Anyways, on Saturday there was a CYCLONE! Now, I'm being dramatic because they had been predicting Cyclone Lusi on the news all week (Petro and Gary always have the news on or the radio playing in the morning, so I'm actually staying more up-to-date on NZ news than I did in the US!), and they kept saying to expect this storm. On Saturday, it literally rained all day after beginning pretty heavily on Friday night. Saturday night was pretty windy, but everyone here said the "storm" was nothing compared to what they were predicting it to be. It was supposed to rain on Sunday as well, but it only did in the morning lightly and that was it! I was a little disappointed because I was looking forward to experiencing the "torrents" of rain that was anticipated. The city of Thames is nice because there are multiple ways for the rain to flow out to the ocean to prevent flooding (although they do get small floods in some areas sometimes).
This week in Thames is Heritage Week. It is essentially just what you would think it is by reading the title. It is a week filled with different activities, plays, and events that deal with the founding and history of Thames. Some of the activities cost money, and others are free to the public. They provide brochures with a nice chart to show when and where all the events take place throughout the week. On Saturday when the rain was lighter than it had been earlier in the morning, Gary, Petro, and I went down to Pollen Street to look in the store windows. Along this major street where all the shops are, the businesses can decorate their window for Heritage Week (they obviously keep it decorated all week) and then people can walk by and look at them and vote on their favorite. It was really cool seeing some of the old fashioned tools, clothes, and photos that were in some of the windows, and it is neat thinking about how some people still own these old items. The stores decorated their windows based upon what there business was (which makes sense when you think about it, but I didn't catch on until about half way down the street). There was a sewing shop which was displaying a really old sewing machine and the set up for how lace was knit along with some old clothing. One of the windows I thought was really neat was a tool shop because some of the tools that were on display were pretty similar to what we used today, but you can tell they are pretty old. There were also some displays about the gold miners (if you're reading these you'll remember that Thames was basically made from the gold mining) and also of the chopping of the Kauri tree (another thing I said was a big industry in Thames back in the day). There were displays in a few of the furniture shops of really old looking woodwork and cabinets and things which was pretty cool to have a look at. Although not all stores participated, it was still fun taking a stroll down the street and checking out the windows! So far, that 's really the only thing for Heritage Week that I've done so far. The people I am staying with know so much about the history of Thames that it seems silly to pay money to learn the same information! Who knows though, maybe later in the week I'll attend another event. I think the idea of having an entire week dedicated to the history of your town and your people is awesome, so Thames just keeps getting better and better!
Then finally on Sunday, we woke up bright and early to pick up Shaina from the airport. She is doing the same thing I am doing and is staying with Gary and Petro as well. She's from Pennsylvania. Once we picked her up, we toured the town again and the school. Then we went for a walk up to the Monument of Thames. This is a huge monument that sits up on the hill and can be seen throughout many places of Thames. It's in honor and memory of vets from a war.
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