Rotorua - 10/29/2013

Saturday morning we headed out for Rotorua. Along the way we got to stop to do what is called OGO. It is also known as zorbing. It is a giant inflatable ball that you go down a hill in with water on the inside. Words cannot even describe how much fun this was! You go down with another person inside the OGO with you. They were not kidding when they suggested picking a partner you were close with, because you get to know that person on a whole new level...

We got to Rotorua by lunch time, and after grabbing a quick bite to eat it was off to the luge track. You take a gondola up to the top where you then can go down many different tracks and take the chairlift back to the top. You got 5 runs. This place would not exist in the US, too many potential liabilities to even discuss… but that’s why I love New Zealand!

We stayed at a hostel on Blue Lake, which is absolutely stunning. That night some of us went to a playground a little way down the road. It would have been awesome to be a kid in New Zealand because all of the playgrounds are different and so cool. This one had a giant spider web type thing you could climb to the top and star gaze. There was also this four person standing see-saw-type thing. I can’t even explain it because it would never be on a playground in the US. There was also this spinning disk that was on a slant so the when you laid down in it, it kept spinning. I was laying on it and some of the guys decided to use it as a torture device. I almost fell off and I could not help but laugh/cry. It took me a while to be able to stand up straight.

The next day we headed to a thermally active lake. We saw geysers, black swans, Frying Pan Lake, and Inferno Crator. It is the newest thermally active area around Rotorua.

The next day on the way back to Auckland, we stopped and a few others got to raft the river that I had rafted earlier in the semester. We then got stuck in five hours of Memorial Day traffic on our way back into the city, but it was fun weekend and chance to hang out with everyone on the program before finals started.

Waiheke - 10/20/2013

On Sunday a group of us headed out to Wiaheke Island for an afternoon of wine tasting. We could not have asked for a better day of weather. After the ferry ride over, we headed to the first vineyard which is actually owned by the University of Auckland.

My favorite wine there was the pino gris.

Next was the only vineyard in Wiaheke that is certified organic. Here is where I bought some wine and honey, two of my favorite things on the planet earth. But what is not to love?

After the last vineyard we were ready for some food. We had pizza at a restaurant looking over one of the spectacular beaches on the island, and then headed back to Auckland on the ferry.

It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday! 

Shenanigans – 10/18/2013

Over the next two weeks, I spent some time in Auckland with the friends I had made. One evening in the middle of the week we decided to have a girls night with dinner and wine. James wanted to come so we told him he had to wear a dress. He did put on a pink dress for a brief period believe it or not. We had a traditional Africans dish that was delicious. 

That weekend on Friday Natalie had a flat warming party because she had just moved. It was finally warm enough to spend the night on the deck. There was sangria, hot dogs, and great company! 

On Saturday I made a thanksgiving meal. My friends had never had a thanksgiving and I was not going to have a full-on thanksgiving because I will be in Cambodia. Now New Zealand does not have turkey so we had chicken, but the meal was complete with stuffing and pumpkin pie. It was their first thanksgiving even though it was in October! Instead of watching football we watched the rugby game and I even attempted to learn a version of the Haka. It didn’t work that well!

It was an awesome makeshift thanksgiving in October!  

Lake Taupo - 10/07/2013

On Friday afternoon I was off for a weekend in Taupo, to learn how to white water kayak with the Auckland university canoe club. By the time our car got to the camp site it was already dark, which added a little extra fun for my first time setting up a tent. Luckily I had help, but the second tent was missing parts, so the first tent became a tent for 4 instead of 2! Cozy to say the least! Once they arrived we used the other tent and a tarp to waterproof our little tent, but let’s just say we are really happy it did not rain because I don’t think our tent would have held up. 

The next morning we got a nice wake up call at 7:30. Not that any of us were actually sleeping due to the fact that we were sardines, and freezing our asses off! But the sun was out and it was time to hit the river. Once we got all of our fashionable gear on, into the river we went to practice being rescued if our kayak flipped, and how to get across a T-line into the flowing part of the river. 

We stopped many times along the river to practice skills we would need for the bigger rapids the next day, and got to experience some grade 1 rapids. I have kayaked a lot but I still found it very hard to make these particular kayaks go in a straight line. For lunch we stopped on the side of the river at some hot pools that also included a hot waterfall. It was just what we needed to warm us up from the cold river.

After lunch it was not that far before we ended up back at the camp sight and had to go through one more section of rapids. I of course managed to flip my kayak as I was trying the leave the rapids and enter the area of calm water where were supposed to get out. I also did not even try to wait for someone to come to rescue me and just decided to bail myself out of the kayak. This left me a little ways down the river, massive bruises on my legs that were there for weeks, not to mention a complete feeling of panic. I had practice that moment in the pool, but nothing prepares you for when it actually happens in open water.

