May 12
After leaving Queenstown, the bus stopped at a supermarket so we could all buy a picnic lunch for later on. We drove a couple of hours to Manapouri. Here we boarded a ferry and ate our lunch of rolls, cheese and crackers, fruit, and tim tams. The ferry ride took 50 min and we learned about Lake Manapouri from our skipper. After the ferry ride we took about an hour long bus ride through the mountains to our destination: Doubtful Sound. It was beautiful, even though it was raining. Doubtful Sound was misnamed, it is supposed to be Doubtful Fiord. We rode on an overnight cruise called the Fiordland Navigator.
Just a few minutes after boarding, we saw bottle-nosed dolphins swimming along the edge of the bank. They were swimming fast and jumping up in the air, but they did not come near the boat. It was a rainy afternoon, but the saloon deck had a lot of viewing windows so we were able to see the vast amount of mountains that lined the Sound.
For our afternoon activity, Mike and I took a “tender boat ride.” The nature guide from the Navigator took us out on a smaller boat to see the area up close. She told us about the water that was below us - about 40 meters or so was a combination of fresh and ocean water, and the water below that (it got to hundreds of meters deep) has been sitting there for hundreds or thousands of years. That fact alone is crazy! We also learned about birds in the area. One bird, called the Moa, was the biggest bird that lived and was a lot like the ostrich or emu. It became extinct because of the Moari people and a large eagle (also extinct) that would hunt it.
Soon it began raining heavily, so we went back to the Navigator and got on board. I was very happy that I had not chosen to go kayaking. Not only did I still have my cold, but they also got very wet from the rain before they came back to the boat. A brave (stupid?) few people jumped into the water in their swimming suits. No thank you!! It was very cold out. Throughout the evening we had soup service, played board games with people from our group, and had dinner and dessert. One of my most favorite events was when we went out to the Tasman Sea and saw New Zealand Fur Seals in their natural habit. Most of them were sleeping, but some were moving around and playing with each other. They were very cute, and I can definitely say they are my favorite type of seals (they don’t eat penguins!!) At the end of the night we watched a slide show from the nature guide on the discovery and history of Doubtful Sound and the different bird species of the area including the sounds each bird makes. Mike and I agree that our mothers would really like to see the slideshow and the birds in it.
May 13
The ship’s engine started at 6.45 am and the noise definitely woke me up! Breakfast was served in the saloon area before the sun rose over the surrounding mountains, so for awhile we couldn’t see anything out of the windows. Soon the sun rose and we were surrounded by pretty mountains once again. One thing about New Zealand is that the mountaintops are continually surrounded by clouds, and it seems rare to see many tops of mountains. We made our way back from way we came from through the sound. The best part of the morning was that we saw the bottle-nosed dolphins again, but this time they swam right next to the boat for a good five to ten minutes!! They were playing amongst themselves and jumping up into the air as they got closer to the boat. It seemed as if they were trying to race the boat as well. The nature guide told a story about a dead shark that was found in the sound. It had tried to attack one of the smaller dolphins, so many dolphins attacked the shark by ramming their noses into it, eventually killing it. They are very smart creatures to say the least.
We docked at the bay around 10 am, and took the same way back that we had come in - a bus and then a ferry back to our Coach bus. After a couple of hours in the bus we stopped at Lake Te Anau for lunch. It was a beautiful lake and a quick stop. That afternoon we watched Lord of the Rings on the bus, much to my dismay. While I tried to sleep through the whole thing, Mike woke me up during the “good parts.” It was interesting to see New Zealand scenery in the movie however. We ended the evening at Lake Ohau lodge where we stayed for the night. There we were provided with lasagna dinner, movies, and ping pong playing!
May 14
Because we had gotten to Lake Ohau after sunset, we were not blessed by the beautiful view of such a large lake until the morning. Beautiful mountains lined the lake’s edges and it made for quite a sight. After breakfast we were off again for our last day on the tour. Our first stop of the day was Mt. Cook, New Zealand’s tallest mountain. Here we stopped in the Edmund Hillary Centre. Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest, but he trained at Mount Cook so he called it home. Mt Cook is known as Aoraki or “cloud piercer” by the Maori people - which of course it did by having its peak hidden by clouds.
The next stop was Lake Pukaki. It was yet another beautiful lake that we took pictures of. After traveling around Southern New Zealand for seven days, I can definitely tell you that it is full of beautiful lakes, mountains, and green vegetation - all make for beautiful pictures and views!! We stopped at Lake Tekapo for lunch where Mike and I got takeaway Chinese food and ate at picnic tables by the lake. Mike tried to teach me how to skip rocks along the top of the water, but I much rather prefer just throwing in the big rocks and making a splash, much to Mike’s dismay. Here we also stopped at the Church of the Good Sheppard which was built in honor of the settlers of the area. We also took a look at the monument of the Border Collie!
