Videos I took on the south island that are almost representative of the beauty I experienced. Every shore felt as if I was the first person to ever walk upon it. Nothing will ever compare. I'm dying to go back.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Lowest Point
I feel like during study abroad, you go through such a huge range of emotions and you can never really understand how you're feeling. One minute, you're like "yeah, this is my city. I feel so at home" and the next you wonder why you made the choice to leave the comfort of the ones you love. Everytime I get depressed I wonder if I'm at my lowest point since coming here. It's hard to tell.
Here's a picture of me at my literal, physical, lowest point.
On my big trip I visited the southernmost point on the south island!!! It is probably the closest I'll ever be to Antarctica! This was one of the most intense experiences of my life. I have never experienced this kind of wind before. Birds were having trouble flying. From the place that we parked the car, it was a twenty minute walk through a sheep pasture all the way to this lovely photo op near huge, raging waves. We wanted to turn back so many times, but it all seemed worth it to be able to say we had made it there. While standing at this sign, my glasses actually blew off my face and landed really far away in a pile of rocks. That's why I'm holding on to them in the photo. There is kind of a noticeable scratch on the lens now, but it's like a scar, a memory.
By the time we got back to the car, my ears hurt so bad. I was cold. I felt strange, like really empty. We drove for a bit and stopped at this little house thing where a Welsh lady made us hot chocolate and let us warm up by the heater.
Here's a picture of me at my literal, physical, lowest point.
On my big trip I visited the southernmost point on the south island!!! It is probably the closest I'll ever be to Antarctica! This was one of the most intense experiences of my life. I have never experienced this kind of wind before. Birds were having trouble flying. From the place that we parked the car, it was a twenty minute walk through a sheep pasture all the way to this lovely photo op near huge, raging waves. We wanted to turn back so many times, but it all seemed worth it to be able to say we had made it there. While standing at this sign, my glasses actually blew off my face and landed really far away in a pile of rocks. That's why I'm holding on to them in the photo. There is kind of a noticeable scratch on the lens now, but it's like a scar, a memory.
By the time we got back to the car, my ears hurt so bad. I was cold. I felt strange, like really empty. We drove for a bit and stopped at this little house thing where a Welsh lady made us hot chocolate and let us warm up by the heater.
Friday, October 2, 2009
My South Island Adventure
About a month ago I set off on the most amazing and intense journey I have ever taken. I traveled around New Zealand's south island for two weeks during our mid-semester break. Me and two of my friends (Liam and Maggie) rented a car and drove around the island, sleeping in a different city almost every night.
Liam and Maggie's engagement picture. JUST KIDDING.
Here is an approximate map of what we did:
We started off by flying from Wellington to Christchurch. We then picked up our rental car and started driving in the loop you see on the map, following the Southern Scenic Route. Notable points included the Moeraki Boulders, Nugget Point, the southernmost point on the south island, the steepest road in the world, of course Milford Sound, and the most touristy town ever, Queenstown. (pictures and stories of all these things coming soon!) I can't go into detail on these places now because it would be waaaaayyyyy to much to read.
We then drove back up to Christchurch to meet up with our friends we've met here at Uni who are from there. It was so cute to see all the things they grew up with and hear their stories about things we would pass. I got really really sick in Christchurch and slept for literally almost 24 hours one day while we were staying at my friend's parents' house. Maggie left to go back to Wellington while me and Liam returned our rental car and got on a train to Kaikoura.
best day ever in Christchurch. Kayaking in the botanical gardens.
Kaikoura is a really big whale watching town, but it was the off season so it was pretty much a ghost town. The hostel we stayed at was cool and served free soup at dinner. Yum Yum! In the middle of the night I felt like I was going to die (I had gotten even sicker) and woke up Liam so that we could walk to the hosiptal. IT WAS THE BEST WALK TO THE HOSIPTAL EVER! Not that I've ever done it before... but it was so beautful. The light of the full moon was shining on the mountains and the birds were chirping and it was so calm and peacful. And the air just smelled good! Anyway so the hosiptal was weird. It was like a house. But the nurses were really nice and said I should come back in the morning to see a doctor. Well, unfortunately we couldn't do that because we would have missed our train to Blenheim. OH WELL.
