Just an extra hour at Piha

We went camping! :-) As a result, I am now a bit sandy and sunburnt... and my knee... don't think I was supposed to slide down Lion Rock... But it provided an absolutely stunning view of Piha! Since camping was something that was on my list for the "summer in NZ" or such, it was a joy to actually have a plan come together. Five of us headed out a bit later than expected on Saturday to the western beaches of the Auckland area. They are known for wicked surf and sometimes quite strong currents.

First stop: Foodtown to pick up some groceries. Let the fun begin. Was a nice drive down; quite a curvy road through some dense bush. Nice views awaited from a stop-off just above Piha! Soo exciting!! (Note: There is a large, obtrusive rock called Lion Rock in the middle of the beach at Piha. This is in a few films, so may look familiar.) Once we arrived, we had a "nice" (*cough notnice cough*)chat with this lady who presumed we were up to no good... Quite an unfortunate assumption on her part, I do believe. Regardless, we found a campsite in a small field-ish area and set up camp! Then we headed to the beach!

What a beautiful surf. Huge waves galore.

Needless to say, we enjoyed a bit of the water, though it was very chilly. Relaxed for the afternoon and loved taking in the view of PIHA!! Returned to the campsite after enjoying a beautiful sunset. There was also a couple in wedding attire on the beach! Gorgeous. Dinner (cheese sausages) was fixed in the kitchen after a few 3-minute showers and then we retired back to our site. Sat outside in the chilly air, relaxed on the air mattress, and looked at the stars for quite some time. The sky was completely scattered with stars and absent of clouds for a while, which was nice. Then...

There was a noise around our campsite.

It sounded like an animal (and to be honest, my instincts told me "Run! Bear!"... Of course I wasn't thinking, "There can't be bears, we are in New Zealand...")...

Sooo... we began to investigate and found...
a
HEDGEHOG! Eating our chocolate cupcakes and sitting amongst the feijoas!! Oh goodness... Soo... we took too many pictures, laughed for a while, and then sent the hedgehog on its way.

Needless to say, I slept in the tent from this point on.

Day two: More of the beach!! :-) Once we finally cleaned up, had breakfast, played on the playground, and packed out the cars, we headed to catch some surf. I actually tried SURFING for the first time in my life!! :-D It was super super exciting, even though I was not successful... Regardless, I enjoyed the mini-lesson and think it would be nice if we lived near a beach back home so that I could potentially practice! Either way, my half hour of surfing was totally worth while and sweet as! :-) Tuna and bread for lunch on the beach, with a few Oreos for "pudding." For the rest of the afternoon, I took a nice walk up Lion Rock, nearly slid down into the grass, and managed to enjoy even more wonderful views of the surf and such. What a splendid spot.

It was a bit stressful getting everything settled, but nothing that would distort my impression of a wonderful weekend at the beach. Camping and all! :-) I'm still suprised that it actually happened.

Quite tired now. Back to Remuera Road, packed, and ready to leave tomorrow for the Cook Islands! We shall see when I find time to do my papers, but hopefully all will be well for the remainder of break!!



Ready to try out surfing.



I found this road sign to be rather obvious. Lion Rock.



Relaxing along the shore.



Ahhh... Piha.



Our visitor!

Ahhh, sweet break.

Mid-semester break has begun! I am quite quite QUITE excited about the upcoming two weeks!! Today begins with an adventure to Piha Beach. We are going camping!!! :-) Something that I've been hoping to do since arrival. Should be nice. Then coming home to finalize packing and such for the Cook Islands! Stoked about visiting Rarotonga!! Dancing, swimming, markets, embracing the island, and an Easter celebration!! :-D Yay! Then... to the South Island. Oh goodness, I hear it is absolutely wonderful. Also, am excited that my parents will be there for a while!! Sweet as! :-)

For now, I must be going to finish packing, baking, and preparing for the two incredible weeks ahead! Adios for now.

"Your jumper is really quite nice."

