Girl, stick your thumb out, let's go somewhere!

Yes, I know.  Hitch-hiking is extremely unsafe in the US and in Canada and in Europe.  However, we've been told it's both safe and common here in the beautiful New Zealand.  We've heard many success stories and now we can contribute a few =)  Rachel and I headed out Friday afternoon and got picked up by a nice fellow who dropped us off in the small town of Oamaru.  We checked into a backpackers there and ate some canned beans and rolls before heading out to explore the town.  There was a cute historic district which has been kept in tact (West Branch meets Greenfield Village) and then went off in search of yellow-eyed penguins...the rarest penguins in the world!!  After looking around for a little while at the reserve, we thought we were out of luck and found a nest right by the path.  Two little penguins were only a couple of feet away!!  They are pretty small, about the height of a normal person's lower leg (not as tall as yours, T) and were so adorable.  It was difficult to get good photos because the flash and shutter scare them, but maybe you can get the idea.  Yay!!!

The next morning we had flat whites (the closest thing to drip coffee here) and went hiking on the Skyline Walk.  It started out in a wooded area, much like you'd see up north Michigan, and then went through a bunch of farmland where we zigged and zagged to dodge the sheep.  Okay not really, they moved for us.  But still.  Sheep are everywhere if I haven't mentioned that yet.  We eventually made it back towards town, tasted cheese at a cheese factory (I'm now an expert), and decided there was nothing else in Oamaru to see.  Oh I forgot to mention the cartoon clouds here.  

After much confusion on our part and 3 rides later, we were at a good point to walk to the ocean.  I must mention that one lady had absolutely no room in her messy car.  Not only was it messy but she had her 3 show dogs with her.  Too funny.  We talked about "Best in Show" and dog competitions and dog loving and dog breeding and dog names and dog families.  I bid goodbye to the poodle who I shared a seat with and we walked down the road to Moeraki Village.  Since we didn't want to spend money on a hostel and the weather was really nice, we decided that we would sleep outside.  Rachel and I set up camp and had the most delicious dinner of rolls, brie, and blackberry jam, plus hard-boiled eggs...along with carrots for some crunch and plums for dessert.  It may not sound too wonderful to you, however after hiking all day and much hitching confusion, it was perfect.  We walked along another hiking trail where we munched on wild passion fruit (dessert's dessert) and stopped for a glass of wine at the tavern.  Keeping one eye on the rugby game and one eye on the Babes on Bikes turned out to be too difficult and we walked back to our sleeping bags for some rest.

The sunset was full of brushstroke clouds and the sunrise was a deep orange over the dark blue Pacific Ocean this morning...which made me slightly homesick for Hope.  We walked down the beach to see the boulders, which are these huge, smooth, symmetrical, round rocks that are a mystery to science.  There are many Maori legends associated with them and it was neat to see something so random.  We then ate lunch at Fleur's Place which I must go back to sometime.  Maybe Dad will want to treat me to some fresh fish when he gets here.  After having a nude swim in the ocean we decided to find a ride back to Dunedin.  We were so reluctant as we had hot temps and sunny skies all weekend and dreaded going back to schoolwork...however we made it back via a nice couple and marked this weekend as a success.

I promise we were smart and will continue to be smart when proceeding with such endeavors.  Cheers!

Tramping the Ridgeline

Whew.  Another busy week!  After the craziness that was St. Paddy's, I spent a lot of time reading in the library and also cooked some zucchini lasagna for my flat (thanks for the recipe, Grandma!)  I'm still enjoying my classes and actually have 2 essays to crank out this week which I'm of course dreading.  Aye.  This weekend I went with the Tramping Club to Fiordland National Park which is on the southwest part of the South Island.  We bussed out there on Friday evening and stayed in a "shelter" which was really just a roof over a little bit of pavement.  We were sandwiched in, which helped us stay warm, and we got started on our separate trips in the morning.

I was with 8 others (lead by Jono, a Kiwi tramper extraordinaire) and the plan was to go on a track up to Key Summit and then follow the ridge line and eventually go down to McKellar Hut (irony?)  When we got to Key Summit, the clouds and fog made it difficult to see, but they soon lifted and gave a nice view of some snow-capped peaks and valleys below.    We then went off-track and walked atop the peaks for the whole day.  Just up and down following the mountain line and had beautiful views on all sides the entire time!  Everywhere we looked were more peaks, blue skies, floaty clouds, and rivers wayyyy down below.  Apparently it rains a lot in this part of New Zealand, but it was not the case this weekend!  We were really lucky to have such great weather.

