Wednesday, March 10
Sunday, March 7
THINGS ARE SETTLING DOWN.
Ah, the impossible has happened. Things in New Zealand are finally settling down after 2 weeks of madness. And I must admit, I am relieved.
For those of you back in the States, the Kiwis at Uni have this wondrous event called O-WEEK. Freaking fantastic excuse to go to the bars, every night of the week, and dress or act for a certain theme. A few of the ones I went to include: BOCS (Costume party for all the students living in the residence halls), Toga at Bar 101, and Beer Fest at Outback. All I have to say is that I LOVE the way Kiwis party. It isn't about looking the best, it isn't about going out soley to get laid (on most occasions), and it isn't about sitting awkwardly in the corner feeling sorry for yourself. People here know how to have a fantastic time, no matter what the occasion. People celebrate having a good day here, people are genuinely interested in one another, people really take a piss on someone they like. (Not literally for those back in the States). People dance! People drink! People dress up as ships and showers and go out in public! This fact alone is something I have come to really love about New Zealand. I would never consider myself a big drinker or a big partier, and I definitely feel uncomfortable drinking in uncomfortable situations where people are trying too hard. NZ has none of that, and I LOVE IT.
But now, thank god, O-Week is over. I can finally sit down, study, and do "what I came here to do" as my mother so often reminds me. Yes people, I actually came here for an education. Classes are good so far, mildly boring but that could be because I was severely hungover and the thought of talking about "the art of food" for 2 hours was a little painful. Other than that I couldnt be happier.
I already feel at home in this country, completely, 100%. I am already significantly happier here in the 2 or 3 weeks I have been here than the entire semester I was in South Carolina. Yes, it has to do with the fact that I am in a beautiful country, but it also has to do with the fact that the people are so kind. I am going to have an extraordinarily hard time going home in a few months. I'm not even prepared to face it yet. But who needs to right? At least not now.
Now if the damn first-years would shut the fuck up, stop running down the hallway, and resist playing Miley Cyrus for TEN MINUTES I could get some well-deserved sleep. Ha. A girl can dream.
TO BE CONTINUED.
For those of you back in the States, the Kiwis at Uni have this wondrous event called O-WEEK. Freaking fantastic excuse to go to the bars, every night of the week, and dress or act for a certain theme. A few of the ones I went to include: BOCS (Costume party for all the students living in the residence halls), Toga at Bar 101, and Beer Fest at Outback. All I have to say is that I LOVE the way Kiwis party. It isn't about looking the best, it isn't about going out soley to get laid (on most occasions), and it isn't about sitting awkwardly in the corner feeling sorry for yourself. People here know how to have a fantastic time, no matter what the occasion. People celebrate having a good day here, people are genuinely interested in one another, people really take a piss on someone they like. (Not literally for those back in the States). People dance! People drink! People dress up as ships and showers and go out in public! This fact alone is something I have come to really love about New Zealand. I would never consider myself a big drinker or a big partier, and I definitely feel uncomfortable drinking in uncomfortable situations where people are trying too hard. NZ has none of that, and I LOVE IT.
But now, thank god, O-Week is over. I can finally sit down, study, and do "what I came here to do" as my mother so often reminds me. Yes people, I actually came here for an education. Classes are good so far, mildly boring but that could be because I was severely hungover and the thought of talking about "the art of food" for 2 hours was a little painful. Other than that I couldnt be happier.
I already feel at home in this country, completely, 100%. I am already significantly happier here in the 2 or 3 weeks I have been here than the entire semester I was in South Carolina. Yes, it has to do with the fact that I am in a beautiful country, but it also has to do with the fact that the people are so kind. I am going to have an extraordinarily hard time going home in a few months. I'm not even prepared to face it yet. But who needs to right? At least not now.
Now if the damn first-years would shut the fuck up, stop running down the hallway, and resist playing Miley Cyrus for TEN MINUTES I could get some well-deserved sleep. Ha. A girl can dream.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Saturday, February 27
LETS JUST TALK ABOUT YESTERDAY
Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. I realize I keep saying that ____ was the best day of my life but seriously, they keep stacking up. I am such a lucky person. What did I do you ask? Let me extrapolate.
