QT Activity Weekend

This past weekend, Arcadia students at Otago and one from Canterbury went to Queenstown for our included activity weekend. Jane actually lives there, so she met us there. We were bused over in an Otago Explorer bus, stopping at Roxburgh for lunch. Roxburgh doesn't have much in it except the famous Jimmy's Pies. And boy, are they delicious! More expensive than your usual pie, but only by a dollar or two and the difference in taste is astounding. I got mince and cheese and a Frank's Damn Tasty Ginger Beer.

Central Otago, which we drove through, is beautiful, much like all of New Zealand. It has striking rock formations everywhere in this one stretch.


An attempt to capture Central Otago's scenery through a fogged-up bus window.

We arrived in Queenstown at our accomodation, the Lakeview Holiday Park. We checked into our rooms and met up not long after to walk to the Skyline Gondola. We went up it to where you get on the luge. Here's an example of the view from the gondola:


In that shot you can see most of Queenstown and a bit of Lake Wakatipu. At the top we stopped at a lovely viewing platform:


We then got to go on the luge, which was 3 wheeled plastic carts that you could steer and brake. Here's the luge track:

The luge was pretty fun.

We were on our own for dinner. We got tramping snacks at the Fresh Choice supermarket and Becky and I went to Fergburger for dinner. It was quite good, though not as good as Dunedin's own Velvet Burger. The last thing that happened before sleep was that a random guy wandered into our room, acting like he was on drugs. It was weird because two of the girls were just coming in from seeing Dark Knight, so we thought they had brought him, but they thought we had met him. Quite awkward indeed. It took several minutes to get him out of the room.

On Saturday morning all but three of us (who went to Coronet Peak to ski/snowboard) had to be out and ready by 7:45. We took the bus out to Routeburn Shelter, which is the start of the Routeburn Track. The track begins with a swing bridge - the first of many.


One of the many swing bridges.

The track then goes through a lovely forest, going gently up and down. After the first couple hours, we took a morning tea break. The trees were tiny and it felt like Lord of the Rings. We then went off-piste (off the track) for a bit, into a stunning valley.


Walking through the valley.

We got back on the track and it started going up steeply.



There were sheer cliff faces, and stunning views. Eventually we got to the Routeburn Falls Hut and ate lunch. It was, in fact, near a waterfall.


The hut


The falls

After the break at the hut, some of us went up further. We left our packs at the hut. We were now past the treeline and there was snow. It was some fun hiking and amazing scenery.



A neat little rock cave



We got all the way to Lake Harris.



As you can see, this was a magnificent hike. It was 26km in all (about 14 miles). That night we went to Winnie Bago's to get delicious pizza and then watched the All Blacks game (we won against Australia, by a lot).

The next morning we went jetboating on the Shotover River. Then we had lunch in Queenstown (again at Fergburger) and then stopped by Arrowtown for 20 minutes. Arrowtown was an old goldmining town, and the site of at least one LOTR scene.


This is where they filmed a scene of Frodo and Arwen crossing a river, chased by Nazgul.

After that, we went to the Kawarau Bridge, which is the original bungy site (first commercial site in the world). Three of us (Kate, Stacy, and I) went to bungy. We got weighed and our weight (in kilos) was written on our hands. We then went straight out to the bridge, where they put the same harnesses you rock climb in on us. Kate was first up, and surprised me with her boldness. At this point I was cussing and wondering what I'd gotten myself into, and thinking I would never have the courage to jump off a bridge. Stacy was reassuring me it would be great, until she was actually up to jump and then she was like "holy crap!" but she didn't hesitate, either. Then it was my turn. They had me sit down while they wrapped a towel around my ankles and wrapped a cord around that. That got attached to the bungy cord, and so did the harness for a backup. Then I was instructed to waddle to the edge (legs were bound together, remember). I took the tiniest steps possible and held onto the building as long as I could. Then the guy told me to pretend not to be scared and wave at the camera. Then, it seemed like everything was going too fast, and he said "ok, jump on 1" and counted down from 5. My mind was thinking "no, I need more time to think about this!" but instead of that happening, when he said one it was like I had to jump, my body made me, it definitely wasn't my mind which was still terrified. So I jumped.



