I got back last Friday night/Saturday morning after some...interesting...airport navigation. I was just so excited to be home! My family came bearing cupcakes, balloons, and flowers to welcome me back. The last week has been awesome as I've been travelling around, saying hi to friends, catching up. I'm so glad I went to New Zealand, but I'm really happy to be home again.
Thanks so much to everyone for following along! I hope you enjoyed some of the stories, and if I haven't seen you already I'm sure I'll see you soon! Thanks!
Monday, November 24, 2014
One Final Adventure
Hi!
My last epic adventure in New Zealand was north to the Nelson/Abel Tasman area with Becca. I don't have a lot of pictures, since my camera battery died, but I'll try to make up for it with informative descriptions.
We got into Nelson in the late afternoon and wandered all over town looking for the rental car place. The i-site set us off in the wrong direction, so we got more up-to-date instructions from a posse of hippies painting flowers on their hostel. A friendly bus driver got us close, and we walked up to the airport--from the wrong side. When we eventually made it past all the hangars, we found our car rental and drove up the coast to Abel Tasman. We got a tent site at Old MacDonald's farm alongside quail, hedgehogs, llamas, alpacas, and ducks.
The next morning we drove back down to the Motueka airfields and went hang-gliding! It was quite the adventure. The views were phenomenal, and I felt lighter than air. I even got to control the hang-glider for a bit. It was so much fun.
After hang gliding, we adventured down to Kaiterteri to sea kayak. We explored the islands, inlets, and caves of the coast, weaving among the rocks. The beaches were a reddish sandstone, and the water was a striking teal. We saw lots of wildlife, too, including gannets, shags, teals, fur seals, starfish, and jellyfish. The goal of our outing, however, was split apple rock. We were moving so fast we almost overshot it! Then we saw a strange-looking rock over by the shore, and we decided to check it out, just in case. It wasn't super big, but it was very impressive up close. Not exactly apple-shaped, but close enough! :)
The wind and rain came as we drew back to shore, so we dried off and packed up as quickly as we could before heading back to Nelson, where we stayed at the Paradiso hostel. It was pretty cool: it was made from an old house, so it had lots of character, and it had little reading nooks, hammocks, a pool, and an old van that had been converted into a TV room/book exchange. They also gave you lots of food, which is always a plus!
The next morning we headed back to Christchurch in a flurry, since I had to leave the following day. It was hard to believe that in only a couple of days I'd go from an epic adventure in a distant land to sitting at home blogging about it!
My last epic adventure in New Zealand was north to the Nelson/Abel Tasman area with Becca. I don't have a lot of pictures, since my camera battery died, but I'll try to make up for it with informative descriptions.
We got into Nelson in the late afternoon and wandered all over town looking for the rental car place. The i-site set us off in the wrong direction, so we got more up-to-date instructions from a posse of hippies painting flowers on their hostel. A friendly bus driver got us close, and we walked up to the airport--from the wrong side. When we eventually made it past all the hangars, we found our car rental and drove up the coast to Abel Tasman. We got a tent site at Old MacDonald's farm alongside quail, hedgehogs, llamas, alpacas, and ducks.
The next morning we drove back down to the Motueka airfields and went hang-gliding! It was quite the adventure. The views were phenomenal, and I felt lighter than air. I even got to control the hang-glider for a bit. It was so much fun.
After hang gliding, we adventured down to Kaiterteri to sea kayak. We explored the islands, inlets, and caves of the coast, weaving among the rocks. The beaches were a reddish sandstone, and the water was a striking teal. We saw lots of wildlife, too, including gannets, shags, teals, fur seals, starfish, and jellyfish. The goal of our outing, however, was split apple rock. We were moving so fast we almost overshot it! Then we saw a strange-looking rock over by the shore, and we decided to check it out, just in case. It wasn't super big, but it was very impressive up close. Not exactly apple-shaped, but close enough! :)
The wind and rain came as we drew back to shore, so we dried off and packed up as quickly as we could before heading back to Nelson, where we stayed at the Paradiso hostel. It was pretty cool: it was made from an old house, so it had lots of character, and it had little reading nooks, hammocks, a pool, and an old van that had been converted into a TV room/book exchange. They also gave you lots of food, which is always a plus!
The next morning we headed back to Christchurch in a flurry, since I had to leave the following day. It was hard to believe that in only a couple of days I'd go from an epic adventure in a distant land to sitting at home blogging about it!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Wrapping Up
Hi, everyone!
It's hard to believe I head back at the end of the week! I've had a lot of fun, but I am really excited to see my friends and family again. It's finally sinking in for me as I start saying goodbye to people I probably won't see again. I'm really glad for my time here, and I think I'll miss it a lot--especially when I head back to the snow and the cold!
