Piha and Karaie Falls

Another Beautiful day in the land of the long white cloud. All 16 of us girls, Jim, Linda, and James all went to Piha beach. Piha is a gorgeous black sand beach with dangerous surf waves. Jim wouldn't let any of us swim the waves were just too dangerous. There have been numerous reports of people that have died because of the strong undertow and high waves. We walked down beach that went out into the Tasman Sea. We had to go at low tide so we could walk around the beach and see the hole in the rock before the tide came up and filled it with water.

It was so much fun to run in the hole in the rock and then try to run back out before if filled with water. We had to climb around to the bay and then walked to the gorgeous Honey Moon Cove for lunch. Running in the waves at honey moon cove and hiking up to the look out above was so much fun. The waves came up way above the rocks as the tide came in. Hiking up to the top of the cove was so much fun and such a gorgeous sight. I wish I could have sat up there all day and just take in the view. It was so spectacular. My pictures could never  compare. The sight of the sea and the huge waves like nothing other. We even got wet on our hike down because the tide was coming in so fast. I stood on the rocks at them end of the lookout almost onto the sea. It was kinda scary being so close to the edge. I hiked back down and had a great picnic lunch with the other girls.

It was so much fun and Katie and I had such a great time hiking up to the bay and chatting during lunch. After having lunch we hiked up the other side of Honeymoon Cove through the jungle back to Piha. I love how you can be on the beach one minute, hike through a jungle, and be on another beach the next minute.Only in New Zealand. It is such an amazing experience. We hike back to Piha and the under 19 surf competition was going on so we got to watch some of that. Pretty sweet.

We walked over to the other side of Piha and hiked up the Lion rock, which was an old protective rock for the Maori people. It was a great hike and I felt like I should have been singing the Lion King song as I hiked. We hiked about 3/4 of the way up and then had to stop because the trail to the top was blocked off because it is so dangerous. We hiked back down and then drove to Karaie beach and falls.

It was a little bit of a hike to the beach on some hot hot black sand and through the Karaie river. Once we got there though it was a gorgeous expansive black sand beach with huge waves. Myself and most of the other girls ran and jumped in the huge waves. It was so much fun. One of the waves was so big it even came up and over and got all of our stuff on the beach wet. Oops. At least is was only my clothes that got wet, not my camera.
After seeing the beach, we hiked back to the parking lot and then took a little five minute hike down the jungle to the water fall. It was gorgeous. I swam in the pool at the bottom and under the water fall. It was so much fun. Christine, Jessica, and I even climbed up some of the waterfall. I just loved every minute of it and it was like being in a dream.

Afterwards I came home to wash all of my wet sandy stuff before going to a combined birthday celebration for Nancy, Anna, and Nicole all of which had their 21st birthday in February. We had a traditional New Zealand 21st for them with blowing out the candles before singing happy birthday, lots of food and cake, etc. It was a lot of fun and it was a surprise to Nicole because she didn't know we were throwing the party. It was great to see the look on her face when she found out and I think Dr. Jacobs had the most fun being a part of a surprise party. It was a pretty amazing day and all of my pictures from the beach and the falls are on facebook.

Hobbiton Trip

On Friday, February 26 Nancy and I left early in the morning for Matamata where Hobbition is. John was our guide for the day and drove us up there teaching us that kiwis grow on a vine and about how Dan Carter and Micheal Jones are amazing rugby players for the All Blacks. We went to Hobbiton and had the most amazing time, but I can't say more because I signed my life way saying I wouldn't tell anything about our experience there, so I will just say it was incredible.

After seeing Hobbiton, Matamata and the Shires Rest Cafe, John drove us up to Tay Street along the east coast beaches. We stopped at two beautiful white sand surf beaches Tay Street and Hybiscus Beach. They were gorgeous and the waves were just amazing. There was even an under 19 surf competition going on. So cool. John treated us to lunch at the Tay Street cafe where I had amazing satay beef kabobs with lots of veggies which I have been craving.  I really don't get many vegetables here.

We then went to the most gorgeous lookout of the Pacific Ocean in Kaiaua. It had a stunning view. I could have spent the whole day just taking in the view from the lookout. We continued our journey up to the Brighton reserve, which Nancy and I would love to go back to. Another gorgeous white sand beach with very few people. I cannot even begin to explain how gorgeous most of these places were.  We met one of John's friends and drove through this cute mining community.

We then headed up to Paeora where L&P is famous for being made. The soda is naturally produced and then the lemon is added no artificial flavoring and carbonation needed. We drove back to Auckland through Maratai and the back of Beachland and went through the Bay of Plenty region, all of which were gorgeous and we didn't think we would get to see.Having the beach on one side and the rain forest on the other is such an experience.We really couldn't have had a more perfect day.

Christchurch Earthquake

On Tuesday, February 22, 2011 a terrible earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch was hit by a 7.1 earthquake in the middle of the night last September which caused some damage to the city but no one was seriously injured since then there have been daily after shock and many small quakes have hit the city. Yesterday though, another big earthquake a 6.3 on the Richter scale hit Christchurch in the middle of the day around lunch hour, the worst time for one to hit. This quake caused huge damage to the city many water and electric lines are down, many buildings have collapsed, a 26 story hotel the tallest building in the city is on the verge of collapsing. The beautiful cathedral that has been there for over a hundred years suffered much structural damage. It is so hard for me to believe that I was just in this city, in some of the now destroyed buildings, with some of the people that are now suffering just two weeks ago. It makes my heart weep thinking about it. The hospital had to be evacuated because of the quake.

