Still a Trip of a Lifetime

It's Thursday morning and I am sitting, waiting patiently for a phone call. Jake got into Auckland this morning and is headed this way! The airlines misplaced his luggage and he missed his flight to Wellington. It's all good, he'll be here sometime today! We're about to embark on 12 days of tramping, driving, sight seeing, wine tasting and sky diving!! I'm so excited to be able to share my great experience with someone from home and just to see Jake in general. Before we head out I thought I should catch up the world on my life.
I've been back for two weeks for a 20 day Easter holiday. This holiday is a lot longer than ours at home and what all exchange students wait for during the semester. It's our chance to get out and see New Zealand and be free from school for a few weeks. Like most, my friends Anna and Eva planned to have a trip of a lifetime. From our weekend trips we've all gathered a knowledge of having no plan (in most cases) is the best plan. So they flew to Dunedin and went from there. They wanted to do a 3-4 day tramp and see as much of the South Island as possible. I on the other hand wanted to try to work a bit. It's pretty easy for travelers to show up at hostels and get short term work through word of mouth. I wanted to do this alone. I ended up spending 10 days alone, working a week in vineyard then another few days driving. By day 6 or so I was good on the alone thing. I felt a little lost, not physically but mentally.
Anna and Eva came out of the bush and texted me that day. They were about to go on another 3 day adventure of kayaking Doubtful Sound. This is one of the New Zealand experiences everyone is supposed to have. I just figured since I wasn't able to join in (being really far away) I would just drive down to meet them when they finished. I took almost three days to drive South to Wanaka then onto Queenstown. Once I got into Queenstown I met up with Eva for a burger and immediately drove north with her 12 hours. She had to meet her boyfriend Peter in Nelson to start another tramp the next day.
So here I was, semi enjoying my break, pretty much just really to chill out with some friends, and can't find anything to do. I dropped Eva and her boyfriend off at the trail head about 15 days into our trip and went in search of something that made me feel like I actually found something over break. I totally got it.
The next 4 days were some of the best I've had in my life. I stumbled across this rock climber's campground called Hang Dog. It was great. I found exactly what I needed there. I made friends quickly with the laid back climbers and found a climbing partner the first night. So the next three days were spent slowly waking up and heading out to the rock walls at Paynes Ford to climb. In the afternoons I went to town, Takaka, or hung around the campground. One day I went to the beach with a friend and just enjoyed life's calmness. The nights were probably the best part. As soon at it got dark, it got cold and someone lit the fire. Every night I was there we sat around the fire, sang songs, drank cheap box wine and laughed a lot. These few days made me realize I enjoy being around people and kind of need it.
I didn't have a horrible time on the first part of my trip and I'm glad I did it. I learned a lot about myself that I wouldn't have otherwise. I am going back to Hang Dog camp, as much as I can before leaving New Zealand. I'm all about finding new and exciting places and not dwelling in one, but that is one to go back to.
So! After my new lessons learned I am ready to go out again. Most likely I am going to take Jake to Hang Dog so he can see what it's all about. I'll try to not wait so long to write about this next trip. By the way: school's going good. My new project is making paper out of leaves! We only have 3 weeks of school left!! After that I have about a month to travel and really get my fill of New Zealand before heading home.
Anna and Eva, again like most, had the trip of a lifetime hitchhiking, hiking, camping, kayaking, and taking in life. I also had an amazing trip but mine was more internal than what I actually did and where I went.

