Little of this, a lot of that

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It has been a while...I hope everyone is well and that those in the northern hemisphere find it warming up quickly. Much has been going on, mostly to do with my studies as we round the final 'big' corner of the semester, but I've still managed to fit in one or two New Zealand activities.

We had a 2 week holiday over Easter. I began my holiday hiking the famous Tongariro Crossing just south of Lake Taupo in the center of the North Island. It was a long day but well worth it. After a steep upward hike of about 30 minutes we walked past 'Mount Doom' (from the Lord of the Rings), through a huge 'moon-like' crater, above a beautiful deep red smoking crater, and down around a few crystal blue crater lakes. Hot Hot, Hot springs were a nice end to the day.
I also visited Rotorua with 3 of my girlfriends. I have never seen anything quite like the town of Rotorua. A very volcanic area, all the sewage holes steam... and the parks have areas enclosed around these extremely hot 'geisers' so that people don't fall in. Nightime in Rotorua is like stepping right into a 'Film Noir' scene. Of course, the sulfur steam makes much of the town very stinky, although you don't seem to mind once you've been to the Polynesian spa hot springs and soaked in the hot healing pools.
Wakeboarding was something I've been wanting to do for a while (years) and finally got the chance last week. I went out with Logan and about 15 of his friends to a lake about 20 mintues from here and we spent the whole day watching each other land huge tricks or get wasted by the wake (I was in the latter group😊. One guy, who wakeboards professionally here in NZ, wowed us with the huge air and tricks he could pull off. Logan and his friend Chester were just as impressive. I guess 'wakeboarding camp', which they both attend in summer, can pay off.

On the academic side of things everything is going very well. Intense, but very well. I am excited for my finished products and will publish them on this website to prove there is some work going on here. haha. I am sure many of you are curious about what it is I am working on, but it is easier to show you than explain it, so wait until June and you'll understand much better. 😉

Happy May!
-liz

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Photos

Smelly Smoke
At the peak height of the Tongariro Crossing we overlooked craters of all colors that seeped warm sulfur steam all around us.

Practicing the 'Haka'
My friend Jeff spent one night teaching us the famous Maori 'haka'. A traditional 'act' that begins every NZ rugby match and is meant to intimidate the opponents. I don't think we would have intimidated anyone :)

Red Crater on the Tongariro Hike
Almost half way through the famous 'Tongariro Crossing' is this beautiful red smoking crater.

4 chicks in Rotorua
Jo, Isa, Paula and I spent one day during our holiday break hiking and sight-seeing around Rotorua (in the center of the North island and known for it's adventure and cultural tourism, but not so much at this time of year).

Hiking around Rotorua
The scenery is too beautiful for words. (Isa, me and Paula)

Wake-boarding near Cambridge
Yes, that dark 'smudge' is a person. Logan is in mid-flip in this shot at dusk. Their boat was mean and considering I haven't boarded in years, I'm pretty happy I didn't snap in two.