Auckland

So this will be my final post about New Zealand (I know I've been home for a week now, but I'm just now getting around to it!) I have to go back in time from my previous post to when Courtney was still here. On her last Friday, Shaina and I drove wanted to take her to Auckland since she had never been. We were able to take Petro's car, so we left on Friday after school. We got to our hostel at the YMCA (after getting lost in the city for a bit) and were told that we didn't have a booking with them. Shaina and Courtney went back through their emails, but neither of them could find a confirmation email. Luckily we asked if there were other hostels around and we were able to find one right up the street. It could have been really bad since it was a Friday night, so we were lucky to find a booking so close. We checked into that hostel and then headed out down the main street in the city, Queen Street. We had asked some people what to do in Auckland, and we were told it was worth checking out the Viaduct Harbor. Since we didn't want to drive, we decided to walk there. It took us awhile since we had to go all the way to the end of the street to the harbor, but we made it in about half hour. It was a neat place because there were a ton of restaurants right on the water. 

We chose to go to a sports  bar where we got some appetizers. We ended up watching some rugby (for the first time since being in NZ which is crazy since rugby is huge there). We spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was going on and what the point of some things were. Personally, I thought it seemed pretty boring. It was just a bunch of guys rolling around on the floor and pushing each other...not my thing. After dinner (which we didn't get to until about 9) we decided to just walk back to our hostel. We didn't know what else there was to do at night, and we had big plans for the next day.

On Saturday morning we wanted to go to a farmer's market. We had looked online to try and find one close to us and ended up finding one called "Blockhouse Bay". We went to find it and when we got there, we realized that it wasn't really a farmer's market but more of large garage sale. It wasn't really what we were looking for, but I did find a cool necklace, so I was happy. After the market, we decided to head to the Skytower. The Skytower is the tallest building in Auckland, and you can go up in it and even jump off of it. Since we already went bungee jumping, we didn't do the Skyjump, but we did go up into it.

Once inside, we got to go up to the 53rd or so floor. They had glass where you could stand on and look down to the ground which was pretty cool. I didn't think it was that scary looking down, but there were some people who were getting really freaked out which was fun to watch.

It was cool because they gave you a panorama pamphlet with the skyline to show people what everything was in the distance and other attractions in Auckland. We got to see One Tree Hill, the museum, the university, Mount Eden, Mount Rangitoto, and we could even see the Coromandel Peninsula in the distance. It was fun being able to find things in the distance from the map.

After we were on the 53rd floor, we got to take another elevator up to the 60th floor. The view was really pretty and it was cool that you could walk all the way around and really look at everything. We stayed up there for quite some time. You were also able to watch people to the Skyjump. They had a little monitor that says when the next person is jumping and then you can go to a certain part and all of a sudden the skyjumper would just fall right in front of your face down to the ground. It looked pretty fun, but you don't bounce up and down like you do in a bungee because you could hit the tower or another building.

After we were done just looking at everything, we decided to go have lunch at a cafe there. We were both saying goodbye and celebrating my birthday since it was the next day. Shaina bought us sparkling wine, and then we ate our lunch on the 51st floor right by a window. It was wonderful. They gave me an awesome necklace that means friendship and a card and awesome glasses to wear. They really are the best.

After the Skytower we went down Queenstreet one last time. Courtney's flight was at 9pm later that night, so we were just killing time until we had to drop her off. There wasn't much we could do, so we mainly just walked around and then ate a little snack on a rooftop cafe.

Eventually, it was time to head to the airport. It was really sad saying goodbye. Although we were only together for 6 weeks, it's crazy how much we did together. We were all constantly together while traveling, at school, and at home, so it was weird thinking that we had to say goodbye. After we dropped her off we headed back to Thames for one final week in NZ.

We didn't do much my final week in Thames. I had one final week of teaching left, so I was able to get some closure with my classes. It was book week at the school, so they had a bunch of competitions for the students and teachers regarding books and authors. On Wednesday, they had dress up day, so Roopu's had to coordinate their outfits according to a book and then they had a competition for the best dressed Roopu. My Roopu couldn't decide what they wanted to go as. At first it was Marvel characters, then just superheroes in general, then it was villains as well, and then it basically just became heroes because someone wanted to go as Harry Potter and Gandalf. We were kind of all over the place. Naturally, I went as Captain America.

