizza Hut and McDonalds...again. It seems we go there often. It's our third time haha Now, we're in our room. My mom is asleep and I'm here typing and ready to go to bed! Miss you all!
We got up in Mt. Cook National Park at around 9 a.m., got breakfast and headed out to hike. It was gorgeous again today. The sun was out, it was clear (they said it had been raining and stormy for the past two weeks and people have left without seeing anything) and it was HOT. We decided to go on a 2 1/2 hour hike up through "Hooker Valley" which was a perfect time for us. We went over a few bridges, crossing over a fast moving river beneath us and eventually got to a lookout point where you could overlook the valley with the mountains on all side. It was beautiful of course! We hiked back (it seemed to take longer than how long it took to get there ha) and we hit the road. We were on our way to Dunedin, a town further south and near the East coast of the island.
This drive seemed to take FOREVER. I feel bad because I can't help my mom out by driving because you have to be 21 to drive a rental car. The scenery is beautiful, but after driving for 4 1/2 hours or so, the hills and the sheep and the blowing grass seem to be never ending when you just want to lie on a bed. We passed through multiple really cute, small towns that I could never imagine living in. They just pop out of no where amongst the mountains...so different than Naperville! We saw another beautiful blue lake but other than that it was the sheep and us for miles. Dunedin always seemed to be that much farther. In one town we saw some high school girls walking home from school...it seems like every school, no matter if it's public or private, have to wear uniforms. These girls were wearing mid calf-ankle plaid skirts with collared shirts. They were not the most attractive things ever that's for sure! Anyways, we eventually started driving along the coastline and got to see the water which was a nice change of scenery, and after about 30 minutes we saw Dunedin. It's right on the water, in a little bay area and is really cute!
We checked into our hotel, but then realized that we should go drive out to the Otago Peninsula where you can see sea lions, seals, an Albatross Colony (type of bird) and Yellow eyed penguins! The last tour for the penguins was at 7:15 p.m. and it took an hour to drive out there (it was 5:30 at this point). We had no time to rest because we had to get out there. Our drive to the end of the peninsula was a windy, scary one. The road is right on the water, with sharp turns and people going fast. We had time to spare before our penguin tour so we saw the Albatross colony, which is out on this cliff with hundreds of birds flying over head and landing all over the cliff and surrounding grassy area. The sea lions were also far below on rocks..you could barely see them because they blend in so well! It was still neat though..it's not some thing you see everyday that's for sure. Next was our penguin tour. I didn't really know what to expect, but I had heard we needed to check it out. Apparently at dusk is when the adults come back from the water where they have been collecting food all day to feed their chicks, so we were hoping to see some coming out from the water but according to Rhonda our guide, no tour is never the same and you just can't expect anything. What she did know for sure is that we would see the chicks because they don't move, only the parents go out. We went out with 6 other people. They built these underground look out things where you can look out but not disturb the penguins. These types of penguins are solitary and do not like to be in big groups. They are loyal to their mates, but they do not hang around the other penguins which is different than any other types of penguins. We we traveled and walked around looking for chicks and their parents. We saw 2 adults and two chicks before we came upon 5 in one area...3 of them in the water. One of the chicks was practicing swimming and doing all kinds of crazy stuff in the water. It was actually really cute and entertaining! We were all laughing at him. He was going crazy while his mom just floated next to him. Apparently Rhonda, who has been on 1000 tours, has never seen a chick swim like that. So Rhona called our tour "a winner". I trust Rhonda. We headed up to a higher point after watching those ones swim for awhile to see if we could see any coming out of the water from the day out at sea. We saw two of them on the beach and some seals and then we actually saw one come walking out of the sea! It was so cool! We didn't know if we would actually see one and we did. So neat. We also a cute little chick on the path we were walking on. It was the youngest one and still was quite fluffy :)
We drove back to the hotel, realized we needed food, and drove to Pizza Hut and McDonalds...again. It seems we go there often. It's our third time haha Now, we're in our room. My mom is asleep and I'm here typing and ready to go to bed! Miss you all!
We're not in the city anymore...