Abel Tasman Coastal Track

Anna and I squeezed in one more trip before working out school assignments and getting ready for break. We walked the Abel Tasman Coastal Track. This is one of the ten New Zealand Great Walks. The other tramps I've done are not included in the ten, but they are close runners up, just as great or even better. Eva would have loved to join us but she had school work.
Anna and I left Wellington Thursday morning after two heavy days of school. We took the ferry to Piction, grabbed lunch, and almost missed our bus to the track. We were just in time and enjoyed the 2 hour bus ride to Marahau. We arrived at out hostel/campground around 5pm and settled in. It was called the Old McDonald Campground. They actually had sheep, llamas, chickens, peacocks, cows and a bunch more animals. We got a cabin to ourselves and enjoyed a bottle of wine around the farm before walking down the road to the cafe/bar. The evening was spent listening to the local's open mic night, sipping wine and eating incredible food. We danced with the owners of the bar and stood in on an old Hawaiian chant. It was an amazing night, one of the best yet in New Zealand.
The next morning we were up and ready to start our tramp! We started the walk with really heavy packs but good spirits. I just bought a new backpack that can hold double the amount of my old one. I used that space, making my pack super heavy. The day was long and tiresome but when we reached the beach of our camp that afternoon it was well worth it. After about six hours of walking we collapsed on the beach until we were ready to set up our tent. The beach was beautiful and secluded like all of the Abel Tasman beaches. We borrowed a tent from a friend and were happily surprised to find it had all the pieces and was just big enough for two people. That night we made dinner on a small gas stove, took a nap on the beach and hung around the one campfire in the campground. By the time we got into our sleeping bags we were dead tired. My hips were swollen from my back resting there for so long and Anna's feet were blustered. Along the track you go through tidal pools. You have to reach these just in time to pass while the waters out and still have to walk through a few streams. Wet feet were not a good idea for our days walk!

The next morning after a small contemplation of whether to walk more or not, we set out along the track. We felt alright but immediately took our shoes off to walk through another tidal pool area. We worked hard not to have wet feet! This day was a four hour walk, with two hours the following morning. Anna and I ended up getting distracted by a German guy, Patrick, for most of the day. He was really entertaining and kept us in good spirits. We had lunch with him and after taking our shoes off yet again to cross more tidal pools we decided to keep walking to the end of the track! We ended up at our destination after about six hours of walking and felt great. We were done and didn't have to walk any further in the morning! The second day of walking went a lot better than the first. That might have had something to do with our activites the night before.
Our tent was the only one occupying a large open around in a nice campground. We had a fire pit and picnic table to ourselves and relaxed for the evening. I made a fire and we drank the very small bottle of wine we brought with us. It was a great night looking at the stars and taking in New Zealand. Around 10pm the silly girls that we are decided to move our tent. It was in the corner near the woods and since there was no one around, we brought the tent into the middle of the opening! The first night in the tent we laid awake listening to opossums and figured there would be less animals in the open. It actually worked well! The next morning we were able to relax and wait for our bus. The bus was picking us up in this campground so we didn't have anywhere to go. Anna went for a swim in the freezing ocean and I read a book. We were waiting promptly at 9:50am for our 10:00 bus that never showed up. What to do when we have no cell service, our bus isn't there and we're in the middle of no where? Luckily there were other people around. The guy saw us looking lost and talking about our bus and he mentioned to us that it was day light saving time! We were an hour early. Who keeps track of things like that when you're in the bush??
So our tramp ended with a sleepy bus ride back to civilization. We arrived later that afternoon in Nelson, a good sized town and hung around there for the day. We treated ourselves to a nice dinner and beer and went back to our hostel to take advantage of the free spa and pool. We took Patrick's advice (our friend from the trail) for this great hostel. It was $24NZ (around $16US) for a bed with linens, free pool, spa, steam room, free veggie soup at night and breakfast in the morning. This place has one of the best deals I've seen so far. We also ran in Patrick that night and got to hang out with him again! The trip was a great success and Anna and I both learned a lot about tramping:pack light, you don't need a jar of peanut butter, jelly AND honey, talk to the people walking with you and maybe it's not a good idea for shots at the bar the night before you begin the tramp!

