aka Cinco de Mayo weekend. I had had 3 major things at uni that week, the first week after break, and we all decided that it was time to host a party at our flat. Mary and I are in the same classes, and we would be studying together and randomly start talking about something for the party, such as what food we were going to have, how we were going to decorate, what we needed to make a pinata, etc. Not that much studying got done...(but I amazingly still did well on the tests). Finally the day arrived, and we [View Full Entry]

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I can't believe it's already June 1st!! Time is going by much too quickly. I have lots to catch y'all up on, so, here's the last of the South Island blogs. From Te Anau we went to Milford Sound, about a two hour drive. We didn't have any plans, only to figure it out when we got there. So that's what we did. Went into the i-site, got information and recommendations on cruises, booked a cruise, and got on a boat about 30 minutes later. It wasn't perfect weather, but it wasn't raining, either. Apparently it rains most of the year [View Full Entry]

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Alright, so Invercargill. We checked into the hostel, the Kicking Kea, and got a recommendation for a good place to eat in town. They directed us to Waxy O'Sheas, the town pub. Great recommendation! I don't remember what I had, but it was yummy, and the atmosphere was fun. Very lively, as a pub should be. Daddy tried a New Zealand beer, a Pitch Black (a stout), brewed locally in Invercargill. After dinner we went back and hung out with people at the hostel. There was a group of older travelers about Daddy's age : ), a couple of guys who [View Full Entry]

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Hooray! So, Friday morning (April 21), Daddy and I got on a plane headed for Christchurch. We arrived a little after 9, and got a rental car. We hadn't made any plans before we got there really, so when we got the car we got out the travel books and figured out where we wanted to go. We started out in Cathedral Square, the site of a massive cathedral and the center of town. There was a giant chess board set up in the square, and we had fun watching a couple of guys play that for a while and judging [View Full Entry]

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After a fabulous time in Figi, Daddy arrived in New Zealand Wednesday night, and took the bus from Auckland to Hamilton, where my friend Brett and I picked him up. He was easy to recognize standing on the sidewalk with his signature Indiana Jones-type hat. : ) We took him to the main strip of cafes and bars, and got a coffee and heard about the Figi trip. Then walked around town a bit, then back home to get settled in and all that. The next day was very full. We had lots to do and not much time, and we [View Full Entry]

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Wow! I know it's been a while, but the wait was worth it, I promise! Daddy and I just got back from an amazing, whirlwind trip to the South Island. Before that I was working on an organic farm over Easter weekend, so there's lots to tell! I'll start with the farm. It was through a program called Wwoof - Willing Workers on Organic Farms. Basically farms become a part of it so that they can get extra help in exchange for room and board and a great experience. I worked on Castle Craig Farm, owned by a family, the parents, [View Full Entry]

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Hey everyone! I’m done with classes for the next two and a half weeks! Hooray! Tomorrow morning I’m going down to Waitomo Caves area to work on an organic farm for a little less than a week. : ) It’s through a program called Wwoof - Willing workers on organic farms. www.wwoof.co.nz Someone recommended it to me (thanks, Shelly!), and I thought it’d be a great way to experience a little of the culture and the agricultural community that is so important to New Zealand. I actually think that the people I’m staying with are English instead of New Zealanders. Oh [View Full Entry]

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Kia ora! No one ever really uses that greeting. The Maoris do I guess, but not just when you see them on the street usually. But it’s still fun to say. : ) This past weekend I participated in a Volunteer Conservation project on the Coromandel peninsula. It was wonderful! Six of us from AustraLearn, the study abroad program I came through, stayed at a woman’s house in the middle of the bush to help her eradicate introduced plant and animal species so that the native species would be able to grow. Dell, the woman whose land we were on, has [View Full Entry]

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St. Patrick’s Day in New Zealand was soo much fun. We celebrated that night by going to a friend’s house (I played foosball and beat people - it was great), then town and barhopping. Before that, Esther and I had gone with Brad and Mike - American friends from Minnesota - to Bridal Veil Falls outside of Raglan, about 30-40 minutes away. They had all seen them before, but I hadn’t. There was a pool at the bottom and Brad swam in it - but he was the only one willing to be cold and miserable. On the way back up [View Full Entry]

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Hello again! It’s been a while, and I have heaps to tell you about! It’s Monday here, and I just took my first test for my Maori studies class. I think it went pretty well, especially since I didn’t spend a lot of time studying this weekend… Instead, Erin and I rented a car and toured the East coast. Erin drove (of course), and did a great job staying on the left side of the road and figuring out the roundabouts. We left Friday morning and drove East to Whakatane, where we stopped and shopped a bit, then continued on the [View Full Entry]

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