Yesterday we didn’t have any wireless service ☹ But, today we do so, yay! More blogging! Yesterday we woke up at around 9 o’clock and checked out of Hotel So. We were sad to see our little pink room go, but we were ready to hit the road! We got some bagels at “The Yellow Rocket”, a place that was recommended to us by the Canadians we met in Sydney. It was delicious and with breakfast behind us, we head out of Christchurch and towards the town of Ashburton, heading towards Mt. Cook and Lake Tepaco. Mt. Cook is the highest peak in the Southern Alps, with Lake Tepaco within and surrounded by the mountains.
So, we passed through the plains of Canterbury, passing small towns along the way. We could see small mountains to our right in the distance, which got us excited to see Mt. Cook. We went through a few different towns and took some stops, but mostly we kept going along the two lane road, seeing tons and tons of sheep and cattle along the way. It's true that there are sheep EVERYWHERE. This place is wool city. We were getting closer and closer to the mountains and when we came over a hill we saw bright turquoise blue. It was Lake Tepaco. Honestly, I’ve never seen something so blue. It was beautiful and it literally took our breath away. The pictures I post will probably not do it justice. The snow- capped mountains were in the background and it was my first taste of the stunning scenery that I’ve heard so much about. We continued on to a The Church of Good Shepherd, a little chapel right on the lake. It was quite tiny but with the lake beside it, it was extraordinary. At this point we had been driving for at least 3 hours or so, but we were just getting to the good part! Mt. Cook was our next stop and as we headed that way we passed Lake Pukaki and got the best look at Mt. Cook yet in the distance. The water on this lake was perfectly still and the reflection of the sky and the surrounding mountain could be seen on the lake. It was stunning. I actually got some pretty great pictures of it, which I will post soon. The water and the sky were the same color and the sun was shining bright, making it nice and warm…definitely warmer than in Christchurch! It was perfect…I was in shorts and a tank top! I could not complain about anything.
We finally arrived at Mt. Cook National Park and checked into our “motel”. These motels are separated from the actual hotel, but we have our own little kitchen and it’s quite spacious. This is the only hotel/motels available around because the National Park has certain restrictions on what can be built. We went on a hike, a pretty easy one compared to all the trails. It took us an hour in total but it definitely gave me a workout! We went out to Kea Point and got another great view of Mt. Cook and Mount Shelton. We then drove 15 minutes to a trail that took us to the Blue Lakes and a view of the Tasman Glacier. This hike was very uphill. Even though it was only a ten-minute hike…it was uphill! The blue lakes ended up being very small and GREEN, which was disappointing. They definitely lied and we were disappointed at the lack of blue. The view of the glacier was cool but a lot of it was melted because it is summer and .5% of the glacier melts every year…so less and less of the glacier is visible. There is still 200 meters of ice underneath the melted water though which is crazy! So hiked back, got some pizza at the bar/café area (the cheesiest pizza EVER) and talked to some Australians who were very very nice.
So, we passed through the plains of Canterbury, passing small towns along the way. We could see small mountains to our right in the distance, which got us excited to see Mt. Cook. We went through a few different towns and took some stops, but mostly we kept going along the two lane road, seeing tons and tons of sheep and cattle along the way. It's true that there are sheep EVERYWHERE. This place is wool city. We were getting closer and closer to the mountains and when we came over a hill we saw bright turquoise blue. It was Lake Tepaco. Honestly, I’ve never seen something so blue. It was beautiful and it literally took our breath away. The pictures I post will probably not do it justice. The snow- capped mountains were in the background and it was my first taste of the stunning scenery that I’ve heard so much about. We continued on to a The Church of Good Shepherd, a little chapel right on the lake. It was quite tiny but with the lake beside it, it was extraordinary. At this point we had been driving for at least 3 hours or so, but we were just getting to the good part! Mt. Cook was our next stop and as we headed that way we passed Lake Pukaki and got the best look at Mt. Cook yet in the distance. The water on this lake was perfectly still and the reflection of the sky and the surrounding mountain could be seen on the lake. It was stunning. I actually got some pretty great pictures of it, which I will post soon. The water and the sky were the same color and the sun was shining bright, making it nice and warm…definitely warmer than in Christchurch! It was perfect…I was in shorts and a tank top! I could not complain about anything.