 There are more than 70 people know to be dead and over 300 people missing so far because of the quake. It is so sad to hear about and see so much devastation occur in a place that is now so close to my heart.

We heard today that the motel we stayed in there 2 weeks ago survived the quake but they have no power or water. We also heard that the woman who had made some dresses for Linda's grandchildren is okay and she has been living in another part of town because her home was damaged during the quake back in September. We are still waiting to hopefully hear that our friend Johnny who traveled with us on the South Island and stayed in Christchurch to visit his mom is doing okay as well as hearing that some of the people we met in the ward there are okay. I am keeping them and all others who have been affected by the quake in my prayers and I hope you will join me in doing so.

links to photos and more information on the damage the earthquake in Christchurch caused:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/christchurch-earthquake-photos/news/image.cfm?c_id=1503036&gal_cid=1503036&gallery_id=116929#7381709

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/christchurch-earthquake/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=1502981

Powhiri

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Today Henderson South had a Powhiri for all of the new students, teachers, and the BYU students. A Powhiri is a Maori welcoming ceremony that is conducted to welcome the visitors/ new people to their school or land. The ceremony starts with a call where some of the women of the land, in our case three of the older girls at the school, call the new people into the hall in Maori. A welcoming speech is then given in Maori, which Mr S our deputy principal gave to welcome all of us into the school and as people of New Zealand rather than as visitors of New Zealand. The children then sang a beautiful waiata or song. The children sang so beautifully.

Dr. Jacobs then gave a speech in Maori and English and offered a gift to the school thanking them for letting us come to teach and for hosting the Powhiri. He gave the school a Navajo sand painting that was gorgeous and shares a similar story to the Maori creation story. After Dr Jacobs gave his speech, we (the BYU girls) stood up around Dr. Jacobs and sang Te Aroha (a maori song we learned for the occasion). It went so well; the students were so impressed with our singing that all of them gave us a paki paki (clap) which does not normally happen at Powhiris. Mr. Diamond our principal then gave a speech welcoming us into the school and thanking us for being there. The children then sang another waiata.

The formal Powhiri then ended and all of the teachers came around to the front to greet the new people with a hongi, which happens by shaking hands and touching nose to nose. It symbolizes a sharing of breath and shows that we are now a people of the same land. So after the Powhiri I am officially a member of Henderson South school and of New Zealand. It is such an amazing ceremony to be apart of and I felt the spirit and such love in the room during the ceremony.

I am so glad we had the Powhiri at my primary school instead of one of the others because I got to experience it with my kids and staff which means so much. The kids did so well during the Powhiri and the staff members made me feel so loved during the hongi and got so excited that I was not officially apart of their school. They just had huge smiles on their faces and gave me huge hugs during the hongi. It was so cool and such a blessing and experience that I will never forget to be apart of the Powhiri at Henderson South. And it is such a blessing to be in the beautiful country of New Zealand and teach at a school with such lovely children and staff. I love how they have a ceremony like that here and invite us to be people of the country just as they are.

After the Powhiri of all of the new children at the school got a biscuit and all of us went to have morning tea. There was heaps of good food for morning tea including keish, brownies which I have really missed since being in New Zealand, meat pie, bread, biscuits/ cookies, etc. It was all so good and I probably ate too much. My class did a story writing on the Powhiri afterwards.

I am doing so much teaching this week. I have taught reading, hand writing and maths everyday, some story writing, topic (health), swimming, etc. It is so fun and I love getting to teach so much. I am going to start swimming with the kids twice a week next week and teaching them, which I am pretty excited about and I have my first formal observation with Dr. Jacobs on Monday.  I hope it goes. well.

Bethells Beach

Monday, February 21, 2011

On Monday, February 21 is was Nancy's 21st birthday!! After a busy day at school with lots of teaching, we Nancy and I came home and made a pineapple topping cake for her birthday. We had to make it with vanilla cake mix since yellow cake mix doesn't exist here. There is also no vanilla pudding here, so we had to use the vanilla frosting mix that came with the cake and add cream cheese to it. Then we had to open the cans of pineapple with a knife and scissors because we don't have a can opener and had to whip the whipping cream by hand since there is no cool whip over here and we didn't have a blender. It was a long crazy process changing the recipe in so many ways, but it turned out really well. I really liked the cake and so did Paea and Cooper.

After making the cake and something for dinner, Paea and Cooper took us to Bethells beach to have a picnic on the beach for FHE and Nancy's birthday. The drive up there was 30minutes of driving basically through a rain forest. It was absolutely gorgeous. We got to the beach and as soon as I stepped out of the car, I saw a rainbow over the sand and rocks. It was so gorgeous. Bethells is a black sand beach and these is quite a bit of walking in the sand before you get to the beach, but the sand felt so nice beneath my toes. That is one of my favorite feelings. Nancy and I were amazed with how gorgeous the beach was and getting there right at sunset made it just perfect. We ran up to the water and jumped in the puddles that led to the water form the rain earlier in the day. It was so much fun and we got so many good pictures that would look great on a postcard. After walking through the beach, Nancy and I went to explore the caves on the beach. It was so much fun and definitely the most gorgeous beach ever!