The last stop of the trip was Fairlie. This was where we learned about sheep farming on a family owned farm. The farmer and his wife were incredibly nice. The farmer showed us the sheep shearing equipment, but unfortunately could not shear a sheep because it is almost winter here. Then he brought out one of his four dogs and herded a small amount of sheep together so we could see how the commands work. They gave us each a whistle to keep, but I could never figure out how to work it correctly. Some people could, and it seems that they enjoyed whistle blowing a little too much. The farmer’s wife made us sausage rolls, cookies, and scones as an afternoon snack. I thought it was a good ending to the tour - a little taste of Kiwi farming culture.
Just a couple hours later we found ourselves in Christchurch, ending the tour. Tonight we have watched rugby on tv and ate dinner at a little Irish pub where many Kiwis were cheering on their New Zealand rugby team to beat the Aussies. It’s bittersweet to think that we are making the journey home tomorrow, but I am excited to share everything I have seen and learned with my family and friends. Taking this trip through New Zealand was the perfect way to end my study abroad adventure - I will never forget these four months!! One last cheers from the southern hemisphere! Sending my love and seeing you all soon, Steph
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Days 3 & 4
May 10
This was our first day in Queenstown, and we had nothing planned. Mike and I decided to go up the mountain behind our hotel on the gondola after we had breakfast at a little cafe. I have been on gondolas before in Colorado, but it was Mike’s first time riding one. It was pretty fun riding up, and apparently this gondola is one of the steepest rides in the world! Once we were up to the top, we went straight to the viewing deck. The view was amazing and we could see everything from the Remarkables - the mountain range around Queenstown, and the body of water - Lake Wakatipu. Not only were those amazing, but we also saw the entire village of Queenstown. Queenstown was a gold mining town, but it was deserted in the mid twentieth century. Now it is a huge tourist attraction, especially for adrenaline junkies. After hanging out on top of the mountain for awhile, we rode the gondola back down and walked into town.
We wandered around for awhile before getting lunch at the Thyme restaurant. Afterwards, we walked to the wharf. Mike and I decided to take the SS Earnslaw, the steamboat that travels across Lake Wakatipu. It was a beautiful ride - but it was incredibly windy. This steamboat was made in 1912 and has been on the lake ever since. We were able to see how the steamboat works by looking into the work area of the boat. It’s really surprising how often we have run into other Americans. We met an older couple on the boat who took our picture and the woman had a friend who went to Albion. What are the odds? They were interesting people to say the least, but they were also very friendly.
After a beautiful afternoon, we stopped at the indoor mini golf place right by our hotel and played a round. While Mike won, I was still able to have a good time. (ha!) It was a really cool course, each hole was based off of a different part of Queenstown, and they were all run electronically. For instance, at one hole you putted your ball into the chair lift building, and then you watched as your ball travelled up on a chairlift and then went down the hill into different areas of the green. My downfall was definitely my lack of putting skills - oh well!
We met up with our tour group for dinner at Winnie’s. It was a delicious pizza place, and we got to try at least four pizzas. There was a charity event going on for some New Zealand team that was going to take place in some sort of Amazing Race type of show I think - it never really was explained. The team’s name was “Good Bye Pork Pie” which is apparently a New Zealand classic movie, and the director was there to talk about the movie. He reminded me of Steven Spielberg, and because of his thick kiwi accent, I had little clue of what he was actually saying.
Our next stop was the Minus 5 Ice Bar. We put on huge down coats and gloves before we entered a tiny room where everything was made from ice!! It was really cool (literally...). There were many ice sculptures: dolphins, tikis, kiwis, etc. A couch and chair were even made out of ice (covered with deer skin though so you didn’t freeze when you sat down). Even the cups were made out of ice! We were only in the bar for half an hour, but that was definitely long enough because it was literally minus 7 degrees Celsius. Overall, we saw a lot in one day! It was great.
May 10
I slept in really late, but even so, woke up with a cold. I blame the Ice Bar. Mike and I conveniently ran into Pete and Ashley as we walked into town for lunch! I had been hoping to see them since we were both going to be in Queenstown, but neither of us had cell phones here (very un 21st century of us). We made a plan to meet up later after dinner.
There was an optional tour of “hidden gems” through our tour, so we decided to go. The first stop was Arrowtown. It is a gold mining town, and it’s very historic. We walked along the historic avenue, glanced at the museum, and went to the old Chinese settlement that had old houses of Chinese miners. The trees on the surrounding mountains were all changing colors! It reminded me of Michigan in Autumn.
