Adventure Attempt...Adventure Success!!

You should all know that it rained for a week straight here in Dunedin while the weather is getting warmer in Holland.  And it's the cold rain that goes to your bones and since there's no heating...pretty much we all froze.  Okay I'm done complaining =)  Last weekend we wanted to do something other than sit around the flats, so Kris offered to drive 5 of us out to the peninsula to check out one of the beaches that is apparently beautiful and has nice hiking trails.  She bought a car here when we first arrived and the windshield wipers were broken.  No big deal, we'll rig something up with string and have the passengers operate the wipers by hand so the driver can see!!  Of course.  Well, not only is Kris nervous to drive on the other side of the road, but she also is a little shaky with manual...and of course half-way out there it got to pouring.  So we turned back and nipped that idea in the bud since the manual wiper blades weren't fast enough.  Rachel and I cooked soup and bread instead and had a nice chill rest of the weekend trying to stay dry and warm.

Last week consisted of rain...did I mention that?  And also lots of essay writing.  One on "child obesity and physical education" and "the ecology of adventure".  At least they were interesting.  I randomly ran into a friend, Laura, from earlier in the semester and she invited me to join her and some others for a weekend trip to Kaikoura.  One of the greatest weekends since I've been here!!!

Friday consisted of 7+ hours of driving.  That's like getting to Pennsylvania or something from Mom's.  Basically a long way for a weekend trip.  Anyway, the 8 of us (from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, Colorado, Texas, Sweden, Italy) crammed into the mini-van and made it to the cutest and nicest hostel I've ever stayed at.  We pretty much went to sleep that night as we were tired from doing nothing all day.  Laura, Alisha, Emily, and I woke up the next morning for a gorgeous sunrise over the Pacific Ocean.

After spending a bit of time watching the colors change, we got our things around and went to swim with the dolphins!!!  We got our gear all fitted and such and hopped on a boat to take us to them.  The dusky dolphins are one of the smallest types in the world and are known for their socializing and acrobatics.  When we got to their pod we jumped in the freezing cold water and snorkeled around.  They were so friendly and came right up to us, doing circles around us, jumping and the works.  At times there were 6 or so within arm's reach, but they were too quick to touch!  I dove down a few times and they circled my body and kept eye contact for a few minutes before another one would get in the way =)  

It was so neat to swim with them in their natural environment!!!!  After 40 minutes or so we got back on the boat and went to a different spot where there were even more.  I just can't believe how friendly they were--one time I had 4 of them swimming right toward my face before they turned off at the last second...I can't say I've ever played chicken with a dolphin before!  It was so neat.

After getting changed out of the wetsuits we followed the pod for a while and watched them do some back slaps and flips.  There were literally hundreds of dolphins.  We also saw quite a few Great Albatross...the largest seabird in the world.  They only breed in Antarctica but hang out around NZ's south island.  We also saw a humpback whale in the distance, which was a surprise. It floated at the surface for a while and then took a dive like you'd see in Planet Earth when the tail flicks up into the air and then disappears into the ocean.

The rest of the day was spent talking about dolphins and Emily, Laura and I went on a hike around the peninsula since it was a nice day.  We saw seals (they seem to be on most beaches here) and obeyed the sign that told us "Please do not attempt to move seals"  You know someone must have tried that before for them to put the rule up.  Sheesh.  Kaikoura is a place where the mountains seem to run right into the ocean.  And not only are there the snow-capped peaks, but also rolling green hills, rocky cliffs, rocky beaches, pine forests.  Oh, and palm trees.

New Zealand is amazing and I'm trying not to think too much about this summer because I want to enjoy the rest of my...6 weeks?  I am definitely looking forward to coming home, however.  I miss family and friends and RJ of course =)

Living the Life

The week after the semester break was full of attempts to do homework and listening to stories from friends.  There is so much to do here and everyone I talked to did something adventurous!  Last weekend my flatmates and I found our favorite bar in Dunedin.  It's been getting colder here, and this place has live music with fireplaces in one room, an outdoor hangout spot, plus another club-ish room with a DJ.  Soo wonderful.  And between South Bar and the library we will stay warm this winter.  The rest of last weekend included the farmer's market, a wine and cheese party at our place, and a night of "Pulp Fiction".

Last week I did a lot of reading and researching so I would be free for another great weekend...which it proved to be.  Thursday night I had a communal dinner with Rachel, Holly, and Alan and we played Scrabble before it got cold and we went to South Bar.  Friday night we stayed in to prepare for our girl's overnight hike on Saturday!  Holly, Andee, Michelle, Rachel, and I drove 25 minutes to the trail head and hiked the Silverpeaks all day yesterday to get to the Jubilee Hut.  This hike included what is locally known as the "Devil's Staircase" and is suitable for "Experienced trampers only".  So of course we continued on!!!

                

Come to find out, the Staircase is not as clear cut as it sounds.  At all.  It started out with heaps of mud.  We then bush-whacked our way down a really steep cliff full of gorse (super sharp prickly hellish bushes) like it was no big deal.  Rachel and I were leading and got us a little off-track as there were no trail markers and only slightly matted down grass and bush to follow.  But we got back on (after sacrificing our previously flawless legs) and made it to the Jubilee Hut successfully!  I led the girls in a yoga session, which felt oh so good, and then it was time for dinner.  Woops, Rachel and I left the potatoes I made in the fridge at our flat, so a can of beans and a half an apple it was.  Haha.  The others shared a bit and we fell asleep at 9ish after a few hands of cards and journal writing.

Day Two of the girlie adventure turned out to be perfect weather as well.  With the icy ground, the mud wasn't too bad, and going up Devil's Staircase was so much more fun than going up.  At points we were pretty much rock climbing.  Only a few slips from the group, but no bad spills, so that was good.  The ridgeline we were following gave views of Dundedin in the distance, surrounding mountains in the Otago region, and the Pacific Ocean of course.  The trail we were on will not be doable in a few weeks with snow and colder weather on its way...and rain would have been impossible as well...so pretty much we were really lucky with the conditions we were given =)  We got to know each other better and had so many laughs along the way.  We proved some of the doubtful neighbor boys wrong and had fun doing it!

I booked a flight to Wellington during my last week here and will be doing another weekend get-away with some girls next weekend.  Must get to work in order to be able to play =)