We didn't win the competition, unfortunately. For Year 9, the Roopu that dressed up as Bible characters won (I actually thought it was super clever, so I wasn't even mad) and Petro's Roopu won with dressing up as Peter Pan characters. They all looked super legit, but they were missing a Wendy. My personal favorite was a class that dressed up as the character's from Holes. That is one of my favorite movies and books, so I thought it was super awesome!

On Wednesday night, we wanted to say thank you to Petro, Gary, Zac, and Karien for all that they had done for us, so we decided to make them dinner. We made chicken Alfredo with mushrooms, spinach, and roasted tomatoes with a salad and bread. It ended up turning out pretty nice which we were happy with. Gary made a Pavlova for dessert. I don't really know how to describe it, but apparently they are a pretty big deal in NZ. Other than dinner on Wednesday night, we did the Windows walk on Thursday (which I wrote about in a different post) and then we had a Roopu Feed on Friday. This meant that students brought in food to our Roopu time and we just got to feast. I made puppy chow since my students loved it the first time they had it, and one of my students made me a delicious chocolate cake! We also had other cookies, chips, and candy. It was really good, and it was a nice way to say goodbye to my students.

Finally, I had to say goodbye to Thames and the Jagers. After school we went home and finished packing up our stuff. We went to a cafe and had bought one last pie and ate it back home, so we did that, and Petro made her beet root salad one last time. After our little snack, we loaded up the car and headed to Auckland.
I ended up talking with my grandma's cousin, Dave, who lives in NZ in Avondale (part of Auckland), so Petro and Gary took us there. When we got there, Margaret and Dave were really excited to see us. They were very enthusiastic and were asking Petro and Gary if they wanted to come in for a bit. They said no, we hugged, and then they were gone. I wish I could have had a better goodbye than that, but it was just really chaotic when we got there, so we didn't have the time or space.  The Jagers did so much for us, so I really hope I can go to NZ and see them again some day!

Margaret set us up on the couch with some snacks and beverages, and then we talked to them while dinner was getting ready. We ended up eating pumpkin soup and chicken sandwiches that night. Their grandson, Jess, was staying with them as well (who is like my fifth cousin something removed, I don't know), so he helped us set up a movie, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, before going to bed. We hadn't been planning on staying there all weekend, but they had thought that we were, so we ended up canceling our hostel for Sunday night (not Saturday) and were going to come back again. It ended up being really handy since we could leave all of our stuff there.

On Saturday, we woke up and Dave brought us to go and get a rental car. Shaina was having her mom, friend, and brother out to NZ to do two weeks of traveling, so she needed a car to run back and forth from the airport. We said our goodbyes to Dave and then went to the airport to get her friend Leigh. Then we went to a Sushi place where I tried Sushi for the first time ever! I kind of cheated a bit because I got it with chicken inside. I was told since I'm not a huge seafood person that I would probably never want to eat it again if I got raw fish in it the first time. I was a little skeptical at first, but I really didn't mind it. I thought it was good, but I don't see myself eating it very often. Since it was Leigh's first night, we knew she would be tired. We checked into our hostel. the YMCA which we actually had a booking for this time, and then headed out to Queen Street to do some shopping. We went and did a sensory maze which was fun. There were 13 different rooms where you had to use different senses to get through. For example they had a mirror room, an infinity room, and a super dark room where you had to feel your way around. My favorite was the room with a ton of exercise balls filled to the top that you just got to bounce around in. It wasn't my favorite thing we did, but it was definitely different! We ended up eating dinner in a little side alley off the street with a few restaurants on it. It was a nice and quiet place where we got to enjoy being outside. Then we headed back to our hostel for the night.

On Sunday night, we headed back over to Margaret and Dave's. They made us pancakes and then had plans to take us to some sight seeing places in Auckland. The first place we went was to a place called One Tree Hill. Apparently there was a tree here that got cut down, so they planted another one that also got cut down. They have plans to plant another I think, but they haven't done it yet.

The grass was super green and the view was pretty cool. I remember having spotted it way in the distance the previous weekend while in the Skytower, so it was cool looking at the Skytower now from that spot. There were so many people in the park it was crazy. A lot of people were walking up the hill, running through the park, and just enjoying the outdoors. If I lived anywhere near this place I would probably spend a lot of time there.

At the top of the hill there is a monument. This monument is honoring all of the Mauri people I believe. We weren't quite sure exactly, but it had something to do with them.

