Matthias and I walking around town!



Here's a shot from our walk Friday night by the water - quite pretty.



A photo of Wellington from the top of the Cable Car Incline.



The next two pictures are (obviously) from the plane rides. The first is from the way back on Sunday and the second shot is from the sunrise on the way there.



Well, I'm afraid the fall/winter temperatures are finally starting to hit Dunedin. I am realizing more and more that my flat is quite well insulated compared to many of the others, although I am still managing to wear a long-sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, sweatpants, and wool socks to bed quite comfortably. Nonetheless, I daresay I will be quite ready to get to those summer temperatures when I return to the states in late June.

A small group of us decided to fly standby this past weekend to Wellington on the North Island, the capital of New Zealand. My flatmate, Andrew, knew of a cheap student rate that worked out great. We got to the airport around 5:45am on Friday to try to catch the first direct flight to Wellington at 6:45. There weren't any seats on the first flight, but we were able to catch a flight to Christchurch at 7:20am. We stopped and sat at a small cafe in the airport before they called us to board. I proceeded to walk from the cafe to the airplane without going through ANY security - none. They didn't even peek in any of my bags - I go through more security at a JMU women's basketball game than I did to get on that flight. I was appalled. Even furthermore, we were informed that there had been a bomb threat the day before, for which they had to call the Christchurch bomb squad (5 hours away) because Dunedin doesn't have a bomb squad themselves. On one hand, I found it incredibly refreshing that they didn't feel the need to put us through security - no quart-sized bags or miniature bottles of shaving cream necessary. On the other hand, I found it to be utter stupidity. It only takes one event to take away that trust and I was amazed that they take that risk every day. Nonetheless, we arrived in Christchurch around 8 and caught the next flight to Wellington and were there by noon. I must say, I felt like quite the jetsetter if I do say so myself.

Andrew, Matthias, Natalie, and I had fun exploring Wellington. Natalie and I decided that it is a bit like a big U.S. city with a European twist. On Friday, we went up the cable car incline, walked around the botannical gardens, and took a night stroll through the town and along the coast. We split up on Saturday - Natalie and I did some shopping downtown and took a tour of their Parliament building, while the boys also did the Parliament building and went to the main museum in Wellington. We met up for dinner and decided to go back up the cable car incline Saturday night to take in a gorgeous view and sit and chat for what turned into nearly two hours. We woke up early Sunday morning and caught the first direct flight back to Dunedin and were home by 10am! It was a quick trip, but well worth it.

Natalie and I are in the middle of planning a trip to Australia at the end of our time here in NZ. I won't be there for long, but I'm going to visit family friends of our's, the Davidsons, which should be great!

Lots of love to all of you! XOXO.

The ladies of the trip! Natalie, Jessie, and me on a swingbridge that we stopped by on our way home to Dunedin.



Here's a shot of Fox Glacier that we stopped at on our way home. Fox is just about ten minutes away from Franz Josef.



Here's a picture of the group after our Franz Josef climb. From left: Jessie, myself, Natalie, Matthias, and Jeremy.



A photo of me heading into the cave!



Jeremy, Matthias, Jessie, and I showing our Group #1 pride!



A shot of steps on the glacier - crazy!



Here's a shot of a sunset we pulled over to see at the end of our long drive to Hokitika - what a way to end the day.



These last few shots are from the pancake rocks and blowholes on our way to Hokitika. The last photo is of Jeremy and me. Quite cool!





Our group left on Thursday morning to make the long trek down the west coast to the town of Hokitika. On the way, we stopped in Punakaiki to look at the touristy Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. This was an unplanned stop of our trip, but a great break in the 7+ hour drive. The waves were huge and made giant splashes as they came under and up through the rocks - the perfect victim of too many photographs.

Our hostel in Hokitika was mainly used as a stopover for Thursday night to get to our next destination on Friday - Franz Josef Glacier. We did the half-day guided climb on Friday from about 12:30-5:30PM. I didn't know quite what to expect, but the glacier climb proved to be another highlight of our Easter trip. The group of about 50 people was divided into four groups based on the speed at which everyone wanted to go. We opted for the fastest group because we had heard that you get to see more of the glacier, which turned out to be a great decision. We were given overcoats, mammoth boots (I felt like I could've climbed Everest with those babies), and crampons to attach once we got to the steeper parts of the glacier (again, just call me Ed Hillary). They asked us before leaving if any of us had health concerns, particularly ACL or other knee injuries, and I quickly realized why. The steep gravel incline was plenty difficult for my out-of-shape pins (as our Kiwi guide described my legs). Once we arrived on the glacier, I understood why the jacket, boots, and crampons were so critical. We had to use a rope to help guide us one-by-one into and out of a cave. A little hard to describe, but hopefully you can get the gist from the pictures. Take my word for it, it was pretty sweet.

We went out for a nice dinner Friday night to celebrate an unforgettable week and headed back home to Dunedin on Saturday morning. We made a few stops on the way back and got home around 9PM.

Two of the most unexpected highlights that I found during the trip were the hostels and simply driving from one destination to the next. Each hostel has its own personality and gives you the chance to meet and talk with so many interesting people. Driving along the coastline and exploring the countryside is another huge factor that has contributed to my love for New Zealand. When my family went on vacation to San Francisco, we paid a few extra bucks to do the 17-mile drive and I remember just being in awe of the gorgeous views. Throughout this trip, I felt that I drove 30+ hours on the 17-mile drive. While flying is certainly easier and less time consuming, I feel that so much of the experience would be lost.