But I'm not done yet! I have my last exam today (wish me luck!), and tomorrow I get to have one last adventure in Nelson/Abel Tasman with Becca. That should be lots of fun. We're hoping to go hang gliding if the weather holds, and definitely enjoy the scenery on one last tramping trip. Then one final banoffee, check out of my room, and I'll be headed back home. Thanks so much to everyone who's shared in my adventures over here!
It's hard to believe I head back at the end of the week! I've had a lot of fun, but I am really excited to see my friends and family again. It's finally sinking in for me as I start saying goodbye to people I probably won't see again. I'm really glad for my time here, and I think I'll miss it a lot--especially when I head back to the snow and the cold!
But I'm not done yet! I have my last exam today (wish me luck!), and tomorrow I get to have one last adventure in Nelson/Abel Tasman with Becca. That should be lots of fun. We're hoping to go hang gliding if the weather holds, and definitely enjoy the scenery on one last tramping trip. Then one final banoffee, check out of my room, and I'll be headed back home. Thanks so much to everyone who's shared in my adventures over here!
Friday, November 7, 2014
South Island Study Break Trip
In the middle of October, fresh out of lectures but not yet ready to face the reality of exams, Alexis and I took off for a week to explore the South Island, which had been our home for so many weeks already.
Our first stop was Dunedin, where we connected with Alice, one of the NZ staff members from our study abroad group. We walked around the town a bit, since there was a street art fair going on, and lots of murals were going up.
In the evening we headed to the beach and ran across the sand, eager to see some penguins! We had to be careful around the massive sea lions that were lounging around, but they seemed pretty content to lie there without bothering us. As we were walking across the beach, we saw a yellow-eyed penguin amble past. This was a fortunate surprise! Usually penguins are very shy and won't come to the beach if they see you. To encourage more to come, we climbed up to the penguin blinds: little huts with slit windows we could watch through without bothering the penguins. We saw some little blue penguins zipping around in the waves, but no one else came up on the beach. But here are some pictures, courtesy of the internet.
The next day we visited the museum, mainly playing in the kids' section, until it was time for First Flight, the releasing of the butterflies in the Butterfly Jungle! It was so much fun! There were butterflies everywhere! They landed on my face and head, and I carried some around on my hands. They were so bright and cheerful. It was just lovely.
After that we explored the rest of the museum. There was a big section on Maori history and culture, and a huge exhibit on the animals of New Zealand, from plesiosaurs to penguins. Alexis was giddy at all the fossils! It was a great stop, and I wish I could have spent more time there, but we had to rush quickly off to the Cadbury factory for our tour! At the factory we got to see the basic steps in making chocolate, as well as taste-test a bit of it ourselves. It would have been cool to see the machinery working, but it was the weekend, so our tour was a bit more limited. After that, we rushed to the bus and made it just in the nick of time (with Alice's help) to take off for the next part of our adventure.
After a night in Queenstown we bused out to Milford Sound. It was a bit drizzly, which was concerning as we planned on freedom camping the first night. Even through the drizzle, though, the views were highly impressive. Upon arrival we didn't waste any time, but straight away walked up the road in search of a suitable place to camp. It was quite a struggle, but eventually we found a flat, relatively open place in the woods, set up our tent, and settled in for the night.
The next morning dawned bright and beautiful. We started our day with a morning cruise up Milford Sound, which is actually a fiord (since it was carved out by glaciers). The views were just stunning. You could follow the little trickle of a waterfall straight up the sheer cliffs to the snowline. The trees clung to the rock sides only thanks to the adhesion of lichen. Everywhere there were little rainbows and soaring snowy peaks. It was simply gorgeous.
As we turned around at the Tasman Sea and headed back, some bottlenose dolphins came to play in our wake. We also surprised a fiordland crested penguin! The dolphins stuck around for quite a while, playfully diving over and under one another in the foamy water.
Queenstown
Dunedin
Our first stop was Dunedin, where we connected with Alice, one of the NZ staff members from our study abroad group. We walked around the town a bit, since there was a street art fair going on, and lots of murals were going up. In the evening we headed to the beach and ran across the sand, eager to see some penguins! We had to be careful around the massive sea lions that were lounging around, but they seemed pretty content to lie there without bothering us. As we were walking across the beach, we saw a yellow-eyed penguin amble past. This was a fortunate surprise! Usually penguins are very shy and won't come to the beach if they see you. To encourage more to come, we climbed up to the penguin blinds: little huts with slit windows we could watch through without bothering the penguins. We saw some little blue penguins zipping around in the waves, but no one else came up on the beach. But here are some pictures, courtesy of the internet.