      

We descended a peak that was extremely steep and made it down to the campsite after about 10 hours of tramping.  We set up a "tent" and then boiled water for tea and pasta.  The stars soon came out and there were so many.  (Orion as we know it is upside down here and they call it "The Pot" because his belt and sword look like a handle and pot.  We tried to tell Jono about Orion and he just didn't get it.  Hmph).  Anyway, we looked at the stars and played some games of Mafia before Katie spotted what she thought was a black cat going through my pack.  Nope, it wasn't a cat...in fact it was a possum!  They are black in NZ instead of the weird tan color and this guy wouldn't leave us alone!  Jono chased it, Mike threw things at it, we ran it up a few trees.  Nothing worked.  I still slept outside in the "tent" with Jono, Mike, and Carrie and our sleep was only disturbed by my gasp from a dream of four possums attacking us.  

Today we hiked about 4 hours and took our time through mossy forests and grassy fields before we got back to the bus stop.  By that time we were all sore from the constant movement and stretching and massages were oh so good =)  I had a really nice talk with Rachel on the bus ride home and ate the last of the granola bars homemade by me.  I just had the most amazing shower and am now going to sleep.  Hopefully for a long time.

Adventure Capital of the World

Well this most certainly was an eventful weekend!  My flatmate, Rachel, and I joined on this trip to Queenstown sort of last-minute, and we had an amazing time!!  I'll give you the run-down...

Friday morning (ridiculously early) we got on a bus and started our journey.  We stopped off to do some wine tasting at a vineyard with the most beautiful backdrop ever.    It looked fake.  Come to think of it, a lot of New Zealand looks fake at times.  Anyway, the wine was tasty and it was fun to learn a bit about the history of the Wooing Tree.  From there we went to the Kawarau Bridge where the first bungy jump ever was done, and so of course we all had to follow AJ Hackett's lead and do the jump ourselves down 43 meters.  I wasn't nervous at all until I stood at the edge and looked down and I was thinking, "Wait, I have to jump off a bridge??"    It was the sweetest sensation to be flying and I just want more adventure now =)  I got some great photos with my wonderful Canon and here's just one of them!  After that, we checked into our hostel and headed out for dinner at Speight's Ale House.  I had some sort of whitefish that I can't pronounce which was really good and more wine (hey, it was included!)  It took a long time to get our food since there were 30 of us in the group, so it was a nice long dinner before heading out for the evening.

Saturday morning we woke up to go jet boating!  The drivers of these things are crazy because they're going at 80 kph and they get so close to the canyon walls before deciding to do a 360 turn.    It was definitely a thrilling morning!  We were given free time to explore town, so Rachel and I walked around in search of jandals for her (what we all call "flip flops") and also for some lunch.  We ate at this place called FergBurger and the burgers there were  gigantic.    Huge I'm talking.  Like the size of your face probably.  Anyway, next we were off for a tramp up to Queenstown Hill which proved to be another wonderful view.  The Remarkables are the mountains that border the town and we got some good shots of them.  That night we went out dancing and had a tonnnn of fun meeting people and such.

Sunday, our last day in Queenstown, was very relaxing.  We took a gondola ride up to a luging track and took a few runs down that before we had a light lunch in the park.  And some really good gelato (fig and pistachios!)  I met some sweet people this weekend and got closer with the ones I already knew.  All in all, it was a fun weekend!

This week will be filled with reading so that I can go away again this weekend.  My calendar is getting pretty full and I'm looking forward to having some visitors in a few weeks' time!  Cheers--

Flat Warming turns to Burning

Well, sort of.  So apparently there's this tradition at Otago where they burn couches in the street.  Strange, yes, but I saw such an event the other night.  We hosted a flat warming for our friends in the complex, which turned out to be about 20 or so.  After a little while of mingling and hanging out we headed to this other party that was supposed to be lively and fun with music and drinks to go around.  We were there for a bit when someone started a fire, and yes, chairs and the like were burned to ash.  No worries, the police were there quickly and no one was hurt.  Strange things happen in Dunedin...