The next stop was AJ Hackett’s Bungy Bridge to learn about this history of Bungy jumping. To let everyone know, we didn’t even have any idea where this tour was going to take us before we got on! After watching a video about the history, we went out to the viewing deck to see the bridge where everyone jumps. No one was jumping sadly... and then Mike turns to me and he says “Can we do this? Do we have time?” I was so shocked I don’t know what I said besides “well go ahead and ask.” I turn and he is asking a member of the crew, and moments later he was gone into the building. Soon he was was walking out onto the bridge (like a crazy person). It happened so fast - he got strapped in, waved to his entire audience (pretty much our whole tour group) and just jumped!! It was over a river and he told them to dunk him a little, so his head and shoulders were soaked afterwards. I personally think he is insane, jumping off a bridge hooked by his feet, but I suppose he was not scared at all, seeing as after the first drop down he swung back up, gave two thumbs up and stuck out his tongue.
After that adventure, the last stop was a mountain lookout. We could see towns, a river, and of course other mountains!! It was beautiful. After eating some cheese and crackers, we made our way back to Queenstown.
For dinner, the group went to Fergburger where we all had HUGE but delicious burgers. Afterwards, Mike and I walked around and then met up with Pete and Ashley where we shared stories about the guys’ bungy experiences and caught up since we had left each other in Australia. I was really happy to see them one more time before heading home!
Today we will be heading to Doubtful Sound to stay on an overnight cruise. I’m really excited!!! Sorry I have not posted pictures, internet access is slow and does not allow for loading them. Cheers!!
This was our first day in Queenstown, and we had nothing planned. Mike and I decided to go up the mountain behind our hotel on the gondola after we had breakfast at a little cafe. I have been on gondolas before in Colorado, but it was Mike’s first time riding one. It was pretty fun riding up, and apparently this gondola is one of the steepest rides in the world! Once we were up to the top, we went straight to the viewing deck. The view was amazing and we could see everything from the Remarkables - the mountain range around Queenstown, and the body of water - Lake Wakatipu. Not only were those amazing, but we also saw the entire village of Queenstown. Queenstown was a gold mining town, but it was deserted in the mid twentieth century. Now it is a huge tourist attraction, especially for adrenaline junkies. After hanging out on top of the mountain for awhile, we rode the gondola back down and walked into town.
We wandered around for awhile before getting lunch at the Thyme restaurant. Afterwards, we walked to the wharf. Mike and I decided to take the SS Earnslaw, the steamboat that travels across Lake Wakatipu. It was a beautiful ride - but it was incredibly windy. This steamboat was made in 1912 and has been on the lake ever since. We were able to see how the steamboat works by looking into the work area of the boat. It’s really surprising how often we have run into other Americans. We met an older couple on the boat who took our picture and the woman had a friend who went to Albion. What are the odds? They were interesting people to say the least, but they were also very friendly.
After a beautiful afternoon, we stopped at the indoor mini golf place right by our hotel and played a round. While Mike won, I was still able to have a good time. (ha!) It was a really cool course, each hole was based off of a different part of Queenstown, and they were all run electronically. For instance, at one hole you putted your ball into the chair lift building, and then you watched as your ball travelled up on a chairlift and then went down the hill into different areas of the green. My downfall was definitely my lack of putting skills - oh well!
We met up with our tour group for dinner at Winnie’s. It was a delicious pizza place, and we got to try at least four pizzas. There was a charity event going on for some New Zealand team that was going to take place in some sort of Amazing Race type of show I think - it never really was explained. The team’s name was “Good Bye Pork Pie” which is apparently a New Zealand classic movie, and the director was there to talk about the movie. He reminded me of Steven Spielberg, and because of his thick kiwi accent, I had little clue of what he was actually saying.
Our next stop was the Minus 5 Ice Bar. We put on huge down coats and gloves before we entered a tiny room where everything was made from ice!! It was really cool (literally...). There were many ice sculptures: dolphins, tikis, kiwis, etc. A couch and chair were even made out of ice (covered with deer skin though so you didn’t freeze when you sat down). Even the cups were made out of ice! We were only in the bar for half an hour, but that was definitely long enough because it was literally minus 7 degrees Celsius. Overall, we saw a lot in one day! It was great.
May 10
I slept in really late, but even so, woke up with a cold. I blame the Ice Bar. Mike and I conveniently ran into Pete and Ashley as we walked into town for lunch! I had been hoping to see them since we were both going to be in Queenstown, but neither of us had cell phones here (very un 21st century of us). We made a plan to meet up later after dinner.