My first Flat White... (basically I couldn't drink it because, although it was supposedly "quite weak", it was full of caffeine and coffee-flavored...). But it certainly looks nice! I'll take an Iced Chocolate, please. :-)

I am really enjoying the Kiwi language. It makes me smile to hear even the youngest of children speaking in "proper English." For instance, Honey and Ivan's grandson, around age 7, was asking me about my proper jumper. He is so proper and utilizes quite an odd vocabulary in comparison to most American seven-year-olds. Several other words came about over the course of this past weekend... "flash" refers to something that is modern, something that is fresh. "That city is certainly flash! Perfect for the tourists!" "Fringe", not bangs, for the hairstyle (note: utilized for both guys and girls). "Jumpers" are worn by most; meaning a sweatshirt or hoodie. Not the typical American dress of sorts. (I know this is standard in most other English speaking countries, but still struck me as a bit odd.) And... as mentioned in the title, it is very common to refer to an event, food, or other object as "quite nice" rather than "good, tasty, cool."

On the other hand... I walked up Mount Hobson this evening! Quite lovely once again! And what's not to love about nature, sunset, and a sweet city overlook?! I mean, honestly... I have included a few pictures below regarding my evening.

I experienced my first U of A exam yesterday evening!! Everyone was super serious... rather ridiculous if I may say so... :-) Regardless, it was a nice exam, and I trust I did rather alright. Biopsychology, so much of the information is not new at this point.

Here is a random tid-bit from my day. My friend Eliza and I went to the Warehouse (an all-puropose, wholesale, everything-store) and found Easter candy. I found this one to be a bit disturbing...




Casket? Really?


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And now I am beginning to set out clothes for the upcoming two weeks of incredible chaos!!! Very excited for mid-semester break!!! :-) (My internal clock tells me that I should be preparing for Spring, flowers, and pastel colors. Clearly that's what is associated with April, Easter, and such! But no... the leaves are turning and there is a chilly breeze lingering on a more regular basis. Strange. Anyway, I will continue to wear pastel colors because it is Spring to me.) :-) Leaving for Rarotonga in the Cook Islands on Monday!! Soo soon!! And then it will be 23-28 degrees C (mid-70's and such). Nice. Then to the SOUTH ISLAND!!! Meeting my parents at the airport in Christchurch and cannot wait to see what the week holds!! Yay!

But for now, I must focus on looking into my research papers (all 5 of them...). Yikes.

Have a lovely night/morning/day! Miss you all!



My home is in the lower left corner. You will see a series of connected dark grey roofs; I live in one of those!




Mount Hobson, looking towards Mount Eden.





The Clocktower from Albert Park, Uni.

Mmmm... Sulfur!

Yay!! I finally got my camera to load pictures onto the computer! It was a bit questionable for a bit there, but luckily the problem has been avoided at this point. Soooo... this weekend was INCREDIBLE!!! Yes, I have a test tomorrow, so this update will be short and followed in about a days time by a longer, more accurate description of the past few days.

Keeping it short, I visited family friends in the Bay of Plenty for (supposedly) Saturday and Sunday, returning once again a day later than expected, on Monday morning! :-) Had an absolutely LOVELY time!! Rotorua was included as well, with awesome kids along for the day! We had a blast, and I even rolled down a giant hill in a rather giant plastic ball. Sounds ridiculous, which it is! Wonderful Kiwi inventions, I tell you! And that was after watching a sheep show (with pictures of the sheering and such), wandering around Mount Manganui, and enjoying the thermal wonderlands of Te Puia Village. A Maori cultural show was enjoyed as well.

Below are a few picutres of the whorlwind tour of the glorious bay and sulfur-drenched tourist attractions.



The Rotorua Museum.



Baa baa Black Sheep...



The Bay and Mount Manganui.



Dinner at Harbourside with friends!



At the Bay of Plenty.



The village of Matamata, also known as Hobbiton!



Now that's hot mud.



ZORBING!!!



Pohutu Geyser.



*Sigh...*

Goodnight, amigos.
<3

A Mystic Land Up North

Let me just begin by expressing my adoration for sand dunes. I know they are a strange thing to find super amusing, but I most certainly find them as such. I mean, how incredible is it that sand gets swept across an expanse of land and forms a beautiful mountain of messy, invasive, and gets-stuck-everywhere particles?! But really, quite amazing. And to speed down the giant hills on a dune board… even better!