Now, there are a lot of sheep in NZ, but this park had TONS! They weren't fenced in at all; they were just roaming around the grass and walking across the street. We tried getting our picture taken with them, but they kept running away every time you would walk towards them, so I got one from a distance.

The next place on the agenda was Mt. Eden. Again, I'm really not sure what the purpose of this place was. It was some sort of memorial and it had a really nice view. I thought this would be a good place to take a picture with Dave and Margaret.

After Mt. Eden, we drove to Mission Bay. We didn't get out or anything, but they just wanted to show us a place we could go the following day where there were plenty of restaurants along the ocean. After this, there was one more place they wanted to take us. There are really good beaches in the area, so they took us to a place called Piha. It was about a half hour drive through the woods along a windy road to get to the beach, but it was worth it! It was a black sand beach and the view was really pretty. There were a lot of surfers in the water and the waves were pretty decent. It did seem like a fun beach to be at (when it is summertime of course!)

There is a large rock going into the water called Lion Rock. You can't really tell in the picture, but it kind of looks like a lion lying down, hence the name. You used to be able to climb all the way to the top of it, but now because of safety, you can only go so far up it.

We decided to go up as far as we could. It was really neat seeing the beach from that height and then looking out and seeing the city. I can only imagine living there. It would be it's own paradise considering it takes at least half hour to get back to any other sort of civilization.

 We climbed back down and spent a little bit more time just walking around on the beach. Eventually it was time to head back in. Since it was Dave and Margaret's daughter's husband's birthday, we stopped over at their house. I got to meet Jess's brother and sister, Brooke and Alex. They are all related to me somehow, but I really don't know what it would be called. We had a quick drink and then they were headed to dinner. The kids were great. They had so much energy and they thought it was so fun meeting us. I wish we could have spent more time with them.

We ended up going to our own dinner that Dave and Margaret treated us to. We ate at the RSA which is similar to like a VFW or American Legion. You ordered what kind of meet you wanted and then the rest was buffet style. It was actually pretty good. Then we went downstairs where Dave and I challenged Leigh and Shaina to some pool. We ended up winning because Shaina hit the black ball in (I hate winning like that!) Then we went back to Dave and Margaret's, watched the 20 minute video Shaina had made of our trip, and went to bed.

The following morning, I woke up to my last day in New Zealand. We said goodbye to Dave and Margaret and then headed to the Auckland Zoo. I love going to the zoo, and I really wanted to see a kiwi, so I was glad we had time to go. The zoo was HUGE! I thought we would for sure miss something while walking around, but we did pretty well.

We had wanted to go to the kiwi house first, but we couldn't find it, so we went to the red panda and otter spot. They must of still been in their cages because we got there pretty close to opening time, so we couldn't see them. Then we just started slowly making our way around the zoo. We did get to see lemurs which I think are one of the greatest animals ever!

We kept making our rounds around and got to see all kinds of animals such as crocodiles, different fish, and hippos. It's cool because the zoo is set up in territories or regions depending on where the animals are from. I'm sure most zoos are like this, but it made it really convenient in this huge zoo.

We got to see an elephant from Burma which was neat. I would have loved to interact with her, but all of their animal interaction stuff cost a ton of money that I no longer had at this point in the trip. She seemed really small for an elephant. I think she was only 25 or so and she was the only elephant they had in the zoo.

We did end up going to the kiwi house and we did see a kiwi! I don't have pictures since they keep it dark in the house. We were really luck because apparently most people don't even find the kiwi when they go. We saw it running back and forth behind a little hut thing. It was really exciting for us and we felt accomplished. We went to the safari area which unfortunately was being redone, so we didn't get to see any zebras or rhinos which was upsetting. I did see a giraffe, but it was all fenced in, so it was not the same experience. Those animals are some of my favorite, so I was really bummed we went on a day where we couldn't see them. Eventually we made our way back to the red pandas and otters and they were out! I love both of these animals because they are so cute. We watched them for a little bit and then had to head to the airport to pick up Shaina's brother.

After we got her brother Alex from the airport, we headed to Mission Bay for some lunch. We ended up finding an Indian Restaurant with a good lunch special where we could sit outside on the second floor. It had a really nice view and it was a really enjoyable place to eat lunch. Then we went a few minutes down the street to Sea Life. I have been to Sea Life at the Mall of America before and it was okay, so I was hoping this one would be better.