Yesterday, I went backpacking-ish to Raglan. I consider this backpacking because I walked for well over 5 hours with a pack that contained some mediocre camping gear. Which really means some warm clothes, a 15 dollar sleeping bag I bought at a pawn shop, and some snacks.
Woke up at 7:00 a.m, after staying up til 1:30 at the BOCS party downtown, and headed to the bus stop. Drove to Raglan with some of the AustraLearn kids and arrive at about, well...I suppose 11. I tried my luck with surfing! I am pathetic and useless on a surf board, but it will not stop me from trying. I didnt actually stand up; I got on my knees though...uh....ignore your need to make a sexual pun. Its actually a really hard workout. And because I am completely unbalanced and ungraceful it was a bit of a challenge. I also have no upper body strength so I need to work on that one. Going back soon to try again.
Spent the day on the beach til' four when we got a ride back to town with a guy from Virginia. 7 people packed in a stationwagon with 4 huge packs. Great times. Got pissed when we got to a campsite that charges $15 a PERSON to sleep on the ground; said fuck it and went into town. Spent the next two or so hours, barefoot, downtown watching crazy gypsie chicks hoola-hoop dance with their hairy armpits. It was seriously awesome.
We thought we found a cheap campsite and started the hike to find it. See, our original plan was to sleep on the beach but we wanted to avoid the risk of getting a $200 fine and find a campsite. We hiked along the beach for a good hour, watching the sunset. Chris, Heidi, and I ended up leaving the group for a bit to try and find the mystery campsite on our own. Failed miserably, but we got to hike on the road, see some beautiful scenery and a beautiful sunset. Heidi and I figured that since our chances of finding the lost campsite would most likely end in a $200 no matter what we did; we thought it was in our best interest to jump a fence and chase after some good ol' New Zealand sheep. That was fun; midly scary. Sheep give some mean death stares.
After giving up on finding a $5 dollar campsite, we ended up crashing on the beach. Watched the sunset, for real this time. Ate snacks, and talked all night. I find it humorous that people pay for the sound of waves to help them sleep, and there I was. Sleeping out on the beach, listening to the waves crash and watching the stars. I'll say it again: magical.
In the morning we all woke up and watched the sunrise, packed our shit, and headed out. Because we are retarded, we didnt pay attention to the tide and had to walk back to town during high tide. All was well though, it was actually sort of fun.
The reason yesterday was so fun, was because not a single person we were with had ANY idea what we were doing. We all got the bright idea to go into Raglan and figure it out when we got there. It turned out pretty terribly in one sense, but in another it was completely perfect in every way possible. At least for me. I love not having a plan, walking on the open road, the beach, the whatever and just soaking in the scenery. You can't ever get that sensation while driving anywhere in your car.
So despite the fact that I am 80% sure I have third degree burns on my entire body, I am feeling fantastic!
Yesterday, I went backpacking-ish to Raglan. I consider this backpacking because I walked for well over 5 hours with a pack that contained some mediocre camping gear. Which really means some warm clothes, a 15 dollar sleeping bag I bought at a pawn shop, and some snacks.
Woke up at 7:00 a.m, after staying up til 1:30 at the BOCS party downtown, and headed to the bus stop. Drove to Raglan with some of the AustraLearn kids and arrive at about, well...I suppose 11. I tried my luck with surfing! I am pathetic and useless on a surf board, but it will not stop me from trying. I didnt actually stand up; I got on my knees though...uh....ignore your need to make a sexual pun. Its actually a really hard workout. And because I am completely unbalanced and ungraceful it was a bit of a challenge. I also have no upper body strength so I need to work on that one. Going back soon to try again.
Spent the day on the beach til' four when we got a ride back to town with a guy from Virginia. 7 people packed in a stationwagon with 4 huge packs. Great times. Got pissed when we got to a campsite that charges $15 a PERSON to sleep on the ground; said fuck it and went into town. Spent the next two or so hours, barefoot, downtown watching crazy gypsie chicks hoola-hoop dance with their hairy armpits. It was seriously awesome.