It was fantastic. It was such an incredible rush, not like anything I've ever felt before. So much fun. After a few bounces, guys in a raft came to get me, but first asked me what 12 times 3 was. Anyway, I was thoroughly happy and buzzing on adrenalin for hours after that. We made our way home, stopping by Lawrence to get dinner on the way. Dunedin was sort of disappointing after such a fantastic weekend, but oh well.

Te Anau and Milford Sound Weekend

After a week of the fresher flu (it wasn't the flu, that's just a catchall term), I finally got out of Dunners, which was good because I was getting a little bit of cabin fever, if you will. I went with Karin and Becky to Te Anau. Our original plan was to do a day of the Kepler Track. However, Becky and I having been sick all week, and having a slight desire to be touristy, we changed our plans. Karin and I booked the bus and the hostel a mere 2 hours before the bus was leaving. There were actually only a few seats left, so we were pretty lucky. It is the off season so I guess it's a bit more reasonable to do that (except in Queenstown and Wanaka which are at the height of ski season). We hopped on the bus at 1:55 PM after getting lost on the way to the Intercity office. We couldn't sit together. I ate my Subway sub on the bus, despite rules against food (no one really cared). There was a 30 minute 'break' not long before changing buses at Gore at a cafe. We got into Te Anau after 7, so it was dark. We got pointed in the direction of our Backpackers (it was the Lakefront Backpackers, so not too hard to find) and checked in (there was a bit of confusion when we found out our first room didn't have enough beds left but we got some beds eventually). Then we set off in search of food. Of course, it being the middle of winter and an extremely small town, the supermarkets close at 7. There were about 3 or 4 restaurants actually open, some exorbitantly priced and some moderately priced but not cheap ($15 meals). We ended up going to an Italian place called La Toscana. I got pasta with spinach and cream sauce with pine nuts, it was extremely delicious. Then we walked back to the hostel to try to plan our activities for the next day. The hostel was really nice compared to our flats - it had some heat and the common rooms had a fireplace! Using the internet, we decided we would do a Milford Sound cruise and then the Te Anau glowworm caves, and we booked online. We then talked to some people in the lounge and discovered that the glowworm caves were geologically unsound.

The next morning, our Taiwanese roommate left an hour before we had planned to get up. This disrupted my sleep and I was not entirely thrilled. I need to remember my sleep mask whenever I go places. We got up and walked to the Info Centre to see if our bookings were through. It was just in time for the coach to Milford Sound to take people to the Pop Inn Cafe, which is where we, too, got breakfast. We then boarded the coach. It was more crowded than I'd expected but we were each able to get a window seat and not have anyone sitting beside us. The bus was shaped weirdly and the seats were angled toward the windows for maximum viewing. It was quite foggy/cloudy when we set off, and we couldn't really see the Murchison Mountains by Lake Te Anau. We were going through a beech forest just as the fog was clearing (right around when we entered Fiordland National Park). Eventually the bus stopped at the short track by the Mirror Lakes, which beautifully reflect the Earl Mountains. We then continued on, stopping also at Lyttle Flat (by a river), an area by a dramatically huge peak (Christina's Peak, I think?), The Chasm (where the Cleddau River has carved its way down through soft rock, an amazing sight), and at the entrance to the Homer Tunnel (which is somewhat terrifying, by the way). We finally got to Milford Sound after an absolutely amazing tour of Fiordland (at least the part along Milford Road). It was raining by this point but vision was not really obscured. Mitre Peak stuck out in its iconic shape. It's absolutely breathtaking, and I read that the Maori see it as a symbol of manliness. We climbed aboard our blue three-masted ship, the Fiordland Navigator, and claimed our free picnic lunches. We had time to eat before the boat departed. It was a two-hour cruise, and we saw many stunning waterfalls (a bonus of being there in the rain - most of the waterfalls are only there when it rains), fur seals napping on the rocks, and simply beautiful terrain. We got almost all the way out to the Tasman Sea. We stood out on deck in the rain for a large part of the journey, soaking in the views. The captain steered the boat right up under some of the bigger waterfalls (because Milford Sound is actually a fiord, carved out by glaciers, it is deep all the way up to land). This was one of the most amazing experiences I've had so far. I even got a sticker and put it on my Kathmandu water bottle. We got completely soaked, but it was worth it. The coach didn't stop on the way back, but the area was still stunning. We got back into Te Anau at about 5 pm. It was a 7 hour journey and truly incredible! We went out to the Chinese place for dinner, and hung out with people at the hostel, notably Caroline (who studied abroad in Sydney last semester and was my age and traveling for a couple weeks in NZ) and Jill (who was from Nebraska but had worked in Hawaii for a while on a cruise ship and was road tripping with a friend she had worked with on the cruise ship) and that weird guy (he was Kiwi... not much else known other than that). The English guy from the night before had left, pity, he was cool. We attempted to put together a puzzle that had come out of a bag and had no picture. Well, I just sat there looking through my guidebook to make my list of places-to-go-to (there's way too many). They actually made a surprising amount of progress, and by the time Karin and I called it a night (Becky was on the phone somewhere) it had been discovered that it was a castle of some sort.

