"Steven, your Y chromosome is showing!"

The title was a quote from this weekend, Aerin's or Allison's, not sure which. Steven and Tomas went exploring after kayaking, a very boy thing to do since we were being picked up very soon. I believe the Y chromosome comment was made while Steven was climbing a random cliff. Go figure. I guess that rash (male-ness comes out like a rash, in case you were wondering) is getting more and more difficult to control. Haha.

This weekend was epic. We left Wellington in 2 cars (there were 9 of us this weekend) Thursday afternoon and drove 7 hours to our first hostel. Tired is an understatement. Friday we got up relatively early and went blackwater rafting. We abseiled into a cave (it's like repelling, sort of), waded through the water to get our floats, hiked upriver to a flat spot, turned off our headlamps and just stared at the ceiling. There were thousands of gloworms in this cave. It was an amazing sight. We then floated down the river (through the cave) for a little while before climbing up onto the rocks and doing some caving. We climbed over, under, and through random rocks and holes, trying not to fall or lose our gumboots in the process (not an easy task). Maneuvering in wetsuits is not as easy as you might think. I can't describe this experience in enough detail for you to understand how cool it really was. We hiked back upriver (still in the dark, cold cave, in water up to our knees in most places) to the cave exit, where we had abseiled in 3 hours earlier. That means it was a big cliff that we now had to get back up. This was accomplished by climbing up the side of said cliff, which was covered in moss in some places, had very tiny ledges for toes, and was perfectly vertical in other places. Still, we all made it out alive and very sore.

The rest of Friday was spent napping and relaxing. At least some of us chose that option. The boys (Steven, Tomas, and Matt) decided to go exploring, so they took one of the cars and went who knows where and apparently explored a cave on their own. Now you know why we call male-ness a rash. They just can't help themselves. Charity and Aerin explored the town for a little while. Sheri, Allison, Miranda, and I chose to nap for a few hours instead. Great decision. It's amazing how comfortable a foreign place can be when you're completely exhausted and how peaceful it can be when you send half of your group off to do other things while you sleep. :)

Saturday was another busy day, but it was much less strenuous. We visited some hot springs, where we spent a couple of hours lounging around and enjoying the hot water. We then went to a place called Hell's Gate. Hell's Gate is one of the most active geothermal sites in NZ, apparently. There were dozens of pools of hot water, bubbling up from underground. Of course, the whole place (and therefore all of our clothes and belongings) smelled like sulfur, but it was too cool a place to pass up based on the smell. We were able to put our hands in one of the pools (one of few that was less than 98 Celsius) and feel the mud, which was thought to have healing powers. Saturday night we went to a Maori cultural dinner and show, which turned out to be even better than we expected. We had an amazing dinner. I tried lamb, fish, mushrooms, and some other random things that I can't really identify. I wasn't sure how I felt about eating lamb, but it was really good. I'm not a fish fan, but this fish was amazing. I went back for a second helping. I really am embracing new experiences and trying new things every chance I get! The actual show was fantastic. We got to experience the Maori culture, and Sheri and Steven got to experience it firsthand. Sheri was called up to do a poi dance (it looked pretty complicated, you have to be really coordinated to manage. It involves swinging a ball around and catching it, and bouncing it off the back of your hand. I can't even describe it) and Steven was called up to perform the Haka, or war dance. The video is on his facebook. I suggest everyone go watch it. I'll try to post it here when I get a copy. :) Miranda and I were laughing so hard we were crying, so my pictures didn't turn out too great, but it was worth it.

Sunday, we went kayaking down the Whanganui River... 22 kilometers down the river. It was very tiring, but definitely worth it. The 5+ hour drive back home was less than exciting, but the car karaoke was pretty awesome. We have a 3 day week this week, leaving for Taupo Thursday morning and coming back to Wellington on Sunday. So much to do, so little time!

The girls after kayaking the river

Sheep!!

Last weekend was our first real adventure in New Zealand. We got out of class on Thursday afternoon and boarded a ferry for the south island at 6. After a 3 hour ferry ride (napping some, of course) we arrived in Picton, described by Kiwis (native New Zealanders) as "a hole" for good reason. After 5, there is nothing open in Picton except the hostels. So we found our hostel, which could have been much worse, thank goodness, and went to sleep. It had been a long day, getting up at 6:30, classes, packing, travelling.