We thought we found a cheap campsite and started the hike to find it. See, our original plan was to sleep on the beach but we wanted to avoid the risk of getting a $200 fine and find a campsite. We hiked along the beach for a good hour, watching the sunset. Chris, Heidi, and I ended up leaving the group for a bit to try and find the mystery campsite on our own. Failed miserably, but we got to hike on the road, see some beautiful scenery and a beautiful sunset. Heidi and I figured that since our chances of finding the lost campsite would most likely end in a $200 no matter what we did; we thought it was in our best interest to jump a fence and chase after some good ol' New Zealand sheep. That was fun; midly scary. Sheep give some mean death stares.
After giving up on finding a $5 dollar campsite, we ended up crashing on the beach. Watched the sunset, for real this time. Ate snacks, and talked all night. I find it humorous that people pay for the sound of waves to help them sleep, and there I was. Sleeping out on the beach, listening to the waves crash and watching the stars. I'll say it again: magical.
In the morning we all woke up and watched the sunrise, packed our shit, and headed out. Because we are retarded, we didnt pay attention to the tide and had to walk back to town during high tide. All was well though, it was actually sort of fun.
The reason yesterday was so fun, was because not a single person we were with had ANY idea what we were doing. We all got the bright idea to go into Raglan and figure it out when we got there. It turned out pretty terribly in one sense, but in another it was completely perfect in every way possible. At least for me. I love not having a plan, walking on the open road, the beach, the whatever and just soaking in the scenery. You can't ever get that sensation while driving anywhere in your car.
So despite the fact that I am 80% sure I have third degree burns on my entire body, I am feeling fantastic!
Tuesday, February 23
HOT WATER BEACH AT MIDNIGHT
Let's just talk about last night. Never in my life have I experienced something so cool, I mean it was probably at par with some of the things I saw on GeoJourney; but this was so much more unique.
Last night, around 10 o'clock I left Hamilton with Kirill, Alana, and Sadie and went on an hour or so roadtrip to a hot water beach in Kawhia . Moderately spontaneous, in the fact that I had no idea where we were going or what to expect. See, back home you have curfews on beaches, and even if you didnt, they are so inhabited by crabs that you can't stand on the beach for more than 30 minutes without getting pinched or at least scared. Last night was nothing like this.
One we arrived at the beach we walked, in the dark, up a giant sand dune that basically took the life out of me. Not only because it was extremely steep and I'm hella out of shape, but also added on top of the fact that the roads to the beach we're curvy enough for me to relive my memories of puking in the car as a child.
Continuing, once we got down the the beach it was complete darkness; only the stars and the moon; which was probably the brightest moon I have ever seen in my life, reflecting off the water. You could literally see the reflection of the stars on the sand and on the water. You could barely see the dark outline of the sand dunes and cliffs in the distance, and the clouds covering the sky. We we're the only ones there. The way you can see the Milky Way down here is unbelievable. To top it all off, there was little bits of phosphorous in the water that lit up to a light green color and sparked on the sand and quickly extinguished. It was completely unreal, I felt like I was on another planet.
The idea of the hot water beaches here is that you search around for a hot spot in the sand, dig a giant hole and sit in the hot water. The sand and water is located on top of some geothermal phenomenon; or something like that, where hot water comes from under the sand. Unfortunately, the tide was too high for us to dig a hole, but we actually got to sink our feet into the sand and feel the, sometimes boiling hot, water on our feet. All surrounded by great conversation. We didnt leave until almost 2:30 in the morning, getting back to Hamilton at about 3:45. Needless to say I am exhausted, but every second of last night was totally worth feeling like this today.
Last night, around 10 o'clock I left Hamilton with Kirill, Alana, and Sadie and went on an hour or so roadtrip to a hot water beach in Kawhia . Moderately spontaneous, in the fact that I had no idea where we were going or what to expect. See, back home you have curfews on beaches, and even if you didnt, they are so inhabited by crabs that you can't stand on the beach for more than 30 minutes without getting pinched or at least scared. Last night was nothing like this.
One we arrived at the beach we walked, in the dark, up a giant sand dune that basically took the life out of me. Not only because it was extremely steep and I'm hella out of shape, but also added on top of the fact that the roads to the beach we're curvy enough for me to relive my memories of puking in the car as a child.