Yesterday was Friday and some of us are lucky enough to not have class,  so we went on a 5 hour tramp up to Flagstaff via the Pineapple Track.  I went with people who I didn't know too well and enjoyed their company a lot!  It's been fun to hear about other people's travels and home life and uni experiences, and I've definitely learned a lot of random facts since I've been here.  The route we took yesterday was challenging at some points, but the view at the top was soooo stunning.   It's indescribable by both words and photos, but please take my word for it.  When we rested at the top, Derrick had brought a loaf of bread and a jar of both peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches.  (No peanut butter for me sadly since I gave it up for Lent).  But the best thing about it was that Alan had never tasted one before and his face told it all.  He instantly fell in love.  Hahah!!

Today was spectacular as well.  Rachel and Stephen and I went to the farmer's market where I treated myself to raspberries and a lavender plant.  We also had breakfast there where I tried some dahl soup with fresh bakery bread (just like Harvest, Ma!)  The weather was perfect today and there was hardly a cloud in the sky, so for $4, the three of us took a bus out to the Otago Peninsula.  The beaches here are home to quite a few endangered species of birds and penguins and there are sea lions and seals basking in the sun depending on where you go.  I had it in my mind that I wanted to see a seal, so we walked 14 km to Allen's Beach and yes, I did in fact see a seal =)    Dinner tonight was grilled veggies and corn and Chardonnay.  Dessert was Hokey Pokey ice cream, which I'm not too keen on, but the Kiwis love it so I had to try it.  Tomorrow morning is river crossing training so that I can go on trips with the tramping club in the next few months.  Aye.  Busy busy.  Maybe I should figure out if I have homework....

I hope that Dance Marathon went well at Hope and that you are getting yourselves rested again!  You're on the home stretch for Spring Break (most of you).  I send my love.

Paaawdy pawdy

That's what my Kiwi host, Nick, likes to say on a nightly basis while he's drinking Carters, a beer that costs $7 for a case of 12.  We like to live cheaply here in 4/46 and Weet-Bix, tea, and yogurt have become our staples.  It's been a lot of fun getting to know my flatmates so far and our nightly dinners are one of my favorite things about being here.  I can't wait to cook for you all when I get home!!

Last week is called "O-Week" at Otago (for orientation) and there are crazy things that go on that I know Hope College would never ever everrrrr allow to go on.  I can elaborate later if you wish.  It's definitely a different lifestyle here, but it's all about "no worries, mate" and I'm loving it!  There were a few events for us international students, such as a traffic light party (yes, I proudly wore red) and a two-hour train trip.  The train took us to this gorge in the middle of nowhere and they had a BBQ dinner there ready for us.   The scenery was breathtaking, especially when the sun was setting.  The hills and shades of green are never-ending.

        

I went for a run with the Harriers (their version of cross-country) which was a great way to meet some Kiwis and get my ass kicked into shape.  They go up and down these hills like they're nothing!!  I seriously thought this one hill was never going to end...just up, and up, and oh wait, up some more...but at the top was a gorgeous view that was all worth it.  I also went kayaking for a day with their club, but won't be joining them on future trips as it's a bit pricey to take up as a hobby.  I have, however, joined the tramping (hiking) club here which is a sweet way to see the country.  It's just a group of students who love the outdoors who plan trips...so hey, I'll be a part of that!!  On Sunday I went for a tramp with them up Mount Cargill, despite the rain, and found myself up in the clouds after a few hours.  I had great conversations with the girls around me, who are named Annie and Anna ironically =)  At the end of the hike there was another BBQ (very popular thing to do) and lots of beer to go around.  Yummm.  Speaking of food, the farmer's market here is great and I can't get enough of this freshness!

Oh right, I'm here to STUDY abroad.  So I decided to drop the enviro class since Hope is dumb and won't accept the credit.  The classes I am taking, however, are so awesome and I've really enjoyed the first few days.  Adventure education is more thought-provoking than I thought it would be (in a really good way) and Maori society is going to give me some good insight to the indigenous people of NZ!  My PE and Health class meets tomorrow, so I have yet to find out about that.  I'm hopefully going to be getting away with not buying textbooks since they are on reserve at the library (which is allllways packed by the way).

Ah and one more thing.  It's March.  Today was a school day.  My friends and I were done with classes by 1.  It was about 90ish degrees and we hit the beach.

Did I mention this is MARCH?!?!  I love New Zealand =)