We sat down on the beach and had a very nice picnic. Paea and Cooper had a blast as well and he was in and out of the water running up and down the beach. so fun. While we were eating we watched the one or two surfers that were there, but we were basically the only people on the beach and had it all to ourselves. It was just a perfect sunset picnic on the beach. After the sun went down there was a gorgeous mist over the ocean and through the caves. Everywhere I looked on the beach, it was just gorgeous. I couldn't have pictured a better way to spend a Monday night in February. The only way it could have been better was if it had been my family at the beach with me.

Pt. Chev, Rangitoto, Chinese Lantern, and Rugby weekend!!

On Friday, February 18 I went up to Pt Chev beach. It is so nice only having to teach 4 days a week and having 3 day weekends. I went up with Nicole, Neeley, Jessica, Christine, Emily, Whitney, Anna,Becca, Katie, and Heidi. We got to the beach around 11. It was so great to see a lot of the girls again. When we got there it was low tide, so after catching up Emily, Nicole, and I went to explore the beach. We walked out to the water through super gushy sand, some tide pools, and stepped on lots of hermit crabs. When we got to the water we tried to make it look like we could walk on water,but only ended up really walking on the crabs which kinda hurt.We also explored through some caves and climbed up some pretty cool rocks. It was pretty fun and I found some cool shells. It was so nice to spend a Friday on a nice sunny beach.

On Saturday, Nancy and I got up really early and went outside to walk to the bus stop where a bunch of the girls were meeting up. As soon as we stepped outside we saw the most gorgeous sight of the moon. We met up with Neeley, Nicole, Whitney, Becca, Katie,and Emily and took a bus into Auckland where we met up with Allie, Kara, Diana, Janet, Jess, and Christine before boarding a ferry to Rangitoto Island.Rangitoto Island is a dormant volcanic island covered in jungle bush and volcanic rock. It is a pretty secluded island with no fresh water available and just two bathrooms. We went hiking to the summit of the mountain twice, to a crater, to Mackenzie bay and to some lava caves. We hiked a total of about 5 hours. It was such a gorgeous, intense hike and really was like going through a jungle. It was way cool to see all the volcanic rock where the lava had flowed down. It was so fun and we got so hot and sweaty.

The lava caves were really cool and I am so glad my mom had me bring a torch/ flashlight to New Zealand so I could explore them and go spelunking in New Zealand. I forgot how much I love doing that. Mackenzie Bay
was a pretty gorgeous black sand beach with huge volcanic rocks that I climbed on. And the water felt no nice after hiking in the hot sun for 5 hours. It was such a fun hike and I am so glad we went. I was way dehydrated by the end though. We caught the ferry back and then went to the Chinese lantern festival at Albert Park.

There were millions of people at the festival. Jess, Christine, and I went and watched some performances by dance and other groups that had come over from China to perform. They were pretty sweet and the little kids in the Chinese costumes were so cute. The lanterns were absolutely gorgeous and so cool. There were so many different lanterns of people, places, animals, dragons, etc. It was so sweet as. I walked through the festival with Jess and Christine, tried on a chinese hat and saw all the booths. When we went over to the food part it was almost like walking into China. There were so many street places to get lots of different food from different Asian countries. We got a pineapple cut in half with ice cream on top. It was so good. I loved it and I am not even a ice cream person but having it in a pineapple was such an experience.

After the lantern festival Jess, Christine, Anna, Heidi, Nancy, Nicole, Neeley, Whitney, Emily and I went to a rugby game at Eden park. We bought out tickets earlier that day which got us on the bus there free, which was a nice surprise. The game was the Blues (Auclkand) vs. the Crusaders (Christchurch)and I was so excited. I was reminded of how much I love rugby and sporting events as soon as I walked into the stadium. We bought the cheapest tickets for $15 and up being basically on the field!!! We were maybe 12 rows up. It was awesome!! We could see the whole game and I loved being apart of it and all the cheering. I love how rugby is so intense and fun to watch and a nonstop game. I wish it was bigger in the sates. I am pretty sure I am going to go home and have to watch every world rugby cup game starting in September just like with the World Cup for soccer last year. I didn't watch every one of those games but I love that world cup too!!! We found out that a lot of the players on the teams last night also play on the All Blacks. We even saw the best rugby player in the world who is number 10 on the crusaders.Such a sweet game. Watching the game cheering like crazy, and dancing in the stands was so much fun. I just love going to sporting events. We even did the wave around the stadium four times and when we did it most people that had bottles threw them in the air which is when we found out that they make all their bottles including beer and things out of plastic so no one will get hurt when they were thrown. It was such a fun game. I was cheering for the Blues and they won in a landslide 24-22. It was such a close intense game with so many amazing plays. What an amazing night!!!! Afterwards we caught the train back to Henderson which ended up being free because of the game too. It was such an amazing fun day. I loved every minute of it.