Continuing, once we got down the the beach it was complete darkness; only the stars and the moon; which was probably the brightest moon I have ever seen in my life, reflecting off the water. You could literally see the reflection of the stars on the sand and on the water. You could barely see the dark outline of the sand dunes and cliffs in the distance, and the clouds covering the sky. We we're the only ones there. The way you can see the Milky Way down here is unbelievable. To top it all off, there was little bits of phosphorous in the water that lit up to a light green color and sparked on the sand and quickly extinguished. It was completely unreal, I felt like I was on another planet.
The idea of the hot water beaches here is that you search around for a hot spot in the sand, dig a giant hole and sit in the hot water. The sand and water is located on top of some geothermal phenomenon; or something like that, where hot water comes from under the sand. Unfortunately, the tide was too high for us to dig a hole, but we actually got to sink our feet into the sand and feel the, sometimes boiling hot, water on our feet. All surrounded by great conversation. We didnt leave until almost 2:30 in the morning, getting back to Hamilton at about 3:45. Needless to say I am exhausted, but every second of last night was totally worth feeling like this today.
Monday, February 22
LIFE IS A ROLLERCOASTER
And in this case, my days are a rollercoaster. The strange thing about studying abroad is you are on a constant emotional rollercoaster. One second I feel really depressed and bored, and then I feel guilty for feeling bored while I am here. Then the next second I am meeting people from all over the world, going to beaches, soaking up the sun and enjoying life.
For example, yesterday was just sort of an off day. I felt sort of sad in general, for no particular reason. The campus was a ghost-town the last week and all the realizations of the culture here were sinking in. So I met up with my couchsurfing friend, Kirill and his two friends from Minnesota and drove to Raglan again to go surfing. Well, I didnt surf, I watched. But it was still a fantastic time. I had such a great day, and then I came home, became bored again and got depressed. The best advice I have for myself and for anyone else who wants to study abroad, is force yourself to socialize. It is one of the hardest things I have come to terms with, because being peppy and excited about knowing new people 24 hours a day is something really hard to do; at least for me. Sometimes I just want to kick back and relax.
I have no idea what I have to complain about. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. And the locals have no ideas. My pal was making fun of me for taking pictures of hills, because "they were just raised pieces of ground". HA. I have done something exciting almost every day since I have been here and I somehow feel like I am not doing enough. Tonight I am going to a hot water beach with a few of my newfound friends. The freshman also moved into the dorm today. I am the only American on my floor, and some of the girls approached me; totally fascinated with the fact that I am from America. It's a really amusing and awkward thing to realize that you actually an international student here. I really like the mixture of people from all over the world that live in my building. I was chatting with a fellow from South Africa today; nice guy. (FYI MOM: South Africans are white. Don't get your hopes up just yet.)
In even more exciting news, about 11 of us booked our flights to Christchurch on the South Island for spring break. I am SO FUCKING EXCITED. I cant wait to see where this adventure takes us. It's almost guaranteed to be a fantastic time.
For example, yesterday was just sort of an off day. I felt sort of sad in general, for no particular reason. The campus was a ghost-town the last week and all the realizations of the culture here were sinking in. So I met up with my couchsurfing friend, Kirill and his two friends from Minnesota and drove to Raglan again to go surfing. Well, I didnt surf, I watched. But it was still a fantastic time. I had such a great day, and then I came home, became bored again and got depressed. The best advice I have for myself and for anyone else who wants to study abroad, is force yourself to socialize. It is one of the hardest things I have come to terms with, because being peppy and excited about knowing new people 24 hours a day is something really hard to do; at least for me. Sometimes I just want to kick back and relax.
I have no idea what I have to complain about. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. And the locals have no ideas. My pal was making fun of me for taking pictures of hills, because "they were just raised pieces of ground". HA. I have done something exciting almost every day since I have been here and I somehow feel like I am not doing enough. Tonight I am going to a hot water beach with a few of my newfound friends. The freshman also moved into the dorm today. I am the only American on my floor, and some of the girls approached me; totally fascinated with the fact that I am from America. It's a really amusing and awkward thing to realize that you actually an international student here. I really like the mixture of people from all over the world that live in my building. I was chatting with a fellow from South Africa today; nice guy. (FYI MOM: South Africans are white. Don't get your hopes up just yet.)