We finally arrived at Mt. Cook National Park and checked into our “motel”. These motels are separated from the actual hotel, but we have our own little kitchen and it’s quite spacious. This is the only hotel/motels available around because the National Park has certain restrictions on what can be built. We went on a hike, a pretty easy one compared to all the trails. It took us an hour in total but it definitely gave me a workout! We went out to Kea Point and got another great view of Mt. Cook and Mount Shelton. We then drove 15 minutes to a trail that took us to the Blue Lakes and a view of the Tasman Glacier. This hike was very uphill. Even though it was only a ten-minute hike…it was uphill! The blue lakes ended up being very small and GREEN, which was disappointing. They definitely lied and we were disappointed at the lack of blue. The view of the glacier was cool but a lot of it was melted because it is summer and .5% of the glacier melts every year…so less and less of the glacier is visible. There is still 200 meters of ice underneath the melted water though which is crazy! So hiked back, got some pizza at the bar/café area (the cheesiest pizza EVER) and talked to some Australians who were very very nice.
Monday, February 1, 2010
KiaOra! I'm in New Zealand!
Hey everyone!
I'm finally in New Zealand woot woot! I've made it to Christchurch...my mom and I arrived late last night (January 31st...we're almost a full day ahead!) at the Hotel So, which is really modern and funky. It's cool though. Our room is very VERY small and pink, but it works. Every floor has it's own color, ours is the pink floor haha We got up this morning (February 1st) and ventured out to see Christchurch. It's really nice! It's like Sydney but on a lot smaller scale and a lot less people. There are a lot of stores and cafes. I really like the area. It's quieter than a big city, but still has a lot to do. It is quite a bit chillier here in Christchurch than in Sydney. It was a really pretty day but very windy making it a little cooler. It was probably 70 degrees but with wind it seemed colder at times. But, the sun was out and shining so no complaints!
We walked around town and into Cathedral Square which is the center of the city with little kiosks to buy ice cream and drinks, as well as entertainers (singers, instrumentalists, etc.) The Cathedral is right there too so we looked inside and ate at the cafe attached to the side. I got some french toast and it was very delicious :) I didn't really eat on the plane the night before (it was meat pie) so I was quite hungry. We then did some more exploring walking along the Avon River and saw this place for "punting", which is where you go on this little boat ride (a small gondola type boat) along the river and see Christchurch from that point of view. There are so many trees and plants along the river and a lot of gardens..it is called the "Garden City" after all. The boy who was actually rowing/pushing us along was named Josh and is a second year at the University of Canterbury where I will be studying! It was really cool to talk to him and to meet a student from there! It got me a little more excited for school haha
So after our "punting" ride we walked back and got our car to drive and see the University. It's about fifteen minutes away from the central downtown area so we had to drive there. Let's just say my mother was a little nervous to be driving on the other side of the road. The blinker is on the other side as well so she kept trying to hit the blinker but would end up turning on the windshield wiper. It was pretty funny but she was getting frustrated! We made it alive to the campus and drove around it for a little bit. It is quite pretty with lots and lots of trees covering the campus. We couldn't see my apartment complex because the road leading to it was under construction but it is right across the street...not far at all from where my classes will be. It is really strange to think I will be studying there and not at Hope. Since my mom is still here I feel like I'm going back with her in 9 days...but I'm here to stay for awhile. Weird.
We then drove to Heathcote, which is where a very famous attraction is... The Christchurch Gondola ride. I thought it was like a boat ride but it's kind of like a ski lift up and over the hills to a building at the top where you have a great view of Lyttleton, a town the lies right on a bay, surrounded by the hills. It is definitely hidden and you would've never thought water lied over the hills in a little bay. The rarest dolphins in the world actually live in this bay which I thought was really interesting! It was a gorgeous view from the top of this hill. You could see the ocean on one side, the city of Chrischurch from the other, and then the bay with the surrounding hills/mountains. It was my first taste of the beauty that New Zealand has to offer.
After the Gondola, we were off driving again, me as the direction giver, and made our way back to the downtown. We headed back to our hotel to rest for a little bit and then went to look for some dinner. We ended up going to a place called The Tap Room and it was AMAZING. They serve dishes that are "Stone Grilled" which is where they bring you plate out with a very very hot stone in the middle with whatever meat you choose cooking on it. You actually cook it yourself, and it cooks very fast so you eat and cook, eat and cook. I had lean beef, lamb romp and pork loin and I cooked them all! Apparently this way of cooking is the healthiest and takes all the fat off. It was so good! I was surprised. I was eating the meat really fast because I didn't want to overcook it but I was also starving so it worked out well. It was also served with gourmet potatoes and vegetables. My mom got steak and prawns (which are like big shrimp). It was a really cool way to eat.