There was an optional tour of “hidden gems” through our tour, so we decided to go. The first stop was Arrowtown. It is a gold mining town, and it’s very historic. We walked along the historic avenue, glanced at the museum, and went to the old Chinese settlement that had old houses of Chinese miners. The trees on the surrounding mountains were all changing colors! It reminded me of Michigan in Autumn.
The next stop was AJ Hackett’s Bungy Bridge to learn about this history of Bungy jumping. To let everyone know, we didn’t even have any idea where this tour was going to take us before we got on! After watching a video about the history, we went out to the viewing deck to see the bridge where everyone jumps. No one was jumping sadly... and then Mike turns to me and he says “Can we do this? Do we have time?” I was so shocked I don’t know what I said besides “well go ahead and ask.” I turn and he is asking a member of the crew, and moments later he was gone into the building. Soon he was was walking out onto the bridge (like a crazy person). It happened so fast - he got strapped in, waved to his entire audience (pretty much our whole tour group) and just jumped!! It was over a river and he told them to dunk him a little, so his head and shoulders were soaked afterwards. I personally think he is insane, jumping off a bridge hooked by his feet, but I suppose he was not scared at all, seeing as after the first drop down he swung back up, gave two thumbs up and stuck out his tongue.
After that adventure, the last stop was a mountain lookout. We could see towns, a river, and of course other mountains!! It was beautiful. After eating some cheese and crackers, we made our way back to Queenstown.
For dinner, the group went to Fergburger where we all had HUGE but delicious burgers. Afterwards, Mike and I walked around and then met up with Pete and Ashley where we shared stories about the guys’ bungy experiences and caught up since we had left each other in Australia. I was really happy to see them one more time before heading home!
Today we will be heading to Doubtful Sound to stay on an overnight cruise. I’m really excited!!! Sorry I have not posted pictures, internet access is slow and does not allow for loading them. Cheers!!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Day 2
This morning was an early start to the day - breakfast was at the restaurant in the inn that we stayed at. Mike and I watched as a cat named Oggie begged for breakfast from other people in our group. Soon we made our way down to the Fox Glacier Guides building, where we put on hiking boots and packed ourselves into a bus that took us to the Westland National Park where we hiked an hour to get to the actual glacier. Fox Glacier has been retreating recently, but this is just natural glacier behavior, nothing to do with global warming. One of our guides was from Texas! He was probably my favorite guide. We split into two groups and walked along a rocky path with many small streams that took us to the glacier. I was a little nervous walking in this area because a large rock fall happened just two days ago! The group had to scale 850 stairs built into the forest sides of the mountains. Again, I was nervous - heights are definitely not my thing, and one part of the climb was walking along the top of a bluff (cliff) about 150 meters high while holding onto a chain attached to the side of the mountain. Definitely not my favorite part, but it was certainly worth it once we got to the glacier. We had to put “cramp-ons” onto our boots. Cramp-ons are medal spikes that go onto the center of the underside of our boots to hold us onto the ice. The guides took us around the glacier for about an hour. It was so beautiful!! Waterfalls were on either side of us - they were coming down the side of the mountains. Water was also running on top of and through the glacier. Because the glacier is in retreat, it is melting very quickly in glacier terms. It was a great experience to hike up the glacier as well as a good work out!
The rest of the afternoon was mostly spent in the tour bus traveling to Queenstown. I feel like everywhere we drive is filled with beautiful fields, mountains, lakes, and of course, sheep and cattle. We travelled through Haast’s Pass and stopped to see a huge waterfall called Thunder Creek Falls. It flows into Haast River. Also, we stopped at a little cafe where Mike and I got coffee and hot chocolate. It was a family owned business, and they had license plates from all over - including Illinois and Michigan! We drove past Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea before arriving at our final destination - Queenstown!
Dinner was on our own, so Mike and I stopped at a Mexican place called Sombrero’s. It was a fun little place with pretty good food. Afterwards, we walked around downtown Queenstown to familiarize ourselves with the lay out. We have two full days here to explore and relax!! I’m looking forward to scenic walks and a gondola ride - I just hope the weather stays nice!
I can’t believe it, but one week until I am home. I’m happy to be in New Zealand right now, but I’m also looking forward to seeing friends and family at home. Cheers!!
The rest of the afternoon was mostly spent in the tour bus traveling to Queenstown. I feel like everywhere we drive is filled with beautiful fields, mountains, lakes, and of course, sheep and cattle. We travelled through Haast’s Pass and stopped to see a huge waterfall called Thunder Creek Falls. It flows into Haast River. Also, we stopped at a little cafe where Mike and I got coffee and hot chocolate. It was a family owned business, and they had license plates from all over - including Illinois and Michigan! We drove past Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea before arriving at our final destination - Queenstown!