The next day we visited the museum, mainly playing in the kids' section, until it was time for First Flight, the releasing of the butterflies in the Butterfly Jungle! It was so much fun! There were butterflies everywhere! They landed on my face and head, and I carried some around on my hands. They were so bright and cheerful. It was just lovely.After that we explored the rest of the museum. There was a big section on Maori history and culture, and a huge exhibit on the animals of New Zealand, from plesiosaurs to penguins. Alexis was giddy at all the fossils! It was a great stop, and I wish I could have spent more time there, but we had to rush quickly off to the Cadbury factory for our tour! At the factory we got to see the basic steps in making chocolate, as well as taste-test a bit of it ourselves. It would have been cool to see the machinery working, but it was the weekend, so our tour was a bit more limited. After that, we rushed to the bus and made it just in the nick of time (with Alice's help) to take off for the next part of our adventure.Milford Sound (Piopiotahi)
After a night in Queenstown we bused out to Milford Sound. It was a bit drizzly, which was concerning as we planned on freedom camping the first night. Even through the drizzle, though, the views were highly impressive. Upon arrival we didn't waste any time, but straight away walked up the road in search of a suitable place to camp. It was quite a struggle, but eventually we found a flat, relatively open place in the woods, set up our tent, and settled in for the night.The next morning dawned bright and beautiful. We started our day with a morning cruise up Milford Sound, which is actually a fiord (since it was carved out by glaciers). The views were just stunning. You could follow the little trickle of a waterfall straight up the sheer cliffs to the snowline. The trees clung to the rock sides only thanks to the adhesion of lichen. Everywhere there were little rainbows and soaring snowy peaks. It was simply gorgeous.
As we turned around at the Tasman Sea and headed back, some bottlenose dolphins came to play in our wake. We also surprised a fiordland crested penguin! The dolphins stuck around for quite a while, playfully diving over and under one another in the foamy water.
The weather was lovely, so we spent the rest of our time there walking short hikes and enjoying the views.
Queenstown
In Queenstown we had to pass on the bungee jumping, but we did go ziplining by the Kawarau Bridge, which was lots of fun. Then we wandered the town a little bit and ended up at the Kiwi birdlife park, where we got to see some frisky kiwis and a variety of other birds including kea, weka, and New Zealand falcon. We also saw a conservation show, kiwi feeding, and tuatara.
Fox Glacier
My last stop was Fox Glacier, where I did a bit of hiking through the rain forest up to Glacier View, caught a helicopter ride over both Fox and Franz Joseph glaciers, and biked up to Lake Matheson. I was fortunate to have nice weather almost the whole time, so I really got to enjoy the hikes and the views.
I wrapped up my adventure on Sunday by taking the Tranzalpine railway through the Southern Alps, back to Christchurch.
Thanks everyone for keeping up with my adventures!
Thursday, October 16, 2014
A Star-Studded Outing
On the weekend of October 3rd I went to Mackenzie Basin with some friends from church. Katherine lived in the area, so she drove us down and showed us around. Thomas, Dan, and Becca came, too. We got a late start but had a pleasant ride down, with lots of singing, story-telling, and muffin-munching. When it got dark I was glued to the window to catch the first glimpse of the stars--the Mackenzie Basin is an International Dark Sky Reserve, home to some impressive stargazing.
We arrived late at night and set up our tents quickly in the dark before making pizza in the kitchen. We ended up staying awake quite late enjoying waffles, nutella, German coffee, and good company. At last we each took our hot water bottles to our tents and braved the first chilly night.
The following day was filled with amazing views from start to finish. First thing in the morning we walked down by Lake Tekapo and took in the sights. Then we drove up to Lake Pukaki, a brilliant turquoise lake with fantastic views of the mountains, especially Aoraki, or Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand. There was hardly a cloud in the sky. Even Aoraki, which is usually shrouded, had cast off his cloak for us on that fine day.
We drove up to the Hermitage at Mt. Cook village, glimpsing some snowflakes on the way. The weather was nice when we arrived, but we put on a few layers too keep warm and partook of some Cadbury chocolate to keep our strength up, just in case. We needn't have worried. The trail was sunny and warm, not to mention gorgeous! Snowy mountain peaks surrounded us as we crossed soaring bridges over seafoam-green glacial rivers. The vegetation was bright and festive, and Aoraki stood tall in front of us almost the entire way. We had a lot of fun on the way up. We sang Frozen, scaled rocks, and visited a little cabin with a great view. We finally reached the end of the trail and were greeted by a lake adorned with icebergs and stopped up on the far end by a glacier. We tossed rocks onto some of the closer ice bergs, then just relaxed in the sun. Eventually we headed back, tired but joyful.
We struggled to stay awake during evening Mass in the cozy, warm church, but somehow we managed. We headed back to Lake Tekapo for some stargazing: there was a free event and a clear night waiting for us. We took our sleeping bags and wandered out into a field, arranging ourselves in the shape of a star and looking up. The moon was huge and bright and round like a silver sun. Its light dimmed the stars, but we could still see a decent number. We talked about God and creation, about the cosmos and life. We glimpsed some shooting stars. It was lovely. On the way out we said goodbye to the Jedi and snagged some cake.