That afternoon/evening we all went down into the town of Taupo to have dinner and take in the magnificent lake.  

That night we had a bonfire, despite it being a fire free camp zone. Ongoing theme, Kiwis have trouble with rules… I was really thankful because it allowed for me to start off the night warm when I went into the sardine-can bed, which made a huge difference. I also had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, which was an ordeal. I had to climb over people, get out of my sleeping bag, find shoes and go to the bathroom in the dark. If you can’t already tell, I am not a huge fan of camping. As much fun as I had on the trip, it is safe to say my relationship with camping is over. Even after my joy of camping night, the next day, Sunday, was amazing, scary and fun all at the same time.

Sunday was the day of the class 2 rapids with an ending portion called the wave. I made it through the river alive. 

I only flipped once and I was all set to be rescued and then my hips just fell out of the kayak and I ended up having to empty my kayak while standing in a VERY small edge of rock on the side of the river. After that we came upon this old structure that was about 7 meters tall. A couple of us got out of our kayaks and climbed the hill and jumped off.

It was so much fun! Not long after that the wave was upon us. In true fashion my kayak decided to turn itself and I ended up going down the rapid backwards and I did not flip, which was impressive. Once we pulled our kayaks onto land we decided to jump back in the water and swim down the wave.

This is not me

Then came the ever-so-fun task of carrying the kayaks up the hill to where the cars were waiting to take us home. 

I was exhausted and slept the entire 4 hours home! 

Coromandel - 09/30/2013

I made the last minute decision on Friday to leave everyone and the city behind. I  hopped on the ferry in the morning and headed over to the Coromandel peninsula. To say the water was rough was an understatement. You did not stand outside on the ferry unless you wanted to take a shower. I loved it though! 

We pulled into the Coromandel Warf around 11. 

Upon my arrival it was brought to my attention that I had failed to look at a map of the peninsula and the hostel that I had booked was actually about an hour and half away at hot water beach. Oops! In my defense the two are always associated, so I just assumed they were together. Luckily it was no problem, the ferry company reserved a room for me at one of the hostels in Coromandel and organized for me to go to hot water beach and cathedral cove the next day before I headed back on the ferry in the evening! One of the many perks of New Zealand; everyone is very flexible and helpful!

That afternoon I took one of the free bikes (very common in New Zealand) on a 5 km bike ride to the local Kauri reserve. There was only one Kauri tree but the walk was really pretty and had many things for me to photograph. 

On the bike ride back I stopped at the local fishing boat dock and spent time looking out over the water. I also saw the cutest kids fishing with their parents off the dock, and a really cool old jeep. 

The next day, besides daylight savings trying to work against me, I was up with sun. 

It was off to hot water beach to make low tide. The way this beach works is that at low tide you can dig yourself a little thermal hole in the sand due to the hot water running in underneath the sand. It was amazing. I was sitting on the beach in warm water, just a few meters away from the freezing cold ocean.

After the beach it was over to Cathedral cove, which gets its name from the giant hole through the rock that supposedly looks like a cathedral. 

After a few months in NZ I ignore things like this now!

After enjoying time on the beautiful beach and climbing the rocks it was time for me to head back to Auckland. 

A slight reality check - 09/27/2013

Once Spring break was over it was back to reality. And the next two weeks were the most school work I did all semester up to this point. It still wasn’t that much. Over the course of two weeks I had two midterms and two papers. These two weeks were a reminder that I was still in school over here in New Zealand. However, after my two midterms were done I got go to a friend’s house here and have a home cooked meal, play with a dog and watch a movie on a huge TV. Even though my week was not that stressful it was exactly what I needed. I also got to introduction another person to the amazingness that is Mean Girls. I was also still doing things that would not happen in a normal week back home. I went to see the Auckland Philharmonic perform which was beautiful. 

I recognized a lot more songs than I would have thought, but I guess 13 years of ballet will do that.

The next week was my birthday! It, of course, was pretty much the only time of the semester where I actually had work. I had gotten to celebrate over the weekend and received Bailey’s and a Tim Tam cake with the candles stuck in peanut butter. For those who have never tasted the goodness that is Tim Tams, all I can say is, sucks for you! 

On my actual birthday I got balloons form my friends from my classes here and a cake delivered thanks to Mom and Dad. My friends also took me out for coffee and waffles which were great surprise. I think my friend James was more amused by the balloons than I was. 

After the two weeks were done I decided it was probably time to travel again so I headed out to Coromandel.