The first animals we saw were penguins so I was really happy! They were all so friendly and would just come up to the class and stand there, and they all looked like they were having a lot of fun just swimming around.

There was a baby King Penguin that was super fluffy. It looked so ridiculous. I loved it. Eventually all of the adults surrounded it almost like they were protecting it. It was a neat thing to watch.

Then we got to see other animals typical of an aquarium. They had some interactive things to do with the displays, and they had a lot of little boards where you can read about the animals.Apparently this giant squid washed up on the shore of some beach, but it wasn't alive. I'm not sure if one of these has ever been captured alive before.

The whole museum is underground, so it is huge. Before seeing the sharks, they had a bunch of displays that showed you different pictures and information about sharks. It's crazy thinking about how big some of these can get!

Eventually we got to a moving belt/sidewalk thing where you had glass all around you and sharks and fish swimming all around you. It was pretty cool because you didn't have to move at all and would be taken in a loop around this huge aquarium. They had a ton of sharks and a ton of fish.

I always find it interesting to think about whether or not the fish can tell they are enclosed or if they really don't mind. It seems like a pretty big tank, so I don't know if they even notice. The belt takes you in a circle and even though it is all the same tank, it's interesting seeing how similar fish stay in the same areas of the tank whereas some just kind of go all over.

The last area we went to was Seahorse Kingdom. They had about six different kinds of sea horses in this area. My favorite were the ones that glowed purple, pink, and blue inside of them. I have no idea how it works, but they are awesome! They also had a cool video that shows how they got the sea horses from the ocean. Because of their bodies, they have to be brought up in a certain way and they have to watch the pressure and buoyancy or something. It was really interesting.

Then it was time to say good bye to Sea Life. It was pretty cool, and it was something fun to do on my last day there. Since my flight wasn't for a few hours, we went to the YMCA so that Shaina, Leigh, and Alex could get checked in. Then we just hung out there until I was dropped off at the airport. It was sad having to say goodbye to Shaina just like it was sad to say goodbye to Courtney. It was so weird thinking about how I was leaving New Zealand. After being there for two and a half months, everything was starting to seem normal. I definitely want to go back. I had such a wonderful experience and I honestly don't know how it could have gone better...Until next time!\

Karangahake Gorge

So on our last Thursday in Thames, Gary decided to take Shaina and I out on one last adventure. He wanted to take us to a place called "The Windows". We had no idea what that was, but he said it was a walk that could take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours, so we were intrigued. It was about a half hour drive to the spot, and we wound up at the Karangahake Gorge. This area is a huge gold mining area and I think it wound up being the third biggest battery or something in NZ. I'm not exactly quite sure what I read. Gary said they've made it into a kind of tourist attraction now, so they have plenty of things to take pictures with and things to see. Here's me as a gold miner. 

This is where one of the buildings used to be. These factories really flourished back in the day, but once gold wasn't as big of a market as it used to be, they all just shut down and went to ruins. The area in which this battery was is really beautiful. There is a nice river (which you can see in the background) that runs along the side of where the battery was and there is plenty of green grass and trees.

At this point, we still weren't quite sure why this place was called "The Windows". There were two different tracks to walk in this area. There was a bigger one and a smaller one. We were going on the smaller one first, and then we were going to do the larger one. The smaller one is where "The Windows" was, so we just began our walk and took pictures with all the gold mining things lying around. 

The walk was pretty simple. There were only a few stairs to get up to where we wanted and then it was pretty much just flat and walking on the train tracks. It was pretty cool because the tracks would randomly be blocked or go into some tunnel. It's interesting to think that at one time they actually used them quite frequently. Now they are just abandoned and fun to walk on.

Gary said that this place is a lot more touristy than it used to be, so when we walked up the few steps we had to go up, you get to a nice overlook of the beginning of the walk. There are ruins for people to look at and a lot of signs up explaining what the ruins were and how the gold was mined way back when. It was an extremely pretty area with the river running through and then the hills on the other side of the road. The first thing you get to do before starting the walk is cross the swing bridge shown in this picture. I had never been on one until we did the Pinnacles walk, so I still enjoy crossing these.