Dinner was on our own, so Mike and I stopped at a Mexican place called Sombrero’s. It was a fun little place with pretty good food. Afterwards, we walked around downtown Queenstown to familiarize ourselves with the lay out. We have two full days here to explore and relax!! I’m looking forward to scenic walks and a gondola ride - I just hope the weather stays nice!
I can’t believe it, but one week until I am home. I’m happy to be in New Zealand right now, but I’m also looking forward to seeing friends and family at home. Cheers!!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Day 1 of the Southern Island Tour
Hostel living is quite the experience. I had a hard time sleeping last night because of the noisy bar atmosphere behind our hostel, and the constant in and out patterns of the roommates! I was happy to leave this morning with our tour at 8 am. Today was mostly spent in the bus, but that was quite relaxing and I slept a good amount. We drove through the Canterbury plains where we saw sheep and cattle constantly.
Our first stop was at Arthur’s Pass - one of only three passes through the Southern Alps. The mountains were beautiful, but there was a heavy rain which kept the waterfalls running quickly. Sadly, it was not prime picture taking - that’s for sure! We also stopped off to look for the “kea,” a New Zealand alpine parrot. Apparently, it is very very large and is known to be a nuisance to farmers because it attacks sheep to eat their kidneys. Unfortunately, we did not see one.
We travelled through to Hokitika which is known for it’s native Jade stone. The Maori people find the stone and carve it - but since it takes so much handiwork, it is quite expensive. That stop was about an hour long, so Mike and I made our way to a little wildlife place where we saw eels, turtles, lizards, and the best one - the kiwi bird! It was bigger than I imagined. The kiwi is a nocturnal bird, so it’s exhibit was very dark, and I couldn’t get a good picture. It was searching for food with it’s long beak and running back and forth in it’s cage. Soon we got lunch at the little cafe in the Jade Factory. Then, it was time to get back in the bus!
The tour group has about 30 people in it - all in their 20’s and 30’s. Everyone is very friendly, and some of them have been traveling for awhile from Auckland! After Hokitika, we drove through a small town called Ross which is a gold mining town. Apparently all of their houses are sitting on tons of gold, but they refuse to move.
The bus made it’s way to our last stop, Lake Matheson. This lake is incredibly still, and normally you can see the reflection of two of the highest mountains in New Zealand in it. However, because today was so rainy, we were not able to see the mountains due to a lot of clouds. The lake itself was beautiful, and the reflections were really pretty of a few mountains and tons of trees.
Tonight we had dinner in the restaurant at the Inn where we are sleeping. Then, we went on a dark walk through the forest near by and saw glow warms... it was kind of frightening to walk through the dark! I was glad I had Mike’s arm to grip on to, especially when someone behind us nearly fell into the creek! Glowworms are actually maggots, and the glowing part is their poop. You learn something new every day! Time to sleep now... early start in the morning!
Cheers :)
Our first stop was at Arthur’s Pass - one of only three passes through the Southern Alps. The mountains were beautiful, but there was a heavy rain which kept the waterfalls running quickly. Sadly, it was not prime picture taking - that’s for sure! We also stopped off to look for the “kea,” a New Zealand alpine parrot. Apparently, it is very very large and is known to be a nuisance to farmers because it attacks sheep to eat their kidneys. Unfortunately, we did not see one.
We travelled through to Hokitika which is known for it’s native Jade stone. The Maori people find the stone and carve it - but since it takes so much handiwork, it is quite expensive. That stop was about an hour long, so Mike and I made our way to a little wildlife place where we saw eels, turtles, lizards, and the best one - the kiwi bird! It was bigger than I imagined. The kiwi is a nocturnal bird, so it’s exhibit was very dark, and I couldn’t get a good picture. It was searching for food with it’s long beak and running back and forth in it’s cage. Soon we got lunch at the little cafe in the Jade Factory. Then, it was time to get back in the bus!
The tour group has about 30 people in it - all in their 20’s and 30’s. Everyone is very friendly, and some of them have been traveling for awhile from Auckland! After Hokitika, we drove through a small town called Ross which is a gold mining town. Apparently all of their houses are sitting on tons of gold, but they refuse to move.
The bus made it’s way to our last stop, Lake Matheson. This lake is incredibly still, and normally you can see the reflection of two of the highest mountains in New Zealand in it. However, because today was so rainy, we were not able to see the mountains due to a lot of clouds. The lake itself was beautiful, and the reflections were really pretty of a few mountains and tons of trees.
Tonight we had dinner in the restaurant at the Inn where we are sleeping. Then, we went on a dark walk through the forest near by and saw glow warms... it was kind of frightening to walk through the dark! I was glad I had Mike’s arm to grip on to, especially when someone behind us nearly fell into the creek! Glowworms are actually maggots, and the glowing part is their poop. You learn something new every day! Time to sleep now... early start in the morning!
