Mom and Nana came to visit!! 3 generations- wooo! Don't know what they're looking at though...
We went to the peninsula to see the albatross with Julia, and then I went to Queenstown with them for a weekend full of good food, good beer, and good shopping =) It was so much fun to show them around, and I’m so glad that they BOTH were able to come out- 2 of the hardest working people I know got a well deserved break! Sadly, my camera battery decided that on the drive to Queenstown would be a great time to die, so I don't have any pics.
The next weekend I went to Fiordland with the trampinig club, and what an adventure that was. When people tell you it rains all the time somewhere here- believe them. It does. Our trip involved the following:
Crossing a wire bridge
Tramping through major tussock land
INTENSE river crossing (except not at all. It was the least of our problems)
Climbing up a waterfall. No joke. This is the part of the trip where we started to question our route…
.... and then climbing up a cliff. This picture does absolutely no justice, we were all holding on for dear life…. with a full pack on our backs. It was definitely one of the scariest moments of my life thus far.
However, when we got to our location, we were all in awe. We were right in the basin of the U-Pass, with a glacier only about 500 meters (and then some height) from where we pitched our tents. After some great dinner, dessert, AND a Tim-Tam slam (Paula has the best meal plans), we climbed into our tents and got ready for the long day coming. That day we had hiked about 9 hours, and the next day was 7. We went up over the U-Pass, and looped around to the beginning, where we all got picked up by the bus and slept much of the way back to Dunedin.
That Wednesday was St. Patty’s day. Let’s just say whoever said that Kiwi’s don’t know how to celebrate this was absurd. People were out in the streets totally hammered at 4, and we didn’t get in until 4 in the morning. Pretty much amazing.
That weekend Julia and I volunteered to do work with the Botany department in the Mid-Dome region, in southland. We were pulling out Maine’s pride and joy, the pine tree. It was planted here to prevent erosion on the mountain slopes, but is highly invasive and spreads rapidly…. So they need cool nature geeks like Julia and myself to chop ‘em down. It was one of the best weekends I’ve had yet for the following reasons:
1. We got to work side-by-side with Alan Marks, the guy to go to for Alpine botany, who wrote the bible of the subject, and has been knighted. BFD.
2. We got to ride a HELICOPTER. Awww yeah.
The next weekend was the start of our mid-semester break (remember, I’m going to school here? Sort of…). Julia, Meg (from SLU), Molly (Bowdoin), and I all did an 11-day road trip around the south island in our trusty car Angus. And by our, I mean ours for the week via Jackie’s rental car. Here’s a picture book within the book:
Castle Hill- a playground for all ages
Spelunking! Wooo-hooo! It was totally dark here, the walk was probably about a mile long. Soooo cool though! We met up with Meg's friend from middle school who is studying in Christchurch and they showed us this hidden gem.
Little bit o’ hiking
A lot of rock collecting…
Swimming in the Tasman Sea. And by swim, I mean ducking in. The current was very strong.
Punakaiki (pancake rocks)
A waeka stealing a whole loaf of bread.
Camping under a bridge with the most stereotypical group of hippies traveling around NZ.
A lonnnggg walk through Abel Tasman. Note: hiking boots NOT required.
Waking up to peacocks.
SKYDIVING. Amazing. I recommend it to EVERYONE, freefalling is the most incredible experience- I can't wait to go again when I'm not a poor college student.
Flat tire. Poor Angus.
Strange LOTR themed vans
Staying RIGHT IN the Marlborough Sounds at Julia’s lab partner’s grandparents. Apparently there are dolphins, sting-rays, killer whales, and penguins right outside their house, none of which we saw. We did hear some penguins though, they apparently like to hang out in the shed at night. This location is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, it’s so untouched (besides the muscle farm in this picture, but right outside of their house it's clear).
Finally NZ kiwi fruit!
Bathing in thermal pools- not what we thought it would be at all. We were thinking natural pools, not commercial, manmade. But by the 10th day, we all needed a good soaking.
Cooking by our headlamps, which was a norm by the end. As was setting up our tents in the pitch black.
Morakai boulders (my camera died, so these are courtesy of Meg).
PENGUINS! Yellow-eyed penguins (Hoihos). So loud... and feisty!
And finally back to Dunedin, where I am now realizing that I need to start doing school work…. dammit. The road trip just re-emphasized how much I want to live here, and don’t ever want to leave… except maybe to live in Townhouse 303 next year! But really… I love this place.