As we walked on the train tracks, we came to a tunnel dug out way back when for some of the bins to go through. It's crazy thinking how much time it must have taken to carve this out of the hill. The walk was starting to get pretty adventurous and exciting, but we still didn't know why it was called the Windows. Gary knows so much about the gold mining in New Zealand it's crazy. He filled us in on what he knew, and then he made us read the signs that gave little facts and information on the different things we saw on the hike. I'm glad we did read it because it's really interesting seeing how things worked way back then. Basically, it just seems like a lot of hard work and long hours.

We were told we would need torches (flashlights) for this hike, but so far we hadn't come across anything where it was super dark. We had crossed under the tunnel in the picture above, but obviously it was too light to need a flashlight. Then we came across another tunnel, only this time we couldn't see the opening at the other side. We entered into it (it definitely helped that we had Gary with us otherwise Shaina and I would have been really skeptical of it) and eventually the flashlights had to come on. As we continued walking in the tunnel, we came to these little gaps in the tunnel that we then look outside at the river. If you stood on the other side of the river, you saw the hill, and then you would see an opening with a little gate which was where the tunnel opened up for people to look out at. These were the Windows that the name came from (we finally figured it out!) It wasn't crazy dark because of these windows until we continued further into the tunnel. We got to a spot where we could turn left and continue deeper into the tunnel. Because Gary was with us, we decided why not. As we walked deeper into the hill, it got extremely dark. Gary had us turn off our flashlights and we experienced total darkness. You couldn't see a thing. We waved our hands in front of our faces and couldn't see at all. We tried taking a picture, but it didn't work out too well.

We came to a "T" in the tunnel, so Gary let us choose left or right. We were afraid of getting lost, but Gary said if you just keep choosing to go left, eventually you'll find your way out. We didn't want to spend all day there, so he told us to take 100 steps in each direction just to see what was there. We saw tunnels we could continue on in and we also came to some dead ends. Eventually we decided to head out of this section of tunnels and back to the main one. Gary spotted a glow worm string, so we turned off our flashlights and we saw some more! It was really cool. Just like the tunnel we walked through in Franz Josef, it was so cool seeing them unexpectedly that made it so much more exciting. At first it was a little creepy turning off our flashlights, but once we started seeing the glow worms it was so worth it. We didn't see a ton, but it was a lot more than what we had seen in Franz Josef, so that was neat. Eventually we came out on the other side of the tunnel into the sunlight again. The hike made a loop, so we weren't going to back into that tunnel again, however there was more tunnels for us to explore on the other side of the river!

In the picture below, you can just barely see one of the openings that we went out to in the tunnel. This is what you see on the other side of the river looking at the Windows. There was another swing bridge that we had to cross and then you could see where we had just walked. It was cool thinking that we were basically walking inside of the hill, but also terrifying thinking about how much rock is on top of us while we walked through the tunnel and how it doesn't just cave in.

Across the bridge, we got to explore some more tunnels. We were a lot less afraid of the darkness now because we were so amazed by the glow worms. There was a sign for an underground pump that we wanted to find, so we went into any of the tunnels we found. There was basically one main one and then a couple turn offs that led to dead ends. We weren't too nervous about going the wrong way or going somewhere we weren't supposed to go because they had locked gates in some of the tunnels so you couldn't go through. Some of the gates were open, so we knew it was okay to go into them. We found the underground pump and it was really cool!

It wasn't super far into the tunnel and once we found it it was blocked off so I just had to take pictures through the gate.Once again, it was so neat thinking about how people used to work there and at one time that place was filled with people going about their daily lives. There was a huge water pump along with some other tools and carts and such. We wouldn't have been able to see anything without our flashlights. When we turned off our flashlights, though, we could see A TON of glow worms on the ceiling in this room. It wasn't quite as bright and as many as when I actually did the glow worm caves, but it was still so amazing. Definitely one of the coolest parts of the hike. If I would have done this before the glow worm caves, I don't even know if I would have needed to go and pay to see them. There were so many!

We found a gate that we could open and close so we decided to take a picture trapped inside of it. I know we're weird, but it was fun! This is what the gates looked like that either blocked your entrance into one of the tunnels or let you inside them.