Cheers :)
Friday, May 7, 2010
Goodbye Australia, Hello New Zealand!
I cannot believe I am typing this from New Zealand and that my study abroad experience is over. Yesterday I finished my last final - Contemporary Health Issues. Besides learning the names of bones and muscles, the test was not too bad at all. I was really excited to be done with all of finals, and at the point I was pretty much packed up as well and ready for our Harbor Cruise! All of the study abroad students met Amy, our ICMS coordinator, out front of the castle to get our study abroad certificates and shake the hand of the ICMS president. From there, we got on a bus and drove about 20 minutes to Mosman Wharf, where we got on our cruise. The ship was nice, it had three levels. The first was a dance floor and bar, the second was tables for eating, and the third was a viewing deck. All of the food and drinks were free, so we all took advantage of that to celebrate our last night together! We also watched the Term video that features students and is put together by one of the teachers at the school. It’s mostly funny, but the end definitely brought that bittersweet feeling of leaving all of my friends and Australia. In the middle of the cruise, we switched boats “because we were such a special group of students” or because the other boat was having engine problems. The second boat was even bigger, and we spent the rest of the evening out on the dance floor.
These past three and a half months have been amazing, and the people who I have shared it with are spectacular. I am going to miss Australia and the friends I made, but I will hold the memories dear to my heart forever! I am excited to go home and see family and friends that I have missed while being abroad - hugging my parents at the airport will definitely make me incredibly happy!
However, before I arrive home on May 15, I have a lot to see!! Our flight was bright and early at 7:15 from the Sydney Airport. Once we arrived in Christchurch, we grabbed our bags, went through customs, and caught a taxi to our hostel. Our taxi car was a Hyundai, and I immediately thought of my dad! It was interesting to be in a Hyundai that had the driver’s seat on the right. The taxi driver was an older man who thought it was great that we came to New Zealand and told us a little bit about Christchurch. Once we got to “the Base” (our hostel) we rearranged our luggage so that we could put the majority of it in storage for the week so that we don’t have to lug it around New Zealand. Mike and I had no plans for the day, so we ended up wandering because everything is walking distance. Our hostel is right near Cathedral Square, which just like the name, Christchurch Cathedral is right in the middle. It is a beautiful church built in the 1880’s, and we walked around inside as choir boys sang songs. In one corner of the huge sanctuary was a candle tree, where you could light a candle and say a prayer for someone. I specifically thought of my family who I will be seeing soon, and Mary who is currently flying home.
After seeing the cathedral, we hung out in the square for a bit and got Starbucks to help keep us awake. A few things I noticed while being in the square: just like the taxi driver said, all school kids wear uniforms, and we saw a lot of really tacky school uniforms on kids of all ages! also, there were little food stands and a market in the square, which really gave me a small town feel to the city. as we looked at souvenirs, everything was focused on the kiwi bird and sheep as opposed to the kangaroo and koala that I have been used to seeing! The money features famous “kiwis” (New Zealand people) on one side, and birds on the other!! Of course, my favorite is the 5 dollar note... penguins! I think my mom would REALLY like to have this kind of currency. One other thing we saw was the cable trolley system that does a loop around the town. Mike considered taking it until I saw the price - 15 dollars! No thank you. At least the currency exchange is pretty good here: 1 US dollar is about 1.35 NZ dollars.
Mike and I both have terrible direction, while looking at a map we discussed which way we felt we needed to go to head towards the gardens. We were both wrong, but we got there anyway! First, we stopped in at a free museum and learned a little bit about the native people of New Zealand - the Maori. There was also an exhibit on their emergency services - instead of 911 it is 111. After looking around the museum, we walked around the gardens until it was dark. Something strange is that it is autumn here, so all of the leaves on the trees are changing colors and falling off. It’s weird to compare that to the thought of everything becoming green and blossoming at home. The last stop was the rose garden - it was beautiful!
When deciding on where to eat for dinner, we stopped and looked at a map. A girl about our age stopped and asked if we needed any directions and recommended a place called Dux de Lux that Mike had also read about. It is a restaurant and brewery. We shared a calzone pizza and walked back to the hostel. Even though it’s only about 7 pm in Sydney, and 9 pm here, we are both exhausted from traveling early and finals week. I look forward to our trip - we are supposed to see a lot in 7 days! I hope to post a few times throughout the week, depending on the internet situation. Also, pictures will be added later to this post! Cheers from New Zealand!!