depressed in Kaikoura because the candy shop was closed
So we then took the train to Blenheim, which is the hometown of my KiwiMate, Natalie. (kind of like an RA... but not really. they are just supposed to be friends with us... ) We stayed there with her parents and did lots of fun stuff. We did a fundraiser quiz night for the Girl Guides (which is like the Girl Scouts) and won one of the top prizes! We got bottles of wine and cheese and gift certificates and lots more goodies. It did look a little suspicious seeing as Natalie's dad and mum were the organizers... BUT WHAT CAN I SAY? we dominated. We experienced the Blenheim nightlife (which was definitely calmer than Wellington's), got to watch more than three channels for once, and also went to some really beautiful vineyards for some wine tastings. The Marlborough area is famous for their Sauvignon Blanc. Natalie's dad made us the best breakfasts ever which we ate outside in the sunshine (Blenheim is the sunniest place in the south island) with the whole family. He made sausages, bacon, and fried eggs on the barbecue and we all sipped tea and coffee. Those were seriously the best mornings ever.
an empty vineyard
Our trip was coming to an end.... Natalie and her mum took us to the train station where we took a short journey to Picton. Picton was seriously the cutest town ever to spend an hour and a half in. Liam and I walked around the tiny picturesque town and ate ice cream cones with hundreds and thousands (kiwi for sprinkles) on top. We then got on this gigantic ferry boat which cars can also go on, to complete our journey back to Wellington. THIS FERRY WAS SO COOL. It felt very weird. You kinda feel like you are moving but kinda not. It is so big there are multiple floors and cafes, kids areas, sleeping areas, and even a movie theater!? The trip took about three hours and that's about the whole time I spent on this trip doing homework. oops.
Picton. Which looks tropical but did not really feel that way.
Our friends came and got us from the ferry and it felt weird/good to be home. We all wanted milkshakes and it felt very foreign walking around in our own city again. It was so amazing to sleep in my own bed that night.
Liam and Maggie's engagement picture. JUST KIDDING.
Here is an approximate map of what we did:
We started off by flying from Wellington to Christchurch. We then picked up our rental car and started driving in the loop you see on the map, following the Southern Scenic Route. Notable points included the Moeraki Boulders, Nugget Point, the southernmost point on the south island, the steepest road in the world, of course Milford Sound, and the most touristy town ever, Queenstown. (pictures and stories of all these things coming soon!) I can't go into detail on these places now because it would be waaaaayyyyy to much to read.
We then drove back up to Christchurch to meet up with our friends we've met here at Uni who are from there. It was so cute to see all the things they grew up with and hear their stories about things we would pass. I got really really sick in Christchurch and slept for literally almost 24 hours one day while we were staying at my friend's parents' house. Maggie left to go back to Wellington while me and Liam returned our rental car and got on a train to Kaikoura.
best day ever in Christchurch. Kayaking in the botanical gardens.
Kaikoura is a really big whale watching town, but it was the off season so it was pretty much a ghost town. The hostel we stayed at was cool and served free soup at dinner. Yum Yum! In the middle of the night I felt like I was going to die (I had gotten even sicker) and woke up Liam so that we could walk to the hosiptal. IT WAS THE BEST WALK TO THE HOSIPTAL EVER! Not that I've ever done it before... but it was so beautful. The light of the full moon was shining on the mountains and the birds were chirping and it was so calm and peacful. And the air just smelled good! Anyway so the hosiptal was weird. It was like a house. But the nurses were really nice and said I should come back in the morning to see a doctor. Well, unfortunately we couldn't do that because we would have missed our train to Blenheim. OH WELL.
depressed in Kaikoura because the candy shop was closed
So we then took the train to Blenheim, which is the hometown of my KiwiMate, Natalie. (kind of like an RA... but not really. they are just supposed to be friends with us... ) We stayed there with her parents and did lots of fun stuff. We did a fundraiser quiz night for the Girl Guides (which is like the Girl Scouts) and won one of the top prizes! We got bottles of wine and cheese and gift certificates and lots more goodies. It did look a little suspicious seeing as Natalie's dad and mum were the organizers... BUT WHAT CAN I SAY? we dominated. We experienced the Blenheim nightlife (which was definitely calmer than Wellington's), got to watch more than three channels for once, and also went to some really beautiful vineyards for some wine tastings. The Marlborough area is famous for their Sauvignon Blanc. Natalie's dad made us the best breakfasts ever which we ate outside in the sunshine (Blenheim is the sunniest place in the south island) with the whole family. He made sausages, bacon, and fried eggs on the barbecue and we all sipped tea and coffee. Those were seriously the best mornings ever.
an empty vineyard
Our trip was coming to an end.... Natalie and her mum took us to the train station where we took a short journey to Picton. Picton was seriously the cutest town ever to spend an hour and a half in. Liam and I walked around the tiny picturesque town and ate ice cream cones with hundreds and thousands (kiwi for sprinkles) on top. We then got on this gigantic ferry boat which cars can also go on, to complete our journey back to Wellington. THIS FERRY WAS SO COOL. It felt very weird. You kinda feel like you are moving but kinda not. It is so big there are multiple floors and cafes, kids areas, sleeping areas, and even a movie theater!? The trip took about three hours and that's about the whole time I spent on this trip doing homework. oops.