On Sunday I had church and made a bucket list of things I want to do in GA since I was a little homesick. I talked to my family, which was so nice and made made me feel better. I also called Alison and talked to her which always makes me feel tons better. I am so glad I have her and my family. When I called all of her kids except Emma were in bed, so I talked to her and then to Emma which just made me smile so much. Ben and Sam ended up waking up and coming down too and I am so glad they did even if it was almost 11 at night there because I got to talk to them and they got to tell me about Karate, school, and their valentine's day. It made me so so happy. Nancy and I made chicken enchiladas for her birthday today and they were so good.
What an amazing weekend!!

Room 6

My first week of teaching at Henderson South went so well. The kids in my class are so cute. There is Faith, Sueliti, Skye, John, Konrad, Peleiti, Natalia, Adrianna, Devon, and Orane. I just love them all. I am getting to teach so much already including guided reading, story writing, routines, maths, and hand writing. It is so much fun and I like doing the planning for it as well. The kids surprise me each day with how much they can do. One of my girls told her mom that her new teacher Miss Kern doesn't speak English. It was so cute. I guess having a southern accent really is a different language.  Then on Thursday, another one of my girls said Miss Kern you look different today. I asked her how and she said, "You are a different color. You are white." It was pretty funny especially since I am darker than my cooperating teacher. I love how swimming is part of the curriculum here and how there is so much more discovery learning than rote based learning. The first day I taught the children were completely stunned with having a new teacher, but they were much better today and are really warming up to me.  I like how Ms Manos does her planning and how I am able to easily plan my lessons without stressing on their format. It is so interesting to see how the curriculum is more flexible and different from the states . There really are advantages to letting the school be in charge of the curriculum.I am so excited to continue working with Ms. Manos and the kids in my class. It is so fun and I am learning so much.

I also found out that I got accepted to be an EFY counselor in GA and FL this summer. I am so so excited. I can hardly wait! I have been waiting to here back on it forever and it is an answer to my prayers that I get to be a counselor again. I love the EFY program and having the opportunity to work with the youth and see their testimonies grow.  I also love having the opportunity to teach and bear testimony with them. Having fun and being crazy with the kids and other counselors is also another fav. I am so excited to do it this summer.

1st day of School!

I started teaching at Henderson South today. I am in a level 1 class (kindergarten) with Miss Manos. I really like my cooperating teacher. She has so much energy. I have ten sweet little 5 and 6 year olds and they are so much fun.  There are 2 boys Konrad and John and 8 girls Faith, Skye, Sioette, Adriana, Oreiana, Devon, Piette, and Natalia. I am having so much fun with them already,We started the morning with a prayer in Samoan. It was cool to see how all of the children knew it and did it together. Tomorrow they is will be in Maori. I want to learn the words so I can do it with them sometime. Afterwards all of the junior classes went to fitness. They start every morning with fitness. I loved it. We had 20 minutes of doing there fun dances to get all of the children moving and all of it was pretty cool. I now understand how everyone over here is such great dancers. They start learning dances at school from the very beginning. I worked on hand writing with my class and the letter I. I also got to see how they do guided reading here. The main difference in my classroom was that they one at a time and the others in the group follow along instead of whisper reading together. I think I like the whisper reading more, but this way really heps the teacher to know where every child is with reading which is really helpful.

Every morning at 11:00 all of the children go outside for a snack and the teachers have morning tea together in the staff room. Don't worry they have milo/ hot chocolate that we can have as well. I really like the idea of having morning tea every day. It really gives the teachers the opportunity to get to know each other and talk to each other, which makes the school feel like more of a community. Shortly afterwards my class went into Miss Williams class for the rest of the day since my teacher had to leave early. It worked out pretty well and my class got to hear some Samoan since her class is a Samoan class. It is so cool how they value and teach different languages here.

During lunch I had the opportunity to talk to and get to know our principal Mr. Diamond more. We have an amazing principal and he has such a great relationship with the students. I love how he is always in and out of the classrooms and knows all of the students' names. He also cares a lot for the staff and I love the motto he has for the school of caring, sharing, and learning.After lunch my class had swimming. So all of my kids got their togs on and I had to remember my hat. Wearing a hat outside is a rule for the kids here because of the heat and I want to set a good example for them. Mrs. Bradley and I took the kids out to the pool. We played Simon Says in the pool, had the students practice going under water, kicking with kick boards, and swimming with their face in the water using their kick board. It was pretty fun and I even got pretty wet, which was refreshing since it was such a hot day. I like how swimming is part of the curriculum here. It is pretty cool and all the kids love it. The afternoon went by so fast by the time we got back from swimming it was time to pack up and for the children to go home. I had a staff meeting after school and it went pretty well. I love how nice the staff members and ans how I am already getting to know some of them. It really was a good first day at Henderson South and I am excited to continue working there for the next 6 weeks.

