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. 

Back to Auckland - 09/14/2013

I had one more night in Queenstown to spend time with everyone I had met on the Stray bus. The next morning it was back to Auckland to return to my semi-real life. That night was the night of the All Blacks game.This was the only game of the season in Auckland and they were playing their biggest rival, the South African Springbok team. 

So I threw on the All Blacks jersey that I bought for my brother (pretty much a dress on me) and painted a silver fern on everyone’s faces. Go big or go home! We made our way to Eden Park and found our seats and waited for the much anticipated Haka. Now for those of you who do not know what the Haka is, it is a war chant and dance that the Maori people used to do in battle to intimidate their opponents. The All Blacks perform the Haka before every game and the other team just has to stand there. I had seen youtube videos, but nothing compares to seeing it live. It sent chills up my spine and I was not even that close to the field. They also don’t use microphones. They just yell extremely loud. 

To be honest that is what I really went for. I still don’t understand the game of Rugby, but the All Blacks won 29 to 15 and kept the streak of the Springbok team not winning a game against the All Blacks in Eden Park since 1937!  I managed to lose my passport while at Eden Park but it was found and turned in and I went back to the park later in the week to retrieve it and the crisis, a first for me, was averted. 

Franz Fail - 09/10/2013

After Punakiki we made our way to Franz Joseph, home of the Franz Joseph Glacier. On the way there, it was raining. When we arrived, still raining, that night, raining even harder. The rain took out the power for a little while, and tripped the fire alarm FOUR times during the night. The next day it was still raining, so no glacier tour. I still had hope for the next morning but during the day I received a free haircut and chopped off about 5 inches of my hair. What can I say? I got bored... But, that afternoon I got to see Kiwi birds! 

They were in a breading centre, but it was still really cool. They are nocturnal animals so you could not take pictures and you had to let your eyes adjust to see them. They have to be the most spastic birds I have ever seen! They run in circles and throw themselves onto the ground and into their water. All I could do was laugh and think, I can see why they are endangered. Harsh, but the truth.

The next day the weather was still bad, and so went my last chance to heli up to the glacier. However, our driver had bigger issues, trying to figure out how we were getting back to Queenstown. The storm caused a massive landslide in Hass Pass, the only road between Franz Joseph and Queenstown. It wasn’t going to be open for another 3 or 4 days. So we had to go the LONG way around which, over the next two days took roughly about 13 hours. Got some good photos though! 

Arthurs Pass 

Abel Tasman, Pancakes, Jade... Confused? - 09/07/2013

The drive to Abel Tasman National park was windy, to put it mildly. I am very glad I do not car sick because it was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. We arrived at our hostel around 4 in the afternoon. There was not much around us except for the beaches and trails. The tides in Abel Tasman are amazing. At high tide there is probably on a few meters of beach, and at low tide there are kilometers of beach.  

The next morning a few us headed out on a kayaking adventure up the coast line. 

This took all morning and we traveled a total of about 9 kilometers. 

After eating our lunch on the beach and exploring, we were off on the 12 kilometer hike back to our hostel. Lucky for us the trail ended at our Hostel. The first 30 minutes were straight uphill but worth it for when you got to the top because the views were phenomenal. PIC

The rest of the way a slight decline the whole way back, so I was glad that we were walking that way. Along the path there would be patches of the limestone, which is very brittle because it was built up from the ocean so quickly.  So I carved my name and the year in the rock. 

There were also beaches the whole way back. These are undisturbed white sand beaches! No one lives along the beaches in the National Park. 

Once we made it back, I was tired to say the least. That night we roasted marshmallows by the fire and I failed at trying to explain what a smore is because I could not describe graham crackers, which do not exist in New Zealand. The next day my legs were sore but it felt good in a crazy kind of way, and we made our way to Punakiki, with a stop at pancake rocks. Thats right, pancakes, world's perfect food! I automatically loved them before I even saw them.  I love pancakes!

These rocks really do look like pancakes and there are really cool blow holes that have been created over time. 

That night I got to watch the sunset on the west coast of the South Island. Perfection.

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The next day just got better. In the morning four of us had the chance to go to a local's shop where he carves the iconic jade necklaces. He helped us make our own! It is a lot harder than he makes it look. But I think mine came out pretty good! 

Kiakoura and Picton - 09/05/2013

The next morning we got back on the bus and made our way Kaikoura. I didn't feel great when I woke up, but I just figured that it would pass after a little while. It didn’t. It got worse throughout the day. Finally at about 2 o’clock we pulled up to the look-out where you could see all of Kaikoura, the entire bus got to see me puke on the side of the road. It was really very attractive. I slept the rest of the afternoon and felt much better the next morning. I think I just had a 24 hour bug. I didn't see much of Kaikoura, but I've actually been there before, so if I had to miss a day. this was the best choice. The next day we went back to the lookout because the weather was much nicer, and I was happy because  the first time I was only looking at my shoes. 