The next day, Sunday, we started with a trip to the monument to the working dogs of New Zealand and the Church of the Good Shepherd, taking in some lovely views of Lake Tekapo while we did. Afterward, we climbed Mt. John. We were still exhausted, but we eventually made it up in one piece. There was a cafe at the observatory on top, which was a welcome stop! The views around us were amazing. We half expected the armies of Mordor to come spilling out onto the plains.
By the end we were utterly exhausted, but we had such a good time. It was really a great time with friends, just doing something amazing together. What a great trip!
We arrived late at night and set up our tents quickly in the dark before making pizza in the kitchen. We ended up staying awake quite late enjoying waffles, nutella, German coffee, and good company. At last we each took our hot water bottles to our tents and braved the first chilly night.
The following day was filled with amazing views from start to finish. First thing in the morning we walked down by Lake Tekapo and took in the sights. Then we drove up to Lake Pukaki, a brilliant turquoise lake with fantastic views of the mountains, especially Aoraki, or Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand. There was hardly a cloud in the sky. Even Aoraki, which is usually shrouded, had cast off his cloak for us on that fine day.
We drove up to the Hermitage at Mt. Cook village, glimpsing some snowflakes on the way. The weather was nice when we arrived, but we put on a few layers too keep warm and partook of some Cadbury chocolate to keep our strength up, just in case. We needn't have worried. The trail was sunny and warm, not to mention gorgeous! Snowy mountain peaks surrounded us as we crossed soaring bridges over seafoam-green glacial rivers. The vegetation was bright and festive, and Aoraki stood tall in front of us almost the entire way. We had a lot of fun on the way up. We sang Frozen, scaled rocks, and visited a little cabin with a great view. We finally reached the end of the trail and were greeted by a lake adorned with icebergs and stopped up on the far end by a glacier. We tossed rocks onto some of the closer ice bergs, then just relaxed in the sun. Eventually we headed back, tired but joyful.
We struggled to stay awake during evening Mass in the cozy, warm church, but somehow we managed. We headed back to Lake Tekapo for some stargazing: there was a free event and a clear night waiting for us. We took our sleeping bags and wandered out into a field, arranging ourselves in the shape of a star and looking up. The moon was huge and bright and round like a silver sun. Its light dimmed the stars, but we could still see a decent number. We talked about God and creation, about the cosmos and life. We glimpsed some shooting stars. It was lovely. On the way out we said goodbye to the Jedi and snagged some cake.
The next day, Sunday, we started with a trip to the monument to the working dogs of New Zealand and the Church of the Good Shepherd, taking in some lovely views of Lake Tekapo while we did. Afterward, we climbed Mt. John. We were still exhausted, but we eventually made it up in one piece. There was a cafe at the observatory on top, which was a welcome stop! The views around us were amazing. We half expected the armies of Mordor to come spilling out onto the plains.
By the end we were utterly exhausted, but we had such a good time. It was really a great time with friends, just doing something amazing together. What a great trip!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Wildlife at Willowbank
The time is going by so fast now!
On Sat, Sept 27th, I joined Becca and a couple of her friends on a trip to the farmers' market (which was lots of fun) and Willowbank Wildife Reserve. The reserve is set up kind of like a zoo, and you follow a trail around the different parts to see the animals. We started out with the eels, then wandered through, seeing all sorts of animals. There were some very interesting birds, including a black swan, a pukeko and a golden pheasant:
The pheasant was running around on its own, so it seemed to have escaped. It also looked like it was trying to get into one of the cages!
On Sat, Sept 27th, I joined Becca and a couple of her friends on a trip to the farmers' market (which was lots of fun) and Willowbank Wildife Reserve. The reserve is set up kind of like a zoo, and you follow a trail around the different parts to see the animals. We started out with the eels, then wandered through, seeing all sorts of animals. There were some very interesting birds, including a black swan, a pukeko and a golden pheasant:
The pheasant was running around on its own, so it seemed to have escaped. It also looked like it was trying to get into one of the cages!
We saw plenty of non-native critters, including wallabies, peacocks, and ridiculously soft bunnies.
Of course I was excited to see some native birds! The kea had a lot of personality. They were friendly and a little cheeky--one kept going after the bows on someone's shoes! Then they appeared to have a meeting where they gathered and shouted at each other.
Finally, I got so see my first kiwi bird! We went into a nocturnal enclosure, and while our eyes adjusted, we listened carefully. I heard some rustling off the path to our left, and stared at the spot until I saw a fluffy little kiwi sifting through the leaves. A kiwi is about the size of a big chicken with shaggy brown feathers and a long beak. It was so neat to see!
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