We woke up early (7 am) to catch the 8 am bus back to Dunners. The bus trip was uneventful, except the driver, Robin, decided it would be a good idea to tell us all about every feature we passed (prisons, airports, nonexistent railroad tracks), which was annoying since I and everyone else around me was attempting to sleep. THANKS DUDE. Also we stopped for lunch and everything I ate was nasty. Other than that, not much to say. We got back in Dunners at about 1 pm, just in time to put down my stuff and then go straight to look at Greg's car in the North East Valley. That turned out to not take as long to walk to as I thought. We test drove the 1992 Nissan Bluebird (that's right, I drove!) and I don't want to get into it too specifically, but we have not bought it yet and it seems unlikely that we will. Seems like a good car though.

Clubs and Socs Day; Marketplace

Yesterday was Clubs and Socs Day at the Clubs and Socs Building. I immediately found the juggling club (well, they're quite obvious because they're the ones juggling) and rushed to sign up - until I found out that it costs $20 to do. Then I backed away slowly, and signed up for the Tramping Club which is $30 but that's okay since it means you get to hire their equipment and go on their trips. I went inside to see more clubs and found Amber and Kate. Amber told me I shouldn't join the tramping club but should instead go in for a car with her, Helen, and another girl. That sounds like a fantastic idea, I said, though I already kind of joined the tramping club. Oh well. Kate talked me into signing up for Polynesian Dance with her which doesn't start until September. Then I went upstairs to see the other clubs (all of them cost money!) and got made to feel really guilty by all the activist groups.

I hung out in the library uploading photos much of the day - I'll incorporate them into the blog at some point or other. I had my first day of Anthropology of Health which is a two hour lecture once a week. It seems really interesting. It also has a tutorial once a week, which I had this morning. I stopped uploading photos for dinner, then finished my readings. I was going to go to Tim's place to partake in the 'quiet drinks' and socialising but I felt too awkward just going into his house uninvited (no one answered the door) so I went and baked cookies at Toroa instead with Kate, Helen, and Amber. They revealed to me loads of weekend plans which I would miss if I went on the tramp on the Kepler Track. So now I have a hard decision to make.

Today there was a Marketplace by the Union building as well as a snowboarding ramp? It had fake snow of course - it's decently warm out. I got a bone hei matau for a gift for someone, and looked in vain for University of Otago sweatshirts (argh!). There were a lot of people selling used clothes. Maybe I should go back and look more.

I did not have class on the first day of classes

Well, classes started today... but not for me. I don't have class on Mondays or Fridays. Sweet as! So, instead, I found the classrooms where I will be having class (quite an easy task) and ran some errands.