Friday morning we got up and had breakfast in Picton. The town is actually pretty nice during the day. We got a lot of great pictures (check facebook soon). We picked up our rental car at noon and then the real fun began. I got to drive on the left side of the road through winding roads up the side of a mountain. Kiwi drivers are INSANE. I was passed by a lot of them because I was staying right at the speed limit, and they pass in the middle of turns. I really thought some of them were going to hit oncoming cars. I was even being passed when the speed limit was 100km/hr and I was at the limit. We stopped at a couple of lookouts on the way to Nelson, where we stayed Friday and Saturday night. We took a lot of really pretty pictures, including the one on my blog (not the one on the first entry). We also stopped to play in a stream. In January :) Our hostel in Nelson was amazing. We were able to cook a spaghetti dinner Friday night, pizza Saturday, and breakfast Sunday morning before heading back to Picton to catch the ferry to Wellington.

We went to Tahuna Beach on Friday (again, January!!), and Steven swam out to this huge rock that he just HAD to climb. Aerin, Allison, and I looked at the tidepools in the rocks closer to shore while he went on his adventure, and wound up getting semi-trapped by the tide. We then proceeded to climb up onto our own rocks and jump up onto the sidewalk above us. It was our own little adventure.

Saturday was amazing. We got up early and visited the market in Nelson, where we bought a few souvenirs, and then headed up to Abel Tasman, a national park not too far from Nelson where we went sea kayaking (completely new experience for me). We paddled out to a small beach, where we had lunch and Steven climbed another rock (and then back-flopped off), then we paddled across to Adele Island (I think) where seals hang out. When we got around to the north end of the island, we found the rest of the Pacific Program group (we split up on Thursday but had booked the same events) along with at least 10 if not 15 seals, including babies :). I took Steven's camera and got some really good pictures, which I will upload as soon as I get them from him, and he continued paddling. Sometimes it pays to have a guy around. We lost Aerin and Allison at this point because we kept going around the island to see what's "just around the next corner!" So we continued our adventure alone. The return trip was exhausting, but well worth it. We made it back to shore (an hour later) with minor blisters and pains, and a pretty impressive sunburn on the one place i neglected to put sunscreen. I guess I was just too excited about getting in the water.

On the way back to Nelson we stopped at a place called Rabbit Island. It had to be the most peaceful, open beach I have ever been to. There were very few people and no pets, so we were able to take a lot of pictures of the scenery. We made it back to Nelson fairly early, so we were able to go to the grocery store and get back to the hostel in time for pudding. We spent close to an hour socializing with a girl from England who is spending her gap year (between high school and university, apparently it is customary to spend a year travelling) in NZ. It was interesting to talk to her about her travels and the differences between England and America. It was also interesting to hear her views on government healthcare, since she comes from a country that has it. I enjoyed talking to her. Then I talked to a woman from Germany who is cycling (as in bicylcle...has anyone looked at the pictures of the mountains I've posted??) through NZ. I was impressed.

To explain the title, we FINALLY saw some sheep in NZ! Sheep outnumber humans in NZ, but we're staying in a city so we had yet to see any. We definitely saw sheep and cows (you know how we stop for trains in the states? They stop for cows here. And sheep, but we didn't have to stop for any of those. Just a whole bunch of cows). The entire ride to Nelson, and then to Abel Tasman, was filled with screams of "SHEEP!" and "COW!" (like the Chick-fil-a commercial where the kid yells cow! repeatedly). It was terrifying the first few times, since I was driving and wasn't prepared for screaming.

Random other things happened, but this blog is insanely long already. I'll end by saying that Nutella is fantastic and Tim Tams (chocolate covered chocolate thing) are better than Tui (local beer). But chocolate is better than everything, so I guess that's not really fair to say.

:)


Rabbit Island

"If that was a lion..."

So these last couple of days have been interesting. We started classes Monday (which was 2 days ago, not yesterday) at 8am. This wasn't too bad, because our bodies have no idea what time it is anyway, and 8am here is 2pm at home, so we were pretty awake. I had Environmental ethics from 8-9:30, then a 2 hour break, then Island Biogeography from 11:30-1. Not too bad, considering I'm done with classes for the day after that.

It's still a little chilly here, but Dr. Garton said that it's supposed to warm up in the next day or so. The Kiwis (locals) say that this is the coldest summer they can remember. So I vote for stopping the whining about global warming. Just saying.