Two in One

So I'm going to recap my last two weekends! While in Wellington, I focus on school still and have just enough time to fit in about one night a week to go out to town with friends. I'm so glad I'm able to do this as it is just enough to make me feel like I'm getting everything I can out of Wellington and New Zealand. So my first weekend after the trip to Arthur's Pass was a little rushed and disoriented but still fun. I felt weird after having been with these amazing girls to this amazing place. It was like I 'climbed the mountain' now what?
But after a fun filled Thursday night out in town, Carly Lewis, John and I grabbed a bus to Napier Friday morning. We arrived early afternoon to this art deco town. There was an earthquake there in the early 1930's and the town was completely rebuild with art deco architecture. It was a good town to see but after a nice relaxing dinner and a stroll on the beach we felt we were done with the place. The next morning we got another bus to a town well talked about all over New Zealand. Taupo is home to the world's cheapest sky dive! (No, I didn't sky dive, I'm waiting for Jake to get here and go with me!) The town sits on a lake (one of the biggest in the southern hemisphere) and is known for natural thermal pools, waterfalls, and a bunch of adventure sports type things. We spent a day kayaking to 'ancient' Maori carvings that ended up being from the 1970s, that was a little lame. That night we were still hurting from Thursday night and went to bed early. The three of us shared a suite room in a hostel and it had a tv! That was the first night I was able to lay around and watch tv since I've been here. The next day Carly went parasailing and I rode around in the boat. I didn't want to go parasailing because I went in Cancun and I wanted to save the money for other things, like bungy jumping later! The weekend was short and sweet but a nice little out of Wellington's city life and continue my weekend travel tradition.
The next school week flew by and before we knew it, the girls and I rented a car and headed out again Friday! Carly Davis, Anna, Eva and I split the costs for the car so it ended up being really cheap. We left town Friday morning in route to Castlepoint. We stopped outside of Wellington and had coffee and muffins in a cute little town then got back on the road. The roads to Castlepoint went through farmland and rolling hills. I drove, loving the freedom of the car and curves of the roads. We pulled up to our ocean front cabin in late afternoon. We lounged on the beach for a while then went back to our cabin for a few bottles of wine and great homemade pasta. The four of us girls had a great time together! We sat around the table and talked for hours. We talked about things you don't usually talk about like how this experience was affecting us all and all of our great attributes! The next morning I woke up and felt the need to go somewhere else. After calling Jake from the ocean side payphone for a clear chat, we drove on to Cape Palliser.
Again, we made this quite an experience. The ocean was a beautiful, uncapturable shade of blue and the sand was black! There was a seal colony and the seals were sunbathing and laying near us. They were too cute! So picture this, as I am taking a nice peaceful stroll along the ocean all by myself, not a person in sight, these two girls come running up to me, naked! Anna and Eva were embracing the freedom of the wide open beach and nature. So what do I do besides laugh uncontrollably? Strip down and run around with them! We were like little hippie children embracing life at it's fullest. We went swimming in water that seems warmer than Wellingtons and eventually got back into the car feeling unheld and ready for whatever life had for us. We drove back into Wellington as it was getting dark and got ready for our next week of school. We had a blast, had great conversations and all felt like we learned a little about ourselves.