These past three and a half months have been amazing, and the people who I have shared it with are spectacular. I am going to miss Australia and the friends I made, but I will hold the memories dear to my heart forever! I am excited to go home and see family and friends that I have missed while being abroad - hugging my parents at the airport will definitely make me incredibly happy!
However, before I arrive home on May 15, I have a lot to see!! Our flight was bright and early at 7:15 from the Sydney Airport. Once we arrived in Christchurch, we grabbed our bags, went through customs, and caught a taxi to our hostel. Our taxi car was a Hyundai, and I immediately thought of my dad! It was interesting to be in a Hyundai that had the driver’s seat on the right. The taxi driver was an older man who thought it was great that we came to New Zealand and told us a little bit about Christchurch. Once we got to “the Base” (our hostel) we rearranged our luggage so that we could put the majority of it in storage for the week so that we don’t have to lug it around New Zealand. Mike and I had no plans for the day, so we ended up wandering because everything is walking distance. Our hostel is right near Cathedral Square, which just like the name, Christchurch Cathedral is right in the middle. It is a beautiful church built in the 1880’s, and we walked around inside as choir boys sang songs. In one corner of the huge sanctuary was a candle tree, where you could light a candle and say a prayer for someone. I specifically thought of my family who I will be seeing soon, and Mary who is currently flying home.
After seeing the cathedral, we hung out in the square for a bit and got Starbucks to help keep us awake. A few things I noticed while being in the square: just like the taxi driver said, all school kids wear uniforms, and we saw a lot of really tacky school uniforms on kids of all ages! also, there were little food stands and a market in the square, which really gave me a small town feel to the city. as we looked at souvenirs, everything was focused on the kiwi bird and sheep as opposed to the kangaroo and koala that I have been used to seeing! The money features famous “kiwis” (New Zealand people) on one side, and birds on the other!! Of course, my favorite is the 5 dollar note... penguins! I think my mom would REALLY like to have this kind of currency. One other thing we saw was the cable trolley system that does a loop around the town. Mike considered taking it until I saw the price - 15 dollars! No thank you. At least the currency exchange is pretty good here: 1 US dollar is about 1.35 NZ dollars.
Mike and I both have terrible direction, while looking at a map we discussed which way we felt we needed to go to head towards the gardens. We were both wrong, but we got there anyway! First, we stopped in at a free museum and learned a little bit about the native people of New Zealand - the Maori. There was also an exhibit on their emergency services - instead of 911 it is 111. After looking around the museum, we walked around the gardens until it was dark. Something strange is that it is autumn here, so all of the leaves on the trees are changing colors and falling off. It’s weird to compare that to the thought of everything becoming green and blossoming at home. The last stop was the rose garden - it was beautiful!
When deciding on where to eat for dinner, we stopped and looked at a map. A girl about our age stopped and asked if we needed any directions and recommended a place called Dux de Lux that Mike had also read about. It is a restaurant and brewery. We shared a calzone pizza and walked back to the hostel. Even though it’s only about 7 pm in Sydney, and 9 pm here, we are both exhausted from traveling early and finals week. I look forward to our trip - we are supposed to see a lot in 7 days! I hope to post a few times throughout the week, depending on the internet situation. Also, pictures will be added later to this post! Cheers from New Zealand!!
Monday, May 3, 2010
last weekend in Australia
This week and last week are "finals weeks." Tuesday evening I went to the Manly Wharf Hotel with Mary, Jackie and Heather for their 15 dollar pizza and drink special. We sat outside along the wharf and we watched people pass by as we enjoyed our pizza and wine. Afterwards, we went to Copenhagen to get our fill of ice cream!
I only had one final last week - Intro to Sport Management. This was on Wednesday afternoon. Mary and I studied together beforehand, and we felt pretty prepared for our exam. It was a two hour exam, and while it was a little different than I thought it would be, it wasn't too bad. Afterwards I ran out to the tennis courts to play soccer. Not many people showed up, so it was great exercise, but also really tiring. Since I was still hungry from the mediocre dinner, Jackie, Heather and I walked down the hill to Nando's, a chicken place which has really good pitas and "peri peri chips"!! Peri peri is a spice found in Africa, and they put it on their chips (french fries) and chicken. I've come to crave Nando's a lot here, and I'm definitely going to miss it when I go home.
Thursday afternoon was beautiful! I went to Collin's Beach with Mary, Ashley, Heather and Jackie. Mary and Heather were very adventurous and jumped off of the rocks - fun to watch, but definitely not for me! The sun was shining and keeping my skin warm, but the breeze was strong and kept making us all chilly, so we left a little earlier than expected. Since it is autumn here now, it gets darker earlier and the prime sun time is basically right around noon. That night I decided to treat Mike to a birthday dinner (because his birthday is May 30, but we will be back home working so I won't be seeing him then). We went down to the Manly Italian restaurant. It was delicious! I also had bought a bottle of wine from the Hunter Valley tour, so we brought that along as well. The evenings can be chilly here, so after sitting by the beach and looking at the moon reflecting on the water (see second photo), we went to Max Brenner's for a cup of hot chocolate before venturing back up the hill to school.
