This weekend I decided to stay in Dunners to watch the All Blacks game. Unfortunately, I was unable to get tickets to actually go see it at Carisbrook, but I watched it at a pub, The Bowler, which is quite nearby. Just before it, my friends and I tracked down some face paint (easily available at the All Blacks store near the Octagon) and decided that the Octagon would be kind of lame to watch it at (the screens were quite small). We put black and white stripes on our faces. The Bowler was pretty quiet until just before the game, but it was warm and had big screens. It was my first time watching rugby, to be honest, but I really enjoyed it. Well, except for the fact that we lost in the last few seconds. It was quite tragic. We tried to go All Blacks stalking afterwards, but Amber forgot her passport so we ended up just getting some chips and going home.
The next morning Amber, Kate, Helen, and a girl named Kana and I headed out for Mt. Cargill. We left at 8:30. The walk to the trail itself takes a little over an hour, and takes you by Baldwin Street - the world's steepest street! The trail is quite steep, and takes 1.5-2 hours to the top. The view is absolutely breathtaking. Coming down is much quicker, but we were really sore afterwards! I guess we'll be getting into better shape... In all it was a 6 hour hike!
Baldwin Street
The city I'm calling home for 4.5 months
One of many spectacular views from Mt. Cargill.
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3 comments:
More on this: "I went downtown with Helen yesterday to find face paint and figure out where we wanted to watch the game. This was at about 4:30 or so (the game started at 7:30) and apparently that's late to start making plans for it. Oh well, we found face paint at the All Blacks store near the Octagon and I also got a hat that's black and says New Zealand and has the silver fern on it. I figure that'll be my around town hat (it's a warm wintery one). I almost got an All Blacks hoodie which was really cute but cost $80. I will most likely go buy it at some point, because I do want it but I am always reluctant to spend money. We found Becky and Brianna downtown and went into a 24 (the night n' day, but no one calls it that, they all call it the 24, but they don't say twenty-four they say two four or sometimes twofer). I got a muffin and a banana and juice. We went to the Bowler, a pub, to watch the game. We painted stripes on our faces (there will be pics on facebook soon no doubt). The All Blacks lost in the last couple seconds, it was extremely tragic. I had never seen rugby before but the rules are quite simple and it's easy to get into (they rarely stop the clock so they just keep playing and it's much more exciting than football). So just when I started rooting for (oops, not that, I should say supporting) the All Blacks they lose (this was the first time that South Africa has ever beaten them in Dunedin!). Then we went and got consolation cups of hot chocolates (Helen got a bowl, that is the biggest size at this one place and it's literally a soup bowl full of hot chocolate). We decided we'd go All Blacks stalking because they were supposed to be at the bars and clubs, so we got our cameras but ended up just getting chips at Velvet Burger and going home because Amber forgot her passport so we couldn't really go in any bars (we've all yet to get our 18+ cards so still carrying around passports... ugh). Searching for cars has gone disastrously since we haven't actually been searching. Amber was doing something else all day and Kate's parents have some issues and we need to meet about it. Supposedly we're doing that tomorrow. I dunno. Hope it doesn't fall through, but I guess busing around and bumming rides would do fine."
cont'd: "We decided quite late to move up the time of our hike because Amber wanted to play soccer at 2:30 and I think some people got angry because we went at 8:30 instead of 10, but I specifically told them they should still go at 10, since there were 3 or 4 of them, but I have a feeling they didn't go. Becky was especially angry and texted me about it, saying "I was one of the ones really trying to set this up" which I didn't understand, because she still could've quite easily set it up since there was already a 10 am plan. Some people we hang with are fine getting up early but some refuse to, even though I feel an early start is much better. Anyway so Amber, Helen, Kate, and a girl named Kana (dunno how to spell) and I set out at a little after 8:30. Walked up, passed by Baldwin Street (the world's steepest street!), and got to Bethune's Gully which is where the Mt. Cargill trail starts (well one of them). Started up the trail at about 10 (had to stop for bathroom and it does take about an hour to get there). Going up took about an hour and a half more or less. It was very steep but through a really cool forest with lots of ferns. I got winded really easily and so it took a bit longer than might have if didn't have to stop occasionally to catch our breath. As we got near the top we would get occasional glimpses of the view and it was so amazing. Once we were up there it was absolutely breathtaking. You could see the whole city, the harbor, the peninsula, the ocean, and huge mountains in the distance to the north/northeast. We ate lunch on the top (it was kind of cold up there because pretty high and also windy, there was even some snow on the trail). There are some precarious stairs on the trail. There's another way to get there via a cool rock formation called the Organ Pipes, which I want to take one of these days. Mt Cargill is 680m, so it's decently high. The way down was easier (Amber left before we did to get back in time) of course and much quicker. My legs were kind of rubber by then. Now my feet are sore and my legs hurt... but it was so worth it. We got back in town at about 2:30 so Amber definitely made soccer (also she's crazy or more fit than us, or both). I will tell more later must go to dinner now, going to Velvet Burger which is supposed to be really good. Cheers!"
and a note: Still have that hat and love it. Also - Velvet Burger ended up being one of my fav restaurants ever.
and then: "On the way back we stopped at Coupland's bakery on Great King Street and I discovered they have cheap bread! Like $1.80 per loaf or so! so much better than the supermarket. I also want to get choc chip biscuits there (ie, cookies) cuz they look good. I forgot to bring any money so we went to my flat and I got my wallet and mysteriously my door was open and my flatmates (Jess and Patrick) were sitting watching TV and didn't respond when I said hello. It was a little strange... so then we went to the Museum cafe and got "chocolate milkshakes" which were actually just chocolate milk. At least it was good choc milk. I'm fairly certain milkshakes at most places here are actually milkshakes, but I could be mistaken. I'll let you know if I find out. Then went back and got a shower, which felt so amazing I can't even describe it. Went to dinner at Velvet Burger, which was, indeed, excellent. I got the Velvet Burger, which is a venison burger with pineapple, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, relish, and chilli mayo (chilli as in peppers). Also got chips, you can choose fatties or skinnies and for some reason I chose fatties even though I like skinny fries. I dunno what I was thinking. The dipping sauce I got was aioli, which is more or less mayo with garlic. I haven't really done anything since then. Trying to get some reading done but I'm tired and may put it off til tomorrow. I think I might go see the Jaffa Race on Baldwin St at 12:30, where they race a bunch of hard candy down the street. There's a free bus. But that would mean not sleeping in so much... I dunno. We'll see. I'm gonna go to Coupland's tomorrow and the supermarket to get crackers for my cheese. Yay for no class Monday!"
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