Hello!
I've had a few adventures over the past few weeks that I'm excited to share with you all!
Now that school is picking up (I just finished my fourth week of classes), I'm writing a lot of analytical papers. I'm used to writing lab reports but this is a little different for me as I haven't had a true English class since my senior year of high school!
They don't call university "school" here. You don't go to school, you go to class. And in classes that take attendance, students say "yep" instead of "here". I'm thankful to have a last name near the end of the alphabet so that I could catch on to this trend! (We don't need to talk about how I still said "here"... silly international me.)
Car parts have funny names here, too. The car hood is the bonnet, and the trunk is the boot. The blinker is the indicator and the rear-view mirror is the rear-vision mirror. In New Zealand we drive on the left side of the road. I've driven once and it was pretty strange at first, but it was surprisingly easy to get used to! The worst part was that the "indicator" and the windshield wipers are on opposite sides from my car in the US so I kept turning my wipers off when I was trying to indicate my turn. Oops.
I was riding along in a car one day and the driver was talking about going into the carpark (parking lot) and tooting until her friend came out. I started snickering and it took us a minute to figure out that tooting means honking! These little nuances can be confusing but I love learning them.
Anyway, since I last updated I have had some pretty cool experiences. Sorry it's been so long!
In New Zealand they produce Cadbury chocolate. That's dangerous, but it leads to some fun events! A few weeks back was the chocolate festival. There was a Jaffa roll on the Friday of the festival. On Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world, they roll 25,000 Jaffas down to raise money for charity. A Jaffa is a round candy about gumball size. It's typically red and they are orange-flavoured. I tried one and wasn't expecting the orange flavour from a red candy so my tastebuds were kind of confused. They are good at rolling though! They raise money because each Jaffa is numbered and you can pay $1 to "buy" a Jaffa. If your Jaffa is the first to roll through the finish line, you win a prize! We didn't buy any because we got there just as the races were starting, but it was to watch nonetheless.
I've had a few adventures over the past few weeks that I'm excited to share with you all!
Now that school is picking up (I just finished my fourth week of classes), I'm writing a lot of analytical papers. I'm used to writing lab reports but this is a little different for me as I haven't had a true English class since my senior year of high school!
They don't call university "school" here. You don't go to school, you go to class. And in classes that take attendance, students say "yep" instead of "here". I'm thankful to have a last name near the end of the alphabet so that I could catch on to this trend! (We don't need to talk about how I still said "here"... silly international me.)
Car parts have funny names here, too. The car hood is the bonnet, and the trunk is the boot. The blinker is the indicator and the rear-view mirror is the rear-vision mirror. In New Zealand we drive on the left side of the road. I've driven once and it was pretty strange at first, but it was surprisingly easy to get used to! The worst part was that the "indicator" and the windshield wipers are on opposite sides from my car in the US so I kept turning my wipers off when I was trying to indicate my turn. Oops.
I was riding along in a car one day and the driver was talking about going into the carpark (parking lot) and tooting until her friend came out. I started snickering and it took us a minute to figure out that tooting means honking! These little nuances can be confusing but I love learning them.
Anyway, since I last updated I have had some pretty cool experiences. Sorry it's been so long!
In New Zealand they produce Cadbury chocolate. That's dangerous, but it leads to some fun events! A few weeks back was the chocolate festival. There was a Jaffa roll on the Friday of the festival. On Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world, they roll 25,000 Jaffas down to raise money for charity. A Jaffa is a round candy about gumball size. It's typically red and they are orange-flavoured. I tried one and wasn't expecting the orange flavour from a red candy so my tastebuds were kind of confused. They are good at rolling though! They raise money because each Jaffa is numbered and you can pay $1 to "buy" a Jaffa. If your Jaffa is the first to roll through the finish line, you win a prize! We didn't buy any because we got there just as the races were starting, but it was to watch nonetheless.
I went to the Otago Farmer's Market. I didn't end up buying any produce because our fridge at my flat is tiny. I enjoyed walking around and seeing all the food for sale, and I treated myself to a lemon juice and raw sugar crepe! It tasted kind of bitter but it was nice to have something warm on such a brisk, rainy morning.
After the farmer's market, Caitlin (refresher: my friend from Iowa State and next door neighbour here) and I traipsed down to the rugby field for a free rugby game. Neither of us had any idea how to play but we thought it would be fun to watch. After 40 minutes/one half, we left shivering and even more confused about the rules of the game. That was a really cold day!
The next weekend, Caitlin and I had our sights set on climbing Mount Cargill. We were told it was a short walk from Baldwin St. so we set out with sweatshirts, sandwiches and tons of water.
Well, after over an hour of walking, we still weren't very close to Mount Cargill. We had been walking essentially uphill for the entire hour so we were quite tired and we had no idea how much longer it would be until we reached Cargill. It was frustrating for both of us to turn around, but the sun sets pretty early and we didn't want to be stuck out there without a flashlight or more warm clothes. We reluctantly turned around and ate lunch in a little park we stumbled upon.
Well, after over an hour of walking, we still weren't very close to Mount Cargill. We had been walking essentially uphill for the entire hour so we were quite tired and we had no idea how much longer it would be until we reached Cargill. It was frustrating for both of us to turn around, but the sun sets pretty early and we didn't want to be stuck out there without a flashlight or more warm clothes. We reluctantly turned around and ate lunch in a little park we stumbled upon.