In even more exciting news, about 11 of us booked our flights to Christchurch on the South Island for spring break. I am SO FUCKING EXCITED. I cant wait to see where this adventure takes us. It's almost guaranteed to be a fantastic time.
Saturday, February 20
A QUICK UPDATE
Still loving New Zealand, in case you we're wondering. I'm finding it mildly retarded that I am just now feeling my jet lag. I was fine for the first week but our "SO MANY ACTIVITIES" (think Stepbrothers) kept me really busy. Now that I have to time to relax I'm having a hard time staying awake.
Yesterday a group of us went to the Raglan beach. Which was totally kick ass, and cold. Of course I rolled around on the beach like an idiot and ended up looking like the creature from the black lagoon. I couldn't resist! I got sand in places where one should never get sand. I also got extremely sunburnt, damn New Zealand and it's lack of the ozone layer. A few of us jumped off a bridge a few times, it was pretty fun. It was even more fun when we saw the NO JUMPING sign after we were done. Oops. I have found that the Kiwis are really accepting of Americans; always really friendly and curious about where we are from. We've gotten stopped a few times on the street and people ask us where we are from. I never knew that is was exciting to be from Illinois.
I'lll explain some of the fun cultural differences while I'm here. Well, they drive on the opposite side of the road, and don't yield for pedestrians whatsoever. As our Australearn director so gracefully put it: "You are pretty much worth a 1,000 points each". Also, everything costs money. The interenet, going to the campus pool, you have to pay for a gym membership on campus. If you get anything free here, my friend Brian is pretty much bound to cry of happiness. Everything is also really expensive; like $8 for a 5 subject notebook and $3 for a paper folder. There are also no 1 or 5 cent coins. The toilets don't actually flush in the opposite direction, as the rumor has it, they only flush really loud and violently; using about 10 times as much water as a toilet back home. The drinking age is 18, but that is obvious and you know where that story is going. Uhhh, the crosswalk signs and PED door entries on campus all make really cool noises. Hanson and Nelly still play as cafeteria music on campus, apparently New Zealand is a little behind on the music updates. They are also obsessed with American based musicians, which in itself is sort of shocking. And no one makes phone calls. That's all I can think of at the moment.
Last night was insane. My friend Chris came over to my dorm around 9:45 to borrow my adapter and we saw our friend Brian in the RAs room. Lets just say the RA's really know how to party around here, especially when there is no one in the dorm. Great times. The stars here are also so much better than the States, obviously. I went out into the field by my dorm last night and watched the stars for a while. Totally awesome. I plan on doing it again tonight.
I think I might try my luck at surfing tomorrow. I will definitely fail miserably, but I have decided to take the advice from the awesome chick from Raglan. "Just have fun. You learn the best when you are actually enjoying yourself." She made it sound so easy. We'll see.
Yesterday a group of us went to the Raglan beach. Which was totally kick ass, and cold. Of course I rolled around on the beach like an idiot and ended up looking like the creature from the black lagoon. I couldn't resist! I got sand in places where one should never get sand. I also got extremely sunburnt, damn New Zealand and it's lack of the ozone layer. A few of us jumped off a bridge a few times, it was pretty fun. It was even more fun when we saw the NO JUMPING sign after we were done. Oops. I have found that the Kiwis are really accepting of Americans; always really friendly and curious about where we are from. We've gotten stopped a few times on the street and people ask us where we are from. I never knew that is was exciting to be from Illinois.
I'lll explain some of the fun cultural differences while I'm here. Well, they drive on the opposite side of the road, and don't yield for pedestrians whatsoever. As our Australearn director so gracefully put it: "You are pretty much worth a 1,000 points each". Also, everything costs money. The interenet, going to the campus pool, you have to pay for a gym membership on campus. If you get anything free here, my friend Brian is pretty much bound to cry of happiness. Everything is also really expensive; like $8 for a 5 subject notebook and $3 for a paper folder. There are also no 1 or 5 cent coins. The toilets don't actually flush in the opposite direction, as the rumor has it, they only flush really loud and violently; using about 10 times as much water as a toilet back home. The drinking age is 18, but that is obvious and you know where that story is going. Uhhh, the crosswalk signs and PED door entries on campus all make really cool noises. Hanson and Nelly still play as cafeteria music on campus, apparently New Zealand is a little behind on the music updates. They are also obsessed with American based musicians, which in itself is sort of shocking. And no one makes phone calls. That's all I can think of at the moment.