Friday was a rainy, cold day in Manly. I did leave the castle for a little while to souvenir shop with the girls, but I spent the majority of the day watching FlashForward online with Mike. That show is definitely addicting!!
Saturday was a much nicer day, even though it was still on the cool side. I took the ferry into Sydney around noon to meet up with Taylor who is studying at the University of Sydney for the semester. (Earlier I wrote about meeting up with Taylor and her mom in Manly.) After getting a warm Starbucks drink, Taylor and I walked to the Rocks and walked through the markets. We also walked along Circular Quay. We saw a couple of street performers. One was a man who from far away looked like he was dancing with a woman, but in fact it was a life size puppet that was attached to his shoes. It was very strange and I think people were giving him money because they felt sorry for him. The other street performer was a contortionist who fit herself into a 16 inch box. It was sort of disgusting to watch her fit into that box!! (fourth photo) We quickly walked away after she was done with her show. Then, Taylor and I took a train back to where she lives in Bondi Junction. Her apartment used to be a hotel room, and it has a great view of the city. I met her roommates and some of her guy friends as we took a bus to Bondi Beach (third photo), walked along there, and stopped at a restaurant for a dinner of fish and chips and cider to drink. It was a fun afternoon catching up and sharing Australian stories. When I came home, I went out with some friends to Shark Bar - a bar that we have frequented since we came to Manly. Overall, it was a great day!
After brunch on Sunday, Mike and I walked to North Head and from there we took a trail to Shelly Beach. We started at the Former School of Artillery where soldiers were trained before and during WWII. We also saw some gun posts and bomb shelters that had been built in case of an attack on Sydney. It was quite a warm afternoon, but the views we could see from North Head were of at least 4 northern beaches, so it was definitely worth it! When we made it to Shelly Beach, we watched surfers in the waves - including one who was surfing with his small child lifted above his head! That is talent right there! Mike and I ended our walk at the beach where a group of friends were laying out for Jessa's birthday. After about two hours of being there, we were covered by the shade of the trees that line Manly Beach, so Mike and I had milkshakes from Copenhagen and laid in the grass by Manly Wharf with Ashley and her boyfriend Pete. It was a great one to spend one of the last beautiful afternoons here!!
This week I have three exams, unfortunately. I will be studying for them, packing up my room, and getting ready to go to New Zealand with Mike. While I am looking forward to seeing the beauty of New Zealand, I can't believe I'm going to leave Australia so soon. Everything has been so amazing! One of my favorite little things is the sunset here that I can see from my window. Almost every night I see it, and I always try to capture it in a photo, but that never seems to show just how brilliant the sky really looks! The first picture is an attempt at the sunset from last Thursday.
It is time to review before my exam! Cheers!!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Manly Scenic Walkway
This morning Mary and I got up early to go on an adventure! We left ICMS and headed down the hill towards the wharf to walk on the Manly Scenic Walkway that ends at the Spit Bridge (some 6.9 km later... or approximately 4 miles). The entire walk took about three and a half hours to complete, but it was definitely worth it! The path basically winds around Manly Cove, and then goes on to different view points as you walk through Australian bush as I would put it. The lookout points were absolutely beautiful, and as always, the pictures can not truly grasp the vast panoramic views that we could see. We could see Manly, the wharf, our school, Collins Beach and other small beaches, North Head, the light house we pass by on the ferry, and towards the end we could see the Sydney skyline and the bridge. My favorite boats to see in the water are the Manly ferry, the parasail boat with parasailing people in tow, and sail boats. There is something about the crisp white sails against the sparkling blue water that make them a target for great photos! Another favorite is seeing a rocky coastline with the waves splashing up against the rocks below. So amazing to see!! At one point, we stopped at an ice cream truck that was sitting on the road above us for "freckle cones." While eating these, we were literally surrounded by black birds, so we hurried to eat our cones and left. After about three hours the rocky trail of hilly stairs ended onto a beautiful beach, and the Spit Bridge was just a walk along the beach and one more trail away. We crossed the bridge and waited for a bus to Manly - we spotted a really cool tree (last picture). After the bus ride back to Manly, we ate at the Creperie. Mary had the Eggs Benedict Crepe and I had the Chicken Crepe for lunch - both were delicious! We walked around the Corso to complete our adventure. It was definitely a successful day with one of my best friends! :)
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