Fast Forward

I apologize for the break in updates. Tomorrow is my last test until my first final (June 15), so I will get back to posting pictures and storytelling soon. I just wanted to comment on today. This evening was our study abroad program's farewell dinner. The meal was at an incredible Thai restaurant, and I always have a good time when everyone gets together. However, I think the term 'farewell dinner' made all of us realize we will be leaving in just over a month. The semester has rushed on through, but I have few regrets, which is always a good thing. Our program coordinator Kate wanted to see our Pacific dances since she can't make our final performance. So we danced and sang in the middle of the restaurant. The workers seemed amused/confused.

Semester Break 2

I could talk a little more about our three days in Wellington. At our hostel, we met Adam. We met Adam due to our lack of skill at pool. Neither of us could make a shot, and he began to give us pointers. It did little good, but he was a friendly guy and we continued talking to him after we gave up on pool. Adam was born near Wellington, but had just returned from England where he had taught kindergarten. Now he was working in a vineyard, but it seemed he wanted to get back to traveling after a few months back home. Here is a photo of Adam and Kim.

The next day, Adam offered to take us on a mini-tour of Wellington. We stopped at a cafe on the beach for coffee (cola for me), drove to a lookout over Wellington, and visited an awesome yard of scrap metal sculptures. These were big pieces of junk-art. A VW Beetle had been used as the body for a giant spider overlooking the property. Spiders seemed to be one of the man's favorites, and I was able to get some decent photos.

One of our days in Wellington was spent almost entirely inside of Te Papa, the premier museum in New Zealand. There were floors and floors of Maori artifacts, nature exhibits, and art. I was surprised to see a picture of The Beatles wearing huge Maori necklaces in a parade presumably in NZ. They really were everywhere. Te Papa's main claim to fame is the giant squid exhibit. It is the only one of its kind on display, and the video chronicling the discovery and preservation of the squid was interesting. Below is the front of the squid.

From Wellington it was a short flight to Christchurch. From what I saw of Christchurch, I was sad I didn't have more time to spend there. The city has a nice central square and some neat old architecture. The rental car experience was a different story, but everything was smoothed out somewhat shortly.

Ryan with the Bridge of Remembrance

We met Ryan, Andrew, and Sam in Christchurch and departed for Mt. Cook the next morning. The weather was fantastic, and I wanted to climb a short way up the mountain and back for a nice day hike. As we closed in on the mountains, we drove past the bluest lakes I have ever seen. I had read the color was due to minerals glaciers had crushed in the lake. The minerals reflect a high amount of light, so on clear days, the lakes are as blue as the sky.

Lake Tekapo

The weather seems nice in this picture right? Well, after driving little more than an hour from the lake to the base of Mt. Cook, we were in heavy rain. A park ranger told me the rain was expected to hang around for a few days, so I wasn't able to get a look at the highest peak in NZ. While that was a bummer, it gave us more time to spend in Queenstown, where I jumped off a bridge. (Cliffhanger)

Semester Break 1

I had two weeks for fall (spring) break and all I did was travel, so I will split the trip into a few sections.

I had been stuck on the North Island all semester and wanted to see the South Island during break. Everyone told me the scenery was amazing compared to up north, which I had no complaints about. I left in a rental car after class on Friday. Kim traveled with me for the first week of the trip. We have almost nothing in common and I think we knew that going into the trip, but we traveled together with no issues. Taupo was our stop the first night. Lake Taupo is the largest in New Zealand, and the city is close to the Mt. Rupehu aka Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings fame. I wouldn't mind going back to Taupo for a weekend if I get the chance. From Taupo we drove south to Wellington. Many of the small towns in NZ have an odd attraction similar to the giant ball of yarn in the US. We decided to get our picture taken at every large tank, fish, boot, and bull we passed.

The computer is working a bit slow right now, so I'll cut the post short. I leave you with.......

The Cookie Time Plane- This creepy red Muppet outcast appears outside of every gas station in NZ.

The Bulls Bull- The town of Bulls really went overboard. Outside of a real estate office a sign reading "Live-a-Bull." Other stores with "Afford-a-Bull" or "Comfort-a-Bull." It was a "Remark-a-Bull" sight.


Wellington Beehive- This one is a bit more functional. The Beehive is the legislative building of the NZ government, and has a resemblence to a hive. The columned capitol building in the corner was also good to explore.
That's all for now folks. Much, much more to come when the computer feels like carrying more of a load. For the first time this semester I believe the weather is better in Illinois than in Auckland. I wore a hoodie and jeans to keep warm today, and the rain was relentless.