After exploring in the tunnels, we headed back to the entrance of the hike. We now understood why Gary told us the walk could either take 20 minutes or 2 hours. We were probably exploring for a little over an hour or so. After this shorter hike, we began the longer one. This was just a bigger loop, but it was just a walk along the river, so there wasn't really anything to be explored. It was really pretty walking along the river and it was a really nice day for a walk. Eventually we came to this tunnel that went into the hill again. This one had lights in it which helped. We didn't think that it was that big, but it took us at least 10 minutes to walk through it. The whole arch was made with five layers of brick. We're not sure how many bricks were used to build it, but it had to have been billions. Talk about long and hard labor. It was built back in the late 1800's, so that's pretty impressive.

Even though there were lights, it was still dark inside the tunnel. It was kind of eerie walking in darkness for so long. We could see the end but for the longest time it just didn't seem like it was getting any closer. Eventually we did find the end, and it was nice to see some light again!

After this loop we headed back to Thames. I was so happy Gary decided to take us to go and do this because I had never even heard about it and wouldn't have done it without him. I am so grateful that he enjoys doing these things and was always happy to take us with him! It was definitely a great way to spend our last couple days with him!

The Fun Continues On

When we got back, Courtney only had a week before she was leaving us. We decided to do some last minute activities while we could. One thing we did was go and watch some netball games. The only reason I know what netball is is because we used to play it in gym class, however nobody in class ever knew why we had to play it. It's a pretty big deal here in NZ. If you're a dude, you play rugby, and if you're a girl, you play netball. It's pretty similar to basketball only there is no net and only certain players can shoot and be in certain places on the court. It's really interesting. We had some students playing and Petro was reffing one game, so that's why we decided to check it out. We spent the whole time trying to figure out the rules (we were probably half successful). 

Then on Thursday, we had a pot luck for anybody in the staff who wanted to come as a goodbye to us. Since Courtney was leaving that weekend, we had to do it a bit early for me and Shaina which was fine. Most of the math people came. There was so much food! Courtney and I made puppy chow which was something only a couple teachers had heard of before. They loved it. We all just hung out and ate, and then we watched the 20 minute video that Shaina made from our trip. It was a lot of fun.

Starting with me and going to the right, we have Shaina, Debbie (careers and college person), Gary, Doug (math), Doug's partner, Matt (math), Zac (math), Ian (technology), Dave (principle), Michelle (English), Karien (math), Sue (math), and Allison (Relief)

On Friday, we had one of the greatest experiences of our lives. We got to graduate at Thames High. Since the day I started seriously considering student teaching in New Zealand, I knew I probably wouldn't be walking at graduation. I never really thought I was not going to graduate, so walking didn't seem like that big of a deal. We had talked to a couple of the staff back in March about how we would be missing our graduations, and we were jokingly talking about having a graduation for us at school. Then after that conversation in never really came up again. I started seeing pictures on Facebook of people graduating and I realized I was actually kind of bummed that I wasn't home (but obviously I'd miss it again for the chance to be in NZ). After second period, Shaina, Courtney, and I headed down to interval and were shuffled off into another room by Petro. Zac had just asked me to send him some pictures, so I thought maybe he was just going to say a little something, but it ended up being much much more than that. Once we got to the room, all of a sudden they had flowers and gowns for us to wear and we realized what they were about to do. Naturally we all got super emotional. We walked out to the staff room and everyone applauded. Zac had three seats up front and a podium. They all sang a traditional song called "Whakataka Te Hau" (you can google it and look up the translation). Then Zac said a few words about each of us and they handed us a Thames Teacher Diploma. It was really nice. Then Linnea came up and gave us a bunch of little items that had some funny meanings to help us in our classrooms. Linnea is orignally from California and has been in NZ for like 16 years. I was supposed to work with her, but she got shoulder surgery right before I came so that's why I wound up with Zac and Petro. The staff sang the graduation song and then we were congratulated as the Class of 2014. It was so nice and I just can't believe how awesome the staff are for doing that for us. Luckily we even got it on video so I can watch it whenever I want!

After school on Friday, we headed back home to get ready to go to Auckland. Courtney really wanted to experience Auckland, so Petro and Gary let us take their car on Friday so that Courtney would have most of Saturday to explore Auckland. On our way out, we had to stop and take pictures of our home base!