Last night was insane. My friend Chris came over to my dorm around 9:45 to borrow my adapter and we saw our friend Brian in the RAs room. Lets just say the RA's really know how to party around here, especially when there is no one in the dorm. Great times. The stars here are also so much better than the States, obviously. I went out into the field by my dorm last night and watched the stars for a while. Totally awesome. I plan on doing it again tonight.
I think I might try my luck at surfing tomorrow. I will definitely fail miserably, but I have decided to take the advice from the awesome chick from Raglan. "Just have fun. You learn the best when you are actually enjoying yourself." She made it sound so easy. We'll see.
Wednesday, February 17
TURNING A NEW PAGE
A week ago I departed from the United States and made my way to New Zealand. A week ago I had never left the States and here I am, now, sitting in my new dorm room at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Our first night in New Zealand was spent in Auckland! One of the biggest cities in the world, and its totally breathtaking. As soon as we got off the plane, having only traveled for 26 straight hours, we were whisked away to the top of a dormant volcano with a 360 degree view of the city. Completely awe-inspiring. You could see the city, the famous Sky Tower, turn 180 degrees and see mountains and hills with tiny houses sprawled upon them. I'm not sure if it was from my lack of sleep, or total shock, but I was completely speechless. Everyone was.
The rest of our first night in Auckland consisted of hanging out in ACB, Auckland Central Backpackers, hostel. We went to do the harbor, went out to dinner at a beach-front resteraunt, and walked around the city. It's a perfect combination of Seattle, Hawaii, and San Francisco...with a little extra unique feel. I really loved Auckland.
The next morning we departed to Rotorua where we stayed at an awesome hostel called KiwiPaka. The drive there was stunning; it was nice to get out of the city and see the landscape that New Zealand is famous for. The green is so vivid you can barely stand it. That day we learned the Haka, which is an extremely powerful Maori war dance used to intimidate their enemies. It was really an awesome experience to learn something so unique and important to the Maori culture. We even got to dress in "traditional" outfitting for a performance of it. After dinner, delicious Fish and Chips, a group of us walked down to Rotorua Lake, ate ice cream, and watched the sunset. New Zealand has black swans, they are really gorgeous animals. Of course the night proceeded with excessive drinking of wine and NZ beer. Both are totally delicious by the way.
The next day I went white-water rafting. This was totally bad ass. I can't even explain how awesome it was to be rafting down a Grade 5 river, completely surrounded by trees and brush, and beautiful water. The guides were absolutely hilarious, you could tell they loved their job. Their briefing of what we we're about to do consisted of this: "Well, uh, you sit here, you row like this, and when I tell you to get down, you get down and hold on. Alright? Oh, and we're going over three waterfalls, one of which is 20 feet high." TOTALLY B.A. The guides would throw us out of the raft when we weren't looking. Everyone here has this "give it a go" attitude, where nothing is a big deal and nothing is worked up. Its unlike anything I have ever experienced in the US; and I love it. Going over the falls was totally awesome, I cant even explain what was going through my mind. I was scared shitless and totally loving every second of it. After the rafting we went to a Polynesian spa which consisted of about 15 natural thermal pools that looked out over a wildlife preserve. It was amazing; so relaxing and beautiful.