Trip Down South

Last weekend, I had the urge to get into the mountains. I could have gone to this beach to drink margarita's for four days, or lounge around in a small quaint town, but I really felt the need to get into the hills. So Thursday Anna, Eva, and I caught the 6pm ferry out of Wellington. Our plan was to eventually get to Arthur's Pass on the South Island and spend a day or two there. We enjoyed not having an exact set plan so we just went with the flow. We got into Picton around 9pm, quickly checked into a hostel and went for a walk around town. We ended up at an Irish pub that just got awarded the best Guinness in New Zealand! We went home pretty early to get ready for our big weekend. Friday morning we went in search for a car to rent. This is kind of a big deal as in New Zealand you drive on the left side of the road and none of us have ever rented a car before! I put it in my name and gave driving on the wrong side of the road a shot. It was great, I did fineand ended up driving the entire time. I only messed up once driving, when no other cars were around but I did turn on the windshield wipers instead of the blinker many times! Another funny thing about the car was that we couldn't get the radio to work. There was one tape in the car, China Paradise. It was like 80's pop rock to the fullest! It was ridiculous. So we headed out of Picton feeling free and open to whatever came out way, even really bad music.
We drove for about two hours and stopped for a picnic lunch in a nice wooded area. After that, we drove for another two hours then came to the ocean. It was an amazing view from the road and the beach was awesome. We got out and played on the beach and crawled all over these boulders. We all got soaked and had to change clothes in the parking lot. Our attitude for the weekend was so relaxed and carefree we all had fun stripping in the parking lot then heading on our way. We ate constantly on the ride, stopped to buy an adaptor for an Ipod then headed into the mountains by evening time.
We got to Arthur's Pass around 7pm, checked into a hostel where we shared a 8 bed dorm with one girl and the rest guys. We headed over to the one restaurant/bar in town and ate pizza, drank beer and listened to live acoustic music by a guy named Panda! It was a fun night and we became pretty good friends by this point. We laughed a lot at the hostel that night and eventually went to bed at about 12am. We got up at 8am ready to find a hike! We talked to a lady at the DOC (department of conservation) office about what hike we should do and what hutt we should stay in for the night. We settled on the Avalanche Peak/Crow Hutt tramp. It was a pretty serious set up: we had to make sure we had enough food and warmth to last us a week in the wild, we had to cross rivers multiple times, and had to tramp for about 7 hours each day. When we were set with souvenirs and maps we packed our packs and headed for the woods! It was such a great day. The first two or three hours of hiking was in the bush, with great views. Then we got to the tree line and it became so open and broad. It got to be a little scary as we got to the ridge line to make our way up to the peak of the mountain. After many breaks and snacks we got to the peak around 3pm. We ate there and took in the 360 panorama of mountains. There was a glacier to our right and wide open to out left. The mountain was just over 6000ft. Someone said the first days hike is about a 1000m gain. I'm not sure but towards the end it felt like every step was another foot higher.
So we were not entirely sure where to go from the summit but with my expert directional skills I lead the way. We walked along the ridge line for an hour or so until we got to the Scree Slope. This thing was the vain of our existence by the time we were down. It was a high, steep slope made of rocks of all sizes that feel from under your feet as you tried to walk. It was intense, it hurt, but it was funny! It took us about two hours to get down to the river bed that led us to our hutt for the night. We reached the hutt around 7pm and were dead tired. We ate dinner of pb&j and drank the bottle of wine we carried in with us! I was asleep by 9:30 and awoke early by the other 6 trampers in the hutt. We headed out by 8 or so and got ready for our river crossings. We walked along the river bank for two hours and came to a couple of ladies that had stayed in the hutt with us. One was laying in the ground and didn't look good. She had suddenly gotten sick and was too dizzy to walk to move. She was vomiting and had been laying there for two hours. We were told to let the police know as soon as we were out, and they did eventually get air evacuated out later in the day.
So the river we crossed was ice cold and the current pretty strong. We figured we would cross at the least amount of white water and the most shallow possible. It was definitely an experience and we did it! The day ended up being a lot longer than expected. We walked along the low river bed for most of the day. By 2pm or so we found this great spot were the river went along these beautiful cliffs. We decided it was time for a swim. I forgot to say the river was extremely clear. It didn't even look like water was there. When it was deep, it turned to this beautiful blue green. So I had my bathing suit on for the day but the other two stripped naked and went swimming! It was a blast, and went with the whole free atmosphere for the weekend. We finally got to the road around 4pm and tried to hitchhike. It didn't work so we had to walk another 2 hours! By the time we reached the car, I felt like I couldn't life any muscle in my body. We were so tired, so tired. I had blisters all over my feet and was so hungry but had to energy to move. I changed clothes and got behind the wheel and turned up Dave Matthews and was back in action.
We drove for 2 hours to a hostel, had a quick unsatisfying dinner and went to bed. The next day we drove back to Piction, and reluctantly gave up the car. Ten minutes before parking it, we realized we could pull the antena out and make the radio work! Duhh. So we got on the ferry and had a corona to celebrate our great weekend and headed back to Wellington. For the first time in New Zealand I feel like I made some true friends. We all got along so well and feed off of each other. We are all planning on doing another trip sometime soon. The car, the mountain, everything was unbelievable. I felt so great about climbing my first large mountain, I can't wait to do it again!