First, though, I had a $3 lunch at OUSA which is put on by the Hare Krishnas. It's vegetarian (maybe even vegan) and they give you HEAPS of food. They had pasta and apple crumble today. The pasta was not too exciting, but decent, and the apple crumble was delicious. I went with Helen and Kate and Alex. While waiting in line, I met Charlie and Anissa, who seem really cool. After lunch I signed up for the Starting Maori Language class and then Anissa and I walked to Unipol to sign up for Bone Carving. So we will both be taking that at the same time, which is cool.

I seem to see my flatmate's boyfriend Tim a lot when I'm walking around. That seems sort of unlikely since it's such a huge university but it's really cool that I do see people I know. I bought the book for Maori Society at a discount bookshop up on Great King Street near McDonald's. I saved about $17, so that's nice. I then went and got fruit from New World and popcorn from Countdown. Countdown is further away but a bit cheaper. If I get a card to get their deals it will be even better priced. I'll have to look into that. I didn't get dinner stuff because I wasn't sure when this whole flat cooking will start. I need to find that out. I also went to the Albany Street Pharmacy to get a thermometer (I have no fever! hooray!) and cold medicine. Somewhere in there I took some pictures in the Octagon. I really wanted to get up to the Botanic Gardens but it's dark now so I think I'll hold off on that.

I looked up my classes on Blackboard - it looks like the final exams are worth 50% in all 3 of them. Intimidating! Also, my anthropology class looks challenging. I'll have to write essays for all my classes. Ah well, it is school after all. I don't know what I'll end up doing this evening.

Oh, and a quick summary of my weekend:
Saturday, the weather was terrible and so my Mt. Cargill plans were canceled. We had a gathering at Karin's (48 Grange) where we ordered pizza and watched the second Matrix movie. Karin's house is really nice. We discovered that a large pizza at Domino's is much much smaller than what you expect. Sunday I went to the Otago Museum at 3 after having slept in and wandered around a bit, and then went out to dinner at Tokyo Garden, which is alright but the chicken was fatty. When I was going to bed on Saturday night, the lights went out as I was brushing my teeth. See, we have prepaid power and it cuts off when it runs out. I decided that instead of trying to work out how to add more power in the dark, I'd wait til the morning to clear it up. Sure enough, I was the one to add $50 to the power - and that will hopefully be all I pay this month.

Taieri Gorge Train trip

Today international students were able to take the Taieri Gorge train for free. The train left at 11:30, so Kate and I walked down to the train station at 11. The walk is not far, and the train station is a beautiful building. It's near the Cadbury Factory. We got onboard and the train departed. It went pretty slowly. We went to Hindon, going through the Taieri Gorge and some beautiful countryside. When we got there, there was a barbecue set up for us. It was good, though not exactly what you expect from an American one (not entirely surprising). I guess it is the 4th of July, so a barbecue is fitting. It was cold, and we got back on the train and came back. We got candy for answering questions about New Zealand and had to fill out a survey. It was raining/sleeting/hailing when we got back. It has been windy and cold all afternoon. I got mail today though, which is great. I got my EFTPOS card, a postcard from Rachel A, and a letter from Jeff! It was so nice finding those things in my mailbox.


The train we were on.


One of the many gorgeous views on the train ride.

Orientation

I arrived in New Zealand Friday morning, at about 6:30 AM, after leaving LA at 10:30PM on Wednesday. We immediately went to the Kiwi International and checked in and got showers.


We then walked around the city, to stretch our legs and see the sights. This is the Sky Tower and a cinema.


While walking, we got stuck in this downpour and had to take shelter for a little while.


We got down to the harbour, which is quite beautiful. These are ferries which you can take to the many islands in the bay.


While on the bus, we quickly learned why Auckland is known as the City of Sails.


We walked along this beach to get to North Head, where we climbed an extinct volcano for some magnificent views. At the top, it was incredibly windy and threatened to blow us off, but the views were worth it. After that, we took the bus over to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World, where we saw huge stingrays, sharks, penguins, and other New Zealand aquatic life. We then went back to the Kiwi International, where we got ready for dinner. I called Jeff, which was really great. We then went to a fancy pizza place which had a bunch of weird types of pizzas. One was salmon - it was delicious. There were other types, none of which I was sure what they were (except for the cheese kind). We came back to the hotel, and almost everyone was completely exhausted by this point (I only had about 3 hours of sleep on the plane). A group of us took a short walk down Queen Street, passing by a strip club called The White House (quite amusing) and a group of Hare Krishnas on the way. Then I fell into bed and immediately was asleep (which is completely unheard of for me).