Now I'm back in my room watching Two Weeks Notice (they have quite a bit of channels here surprisingly) and ready to go to bed... tomorrow we head out of Christchurch to travel around the South Island! I'm really excited!
I'm finally in New Zealand woot woot! I've made it to Christchurch...my mom and I arrived late last night (January 31st...we're almost a full day ahead!) at the Hotel So, which is really modern and funky. It's cool though. Our room is very VERY small and pink, but it works. Every floor has it's own color, ours is the pink floor haha We got up this morning (February 1st) and ventured out to see Christchurch. It's really nice! It's like Sydney but on a lot smaller scale and a lot less people. There are a lot of stores and cafes. I really like the area. It's quieter than a big city, but still has a lot to do. It is quite a bit chillier here in Christchurch than in Sydney. It was a really pretty day but very windy making it a little cooler. It was probably 70 degrees but with wind it seemed colder at times. But, the sun was out and shining so no complaints!
We walked around town and into Cathedral Square which is the center of the city with little kiosks to buy ice cream and drinks, as well as entertainers (singers, instrumentalists, etc.) The Cathedral is right there too so we looked inside and ate at the cafe attached to the side. I got some french toast and it was very delicious :) I didn't really eat on the plane the night before (it was meat pie) so I was quite hungry. We then did some more exploring walking along the Avon River and saw this place for "punting", which is where you go on this little boat ride (a small gondola type boat) along the river and see Christchurch from that point of view. There are so many trees and plants along the river and a lot of gardens..it is called the "Garden City" after all. The boy who was actually rowing/pushing us along was named Josh and is a second year at the University of Canterbury where I will be studying! It was really cool to talk to him and to meet a student from there! It got me a little more excited for school haha
So after our "punting" ride we walked back and got our car to drive and see the University. It's about fifteen minutes away from the central downtown area so we had to drive there. Let's just say my mother was a little nervous to be driving on the other side of the road. The blinker is on the other side as well so she kept trying to hit the blinker but would end up turning on the windshield wiper. It was pretty funny but she was getting frustrated! We made it alive to the campus and drove around it for a little bit. It is quite pretty with lots and lots of trees covering the campus. We couldn't see my apartment complex because the road leading to it was under construction but it is right across the street...not far at all from where my classes will be. It is really strange to think I will be studying there and not at Hope. Since my mom is still here I feel like I'm going back with her in 9 days...but I'm here to stay for awhile. Weird.
We then drove to Heathcote, which is where a very famous attraction is... The Christchurch Gondola ride. I thought it was like a boat ride but it's kind of like a ski lift up and over the hills to a building at the top where you have a great view of Lyttleton, a town the lies right on a bay, surrounded by the hills. It is definitely hidden and you would've never thought water lied over the hills in a little bay. The rarest dolphins in the world actually live in this bay which I thought was really interesting! It was a gorgeous view from the top of this hill. You could see the ocean on one side, the city of Chrischurch from the other, and then the bay with the surrounding hills/mountains. It was my first taste of the beauty that New Zealand has to offer.
After the Gondola, we were off driving again, me as the direction giver, and made our way back to the downtown. We headed back to our hotel to rest for a little bit and then went to look for some dinner. We ended up going to a place called The Tap Room and it was AMAZING. They serve dishes that are "Stone Grilled" which is where they bring you plate out with a very very hot stone in the middle with whatever meat you choose cooking on it. You actually cook it yourself, and it cooks very fast so you eat and cook, eat and cook. I had lean beef, lamb romp and pork loin and I cooked them all! Apparently this way of cooking is the healthiest and takes all the fat off. It was so good! I was surprised. I was eating the meat really fast because I didn't want to overcook it but I was also starving so it worked out well. It was also served with gourmet potatoes and vegetables. My mom got steak and prawns (which are like big shrimp). It was a really cool way to eat.
Now I'm back in my room watching Two Weeks Notice (they have quite a bit of channels here surprisingly) and ready to go to bed... tomorrow we head out of Christchurch to travel around the South Island! I'm really excited!
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