Catching Up

What a better time to write than a cold and rainy Monday morning with no classes! I have a bit of catching up to do as it's been two weeks since I have written on the blog. The weekdays go by quickly because I'm only in school 2 1/2 days a week. The rest of the week I'm planning or out of town. Two weekends ago, I have a eventful weekend in Wellington. A band that I really wanted to see played Thursday night, they're called Old Crow Medicine Show. They are from the US and spent a lot of time in Boone, so I know a lot of their music. Their song Wagon Wheel is very popular. So it was a pretty big deal that they were all the way in Wellington, New Zealand at the same time as me. I couldn't figure out how to buy tickets so Anna and I just showed up an hour before the show. It was completely sold out. So we figured we would just go have a beer, come back when the door opened and try to pay the guy at the door or buy tickets off someone else. We did that, and it didn't work. No one had extra tickets to sell and we just couldn't get in. We stood outside for about an hour when this guy sitting in the sidewalk eating started talking to me. He was like 'Not having any luck are you,' and we talked from there. I told him I really liked the band so I was willing to wait a while a pay a bit of money. He also said he had spent time in Boone and that maybe he could get us through the back door. He left and came back 5 minutes later and took our names down. He told us to go to the front door and we would be on the guest list. Sure enough, that's how we got in! We grabbed two beers a piece and went to the front of the jam packed crowd. The band came on...the guy I was talking to was the lead vocalist/violinist! Crazy! It was a great show, we were so excited! It was definitely a once and a lifetime night.
So Wednesday the day previously, I was hanging out with some friends at my flat. One girl, Eva, asked if I wanted to do this Run/Swim Event with her. She said it was only a 3k run and either a 100/300/750 meter swim. I'm like well OK I can do that, it'll be fun. Then she told me it was the following Saturday. I was still optimistic like yeah sure no problem. I'm not in the best shape but it would be fun! So then I was like that's only there and back in a pool a few times, and she was like noooo it's in the ocean! Whoa. A little scared now, but I agreed to do it.
Saturday morning we left our flats at 9:30am, to register for the race starting at 11am. We got there and there wasn't anyone around. There ended up being about 25 competitors. The swim was marked off in the bay and the run was along the boardwalk. I'm not a runner but that wasn't the part that scared me I'm a great swimmer but it was cold, windy and very choppy. Eva signed up for the 750m swim which looked completely crazy, but she did it! I did the 300m swim, and I was super glad that was only it. It was pretty neat, we all lined up at the water edge and the guy blew a horn and we all jumped into the water. The water was so choppy you couldn't swim normally. Every time you brought your head out of the water a wave would splash in your face. It was intense and I had to swim on my back a bit to get enough air but I did it! I ran out of the water, not feeling my legs because I was numb from the freezing water. I threw on my shorts and shoes and went running. The run was fine compared to the swim. All that mattered to me is that I finished my first ever biathlon. It was great! Eva ended up getting 2ND over all for the girls, she did awesome. It made for another once and a lifetime experience.
Sunday I went to church and to lunch at a couple's house. They are from Seattle and have three daughters here with them. They moved here permintely about a year ago. It was a great meal and great company. She said she would be my home away from home mom! Very comforting. Overall for staying in Wellington for the weekend I had a blast!!

A Very Friendly Kiwi

School started about two weeks ago! The first week was basically just getting classes straightened out and figuring out where to go. I worked out my schedule so that I only have classes on Tuesday and Wednesday mainly. I finish for the week Thursday at noon and go back Tuesday. I have a nice long weekend, every weekend! Before diving into school I figured it would been good to get out of town once more. I arranged for four friends and me to go stay at a hostel for a night in Paekakariki. The town is very small with one main street. It has a small grocery store, cafe, bar, pizza place and that's about it. So we took the train 45 minutes out of Wellington Thursday afternoon. We were really excited about our weekend not having a plan and just wandering around the town for a few days. The train ride was beautiful and the hostel even better. The owner was a nice man in his 50s that enjoyed talking to us travelers and helping us get situated. Once settled, we had afternoon tea on the porch over looking the ocean! Our dorm style bedroom was kept open the entire stay, with bug nets over our beds while we slept. That evening we shopped for food and wine and eventually made a gourmet dinner. We ate outside as the sun went down, it was pretty perfect. We had a great night walking all over the beach and getting to know each other.
The next morning we said good bye to our new friend at the hostel and made our way down to the cafe. We had a great breakfast and got ready for a day on the beach. When leaving from the cafe, we talked to a man in his 60s. He was really nice and told us about a music festival the next day in the town. We actually ran into him again later the same day when coming off the beach. It was windy and kind of cold so we came back early. This same man, Francis, said he had come up with the great idea of letting us stay at his house for free! We hesitated at first but then decided that it could be fun and a really great experience. Francis took us to his house, showed us where we would stay the night, gave us a key and said see ya later. His house was amazing. He had everything from pumpkins to lemons to grapes growing in his yard. We hung out on a swing and read while eating grapes off the huge vine hanging above us. What an experience!
We went to the one bar for the night and saw some local music. Basically it was an acoustic jam session and a lot of fun! The next morning we were going to head out early and get out of the way but Francis and his wife insisted we stay for tea and breakfast. They even played us their son's CD and burned us a copy to take with us. It was a blast! Sadly, we didn't make it to the music festival because it rained hard the entire day.
I really learned so much from this experience. The others were a little worried but I wasn't. While I wouldn't do this by myself I felt perfectly safe and fine with the four of us. People say Kiwis are really friendly and I feel like I can totally agree now, I understand what they're talking about. Paekakariki was beautiful and I really enjoyed our stay to the fullest.
By the way- they had a place you could go and yard bowl! It was like a bowling alley and a golf course mixed together!