Otara Market

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Today we drove down to the Otara Market, which I a huge outside market with everything under the sun. I got a photo album that I absolutely love. After a few hours there, I cam back and called Alison Howell's phone through skype. I made my day talking to her. I have missed it so much. I talked to her for almost an hour and it was less than a dollar to do so. Skype is so amazing. I got to talk to her one year old Emma too and she is talking. She said I love, all of the people in her family's names and my name. It was so cute and made me so excited she wasn't talking much when I left and now she is talking so much. Everyone is just growing up so fast. I  miss so many of my friends and family back home and at school. It is such a blessing that I am able to keep in contact with them while I am half way around the world though.

I talked to my family as well and caught up on my blog and all my pictures. We had stake conference tonight and Nancy and I sang in the choir. The conference went really well. There was a lot of focus on faith. The seems to be the common topic for talks since I have came to New Zealand and I really like it. it has helped to strengthen my faith quite a bit.

Review for Practicum

On Friday, February 11 I had one class day of BYU classes to prepare to go into the schools on Monday. It went well and I was able to set some goals for teaching while I am here. All of this just makes me so excited to teach. I love it so much. All of the girls stayed afterwards and we got each others pictures off each others cameras, which was so nice.Afterwards I cam back and did homework for an online class all night and took some time to myself which I have been missing.

Henderson South

February 10, 2011

 I  went to Henderson South to meet my principal Trevor Diamond and see the elementary school I am teaching at today. I really lucked out having an amazing principal that cares so much about the kids and school. I love how the school work down here and how the school get to create their own curriculum for the year. My cooperating teacher's name is Miss Manos and I am so excited to start working with her. I met her and she is sarcastic and crazy fun. Dr. Jacobs said that Mr. Diamond heard about her and while she was student teaching and just had to have her at his school because she is so good. I have ten little 5 years in the class I am teaching in. We may get a few more. It is a small class and they are all so cute. They told me their names and I got to meet all of them. It just makes me even more excited to start teaching lover 1 (Kindergarten) on Monday. 

Christchurch

February 9, 2011

Wednesday, February 9 was our last day in Christchurch. I wondered around the city with Becca, Katie, and Diana. We went to the Christchurch cathedral and went on a tour. It was cool to see such an old Gothic style building and learn some interesting facts about it. We also walked to the fudge cottage and sampled some fudge and took some pictures by a countdown for world rugby cup. We then walked over to the botanical gardens, which are the best ones in New Zealand. The gardens were expansive and gorgeous. Katie, Becca, Diana, and I took a caterpillar ride through so we could see all of the gardens. They were the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. I loved the hydrandras and roses. The colors were so bright and beautiful. After the gardens we got our bags and headed to the airport. It was so fun to be on a holiday in the South Island and a gorgeous worthwhile experience full of big adventures. I loved every minute of it. At the airport all 16 of us made up new names for each other. My girl name was Sarah and my boy name was Sam. The flight back to Auckland went by fast and it is so nice to be back.

New Brighton Beach

On Tuesday, February 8, 2011 it was a gorgeous warm day so we went to the beach. A day at the beach in February what could be better. The beach was endless and the water was a little cold, but there was tons of huge shells and lots seaweed. I went for a walk along the beach and looked for shells. I found a whole crab shell which was pretty cool. I laid out in the sun for awhile and I was one of a few that did not get burned after 6 hours at the beach. I went up to the pier with Katie and Becca. We walked along the pier where the water looked so gorgeous and peaceful. Lots of people were fishing and catching crabs.

Most of the group did the Hannah Montana hoe down on the beach which was pretty fun and then the rest of us worked on building a huge sandcastle with a mote and a shells drawbridge. It was one amazing castle. And we didn't even use a pail or shovel. It was all by hand. James told us about a guy who was there sand painting so we all went to see. It was pretty cool. he made a mural with hearts and a dance and Vanessa's brightest star.Katie found a long stick and tried to imitate him by making a crazy heart and writing all of the girl's names. It looked pretty sweet. I started reading a Season for Gifts at the beach. I just love reading at the beach, one of my favorite things. The day at the beach was so great. I wish I could spend more days like this one. It is so hard to picture that everyone else I know is freezing back home and in Provo.

We made our left over pasta that night  and then watched Freedom Writers. That is one of my favorite movies and the perfect one to inspire all of us before we start teaching.

Akaora

February 7, 2011

It was a rainy day in Christchurch on Monday. We were going to go to the beach, but instead drove up to Akaora, which is a cute French style town and wondered around there. We also went to the Christchurch museum. The museum was pretty cool and had a great exhibit on transportation and on Antarctica. There was also a fun exhibit and movie about this little old couple that filled their house with paua shells. All of the walls in their living room were covered and they would open their house up for people to come see. it was a pretty cool story and exhibit. 

For dinner that night we made spaghetti for all 16 of us and we had tons left over, so we could do it again the next night. 

For FHE, James Amu told us about the history of the church in New Zealand. It was a pretty cool story. The Church had been in New Zealand for a a long time and the Hurts and James Holder were the first kiwi members. The first stake in New Zealand was formed at the same time a temple was built here in the 1880s. It was so interesting to hear the history and how the Church has grown in New Zealand. James also played farkle with all the girls which was pretty fun he is so competitive and Johnny was so funny with that game. I am glad Johnny was with us on this trip and that James goes on all of our trips with us. They are fun to have around and know so much about the country. Late that night all of the girls watched Chocolat, which I had never seen before, but it was a good classic movie and I really enjoyed it. All of us were really tired when it got over around midnight. We are such grandma's what ever happen to being able to stay up all hours of the night as college kids?