We've been to 2 concerts in the Botanic Garden, and played on the playground and in the circle tree (perfect for climbing) a lot. I swear when you get to college, you revert back to your 8-year-old self.

So we were walking back from the gardens night before last (Tuesday night) and we walk by a fence, and Aerin just randomly announces, "if that was a lion, you would have freakin' died." We turned around, and there was this huge cat perched on top of the fence pawing at us as we walked by. Priceless.

This weekend we are heading to the south island for some adventuring. I have to rent a car and drive on the wrong side of the road, since I'm the only one of my group who is 21, so it should be pretty interesting. We're planning on sea kayaking, which will be fun since I've never kayaked in my life. We're also hiking, and I know we have other things planned but I have no idea what those plans are. I just figure that since I'm driving, I can't get left out of anything. It's good to be in control :)

It's 10:35am, so I have another class in an hour. We plan to do a lot after class, so I'm thinking it's powernap time.

Sunday and Monday

So today was the first day of class. I have 2 classes in NZ, Environmental Ethics and Island Biogeography. So far, I like Ethics (a philosophy course) better than the biology course. We have 1.5 hour classes, which is unfortunate, but I think I can survive it for 12 weeks. Classes start at 8am, which seems awful but really my comprehension of time is so messed up that it still feels like mid-afternoon rather than early morning. I don't look forward to that changing, although it would be nice not to feel like I need a nap right after lunch every day.

Yesterday, we explored the Botanic Garden (just up the hill from us) for a few hours, and the National Museum (way down the hill from us) for another couple of hours. It was a lot of fun, and we plan on revisiting the gardens a good bit. They have an awesome playground. And ducks. And nightly concerts for 29 more days. It rained last night, and most of us were too exhausted to move, so we skipped the concert last night but we may go to tonight's.

I have posted 2 folders of pictures on my facebook! If you can't see them, let me know. Some of them don't have captions, but I honestly haven't had much time to do anything with them. And now I should go do homework. Or nap. :)

At home in New Zealand

We made it! We are at Weir House in Wellington, New Zealand. Finally figured out how to charge my laptop and sign on to the internet. And we explored the city for a few hours, which was difficult since we live at the TOP of the island and everything to eat/see/do is about a mile straight down the hill. I live on a cliff. But I love it! Getting down was the easy part. Getting back up after exploring for so long, NOT so easy. I'll come home with killer thighs if I keep this up! I have taken loads of pictures, starting on the flight from ATL to LAX. Too many pictures to post here, actually. So I will upload those pictures to facebook as soon as I can. The internet here is very tricky, and I have crashed it twice trying to upload pictures, so it could take a little while.

A few things to know about New Zealand:
They drive on the wrong side of the road, so jaywalking is especially dangerous and very tricky
They have 4 roundabouts that you have to maneuver your way through to leave the airport
Their mountain and tunnel roads are not wide enough for 2 cars to go through side-by-side but they do it anyway
It's beautiful - even downtown is pretty. And clean, unlike Atlanta
I just bought a 1.5 liter bottle of water for one New Zealand dollar, which is about 80 cents American :)

I have no idea how long it's been since I really slept since my clocks are all confused and I spent 13 hours in the dark on the flight from LAX to Auckland. I am having a wonderful time here already, and hopefully the fun will just increase as sleep deprivation decreases :)

New Zealand bound!!

It's 10am, and in 5 hours I will be on a plane to LAX, to catch a plane to New Zealand! I will be on planes for more than 20 hours, and I will skip over January 8th entirely (international date line, fun stuff!). I won't be able to text once I leave LAX (around 10:30 tonight), since each text would cost me 20 cents, and I won't be able to talk on the phone, so I have set up a Skype account. Ask for the name. Also, I will try to update this as often as I can and I'll check my email and facebook frequently.

I'm very excited about this trip, and I can't wait to start this adventure! 12 weeks of warm weather, 3-day weekends, SCUBA diving, and exploration. Oh, and class. I guess that's important, too.

My next post should be from New Zealand, where I'm spending the first 6 weeks of the semester. We are staying at Victoria University in Wellington. From there we will move to Sydney, Australia for 3 weeks. We will spend the final 3 weeks in Brisbane, Australia, minus the one week we spend on Heron Island, a research facility on the Great Barrier Reef!

Pray the snow stays out of Atlanta long enough for my plane to take off!

-Kat, world traveler and cold weather dodger extraordinaire!


New Zealand :)