Auckland Day: 1

Our first Auckland day took us to the Auckland War Museum, whose name is misleading because there's much more than just war history there.  I have already stated my distaste for museums, but this one was ok and at least kept me partially entertained for a couple of hours.

In the afternoon, we took a ferry to Berkenhead.  We had an all-day pass on all public transport, including ferries, and saw that the next ferry out was to Berkenhead.  We said, why not?  After a lovely ride to Berkenhead, we then asked ourselves, Why???  It was basically a residencial area.  It was not looking good when a bunch of non-touristy folks were boarding the ferry, but it sure makes for a great story.  Everytime we passed someone, we talked loudly about visiting Sam's grandma.

The real highlight of the day was the Auckland Chinese Lantern Festival.  Not only were there Chinese lanterns to celebrate the Chinese new year, there were crafts, a fortune teller, and almost 2 blocks of just food!  Oh, the food.  So many delicious food in one area.  I also enjoyed the lion dance and performances.  A spectacular event, Auckland, spectacular event.

We had taken the train into and out of downtown and it was a pleasant ride, actually.  I find public transportation to be clean and comfortable, if not convenient or reliable.

 

The next day James invited us to his ward's picnic at the beach.  When we first got there it was soooo cold!  But the day warmed up and it was fantastic.  I had fun playing in the water and eating those delicious NZ sausages.  Also, there was a yummy Costco-sized chocolate cake; however, it tasted much better than Costco.  MmmmmMMMMmmmmm.

In the evening we celebrated Sam W.'s and Natalie's half birthdays by getting together at Joy's house and watching movies.  Good weekend!

Practicum: Week 1

This week we started our practicum.  I am at Ranui Primary School where I work with a class of 16 year 1& year 2's; this would basically be Kindergarten.  I have children from all over the Pacific, including Samoa, Tuvalu, and the Cook Islands.  I also have children from India and local Maori's.  We are only 3 weeks into the new school year (as we are entering Fall here in NZ) so things are still rather new.  We get a half hour for morning tea (recess), and hour for lunch, and basically play after lunch.  As such, time goes by quickly.  My mentor teacher is very nice and quite funny, and the teachers have been great about making us feel welcomed at the school.  On our very first day, the Maori bilingual students had a mini powhiri (welcoming) for us and it was just the cutest thing I ever saw.  On Tuesday we will be participating in the "official" powhiri with our 3 participating schools.  The children sing beautifully and I love to listen to the Maori language.  I hope to learn some of it while I'm here.

Things are very different in our school than they are in the States; for one, it is very diverse with a different mix of students.  The majority of the student body is Maori, followed by a large Samoan population.  We have large numbers from Tonga, other Pacific nations, India, and some Pakeha (NZ white).  Interestingly enough, there is not 1 Hispanic child in the school, and a total of 3 Asian students.  Very interesting.  I do love the extra break time, and also, everyone receives swim lessons so there is a swimming pool at the school and my class has lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We've done most of the pre-assessment on them so starting next week we will probably begin lessons and you better believe I'll be in there with them!  Well, maybe.  There's a lot of germs between 16 five year-olds.

Interesting fact: There is a large population of Tuvaluan people here because as we speak, the island nation is sinking beneath the ocean surface.  People are being evacuated for in a few years, it will be completely submerged.  While the people are very concerned for their home, another issue they face is keeping their culture alive when the place where they're from no longer exists. 

Christchurch: Days 7-10

We said a sad farewell to Queenstown on Tuesday morning.  On the road again!  We passed through Cromwell once more to stock up on fruit and get some goodies for the road.  I think we single handedly kept that fruit shop in business during our stay, so the least they could have done was let us have a few more free samples.

We took the scenic route up to Christchurch, passing through Dunedin and the alleged steepest street in the world.  It took us all day to get to our destination, and we were glad to get there.  Upon our arrival, we got to our motel rooms and enjoyed an evening in.  We bought some groceries from a near-by Pak n Save (gotta love Pak n Save) for the next couple of days.

The next morning was cold and drizzly, but it was okay because all we had planned was visiting the museum downtown.  I find museums to be extremely boring.  It was also a very cold morning.  But one cool thing is that they don't charge admission, so that was cool.  There was an exhibition dedicated to this couple that dedicated their home to paua shells.  To each his own, I guess.

One bright side: we got to attend mass in the central cathedral.  Actually, the real highlight was finding a foodcourt that was reasonably priced and with every Asian food imaginable.  I had a delicious won-ton soup, and could only wish for saimin noodles to top it off.  They didn't have the noodles, but it was still good.

James, our wonderful tour guide, took us to a beach and pier but I could take it no more; I napped in the car instead.  I don't understand cold beaches.  Oh!  Another good find of the day was the Quiksilver outlet that priced everything at 50% off.  My prize find was a bag that they actually gave to me 60% off because I could not make up my mind.  Cheeeee huuuuu!

We spent another evening in, and good thing too; we were exhausted!  To make staying in all the more worth it, I found out that New Zealand will indeed air the final season of Lost; they are just 2 weeks behind, so I will still continue tuning in online.

The next day we *finally* got to sleep in.  We had a punting appointment at 1, which was just lovely.  Good on Christchurch and their punting!  Sam W. and I went back to the foodcourt to eat, this time I had some Indian naan with my salad from home.  Delish.  We wandered a bit before heading back to the motel, which was actually simpler than we had anticipated!

That evening we spent together listening to the NZ history lesson James planned for us and ate pizzas that never were meant to be microwaved.  But it was a nice evening in, and we watched more TV.