And that was just the beginning of the weekend.



Welcome to Paihia!

Sarah, a friend from Germany, and I began on Saturday at about 6:50 AM to head north of Auckland. Finally got out of the city!! It was wonderful. Took the Stray Bus, a backpacker bus here in NZ. There are countless people of all ages that backpack for months on end around here… ridiculous! Regardless, we headed to the Bay of Islands for a short weekend. Planned to travel up on Saturday, returning to Auckland late Sunday evening. Then we heard about the tour that headed up to Cape Reinga! Needless to say, we returned to Auckland on Monday evening. And I’m very happy that we made the decision to do so! The Cape was well worth every minute!!



A view from the Cape!

Arrived in Paihia around 4 PM, booked tours, and then checked in at the hostel. Stayed at Pipi Patch, a Base Hostel. After check-in, Sarah and I took a walk up to Paihia Lookout. It was an unexpectedly nice walk through a winding jungle of green. A cute bridge, endless foliage, and a sweet lookout at the top! Then to dinner… took about 2 hours to get pasta. Ridiculous, but memorable, I guess! Home to hang out and then to sleep early.

Regarding the Cape trip: Drove along Ninety Mile Beach (which is actually 64 miles long, and they use the metric system anyway, so don’t know what Captain Cook was thinking!). Saw some wonderful sights on the way up, through foggy jungle-like terrain and numerous quaint villages, spotted with fishing boats, cafes, and cows. Sheep, also… even some PINK SHEEP at this crazy farm!! For pink jumpers, obviously.

Anyway… after arriving on the beach, we spent some time in the Tasman Sea, relaxed for a while, ran around, then jumped back on the bus. Oh, and I enjoyed a Fluffy on the way up! Basically like a cheap hot chocolate with froth, usually only for children. Tasty! On our way to the dunes, we enjoyed an incredible dark rye and salmon sandwich. Another tasty, healthy treat! We arrived at the dunes in just a short while, around mid-day. It was a super sunny, clear day by that time. Endured a brief introduction to “proper dune boarding” and then headed up the mountains of sand!! I must say I was quite excited, having had a lovely time at previous dunes. And these were no different! Well, we were at a lower latitude (sea level, namely), making it slightly nicer to climb the shifting sand. After taking a few breaks and making it to the top, we began our journey down! First time? A bit nervous, so I dug my feet in… next three times? Wanted to go as fast as possible and had a total blast!! Almost made it to the creek at the bottom, and the last time went in anyway. Too fun to pass up, eh?



Duning!!

After becoming sufficiently red-faced and sand-covered, we headed up to the Cape. Talk about beautiful overlooks! Wow. I’ve included a picture to try to capture the sheer wonder of the lighting. Wish it did it justice. This part of New Zealand is very important to the Maori people, being the location where the deceased spirits travel before leaving this land. Rich culture abounds, and the location is nothing short of miraculous to the local tribes. No food or drink is allowed on the track to ensure the purity of the sacred land. There is certainly an abundance of cultural understanding to grasp around the country.



Cape Reinga.

After Ninety Mile Beach, duning, and Cape Reinga, we headed south once again. Stopped along the way at a Gumdiggers Park where we toured the land. Kauri trees (giant) that fell several hundred thousand years ago were preserved in the peat layer of earth, preserving the wood in a natural state. There are examples in the park of 400,000 year old pieces of wood that are still workable, not petrified or fossilized. Quite interesting, really. Toured another location called “Kauri Kingdom” or something of the sort… These trees are literally so large that they have carved out the inside of one tree to form a rather large staircase! Second largest tree in the world, after the California Redwood. Then headed to the “best fish and chips in the country” at Maunganui Fish Market. Enjoyed the greasy meal, but it was definitely not my favorite thus far… We shall see! Back “home” to the hostel by 7:15 PM (over an hour late) and headed to shower immediately! So messy! Exhausted, but had a wonderful day.



Hugging a giant Kauri tree!