Queen Charlotte Track

My most recent excursion was traveling to the South Island of New Zealand. Last Thursday I woke up early after a big night out in town. I threw some stuff in my backpack and headed out to catch the bus somewhere, anywhere. I told some people that I was going to find fun for the weekend but I ended up going alone. It was good though, it made for a very neat time! I got onto the ferry at 10:30am for a three hour ferry ride. It was a very large ferry that had a cafe, bar, shop, and cinema. It wasn't too rough but the wind was pretty chilly.

When I first saw the lands of the South Island I was at awe. It is so beautiful, the pictures do not do it justice. We docked in Picton were I had my first meal of fish and chips (which is huge here). I did some light shopping for a baseball hat and a book and waited for the water taxi. I took a small boat over across the bay to a place called Furneaux Lodge Resort along the Queen Charlotte Track. The track is 71km long that travels along shallow shorelines that shoot up to lush green mountains. So I had a room there with two bunk beds for $40 (US that is about $27 or something). It was amazing. It had small cabins, backpackers rooms, and nicer more expensive places. So I stayed in a nice little place and had dinner and a glass of local Sauvignon Blanc.

The next morning I woke up to the poring rain but continued with my plan for the day. I walked four hours to my next stop through a rain forest! I really got the full effect of a rain forest and figured out that my rain coat is no longer water proof. That afternoon I came to a homestay were a lady lives and rents out rooms for backpackers. She told me to strip on the porch and wrap in a towel to go to the shower! So that give you an idea of how much in the middle of no where we are. I had a nice relaxing afternoon of getting warm, eating scones and then dinner with a nice local beer and more fish and chips at a near by resturant. The next morning I woke up early for day just shy of eight hours of walking. I walked up and down mountains, in the trees and on the ridge lines, and through mud inches thick.

But I had a blast. I was so tired by the end of it but the views were amazing. Definitely the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. So I was picked up at my destination that afternoon and enjoyed a cold beer at the end of a long day. I hopped on the 6pm ferry and made it back to my flat by 10pm. It was a great trip and I will be going back, taking people with me next time! One more thing, school started today! My first class was very fun and I think the semester is going to fly by.

Getting my feet wet

Since my romp in the woods with the wise, I've been getting a touch of the younger lifestyle of Wellington. One afternoon I opened my door to two American guys playing a bluegrass song for me in the hallway. It was so neat, they were playing a guitar and the mandalin. That was their way of saying 'hey we're from the same place, great to meet ya!'
My other roommates moved in and I met a lot of international students this week. I went out one night to an Irish pub then to a disco. It was right out of the 70's. The floor was lit up squares that changed colors and disco balls were hung from the ceiling. I also attended a Lutheran church on Sunday. I had one my best New Zealand experiences there (so far). The people were so nice and came right up and talked to me. One couple even invited me to dinner!
That same day I took a group of new friends with me to the Island Bay Festival that I read about. A short bus ride around the bay brought us to a small festival with a market, music and food. I thought it was pretty interesting that the fair food was Asian style, rice and meat. The festival was right on the beach and one of my friends was able to experience the ocean for the first time in his life! It took me a while to realize that the tire-like rubber stuff on the beach was actual washed up seaweed. It was in very long and thick peices.
Orientation for school started yesterday were I met people from all over the states, Germany, India, and a lot of other places. We spent the day touring the campus and the city and ended with dinner and a movie, Whale Rider.
I was told that Wellington works it's magic on you and I am feeling that now. It took me a while to get here but I am loving the city and the people here. Today I was able to walk down to the beach and sunbath for about two hours. It's nice being in the mountains and on the water at the same time! Also, I DID get into the freezing water at the beach. The water temperature is 60 degrees. That doesn't sound bad, but my legs went numb.