We then made our way to see the baby seal pups, who for some unknown reason make their way up the Ohau stream and play with each other at the waterfall.  Hmm, maybe that's the reason, who doesn't like playing in a waterfall?

Next stop Picton, which is in the heart of the Marlborough wine region. Along the way we stopped for gas and I saw the best weather predictor ever! 

That afternoon my Stray Bus went in a different direction, leaving me and one other girl in Picton for the night until the next bus came along.  After saying goodbye to our friends on the bus we did a fantastic wine tour! This was my first wine tasting as sadly, although I'm legal here, I still can’t legally drink in the United States. I got learn all about the wine that this region of New Zealand is known for. This includes sauvignon blanc’s and pinot noir’s. We got to go to five different vineyards and even saw the wine cellar in one. (2 pics)  

I would say it was very successful and tasty afternoon in Picton. 

The next morning I got to take the hostel's dog Poppy for a walk around the lake front.  Then we met  up with the new Stray Bus, and began our journey to the beautiful Abel Tasman. (pic) 

Rangitata - 09/04/2013

On our way to Rangitata we stopped to get groceries and I also got see the world’s largest knitted jersey, which was weird but cool. Also I got to experience  a New Zealand traffic jam:

Rangitata is mainly a rafting kind of place, but it was too cold in September, so instead I went horseback riding. Everyone thought I was crazy because it was cold and windy, and light rain washed  through every now and then, but I really wanted to go horseback riding in the south island. I was glad I did because it was one of the coolest experiences of my trip! It was a full-blown kiwi experience, and it unfolded something like this:

The guy who runs the horseback riding was an older man, who picked me up from the local pub in his truck to go to the farm. He had just come from chopping wood so there was an axe on the back seat.  In the US that would make me nervous, but this was a kiwi experience, hop on in!  Once we got there, it was a good while before we actually went horseback riding because I was helping out with some little things around the farm. To start we rounded up some horses with the truck. Within this group of horses was a ram who legitimately thought he was a horse and part of the group. Odd?  Maybe a little...  Then we came across a mother sheep and her two 2 day old lambs, wandering about in the cold. We had to put them all in a shed so they wouldn't freeze in the night, and I got to pick up one of the baby lambs and carry him!  They were so cute! Not your everyday adventure, except maybe in New Zealand.  The adventure continued because when we went to go put the sheep and two baby lambs in the shed, the chickens got out! So then I got to test my chicken rounding up abilities. They are not very good. Once most of the chickens were put back we finally went to gather our horses. I saddled up my horse and we were off. Two jack russell terrier dogs came accompanied us the entire trek.  I was starting to think I was on an episode of Animal Adventures! Still on a working vacation, we herded some horses to a different area along the Rangitata River. After that we were walking and trotting and cantering through the trees and flowers and banks of the river.  

Then came the really cool part where I got to cross the Rangitata River on horseback. It was almost too deep and my feet got a little wet, but it was so cool.  

When we got to the other side one of the dogs started barking at a possum in a tree. More animal adventures.  I somehow always pictured a possum being bigger but it was really small. 

That side of the river bank was a nice long stretch of sand so we got gallop for a good amount of time. From there we made our way back to the farm and brushed out the horses. On the drive back to my hostel, we had beers in the truck (yes really), and I was on lookout for deer, not so we could avoid hitting one, as one would expect in the US, but instead so we could stop and he could shoot one.  Yes, there was a shotgun on the back seat right beside that axe...

Now that was definitely a true kiwi experience, and it was awesome!

And I was off! - 09/03/2013

On Tuesday morning I hopped onto the Stray Bus and said goodbye to Queenstown. Stay Bus is a hop-on hop-off bus for backpackers; a really popular concept in New Zealand.  It's a great way to cover a lot of ground without having to drive, and the driver helps you coordinate lodging and activities each day. I traveled with the same group of people all the way to Picton, later in the week. It was such a random collection of people and I loved it. Everyone had such different lives and awesome stories to tell.

My first stop was Mount Cook, which is also known as Mount Aroki, or cloud piercer. It is the tallest mountain in Southern Alps of New Zealand. 

We stopped along the way to look at beautiful glacier lakes and make many many bathroom stops.

Once we checked into our hostel,  I headed out on what is known as an "Argo" tour. An Argo is an 8 wheel contraption that climbs up the side of the mountain, which was very helpful.  We only had to hike a little ways to see Tasman glacier/lake, which sits towards the bottom of Mount Cook. 

This lake was massive and had icebergs floating at one end of the lake where they had been pushed down by the wind. 

That evening I got to go see a short little 3D movie about the Maori legend behind Mount Cook, which has to do with brothers and a canoe flipping and turning to stone and eventually rising out of the water and forming Mount Cook, or something along those lines. I have now heard so many Maori legends now that I can’t keep them all straight.

The next morning when I woke it was snowing which was absolutely beautiful and amazing to me because it was September! We hustled and beat the storm out and made our way to Rangitata.