When we got back to our flats I googled how long it should take to walk to Mount Cargill. The verdict: over three hours. It was really good that we turned around!!!
The next day, 26 July, was probably my favourite day in New Zealand so far. Eight of us piled into two cars and drove south to the Catlins. I went to the Catlins a few weeks back for a conservation weekend trip. This trip wasn't about helping penguins, but rather seeing the amazing sights of southern New Zealand.
The next day, 26 July, was probably my favourite day in New Zealand so far. Eight of us piled into two cars and drove south to the Catlins. I went to the Catlins a few weeks back for a conservation weekend trip. This trip wasn't about helping penguins, but rather seeing the amazing sights of southern New Zealand.
First we stopped at Kaka Point. This was a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. My panorama got a little messed up (lighting issues) but you get the idea! It was stunning.
I could've spent hours there but we had a lot of places to see! We hopped back in our cars and went to destination #2, Nugget Point.
I thought the name was kind of funny but when we got out to the point, my jaw dropped. This was, by far, my favourite view of the day.
I thought the name was kind of funny but when we got out to the point, my jaw dropped. This was, by far, my favourite view of the day.
We also saw a little fur seal out on one of the rocks. Try as I might, I couldn't get a good picture of him. He was just too far away!
After Nugget Point, we took a detour to Tunnel Hill. It's an abandoned railway tunnel and it was really creepy. And cold! We walked through the tunnel, I think it was 270m from one end to the other. Fun fact, I'm afraid of the dark, so this was pretty uncomfortable for me. But it was a pretty looking tunnel from the outside! As we walked back through to get to our cars, a stalactite dripped on my forearm. That pretty much sealed the deal for me and I speed-walked through the rest of the tunnel. :) |
En route to Cannibal Bay, I looked up and saw an ostrich. That really took me by surprise! I didn't get a picture but it made me chuckle.
Cannibal Bay sounded a little eery. We planned who we were going to sacrifice if needed but thankfully we didn't run into any cannibals!
Cannibal Bay sounded a little eery. We planned who we were going to sacrifice if needed but thankfully we didn't run into any cannibals!
I got a request for "more selfies" on my blog. Harumph. Anyway, Cannibal Bay was awesome. There were tons of little tide pools to look at, and I even found a bright red anemone in one! I couldn't resist touching it :) I decided that if my career paths change and I find myself dabbling in cannibalism, I could live here! (Just kidding.) |
After Cannibal Bay, we headed to a town called Owaka for lunch. Then it was off to Surat Bay!
In typical New Zealand fashion, the weather acted up here. It rained on us for about three minutes, though the sky above was perfectly blue. Strange!
Next we headed to Purakaunui (Poo-ruh-kuh-NOO-eee) Falls.
I posted a video on my Facebook of the falls. They were magnificent! But they were too fast-moving for my iPhone's camera so none of my pictures look very good. I snapped some cool images of some trees, though!
Next we headed to Purakaunui (Poo-ruh-kuh-NOO-eee) Falls.
I posted a video on my Facebook of the falls. They were magnificent! But they were too fast-moving for my iPhone's camera so none of my pictures look very good. I snapped some cool images of some trees, though!
Curio Bay was really neat. It's one of the few places with public access that the yellow-eyed penguins frequent. When we got there, there was already a penguin out! He seemed to be aware of but not bothered by his audience.
I learned a lot that day. For one, it's crucial to charge your phone. Mine died just as a second penguin popped up next to the first one. Another thing I wish I would've done that day was bring my digital camera with me. It's been sitting in my flat, and my iPhone camera can't do some of these views justice! I'm definitely bringing it with me on my mid-semester break in a few weeks! Live and learn, right?
It was getting darker but we wanted to make just one more stop. We drove down to Slope Point, which is the southernmost point in New Zealand. The sun was just setting by the time we got there and the sky had a brilliant purple and fiery orange mix. Too bad my darn phone was dead!!
I was hoping to see Antarctica but no luck. I guess it's a little further than I thought... still, that might be the closest I ever get to the South Pole which is pretty cool!
Yesterday (Friday 31 July) we went to Friday Morning Bakery. It's literally a bakery that's only open Friday mornings - they spend Sat-Thurs prepping all the food, then they are open early on Fridays until they sell out. We drove up the hill to the bakery at 7 am and the place was bustling with customers! I got an almond croissant. It had almonds on the outside and almond butter baked into it. I'm not usually a huge almond lover but this was AMAZING.
As we left, I got to see an amazing sunrise:
It was getting darker but we wanted to make just one more stop. We drove down to Slope Point, which is the southernmost point in New Zealand. The sun was just setting by the time we got there and the sky had a brilliant purple and fiery orange mix. Too bad my darn phone was dead!!
I was hoping to see Antarctica but no luck. I guess it's a little further than I thought... still, that might be the closest I ever get to the South Pole which is pretty cool!
Yesterday (Friday 31 July) we went to Friday Morning Bakery. It's literally a bakery that's only open Friday mornings - they spend Sat-Thurs prepping all the food, then they are open early on Fridays until they sell out. We drove up the hill to the bakery at 7 am and the place was bustling with customers! I got an almond croissant. It had almonds on the outside and almond butter baked into it. I'm not usually a huge almond lover but this was AMAZING.
As we left, I got to see an amazing sunrise:
Overall, life is pretty great here. It's hard to believe I've already been here over a month. The time is flying by!!!