Getting Comfortable

Just to check up to what I'm currently doing, I give a recap of the past week. On Sunday after the Sevens game, I set up my room, meet two of my roomies and found the beach! I was looking for a relaxing lazy day, but I had to go to one store three times to get what I needed. However, I was able to get a cell phone, the Internet, and some groceries.

The beach I found was very small but only about a 10 minute walk from my flat. Now, people keep telling me the sun is a lot stronger here and to wear sunscreen everyday. I hear there is a whole in the Ozone layer directly above New Zealand. At home I never wear sunscreen but just to be safe I put a bit on. Whoa, I got burnt for being out there two hours. I am wearing it every sunny day now.

One morning I woke up with the need to go somewhere so I walked down to the water front. It was a rainy/misty day so I wore my rain coat and went walking. I walked on the boardwalk to two bays away. It was about an hour and a half walk, along the water. It was beautiful!

The next two days were pretty uneventful. School doesn't start until the 23rd and I don't have anything to do until then. The other night I read about a tramping (hiking) club and figured I would go to the meeting. I did and they invited me on a tramp around the city on Wednesday. So yesterday I went on this tramp with 10 people all above 60 years old! It was slow paced but fun and I got to see spots that I would have never found on my own.

Wellington Sevens

My first day in Wellington I was very lucky to attend the New Zealands Sevens games. My mom knew some people here and they let me tag along and bought me a ticket! This was super nice as I just heard yesterday all the tickets sold out in ten minutes. I went with Bob, his children Simon, Sarah and Sarah's husband Layton.
The Sevens is a international rugby event were the teams travel and have tournaments on weekends. It is a huge event here in Wellington and everyone that goes dressed in costume! We were the characters from a New Zealand comic strip- The Footrot Flats. Basically everyone there was dressed up. The crowd was loud and fun. In between rounds music was played and the entire stadium went wild and sang along.
When you went to buy beer you had the choice of getting one, two, or four plastic bottles for yourself. Everyone was walking around with a ring of four bottles, a little different from sporting events in the states. We started our day at about noon and stayed at the rugby field until 10pm. Simon was able to get passes to corporate boxes and tickets for a nice buffet dinner. We were first class!
We walked into town after the leaving the arena with the huge mass of people. I was still very tired from traveling and took a cab home. The rest of my group ended up staying at a street party with a good Led Zeppelin cover band until 12:30. It was a great experience for my first day in Wellington. The kiwis (New Zealanders) definitely lived up to their name as big partiers.

Getting Here

I left Raleigh Wednesday Feb 4Th at 7:30am and arrived in Auckland Friday Feb 6Th at 5:45am. The trip was long but I felt great finally getting into New Zealand. I made it through the 20 hours of flying and was able to take a bird bath to get ready for my first day in my new country.
I took a shuttle to the train station were I made my train by 5 minutes. The train took me from Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, all the way through the North island to my new home of Wellington. While on the train I saw rolling farms full of cows and sheep that led way to rugged mountains. I was surprised by the snow capped Mount Ruapehu standing at 9,177ft. It's an active volcano that last erupted in 2007. My day on the train was nice but I was so grateful to finally get to the Wellington station.
A lady from international affairs picked me up and took me to my flat at Basin Reserve. I started to get a little weak from being awake for so long and felt like I was rocking on a boat; I needed a bed. However, the wrong key was left for me, so I waited 3 hours for the correct one. I wanted to put my stuff in my new room and be settled. The key never came by 11pm so I just crawled into my bed in the wrong room and passed out.

*Photo on top: Mount Ruapehu from the train. Bottom: Train station in a national park along the trip.