I can't take credit for these photos - most of them are Matthias'. Enjoy!

Here is a shot of Natalie and I kayaking on the Abel Tasman.



Our kayaks up on the shore while we stopped for lunch on the beach!



Natalie and I striking a pose with our sweet "skirts"! The skirts attach to the kayak and cover your legs so you don't get wet and help with your posture during paddling.



The next several shots are from our visit to a beach near Farewell Spit. The picture of Natalie, Jessie, and Jeremy is the pathway that led us up to the beach - and we really were that close to the sheep!






This is just one of many pictures from our hike on the Abel Tasman.


To continue on our Easter break journey...

We spent Monday through Wednesday exploring the northern coast of the South Island. For those of you who aren't familiar with New Zealand, the northern coast has absolutely breathtaking views nearly everywhere you look. We spent Monday hiking in Abel Tasman National Park - a definite must-see if you ever get a chance to come to New Zealand. The hike feels a bit like you're in a rain forest, then you look through the trees to gorgeous green water - a bit surreal. It was a long day of hiking, but well worth it. Tuesday was a bit cloudy (our only cloudy day!) so we decided to make the 1+ hour trek to Farewell Spit, a small sliver of land that protrudes out on the northwestern coast (if you can find it on the map, the name will make sense!). We found (another) deserted beach and frolicked for several hours. In order to get there, however, we followed a path of endless fields with hundreds of sheep to our right and left, the closest being no more than 5 feet away. Upon my arrival to New Zealand, I heard there were some 4 million people and 50 million sheep - I'm finding that statistic to be more and more true each day. Once we reached the beach, it went on forever and had huge sand dunes that led up to it, leaving the sand up to your knees in some spots. We had a great time exploring, running, and wading - I don't know if I have ever felt that free.

On Wednesday, we rented kayaks and went sea kayaking on the Abel Tasman - an absolute highlight of the trip. Without a cloud in the sky, we got a brief intro to sea kayaking and the equipment from a charismatic kiwi and headed out on the water. It was amazing. In the United States, the area would be completely built up with million dollar plots for the view alone; in New Zealamd, we were three of the only boats out there and maybe saw a total of ten houses in our four hours on the water. Again, we ate our packed lunch on ANOTHER deserted beach and tried to take in all that we were experiencing - it was incredible!

That's all I will leave you with today. I hope all of you are doing well. I hear that spring is springing and I am so jealous - the fall temperatures are finally starting to hit Dunedin. To all of the students and teachers in the group, keep plugging along - you're almost finished!

XOXO.

The two pictures below are of our hostel in Picton for the first two nights, which ended up being our favorite hostel of the trip. For the Wescotts who are reading, it reminded me of a camp in Maine - nice and relaxing with a gorgeous view :)



Here is a shot of Jessie (left) and Natalie (right) in our 6-bed "dorm style" room. Reminded us of camp!



Below is a picture I took from our hike on the Queen Charlotte track. Believe it or not, the water really is that blue. Can you see why I had trouble focusing on the hike?



Here is a picture from an overlook of Picton - quite pretty.



We arrived home last night after a wonderful 8 day trip around the South Island. I was fully expecting it to be beautiful, but it even surpassed my high expectations. We had absolutely amazing weather, which also was an added bonus since nearly all of our activities were outdoors. It ended up being just five of us, which turned out to make planning and things much easier. It was a great group and I felt lucky to go with some of my closest friends in Dunedin - Jeremy, Jessie, Matthias, and Natalie.

I'll try to break down the trip by days to keep everything straight - I am more than happy to relive it all. I am constantly having to remind myself of where I am and what I'm doing. I feel so lucky to be here.

We left last Friday morning and headed up the east coast towards Picton, a town on the northern coast of the South Island. Although it was a long day, the 10-hour drive did not feel nearly as long as it sounds. The combination of constant beautiful scenery and an array of good tunes on the ipod with great people made for an easy ride. We arrived at our homey hostel late Friday night after several stops along the way for pictures.

We woke up the next morning and drove about 30 minutes to Anikiwa to hike the Queen Charlotte track. I have found myself to be quite the lazy hiker here in NZ, as my main motivation for hiking in the states is to see the gorgeous view at the top; here, however, you are surrounded by gorgeous views throughout the entire "tramp", resulting in stopping every few minutes for pictures. Nonetheless, we made it to the top to enjoy a nice lunch and chat with a kiwi family who had BIKED up the mountain. They continue to put me to shame.

I spent Easter a little differently this year. Instead of a morning church service and brunch with family and friends, I spent Easter morning kayaking on a small bay on the Marlborough Sounds. Our hostel provided us with kayaks and we had a peaceful and relaxing few hours on the water. Later that day, we headed to our next destination - Abel Tasman National Park. We stopped in a few towns along the way and got settled into our hostel - "The Barn" - on Sunday night. Although Easter was certainly acknowledged, it is clear that New Zealand is not an overly religious society, which has been a bit of a transition for me. While I had a great day, I found myself missing the tradition and rituals that Easter brings at home.

Here are a few pictures from our first few days of the trip. I will update again soon! XOXO.