On Friday, we departed from the south island and headed back to Auckland.  I hope my blog does not lead anyone to believe I did not enjoy Christchurch; I quite liked Christchurch and I think it was an excellent way to end an excellent vacation.  I loved the south island and it was indeed a perfect getaway after going for a month strong in nothing but 8 hour classes all day everyday.  Coming back to Auckland, however, made me realize that the rural lifestyle just isn't for me right now; maybe one day when I'm old.  I happen to like the small city that is Auckland, and all its conveniences!

Queenstown: Days 4, 5, and 6

Day 4: Saturday, our first free day in Queenstown.  In the morning, we went shopping at the local market.  There was an art section and on the other side of town was the farmers market food section.  We also went back to the many souveneir shops here.  We did some good shopping; I tried a minced meat pie and bought some preserves, mussels, and dried fruit.  Yum, yum!

In the afternoon Sam, Daren, and I went on a zipline ecotour.  It was a zipline tour mixed with environmental propoganda, but it was fun.  The scenery wasn't nearly as good as when I did a zipline tour at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, but this one was much more safe and technologically advanced.

We got back and then we had a BBQ and games at the beach with the group.  It was so BYU, but so fun.  We had partners and did all sorts of games, like making up song/dance about our home states, straw construction, etc.  We laughed a lot and ate a ton.

Day 5: Sunday.  We attended the local branch which has a regular Sunday attendance of around 10.  It was fabulous!  We met in a funeral home because their chapel is currently under construction.  It was nice because it was Fast Sunday so everyone got to bear their testimonies.  Then we went back and changed for a scenic afternoon.

Everything is scenic in the south island.  We went driving to Glenorchy, a town about an hour outside of Queenstown and just took in the beauty of the earth.  It really was very nice.  Our guides pointed out the backdrops of a lot of movies.  Of course, the most famous was:

 

Mount Doom!

Then we broke our fasts with those fabulous smoked chickens!  Yum-o!  In the evening we just hung out in our rooms.

Day 6: Today.  Today was action filled from the moment we awoke!  We started off the day by a horse-riding tour through the valley.  I went horseback riding for the first time and it was way fun!  My horse's name was Mojo, and he was very nice to me.  Mojo is only 6 years old but quite tall.  I was led by one of the tour guides in the beginning, but by the end it was just me and Mojo.  It was so fun.  Sam and I wore our new New Zealand cowboy hats and so I really got in the mood.  I even said howdy to a couple walking past us.

 

After horseback riding, we rushed back to the hostel to change to get ready for our next adventure: white water rafting!  Fun doesn't even begin to describe our rafting experience.  There was 6 of us, perfect for one raft, and our guide, Orion, was a real sport.  None of us fell overboard though we went through some level 4 & 5 rapids!  It was about a 2 hour trek down the same river where we did the shotover jet, and it was a rockin' good time!  You'll have to sit tight for those pictures, however.

We came back and had FHE with everyone.   It gets quite chilly at night.  I just finished laundry and am mostly packed for tomorrow, where we have to say goodbye to Queenstown and head to Christchurch to finish our south island adventure.  From what we've heard, there's less to do in Christchurch than there is in Queenstown, which makes us want to stay longer here and shorter there because there are still things we want to do here!  But oh well.  Queenstown was heaps of fun and I look forward to the rest of the time here.  Bring it on, Christchurch!

Queenstown: Days 1, 2, and 3

Off to the south island!  We left on Wednesday morning from Auckland and landed in Christchurch.  We then drove all day to get to the other side of the south island, Queenstown.  On the way we saw beautiful scenery and ate ice cream.

Once in Queenstown, we checked into our ultra-hip hostel and went to search for some grub.  We got pizza and called it a night.  Queenstown is definitely a tourist destination for both the rich and poor; we, of course, are with the poor but young and hip crowd.  Lots of fun for everyone!

Day 2: Arrowtown, settlement of early Chinese miners.  More lovely scenery.  Quaint small town feel where there was more tourist shops.  One was an excellent jewelry store where we all indulged in some bling.  We also found a fantastic candy shop, these New Zealanders are keen on their lollies!

Then for some excitement: bungy jumping!  We got 9 in our group to jump; I did not.  Not because of any fear of heights or anything, but mostly because I didn't feel like paying $175 for one jump.  So we watched.  I was happy for everyone who did it and got the satisfaction of doing what they set out to do!

We had a quick lunch then went to the real fun of the day: the jet boat!  It was a scenic drive up a really narrow mountain road, then an awwwwwwesome jet boat ride on the river through the mountains. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and we were tossed every which way on the ride; it was spectacular!

 We were kinda tired after that, but it was ok because we came back and had some dinner.  We found an overly-priced Mexican restaurant which, at the very least, was filling. However, the flavorings were kinda different...so that was our big splurge of our trip and it's back to PB&J's and spaghetti for us.

Today was a little more chillaxed.  We took a 4 hour ride to Milford Sound where we cruised.  We got to the point where the Tazman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean and all around there.  If I thought we had beautiful sights yesterday, I was blown away today.  On the way there this morning, there was still a mist and fog low on the mountains and it was just chilly enough to be wonderful.  While on the boat, we were treated to mountains, waterfalls, seals, and dolphins.  Spectacular!  Most of the day we spent driving, but it was worth it!

The best way I can describe the south island in comparison to the north island is like if I compare the Big Island to Oahu (Oahu being the north island).  Things are slower paced and there's so much untouched land.  It's wonderful.  A great way to unwind, for sure, and an excellent vacation.  Stay tuned for more updates.  I apologize for the lack of pictures now, but my internet is running out and so is my battery.