Picton. Which looks tropical but did not really feel that way.
Our friends came and got us from the ferry and it felt weird/good to be home. We all wanted milkshakes and it felt very foreign walking around in our own city again. It was so amazing to sleep in my own bed that night.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
SPRING
It's spring in New Zealand now, but I'm having a hard time remembering that it's not fall. Fall has my favorite activities and I'm totally bummed to be missing them. I want to go to the Elegant Farmer to eat caramel apples and be tempted by mini pumpkins every time I go to the grocery store. And of course there's the Halloween thing... which doesn't exist here. I WANT FREE CANDY. I want those gross waxy tiny pumpkin candies. SOMEONE PLEASE SAVE SOME FOR ME!!!! (or send me some... HINT.)
The weather has been very strange. I never know what to wear. It's not warm by any means, but the air is so humid that every time I walk around outside, I end up sweaty and disgusting but still cold. I'm in a constant state of adding and removing layers. The wind has been intense, so much so that inhibits by ability to walk right... you can't lift your legs too high when you walk or you'll trip and fall! HA. And of course there are those pesky tsunami warnings that get canceled all the time.
Walking around Wellington in the early evening after the sun sets smells so sweet. Like flowers and rain. Lately it's been raining during the day and then it stops at night and everything is really silent and still. It's my favorite time. I like to stand on my back deck and see the lights of the city start to come alive.
My lectures are just about over (2 weeks left) and then begins our exam period which lasts for like a month. Hopefully I'll be able to do some more cool things in that time because lately I've been writing a lot of papers and having my soul sucked out by school.
Look what was on the desk in on of my lectures today:
snow thugs
OH MY GOSH. I almost forgot about a really great part of spring! Probably my favorite thing about my school here is the fact that in one of the buildings there is this little glass enclosure that is kind of outside kind of not (I think the roof of it is open, but the walls of it are inside this building) and these little lizards live there!!!! It has been so cold all these months that they have been hiding in their little tubes, but now that it's a little warmer they have been outside, hangin out on their rocks and stuff. They are called Tuatara. Okay, I just looked them up on Wikipedia, and apparently even though they resemble lizards, they are actually from a distinct lineage of reptile. SORRY FOR THE MISINFORMATION. They are often called "living fossils" and have a lot of features retained from ancient creatures. WOW this wikipedia page is actually really interesting! You should probably read it. Read the section on Reproduction it is so fascinating!
Anyway, the important thing is, that they are really really cute and I always nerdily stand there with my face against the glass staring at them. I WILL MISS THEM SO MUCH!!!
The weather has been very strange. I never know what to wear. It's not warm by any means, but the air is so humid that every time I walk around outside, I end up sweaty and disgusting but still cold. I'm in a constant state of adding and removing layers. The wind has been intense, so much so that inhibits by ability to walk right... you can't lift your legs too high when you walk or you'll trip and fall! HA. And of course there are those pesky tsunami warnings that get canceled all the time.
Walking around Wellington in the early evening after the sun sets smells so sweet. Like flowers and rain. Lately it's been raining during the day and then it stops at night and everything is really silent and still. It's my favorite time. I like to stand on my back deck and see the lights of the city start to come alive.
My lectures are just about over (2 weeks left) and then begins our exam period which lasts for like a month. Hopefully I'll be able to do some more cool things in that time because lately I've been writing a lot of papers and having my soul sucked out by school.
Look what was on the desk in on of my lectures today:
snow thugs
OH MY GOSH. I almost forgot about a really great part of spring! Probably my favorite thing about my school here is the fact that in one of the buildings there is this little glass enclosure that is kind of outside kind of not (I think the roof of it is open, but the walls of it are inside this building) and these little lizards live there!!!! It has been so cold all these months that they have been hiding in their little tubes, but now that it's a little warmer they have been outside, hangin out on their rocks and stuff. They are called Tuatara. Okay, I just looked them up on Wikipedia, and apparently even though they resemble lizards, they are actually from a distinct lineage of reptile. SORRY FOR THE MISINFORMATION. They are often called "living fossils" and have a lot of features retained from ancient creatures. WOW this wikipedia page is actually really interesting! You should probably read it. Read the section on Reproduction it is so fascinating!
Anyway, the important thing is, that they are really really cute and I always nerdily stand there with my face against the glass staring at them. I WILL MISS THEM SO MUCH!!!
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