On the 16th some students went over to the Rotorua Boys High School to help give out some reading tests to the kids. When we arrived the older boys performed a Haka for us in their auditorium. It was the most powerful thing I have ever seen, and felt. The entire floor was literally shaking from their foot stomps, and I'm completely convinced you could of heard their chant 4 blocks away. It was so intimidating, walking into a new school and being greeted by yelling high school boys with bulging eyeballs as they hit their chests and legs. The thing about the Haka is that it is extremely important to the people, its a sign of great respect for another person. The fact that the boys did a Haka for us was really something special. After the opening prayers in the Maori language, we performed a Hangi with all the school's office workers and representatives. This is when you touch noses with another person, while simultaneously breathing out; sharing the breath of life. It was something I had never done before, but it gave me such a warm feeling. The people of New Zealand are so welcoming. Volunteering was a really great opportunity to meet the local kids and get to know them. I loved every second of it. We also played rugby with the boys and got a tour of their school which was really incredible. Four of their students have gone to the Olympics; and its a public school. For dinner we went to a mock Maori Village and witnessed what their tribes used to be like before civilization. I felt really uncomfortable for the majority of this. It made me sad that the people had to explain to the tourists from all over the world that laughing at the performance of the Haka was really discriminatory. I felt sad for the people, whose culture was looked at as entertainment. I wasn't really sure how to take it in, or how to accept it. Yet, after a tour of the village we we're invited inside to eat a Hungi. Holy shit, it was the most delicious food I have ever eaten. A Hungi is a traditional way for the Maori people to have a feast. They cook mass amounts of food in a pit layered with heated rocks. Lamb, chicken, stuffing, potatoes, carrots, and bread. You could literally taste the fire in the food, it was so delicious. This was when I accepted what was going on. I learned that night that the Maori people are extremely proud of their culture and completely willing to share and cherish it with anyone who is willing to listen. I really respect their values and morals, they are a great people. After dinner we all, about 200 people, sang songs, held hands, and danced. It was such a great time. Our bus driver was absolutely hilarious, he could say "Kia Ora" which means well-being, health, and happiness, in over 52 languages and dialects. That night really changed my perspective on the commercialization of the Maori culture.
Finally, yesterday I went spelunking in a cave in Waitomo. This was legitamately one of the coolest things I have ever done in my entire life. We we're down there for 3 hours, in a cave that was over a mile long. Inching in and out of tiny crevasses and cracks. We actually turned our lights off and used only our hands and legs to navigate through a tiny crawl space where we had to belly crawl to move forward. The cave was full of water, so deep that you had to swim through parts of it which trying to fit through small cracks. There were also eels in the cave, totally fucking freaky. I never saw any, but apparently there are two monster eels in the cave that are about 4 feet long and about a foot tall. Gaaaaahhh, so freaky. But the best part of the cave were the glow worms. I cant even explain how magical this experience was. In certain tunnels, the entire ceiling of the cave was splattered with tiny little fluorescent green lights; like the night sky but within reaching distance. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in my entire life. We actually toobed through a pretty hefty section of the cave, holding on to each others feet and and singing along the way. We even got to do cannon-balls in the cave by jumping off a 6 foot ledge while holding the tube behind us and slamming into the water. Epic fun. When we got back to Rotorua a bunch of us went out to the Lava Bar. That point on what just a blur of dancing, drinking, and laughing.
I think its safe to say I LOVE NEW ZEALAND.
Our first night in New Zealand was spent in Auckland! One of the biggest cities in the world, and its totally breathtaking. As soon as we got off the plane, having only traveled for 26 straight hours, we were whisked away to the top of a dormant volcano with a 360 degree view of the city. Completely awe-inspiring. You could see the city, the famous Sky Tower, turn 180 degrees and see mountains and hills with tiny houses sprawled upon them. I'm not sure if it was from my lack of sleep, or total shock, but I was completely speechless. Everyone was.
The rest of our first night in Auckland consisted of hanging out in ACB, Auckland Central Backpackers, hostel. We went to do the harbor, went out to dinner at a beach-front resteraunt, and walked around the city. It's a perfect combination of Seattle, Hawaii, and San Francisco...with a little extra unique feel. I really loved Auckland.
The next morning we departed to Rotorua where we stayed at an awesome hostel called KiwiPaka. The drive there was stunning; it was nice to get out of the city and see the landscape that New Zealand is famous for. The green is so vivid you can barely stand it. That day we learned the Haka, which is an extremely powerful Maori war dance used to intimidate their enemies. It was really an awesome experience to learn something so unique and important to the Maori culture. We even got to dress in "traditional" outfitting for a performance of it. After dinner, delicious Fish and Chips, a group of us walked down to Rotorua Lake, ate ice cream, and watched the sunset. New Zealand has black swans, they are really gorgeous animals. Of course the night proceeded with excessive drinking of wine and NZ beer. Both are totally delicious by the way.