Now if you can stick with me here, I'm jumping ahead a few days. I want to write about Auckland separately, so I'm jumping ahead to my birthday. This is now after Auckland on Sunday (mother's day too). At this point, Courtney is gone, which is really sad. Anyways, I do have a picture of the awesome presents that Courtney and Shaina got me for my birthday. Obviously, the awesome birthday sunglasses, a sheep card with wonderful things written inside, and a beautiful necklace. It is common for people to have bone carvings here as necklaces. They are a Maori tradition and each design means something different. Now, you can buy the designs in all sorts of materials. Jade is a really nice one. I got a nice silver one which is so pretty. The twisting design I got from Shaina and Courtney means lasting friendship. The point is that you get it from someone else. You wouldn't buy one of these necklaces for yourself. It really made me happy that they gave me one. 

What I woke up to on my birthday was wonderful decorations done by Shaina in the middle of the night! It was awesome. I had streamers from my door, balloons all over the ground and a big happy birthday sign. It was so nice of her. She is the best and really did try and make me feel so special on my birthday.

I went down for breakfast and hung out with Shaina, Petro, and Gary. Petro had made me cupcakes and then they sang and let me blow out the candles. These people really are wonderful. It felt like I was home with my family. I think there were 22 candles total, but we ate some cupcakes before this picture was taken.

Petro and Gary had gotten me some really pretty earrings that are also a well-known piece of jewelry in NZ. The material is like a shell which a lot of jewelry is made out of here, and the swirl is similar to my necklace. It means new beginnings and growth. It was such a nice gift.

Since it also happened to be mother's day, Petro and Gary went to go and see Petro's mom, so me and Shaina had the day to ourselves to do stuff for my birthday. Thames has this attraction called "Goldmine Experience" that I really wanted to. It's right in town and since Thames is known for gold, I thought it would be a fun activity. I had been meaning to do it since I got to Thames, but it is only open on Sundays from like 10am - 1pm, and we were almost always gone on Sundays and had no time to go. You get to tour a gold mine and go through the tunnels. It looked really cool. Unfortunately, it happened to be closed for maintenance, so I didn't get to go. I did get a picture by the sign though which is like a fourth of the way there!

The other activity I had been wanting to do was ride the mini train in Thames down by the water. I ran past the little track every day, so I always thought it'd be fun to do since I was living here. The train is also only open on Sundays, so it was a great day to go. Usually people with children go on it otherwise you just look ridiculous riding a mini train around the park as an adult, but Shaina and I had no shame. I think the birthday glasses definitely helped with that...

When I say mini train, I really do mean mini train. You are basically just squatting on it. The only people on the train were Shaina and I and two workers. Believe me when I say we felt really cool. The ride lasted about 5 minutes long. I'm definitely glad we did it because it just seems like everyone has ridden the train at some point in their life while living in Thames! Of course that meant we had to as well.

It was a beautiful day to be out and about on my birthday. The path in this picture below is the one I ran on every day. It's so lovely because it is right between the ocean (the Firth of Thames to be exact) and some hills. I seriously couldn't ask for a better route to go around each day.

Shaina knows someone who needed to send a Flat Stanley for a project, so we had him in NZ. We took some pictures of him in Thames, so we treated him as our child while on the train to make us feel a little better about riding a mini train.

The final thing I wanted to do on my birthday was go on a tramp in the bush right by our house. There was the Karaka Tramping Track right down the steep hill from my house. We could have walked for about six hours on the track, but we only wanted to go for a couple hours. We began the hike, and it was definitely one of the most "hardcore" tramps we did yet. When I say hardcore, I don't mean really hard or long (like Tongariro), but hardcore as in really outdoorsy. Unlike the other treks we had been on, there really wasn't much of a path. It was just a trail through the bush that had been walked on so much that a trail formed. The other tracks we were on had rocks or gravel laid down to make it easier to walk. Plus, it had rained the day before, so it was really muddy in some areas of the track. We were doing a great job jumping over mud, skirting the edges of puzzles, jumping on rocks to cross rivers...you know...hardcore. 

Overall, it was a really fun adventure. It was just different from what we had done before, and it made us feel like true kiwis. You can see how much bush was just all around us. I am kind of a klutz, so I definitely had to make sure to watch my feet! Well worth the struggle though!

Although I wasn't home, my birthday was very successful this year! I am so grateful to everyone who helped to make it so awesome. I really did enjoy being in New Zealand for it. I was able to facetime my best friend and my family and even though it wasn't May 11 quite yet in the States, they still made sure to FaceTime me on my New Zealand birthday. Then I was able to re-celebrate my birthday the next day since it was May 11 in the States.

My time is Thames was running short, so I definitely was trying to make the most of it!