Arriving in Christchurch

Saturday, February 5, 2011

On Saturday, We left Queenstown  for Christchurch. It was a 7 hour drive away, but actually went by pretty fast. Once we got to Christchurch, you could see evidence damage of the earthquakes, but the city was actually in pretty good shape. In Christchurch we went to a fun little market where I got most of my souvenir shopping finished. After the market we got some pizza and then went to a concert for Wantangi Day which is like their 4th of July.   It was so great to be apart of that event here in New Zealand. Especially when it is such big event here. There was lots of music. The New Zealand choir sang a few songs and the New Zealand Army Band performed some great tunes. There was even entertainment during the intermission where they performed a rugby rap. It was so sweet as. During the second half there were swings and ballroom dances and some great jazz music. It was just a great experience to be apart of and see their celebration. At the end their were fireworks. It was a great start to our visit in Christchurch.

On Sunday, we went to a ward down there. It was fast and testimony meeting and I felt right at home. It is amazing how no matter where in the world you are you can feel at home at church. One lady bore her testimony about the potential the youth have and it brought me back to my memories of EFY and my kids there. I love the youth so much and they really are great examples and have strong testimonies. I really hope I get to be a counselor again this year.

After church, we drove up to Lyttleton which over looks the ocean and is a great place to see the view of Christchurch. There were lots of old castle like buildings and one of the only remaining time-ball stations in the world. We also drove down and saw one of the beaches. It was all quite a sight to see.

Once we got back to the motel, we made taco salad and had tim tam slams. It was so much fun and nice to cook a meal after eating out so much. Tim tam slams are one of the best things ever. You doing by biting off each end of a tim tam and then sipping your hot chocolate through it and trying to catch it before the cookie falls in the hot chocolate.We then played dome games and watched a movie. it was a pretty great Sunday.

Friday in Queenstown

February 4, 2011

On Friday morning, Nancy, Allie, Kara, Christine, Neeley, Anna, Whitney, and I went on a Lord of the rings horse back ride. We actually met someone who was a ride of Rohan in the movies and many of the horses we rode were in Lord of the Rings and Prince Caspian. The ride we went on was called the Dart Stables Ride of the Rings. I loved it. We were a little worried at first because Nancy is allergic to horses, but all went well. My horse was named Monty and was in Prince Caspian. The sight for the Lord of the Rings and Prince Caspian was gorgeous. We got to see the tree where Boramir dies, where the talking badgers live in Prince Caspian, Isengard, Lorthein, Amon's Hen, etc and we rode through all of it on horse back just like they do in the movies. It was also cool to hear about the actors and their experience with horses for the movies.
Aragon loved his hoses and did all of his own stunts, he even stayed 2 nights in the stables with his horse to gain a better relationship with it. Legalos came over two months early to learn to ride and broke a rib which is why he runs funny in the movies. Liv Taylor who plays Aeowen was afraid of horses and rode a barrel behind a truck because she wouldn't ride the horses. The actor who plays Gandalf  learned to love his horses who followed voice command. It was really interesting to learn all of these facts.

Afterwards, Whitney, Anna, and I went to get Thai food for lunch. I have been craving good Thai food ever since I got here and they make it pretty well in New Zealand better than most places I have been in the states. After lunch Anna, Whitney, Nancy, Christine, and I went on a hike up Queenstown Hill. It was actually a somewhat intense hike and was gorgeous. Afterwards I laid in the sun by the lake for a awhile just to relax. The scene from  Lake Wakatpu is just breathtaking.

That night all of the girls went to Fergburgers again for dinner. The hamburgers there are just so good. I got a gelatto afterwards for dessert and then packed because we were leaving Queenstown early the next morning for Christchurch. The trip to Queenstown was so amazing I loved every minute of it. I would love to make it back there someday.

Milford Sound

February 3, 2011

All of us woke up early, early this morning and traveled 4 hours from Queenstown to Milford Sound. The drive down was gorgeous.I saw a gorgeous sunrise, many of the Lord of the Rings sites including the Ride to Rohan and Fargon Forest. The drive there was long and cold because our windows were down, but the scene was breath taking. There were mountains covered in glaciers, a stream with the bluest water I have ever seen, the Southern Alps, and lots of waterfalls. The glaciers I saw today, were my first glimpses ever of glaciers, pretty cool. To get to the sound we had to go through the longest tunnel I have ever been through. We stuck our heads out the windows and yelled and screamed as loud as we could through the whole tunnel. It was pretty fun. I think I might keep that tradition.

The Milford Sound is known as the 8th wonder of the world. We went on a boat ride through the sound and we were glad there was an inside to the boat because it was cold and rainy outside. The boat ride was gorgeous. I went out on the back and top of the boat to see the gorgeous waterfalls coming straight off the mountains into the sound it was one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. The fact that it was slightly rainy on our ride made the ride even more perfect because hundreds of other waterfalls formed. We even got right under some of the water falls where we could feel the mist form the falls and saw some wild baby fur seals. We were also luck enough to see some dolphins. On the ride, I learned that Milford Sound is not a sound, but a fjord because it was formed by glaciers. The boat ride took us all the way through the sound to the Tasman Sea. Because it leads into salt water, there is a layer of fresh water over the salt water.