The next day I went white-water rafting. This was totally bad ass. I can't even explain how awesome it was to be rafting down a Grade 5 river, completely surrounded by trees and brush, and beautiful water. The guides were absolutely hilarious, you could tell they loved their job. Their briefing of what we we're about to do consisted of this: "Well, uh, you sit here, you row like this, and when I tell you to get down, you get down and hold on. Alright? Oh, and we're going over three waterfalls, one of which is 20 feet high." TOTALLY B.A. The guides would throw us out of the raft when we weren't looking. Everyone here has this "give it a go" attitude, where nothing is a big deal and nothing is worked up. Its unlike anything I have ever experienced in the US; and I love it. Going over the falls was totally awesome, I cant even explain what was going through my mind. I was scared shitless and totally loving every second of it. After the rafting we went to a Polynesian spa which consisted of about 15 natural thermal pools that looked out over a wildlife preserve. It was amazing; so relaxing and beautiful.
On the 16th some students went over to the Rotorua Boys High School to help give out some reading tests to the kids. When we arrived the older boys performed a Haka for us in their auditorium. It was the most powerful thing I have ever seen, and felt. The entire floor was literally shaking from their foot stomps, and I'm completely convinced you could of heard their chant 4 blocks away. It was so intimidating, walking into a new school and being greeted by yelling high school boys with bulging eyeballs as they hit their chests and legs. The thing about the Haka is that it is extremely important to the people, its a sign of great respect for another person. The fact that the boys did a Haka for us was really something special. After the opening prayers in the Maori language, we performed a Hangi with all the school's office workers and representatives. This is when you touch noses with another person, while simultaneously breathing out; sharing the breath of life. It was something I had never done before, but it gave me such a warm feeling. The people of New Zealand are so welcoming. Volunteering was a really great opportunity to meet the local kids and get to know them. I loved every second of it. We also played rugby with the boys and got a tour of their school which was really incredible. Four of their students have gone to the Olympics; and its a public school. For dinner we went to a mock Maori Village and witnessed what their tribes used to be like before civilization. I felt really uncomfortable for the majority of this. It made me sad that the people had to explain to the tourists from all over the world that laughing at the performance of the Haka was really discriminatory. I felt sad for the people, whose culture was looked at as entertainment. I wasn't really sure how to take it in, or how to accept it. Yet, after a tour of the village we we're invited inside to eat a Hungi. Holy shit, it was the most delicious food I have ever eaten. A Hungi is a traditional way for the Maori people to have a feast. They cook mass amounts of food in a pit layered with heated rocks. Lamb, chicken, stuffing, potatoes, carrots, and bread. You could literally taste the fire in the food, it was so delicious. This was when I accepted what was going on. I learned that night that the Maori people are extremely proud of their culture and completely willing to share and cherish it with anyone who is willing to listen. I really respect their values and morals, they are a great people. After dinner we all, about 200 people, sang songs, held hands, and danced. It was such a great time. Our bus driver was absolutely hilarious, he could say "Kia Ora" which means well-being, health, and happiness, in over 52 languages and dialects. That night really changed my perspective on the commercialization of the Maori culture.
Finally, yesterday I went spelunking in a cave in Waitomo. This was legitamately one of the coolest things I have ever done in my entire life. We we're down there for 3 hours, in a cave that was over a mile long. Inching in and out of tiny crevasses and cracks. We actually turned our lights off and used only our hands and legs to navigate through a tiny crawl space where we had to belly crawl to move forward. The cave was full of water, so deep that you had to swim through parts of it which trying to fit through small cracks. There were also eels in the cave, totally fucking freaky. I never saw any, but apparently there are two monster eels in the cave that are about 4 feet long and about a foot tall. Gaaaaahhh, so freaky. But the best part of the cave were the glow worms. I cant even explain how magical this experience was. In certain tunnels, the entire ceiling of the cave was splattered with tiny little fluorescent green lights; like the night sky but within reaching distance. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in my entire life. We actually toobed through a pretty hefty section of the cave, holding on to each others feet and and singing along the way. We even got to do cannon-balls in the cave by jumping off a 6 foot ledge while holding the tube behind us and slamming into the water. Epic fun. When we got back to Rotorua a bunch of us went out to the Lava Bar. That point on what just a blur of dancing, drinking, and laughing.
I think its safe to say I LOVE NEW ZEALAND.
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