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Published: August 28th 2006
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Stonyridge Vineyards
Meg + Wine + New Zealand = Happy A typical week for me involves sleeping in on Monday mornings, because I only have class from 2-3. Megan and I go to yoga and vegetarian dinner across the street at The Loft, and finish out the evening by watching the final episodes of season 2 of Grey’s Anatomy on NZ TV (the finale was last week, and yes it was still as nerve racking, suspenseful and sad as the first time). Tuesday I have classes and during my lunch break I play netball with my engineer friends. For those of you who don’t know, netball is similar to basketball except there is no dribbling (so you advance the ball by passing), no backboard on the hoop, no jump shots allowed, 6 people per side, and only two who can go in the goal circle (similar to the key) and score. Each player has restricted areas on the court where they are not allowed to go. I enjoy playing the positions goal shooter (rebound and score lots of points!) and goal keeper (intercept a lot of passes, and get rebounds). Wednesday is my long day, class from 9-3 (all geology) with a 1-hour lunch break, but Wednesday nights we always go
Stonyridge Restaurant
If we go with our parents to Waiheke, we will eat at this restaurant. Amazing view, delicious looking food, and out of our price range. out, usually to The Strand, or maybe The Bog, but always in Parnell (great middle of the week break, and the live band at The Strand every week is awesome). Thursday Meg and I do yoga in my room at 4:30, and some Fridays I play touch rugby out in front of the Railway Campus (I have classes too). Every night Meg and I cook dinner together. We usually make enough for two nights, and then eat leftovers the next night. Some of the best dinners we have had so far are: chicken with sun dried tomato cream sauce, mustard curry apple pork chops, and sloppy joes with kumara (sweet potato) fries.
On Saturday, August 12th, Megan and I took the ferry to Waiheke - a nearby island known for its beautiful scenery and abundance of upscale wineries. The ferry ride was a lot of fun (yay ferries!) and when we got there we immediately hopped on a bus that took us all over the island. After careful map-analysis (which Megan somehow managed to help with, almost without getting woozy), we got off at Stonyridge winery, where we joined a tour around the vineyard, and received a glass of
Rainbow
Meg was amazed by the full rainbow, that appears as though it ends just to her right, on the beach. wine. It was a very small “boutique” winery, that only produced about 1100 cases a year, and it was quite expensive, so we contented ourselves with just a taste and tour. Following Stonyridge, we went to the neighboring Te Motu Winery and tried a couple of half glasses. Quite lovely.
After our tasting sessions, Meg and I re-boarded the bus and got off at the end of the line at Onetangi Beach. It was gorgeous and the weather cooperated enough to allow us to eat our picnic lunch on the dunes. Right after we’d finished a light rain picked up, but as the sun remained, a serious of breathtaking rainbows formed, which we attempted to document on camera. Truth is, they’ll never look quite the same secondhand. We headed back to Auckland mid-afternoon and spent the rest of the day hanging out. Later that evening we opted to stay in and watched a couple episodes of Grey’s Anatomy (on DVD) while enjoying the Tim Tam Slam. I realize I’ll need to explain this extremely important culinary process. Step 1 - take a Tim Tam (a cookie with layers of chocolate, and chocolate biscuit, coated in chocolate). Step 2 -
Pa and Pirongia
Rangiriri historical Pa site with Pirongia volcano in the background. (It is part of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, along with active volcanoes like White Island and the geothermal activity in Rotorua, which have formed over the last 2Ma in an arc setting that has rotated clockwise over the last 25Ma and caused most of the volcanism in New Zealand). bite off opposing corners of the rectangular cookie. Step 3 - dip one exposed corner into a mug of hot chocolate. Step 4 - suck hot chocolate up through the cookie via the other absent corner, until you feel the hot chocolate reach your mouth. Step 5 - stuff hot chocolate-filled cookie into your mouth and enjoy the fabulous melted, chocolaty softened cookie. It’s heaven. (You can also do a slam with Toffee Pops, Mint Slices and Squiggles).