The sound really is one of the most beautiful places in the world . Seeing footage of it in Avatar or Jurassic Park or even taking pictures is no comparison to actually being there. On the way back though the sound, our boat stopped at an underwater observatory where we were able to go 10 meters below the surface where the water is really dark because of the layer of fresh water over the salt water. This unique experience allowed us to see animals and plants that only live in the darkest parts of the ocean. It was pretty cool we saw the New Zealand black coral that is really white and the New Zealand spotted fish which is a female at birth and then changes to a male once it reaches 20cm. Just to name a few. Pretty cool.By the time we were ready to get back on the boat it was foggy and pouring outside. Our captain had to use the map of the sound to steer since he couldn't see through the fog. The pouring rain made hundreds of more waterfall form, which was pretty spectacular to see. Once we arrived back at the dock, it was still raining was we plied into the vans and started our dive back to Queenstown.

Because of the rain our driver James wanted to get out before the place flooded but the rain made the view on the way home even more beautiful than on the way there. There were hundreds of waterfalls coming off the Southern Alps. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. I kept expecting a taradacle to fly by it was so enchanting. Words could never begin to describe how gorgeous it was. We really do live in a beautiful world and it is amazing that places like this exist. I love the whole view on the way home. Being in New Zealand is such a blessing and seeing this part of the world is like a dream. Once we got back , most of us went for a run and called it  a night.

Bungee Day

Today was the most Sweet As day ever!! I woke up this morning and James and Dr. Jacobs drove 16 of us to the Kawarau Bridge to go Bungee jumping! The Kawarau Bridge is where the world’s first bungy took place in 1988 by AJ Hackett. The bungee is 43 meters above the river, that’s 141 feet.

On the day we went, it was a little rainy which made bungee jumping even better. I was so excited to go bungee jumping. It has always been at the top of my bucket list. I was part of the first group to jump, so I got all strapped up while the other half of the group took video and pictures. I was so excited, but a little nervous, but right before I jumped I saw a double rainbow so that must be a good sign. It was gorgeous. I went out to the edge of the ledge on the bridge, one of the trainers counted 3 2 1 and I did a Pocahontas dive down towards the water. I’ve always wanted to do one of those. I swung back up straight a couple of times, which doesn’t usually happen but was way fun, then at the bottom of the bungee I spinned on my cord and did a little dance before they brought me down.  During the bungee I was screaming I love New Zealand and Sweet As. I was having the time of my life. A raft brought me down from the bungee by having me grab onto a pole and once I was unstrapped; I ran back up the hill to where everyone was. I was so excited, that had been the most epic thing I had ever done!!

I watched the other girls jump and I was on such I high from jumping, I wanted to go again and hit the water.  I wasn’t able to the first time because I was one of the first jumpers and the cords are never right for the first jumpers. I went back up to the bridge and got strapped up all over again. I was so excited, I was singing and dancing on the bridge. I was pulled out onto the ledge again and this time I was told I was going to get very wet. Sweet As! I waved and dive a better Pocahontas dive off and went straight into the crystal blue 30 degrees water at the bottom. It was so awesome!! I loved every minute and it was so sweet as to get wet. Next time I am going backwards though.  Bungee jumping is most definitely one of the best things in the world.

After bungee, Kara, Whitney, Anna, and I went to the world’s highest swing. The Nevis Arc is the world’s highest swing, with a 70 meter (229 ft) free fall. The swing is 140 meters (459 ft) above a gorge in the mountains with a river at the bottom. We walked over a suspended bridge to a platform in the middle of the gorge. I have to admit I was scared. Anna and Whitney went on the swing first, and Kara and I followed.  We were strapped in together and then brought up into the air and released. I screamed as we did the free fall and then went across the valley in a 300m arc. I lost my bandana in the process, a pretty epic way to lose one if you ask me. It was the best swing I have ever been on. If I would have gone twice, I would have gone backwards on that too. Riding with Kara was so much fun we had a conversation and we continued to swing and were brought back up. One of the best things about the swing was the free fall and how long the jump lasted.  It was so much fun!!

We got a pretty cool free hat for doing the swing, and then headed back to Queenstown. In the afternoon, I met up with the rest of the group and the 16 girls, Dr Jacobs, his wife Linda, and James all went to the luge. We went up the gondola on Queenstown hill/ mountain. To a lower summit where we then took a chair lift to the top. At the top was the skyline luge where we got to ride and race luge carts down the mountain. It was so much fun. Kinda like the Alpine slide in UT but way better. James loved the luge he raced down like 10 times and was always trying to get all the girls to race him and then whipping us. I am pretty sure it is his favorite thing on the south island.  I rode 5 times and then rode back up the chair lift and walked down with some of the girls. The view was absolutely spectacular. We walked back down to the city and I mailed some of my postcards and had Thai food for dinner. Thai food here is better than in the states. I just love it. Sabb. I walked around Queenstown for a while along the lake and in some of the shops. There were street vendors and performers around that were pretty cool climbing trees and playing tunes. I was pretty tired at the end of the day. I was one of the most amazing days ever!! I loved all the crazy things I did and am so a daredevil! So sweet as!!