The next morning we got up, had breakfast in the hotel, and had to be on the bus to go at 8:30. The trip to Rotorua took us through rolling green hillsides with stunning mountains in the distance. There were tons of cows and sheep and even a couple of deer farms. We stopped for lunch at Matamata, better known as Hobbiton. The farm where the Shire was filmed is quite close to Matamata. We had our first good old NZ meat pie at a little cafe. I got that and a hot chocolate (I have a new love affair with hot chocolate) for under $5. We then walked around, got pictures in the little hobbit hole and with the Hobbiton sign. We also went into a "$2 and More" store because the name intrigued us. We then loaded back on the bus and got into Rotorua. The first thing we did was go to the Agrodome (passing the Zorb site on the way) and see the farm show. It was absolutely great. Steve, the guy who ran it, is hilarious and actually mentioned Auntie Jane. We saw sheep, and sheep shearing, and cow milking (in fact, Alex Horn from our group actually milked the cow), and some sheep dog work. Then we went to Rainbow Springs to see trout, native birds, and a kiwi. It was neat getting an idea of the native flora and fauna. Then we checked in at the Sudima Hotel (a very nice place!) and got dinner. We couldn't find the Fat Dog, a recommended place, so some of us ate Thai and some of us (Ally, Stacy, and I) went and found a burger place, Rapscallion's, which was good and had cheeseburgers on special for $4-90. After that, there was an optional excursion to the nearby Polynesian Spa, which I went to. It was really nice. Then we called it a night.

On Sunday, we had breakfast at the hotel and then got on the bus at about 9 to go to Wai-o-Tapu Geothermal Park. We saw some 'boiling' mud, the Lady Know geyser, and a lot of other cool geothermal stuff. We then had a lunch break in town. Karin and I went to Takeaways. We then went to the Zorbing park to Zorb! This was something I had been looking forward to for a while. We got into our togs (that's swimsuits for you) and piled into the back of a Jeep for a crazy bumpy ride up the hill. Then we got in line to wait to get into the giant plastic balls. It was really cold outside. I went with Kate and Becky in my Zorb. You dove in as they put some hot water in the bottom and waited for them to open the gate. You were supposed to try to stand up and walk toward the hill but it was hard to stand so we just leaned on that side. Then there was a crazy slide down to the bottom. You rolled around a lot and got really wet. It was awesome. Then you got out feet first (I, personally, fell flat on the ground, quite painfully). We got pictures with the Zorb. After everyone had gone we all laid flat in the path of a Zorb and got run over. That was cool too, especially if you had your head turned toward the oncoming Zorb - what an awesome sight: a giant ball rolling towards you. We then went back to the hotel, turned in some forms, and then had some free time. I spent it going to an ATM. After that we got on the bus for the Tamaki Brothers Maori Village. The guy driving was funny and impressive: he could say hello in 50 languages, with appropriate accents to match. When we got there, there was a powhiri (formal greeting ceremony), a tour through a replica of an 18th century Maori village, a poi and haka performance, and a hangi (food cooked in an earth oven). The food was good, and it was a really incredible experience. We then went back to the hotel, hung out for a while in someone's room, and went to bed.

The next morning we had breakfast and then went to the airport to fly to our respective destinations (there were Wellington people in our orientation as well as Otago people). Our flight left at about 9:30 for Christchurch. We then had a layover there, and also the most relaxed airport security I've been through (Rotorua had no security). The flight to Dunedin took us over some beautiful scenery - heaps of mountains. It was so exciting. We then loaded up in taxis according to where we were living and went and got keys for our flats and moved in. It felt like we were being separated so fast and was a little overwhelming that we were now on our own.

Orientation was an amazing experience, I absolutely loved it and would so want to do it again.