“Wet and Wild Waitomo”. This is what my friend Corina titled her last facebook album, and it is a perfect way to describe our weekend in the Waikato. I woke up at 6:15 am on Saturday, August 19th hungry and excited for a weekend of spelunking with the Butler kids and Andrew our Student Liaison Officer for Butler. I made French toast and eggs for breakfast and was down in the promenade of the Railway Campus on time at 7:45 ready to depart on time only to find no one there. Andrew informed me that leave at 7:45 meant show up around 8 and leave at 8:30, I am still not adjusted to what is referred to as “Kiwi time.”
Head Lamps!
I love head lamps and oh, aren't the wet suits sexy? -- Frankie, Corina and Me getting dressed for Black Water Rafting. The drive to Waitomo Caves took us over the Bombay Hills and down into the Waikato, named after the largest river in NZ (the one next to the Marae we stayed at during orientation). We stopped at a few historical Pa sites, Meremere and Rangariri. Pas are located on high points of ground near the Waikato river, strategic lookouts. These fortresses of trenches and mounds were built by Maori in the 1860s to attempt to defend their land in the Waikato. The Maori were pushed south by the British troops and tricked to surrender and give up valuable, fertile land.
By mid afternoon, after a delicious lunch prepared by Dean, our Adventure Specialties guide/bus driver, we reached our destination. At the Black Water Rafting Company our guide “Snappy” gave us damp wet suits, booties, helmets, shorts, gum boots and large black tubes. Oh what a sight… we all had to help each other squeeze into the wet suits, pushing and pulling to try and get them on.
We descended into Ruakuri Cave following a small stream that joined up with many others to form an underground river canyon. I got to go first, leading the way solely by
Waitomo Caves
We are in the caves, getting ready to begin our adventure through the underground river system. (Image corutesy of Katie) the light of my head lamp, admiring the stalactites and stalagmites while also finding safe places to step in the slippery stream bottom. At points we were bent over at the waist to crawl through narrow passageways, other times we were in large vaulted galleries that were so tall your head lamp light just disappeared into darkness and you could not see the ceiling. We jumped backwards, with our butts sticking out from the center of our tubes, from the top of a waterfall down into the river (8 foot drop). Much of the rest of the time was spent floating in this river, lying back in your tube as though you were in a pool drinking a coke and relaxing (well, I would probably be drinking some juice). We turned off our head lamps to admire the glow worms (they glow blue!) and to attempt find our way out of the caves in the pitch dark by letting the water guide us downstream.
My fingers were numb by the end of the trip, but after a hot shower and a bagel and a cup of tomato soup I began to warm up.
The next day we woke
Corina abseiling
Corina half way down the cliff/cave up to pouring rain. With a 5-4 vote, we decided to go on a bush walk in the Wiatomo forest after breakfast, and before heading back to Auckland. We returned to the same area where we emerged the day before after black water rafting Ruakuri Cave. Dean and Andrew surprised us with the option to go abseiling (repelling) in the rain, down a cliff, into a cave, finishing in the middle of a river and then walking up stream to climb out of the gorge. Dean was at the top, harnessing people in, giving brief lessons and instructing us to climb over the railing… exactly what each of our mothers taught us NOT to do. The cliff face we were abseiling down was very wet and slippery which made it more difficult. The bottom half of the drop was open air, no cliff to push off of, all you could do was let yourself down slowly and admire the large, dark cave behind you. Andrew was in the river at the bottom to unhook us. I got soaking wet up to mid thigh trying to climb out of the river. It was a very exhilarating experience and I was thankful
Corina and Andrew
Brave Jes climbed back down into the river to take pictures of Corina and Andrew from what turns out to be the best angle to capture the excitement of this abseil. that I had warm, dry clothes to change into for the drive back to Auckland.
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Catie
non-member comment
Cindy my love it sounds like your having an amazing time!!! i love knowing what you are up to. I have been in Roma for two days now and I am living in an area called Monte Verde Vecchio.....all of my roomates and i agree that we really want to try the Tim Tam Slam because is sounds amazing. I LOVE YOU keep in touch!