 1st bungee jump
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRmSwWFQd8s
2nd bungee jump
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvsJhJCclyY&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Tuesday in Queenstown

February 1, 2011

On Tuesday morning, I woke up and went on a walk through the Queenstown gardens and along the lake. It was absolutely gorgeous. The water was so blue with lots of sail boats out, but it was freezing clod water. No way I was putting more than my feet in. The gardens were pretty as well. We saw a lawn bowling court where you can go lawn bowling kinda like bochee ball, so much fun. Many of the girls went skydiving this morning and loved it. I thought about going and would love to someday, but as much fun as I knew it would be and as much as I wanted to go, I felt in my heart it wasn't the right thing to do right now, so I listened and explored Queenstown instead, which was a great morning activity.

After lunch all of us drove to Puzzle World. On the way there, we stopped at a fruit stand in Cornwell. The fruit that was some of the best I have ever had. I tried a shilo, which is a cross between a plum and a apricot, and it was so good. A new favorite.
Puzzle World was so much fun. There was a huge Labyrinth maze that took Becca, Katie and I forever to get through and find our way out, but it was fun. The maze reminded me a lot of the Labyrinth in the Percy Jackson series.

Inside there was a room full of holograms and then another room where you could either look really small or really big. It was so fun and I looked so funny being so much taller than the Jacobs, I am always the short one. In another room, the walls and the room was all level, but on a different angle, which kinda made me dizzy but was so fun to explore. We went on a ride that slid up instead of down and were able to roll balls up instead of them rolling down due to gravity. it was pretty crazy. There was also lots of different puzzles to work on and do and in the bathroom there was a huge roman mural that was pretty cool and funny.

After Puzzle world, we drove back to Queenstown and all 16 girls went to Fergburgers for dinner. It is by far the best burger joint in the world and the hamburgers are so big, you absolutely have to split them.  I shared a southern swine one and chips with Christine. I am pretty picky about my hamburgers, but this one was amazing. There was also a place that is supposed to have the best ice cream in  the world. I am pretty picky about my ice cream as well and don't eat it very often, but all of the other girls thought it was amazing, so I would recommend it.

Monday in Queenstown!!!

On Monday January 31, I left for the South Island. My plane left really early in the morning and we had about a 2 hour flight. The flight went really well. I love Air New Zealand. They treat you so well on the flights and they have the funniest safety video with rugby players. Once we got the Queenstown, we met up with Johnny and James who showed us everything about the south island an took us everywhere. We loaded all of our backpacks since a backpack for a ten day trip was all that was allowed, into two 13 passenger vans. Lots of fun to be packed into.

We drove up to Queenstown, which is the cutest one street town with tons of adventure activities and it sits around lake Wakatipu. The lake has the most gorgeous blue water I have ever seen. It just makes the most picaresque scene. We checked into the Base X backpacking lodge where there were 8 girls in a room with a bunch of bunk beds I was with Nancy, Becca, Katie, Allie, Jessica, Christine, and Kara we had so much fun. We shared a bathroom with a shower that would only stay on for 15 seconds at a time, what an adventure!! It was actually quite fun.

After checking in I wondered around Queenstown for about an hour and hike up aways just to see the view of the city, which was pretty gorgeous, it almost reminds me of a ski resort town, but way better. In the early after noon all of us loaded into the vans and drove to where we got to go on the Shot over Jet. I had never heard of it prior to coming to New Zealand, but it was one of the most fun things I have ever done. You get on this giant jet ski that seats about ten and then they take your down through the river at about 70mph. You do 360's and get so wet, but we were protected by ponchos and helmets. It was such a blast and better that white water rafting.

On the way back, we stopped in Arrowtown, which is a cute little old gold mining town. We went through some of the old mining houses and the shops in the cute little town.

Later that night we drove up to Glenorchy where Lord of the Rings, Prince Caspian, and Wolverine were filmed. We went off roading in the vans over 11 streams all the way up to the Dart River, which is the big river in Lord of the Rings that Aowen crosses with Frodo followed by the dark riders. I had no idea big vans could handle that type of off roading, but hey with drivers like James, I guess we can do anything.We saw where Isengard was and Rivendelle, along with the Misty Mountains that they took through the snow in the fellowship of the ring. We took lots of Lord of the Rings pictures, acting like we were the actors in the forests where Amon's Hen was set. It was so cool. We are such Lord of the Rings nerds. I loved all of the scenery it was so gorgeous, what is in the movies really is all in New Zealand; the trees are that enchanting and the water is a pretty blue because of the glaciers that flow into it. I may sound like a nerd, but I loved seeing all of the move sights.

In Glenorchy, I also saw my first sheep in New Zealand. There were hundreds of them. Probably 100 sheep for every ten people in New Zealand, so crazy. I had no idea. One of the girls in our group jumped out the car and tried to catch one. It was to funny to see her running after the sheep. She finally did touch one after about 15min of chasing though, so funny to watch.

Today was an amazing start to my holiday in Queenstown, I am so excited for everything else in store.