Day two was spent in Paihia, exploring a bit, attempting to watch the sun that never rose, and enjoying a dolphin adventure. But first, we had amazing apricot and cream cheese muffins! Once again, quite enjoyable. Otherwise, it was nice and chilly all day… Not exactly ideal for a boat trip, eh? Saw a few playful dolphins, learned a bit of history, and headed to the Hole in the Rock. It was a bit too rough at sea to go through the hole, so just observed from a rather close distance! Saw some black layered rocks, learned a bit of geology, and headed back to Paihia. The rest of our day was spent wandering around, making noodles for lunch, and watching a bit of rugby on the tele. Jumped on the bus around 4:30 PM and arrived back in Auckland by 8 PM or so.

That’s about all for the fun-filled weekend! Now it is Wednesday late afternoon and I’m getting ready to head to a friend’s house for dinner. Turned in my first project at U of A today; a “lovely” GeoFlyer for my Geology of New Zealand course. Exciting! Or not really… haha!

Word of the day:
munted: controversy still stands about usage of this word, but most commonly it is used to mean “broken, useless, messed up”

Have a good one.

What a Wonderful Day!

So I just returned from a wonderful walk up Mount Hobson, which resides nearly 4 minutes from where I live. It was quite a nice hike up the footpath, past cows, trees, and craters. What a beautiful view, indeed!! Certainly more than I expected from a 7 minute walk up a semi-medium sized hill! We could see the city, Mount Eden, One Tree Hill (I think...), and the bay. Went just now, just before sunset. It was a sunny, calm day after the morning downpour; so, needless to say, a great time to do the short hike! Took several (ok, quite a few...) pictures from all around the top crater and then headed back down. At the bottom of the hill, we found a Golden Retriever!! I was super excited, and the dog came over, wagging her tail! :-) Yes, I asked the owner and got to pet the dog! Made my day! Nature, Golden Retrievers, and school. With several new friends. What a good one.

View of Rangitoto.

Touching the Sky Tower

Sweet stunt planes visible from atop Mt. Hobson!

Oh, and to top the day off, we talked about neurosurgery in Biopsych today. :-D You may well know how I feel about that kind of thing; if not, well... I find it absolutely fascinating! And then we talked about drugs and addiction, which was quite interesting as well. I must note that my professor is quite ridiculous for this class... I generally sit there and take note of the random, strange, and sometimes rather disturbing things that he says... and sometimes I even write them down! For instance, my notes read from today's class as follows: "I continue to persevere because, well, I am a rebel." In another instance, "I think I don't mind animal testing because I have become morally bankrupt." And numerous other references to locations of magic mushrooms and the such... He certainly keeps the class entertaining!

And... in Pacific Music and Dance! I actually shook my hips the right way today for the first time!! That's something to celebrate, let me tell you! We had to perform in small groups (mine being the smallest, go figure...) in front of the rest of the class (about 94 people in total). It was quite intimidating at first, but had fun! Then we worked on our chant to be performed prior to the dance. Sweet as!

Performing our Cook Islands Dance!

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As you can tell, it was quite an eventful day! Moving on...

My homestay mother has been away to Wellington with her work for the past few days. I've been out and about, so it hasn't been too bad. Actually, not bad at all. Missed home for a bit a few days ago, but it's super amazing to be able to SKYPE often!! :-) I also enjoy talking to you all back home via Facebook chat. Thanks for letting me know how things are going in your life as well as checking up on me! I love to hear from you!

That is all for now! The Brazilian couple is fixing dinner (fish filets!) and I am going to socialize with them. (*Note: The Brazilian girl showed me pictures of her dogs, family, and friends from back home! Very exciting, as she has been quiet since they arrived. She is super sweet, though!)

Bay of Islands this weekend with my friend, Sarah, from Germany! Certainly excited! Updates soon.

G'Night, friends! <3>

Snapshots

Someday I would like to call a spot like this "home."

Our crew at Long Bay.

Cook Islands Dancing!

Mmm... a fresh doughnut and a Crunchie Bar.... wonderful and extremely unhealthy!

Pasifica Festival.